Strangest Find and Estate Sales

I think that this find is the strangest item I’ve picked up in a long time. I might have left it except for the fact that it’s the middle of winter and I haven’t been finding much. I was in the grimy basement at an estate sale when I saw some things that looked like little seashells laying on a workbench. When I flipped them over – surprise! artificial eyes! I think people make jewelry and art with these so I threw them in a box I was carrying around which I had also put some vintage Gurley candles in. None of the items in this basement were marked. She ended up charging me $3 for everything in my little box. The eyes sold in two days for $49.99.

At this same sale I picked up this Hall’s cookie jar for $5. It has a hairline crack but I love the color and the style. This sale advertised that they had vintage toys but most of them must have been bought before I got there because I didn’t see many. I only bought this Fisher Price picnic basket set which I have sold before for about $15.

At another estate sale there was a table where everything was $5. I picked up two perfume bottles and a wooden duck. I asked if she would do $10 for all and she said yes! I was glad because I wasn’t so sure about picking up the duck.

Those are my finds for the weekend. I continue to trudge through this strange New England winter where one day it’s -4 and a few days later it’s 55.

Advertisements

Pottery and Jewelry at the Thrift and Estate Sales

The weather is getting worse here in New England as we get deeper into winter. But, you know, it’s always nice and warm in the thrift stores. I purchased some jewelry from the items on the rotating rack the other day. My favorite piece is a glass pendant featuring millefiori flowers. It’s marked Murano Vetro Artistico. I have it up for sale but have worn it a few times. I found a similar glass necklace, also with millefiori flowers, but featuring a menorah. I picked up this fob because it said Stella McCartney on it. This metal bookmark was also on the jewelry rack. I picked it up because it is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and features their cute mascot, William the hippo.

I have also been picking up some Italian pottery. This pretty flowered wall plate is by La Musa. Last year I sold a heart box by the same company  for $29. This small trinket box was also made in Italy. It has a scene of a seaside town on it.

Two other ceramic pieces from the thrift store include this commemorative Zeppelin plate and an Italian espresso mug by a company named illy. The plate sold for $99.99!

I only found one toy recently and it is this Little Bo Peep doll from Toy Story. I hope that since there is a new Toy Story movie coming out, it may help her to sell. She is also one of the more rare characters.

That’s all there is to mention for now. This is going to be a quiet weekend with frigid temperatures around here. Time to hunker down and watch Youtube videos about reselling!

Best Sales of 2018 Misc. Categories

It’s almost the end of January and I didn’t do the last “Best Of” post! Well here it is. These are some of the best sales for 2018 in all the other categories besides dolls and plush.

This first item is on here because it was a nice surprise that cost a quarter at a church rummage sale and sold for $29.99. It is a bisque Felix the Cat head marked Germany. It is very small and I never figured out what it is but the person who bought it wanted to know if I had any more of them.

This next sale is on here because it was in a free pile at an estate sale. These round game pieces were in a jar and I recognized them as probably being bakelite. They were and sold for $39.99 making them the best free find of the year!

I have found some micro mosaic pins before but this is the first time I found a frame. I think this is a beautiful form of art where they take tiny colorful pieces and create a design. Much of it comes from Italy. This was $1 at a rummage sale and was not marked in any way. It sold for $59.99.

This next item is a large bag from a school tag sale. I paid $5 for it. I picked it up because it said Patagonia on it which I hear is a good brand for clothing but I don’t sell clothes. The bag sold for $64.99.

I love to find jewelry but I don’t have too much luck with it. I either end up keeping the pieces or spending too much and they don’t sell for me. This bracelet was a Pandora that I bought at a sale for $5 and sold for a best offer of $70.

This sale was a new toy from a kind of obscure kids show called Codename Kids Next Door. It was about $5 at a temple sale and sold for $74.99 after a while.

I have had less luck at the thrift store than in past years but have found some good items. I am able to go frequently because it is fairly close to where I live. I have heard that vintage chalk ware items can do well and people seem to like mermaids. When I saw this set of three kitschy mermaids I thought they would do well. I believe I paid about $7 for the set and they sold for a best offer of $75.

Sometimes when I’m at a sale I pick up an item that is just old and unusual. This was a Build Your Own Cuckoo Clock toy from Germany. I picked it up on a hunch for about $5 and it sold for $79.99.

This year I also didn’t have too much luck at the regular tag sales run out of someone’s home. So this was an unusual score. For $1 I was able to buy this pretty vase with an unusual mark that turned out to be the mark for Rookwood Pottery! It sold for $128.49

My best sale of the year came from a church rummage sale where they had a $2 fill a bag. I found these small plates or coasters on my second pass around. I picked them up because of their unusual funky art and because they were from Italy. They were marked Fornasetti Milano. I had them up for $1,000 and took a best offer of $500.

So those are some of the best/happiest sales of my 2018. Still loving Ebay and treasure hunting. Can’t wait until it starts all over again. Today, here in Connecticut it is 0 degrees out so it is fun to remember those warmer days of tag and rummage sales!!

Vintage Christmas, Puppets and Barbies

Estate sales are the only sourcing opportunity for me lately. Last week there was only one near me but I think it was a good one. It opened at ten and when I drove by at 10:15 there was no parking and a line out the door. I decided to go to the thrift stores and come back later. I was hoping there would still be things to find. The funny thing about this sale was that it was like a mirror of my life. This family liked everything that I do including puppets, dolls and dollhouses. It looks like the husband also did a little magic and that is the same for my husband. I paid $33 for the items I’m sharing below.

One room was toy/puppet/doll central. There was a bin of old puppets. From there I bought a vintage Eeyore puppet which was an early Gund Swedlin toy. I found the same Steiff black poodle that I found in November at a different sale. That one sold recently for $19.99. I would have gotten more if it had its Steiff ear button. I also picked up a Gizmo puppet which needs a sewing repair. Which means it probably not get listed until the spring. The last puppet was a Santa Claus with a wooden head from East Germany.

I noticed a box on the very top of a bookshelf and when I pulled it town I found three vintage Barbies inside. There were two Francie dolls and one PJ doll. One of the Francie dolls was wearing a vintage Barbie dress which I decided to sell with her.

I also bought a stuffed animal from that room which is Sandy from Little Orphan Annie. I didn’t know what it was at first. I thought its was a toy that just lost the color in the eyes but then I realized who it was. His fur was quite dirty and took a while to clean.

The find of the day was this Bradford Celestial Star spinning light Christmas tree topper. In good condition these can sell for a few hundred dollars. I found this in the basement with some other old Christmas stuff. I believe it is from the 1950s.

So the dirt, grime and musty smells were worth it! Still – it does make me miss the tag sales of spring!

Grimy Estate Sale and a Trip to the Bins

I went to an estate sale that mentioned in the ad they didn’t have time to clean or organize and they weren’t kidding! They had stuff laid out on tables, on top of dressers and beds and lots still in cabinets. All complete with original dust. I saw some vintage items in the photos so I went even though I couldn’t get there until 2 hours after it opened. I think I found some interesting items and paid $20 for all.

I found the bottom half of a Holt Howard Pixieware Russian Dressing jar. There is supposed to be an adorable face stopper at the top but that is missing. Complete, these can go for between $50 and $70. I am hoping someone might need a replacement bottom.

The next item is a tin box with 6 smaller tin boxes inside. It is called a metal home budget bank and I believe it is from the 30s or 40s. I think what you would do would be to divide your money into each of the smaller boxes for groceries, electric bill, entertainment, etc. It really evokes images of a simpler time. I love the turquoise and yellow colors. These seem to be pretty common and may only sell for about $15 but I couldn’t leave it behind.

Inside one cabinet of knick knacks I found some vintage figures. The first is a pair of snowmen dressed like candy and holding a peppermint. They have loops on their hats so I assume they are ornaments. There were two satin ball chicks marked Japan and one ceramic chick. The satin chicks have some condition issues. I’m hoping someone might like them for an Easter display.

There were a few boxes filled with small toys. Out of those I pulled a small Godzilla figure from 1985 and an empty Game Boy Pocket box. There was no Game Boy in it but sometimes collectors will purchase empty boxes.

The last item I will mention from that sale is this cute wooden mid century modern cat pencil holder. When you put a pencil in the hole it the back, it angles out to look like a tail. Unfortunately the cat is missing one of his puffy checks.

After this estate sale I realized that I might be close to the location of the goodwill bin store in Connecticut. When I punched the address into the GPS it turned out to be only 10 minutes away! So that was my next stop. I found four plush items there and paid a total of $6 since it is pay by the pound.

The first thing I picked up was this Hush Puppy puppet from Shari Lewis. She is more famous for the puppet Lamb Chop.

I picked up this cute avocado plush toy. There is a Japanese word, Kawaii, for things that are cute. This style of putting cute faces on all sorts of things is becoming very popular.

I picked up this sweet rabbit because the tag said “Swedish Design”. The brand is Bukowski.

The last thing I picked up was this white whale shaped pillow. It still needs a bit of cleaning but it might appeal to someone who is decorating in a nautical style.

So that was my Thursday shopping haul. So far the winter has been very mild here, which has been good for getting around and scavenging!!

Best Doll Sales of 2018

I have always loved dolls and really enjoy selling them. This way I can enjoy them for a little while and then pass them on to someone who will appreciate them. I also get to learn about all kinds of dolls. What follows are 10 of the best doll sales for this year.

The first one is a Madame Alexander 8″ nurse doll. I remember seeing Madame Alexander dolls in the Sears wishbook catalog at christmas time. I never had one but enjoy finding them now. Many are not worth much but some have good value. This doll sold for $39.99. She was found in a box of dolls that were $2 each at a fundraiser for animals.

This next doll was really a puppet. I picked her up at the thrift store for $6. She is an oversized police woman, measuring 30″ tall. She was very detailed and well made. She sold for $39.99.

This doll came from a church sale. I believe she was $3. She’s a Dy-dee doll by Effanbee. She had a rubber body and had some condition issues but sold for $40 on a best offer.

At the same sale as I found the Madame Alexander doll, in the same box, were these two Levi’s dolls. I picked them up because I know people sell vintage Levi’s so I thought – well, maybe dolls made of Levi’s would be good too. I believe they were from the 70s and they look it. I sold the pair for $49.99.

This Dawn doll was one of my favorite doll purchases of 2018. I had Dawn dolls growing up instead of Barbies and I loved them. I do have a small collection now and was very tempted to keep this beautiful doll new in her box but I let her go. She sold for $49.99.

This doll was a Betsy McCall Jane by Robert Tonner. I thought she was porcelain but it turned out she was vinyl. She came from the thrift store for about $7.00. I picked her up because she looked unusual and she was signed. I was able to sell her for $69.99.

I have sold several My Twinn dolls but this was the best one I found all year. She was only $3 at a church tag sale and came in her original box with extra clothing. She sold for $85.

I’m including two lots of doll clothes this year. This first group was in a bag hanging at the thrift store for about $4. I saw a tag that said Tammy on one of the items and that was enough for me to buy it. It turned out to have a rare dress which is the one with the big eyes. Because of that dress I was able to sell the lot for $99.99.

The other lot I sold was a group of Barbie clothes that I found in a Skipper case at a church sale. I paid $8 for the case and was able to sell this lot for $59.99. I love finding a bunch of clothes with snaps and figuring out what dolls the clothes are for and how old they are.

The last doll I’m sharing sold for $99.99. She is a Sasha doll and I may have undersold her. She sold quickly and after she sold someone messaged me and said that the doll was very old and worth about $500. I don’t really know for sure but maybe someone got a great deal that day.

It was a very fun year for finding and selling dolls. Wishing everyone a very happy New Year!!

Best Plush Sales of 2018

As the year draws to a close and I am grateful for another fun year of finding and reselling toys, dolls and many other unique and interesting items. The following are my top ten plush sales of this year from the least expensive to the more valuable items.

This plush was bought for about $1 at a church rummage sale that I arrived late to. I am mentioning that because sometimes, even if you aren’t the first one in the door, you can still find good items. This is a plush of the character MO from the Disney Pixar film Walle. The minor characters from movies can be more rare and sought after than the main characters. He sold within a few weeks for $19.99.

This Donkey Kong plush was a thrift store find. He took longer to sell than I thought he would. I had found another one of these a while ago but realized after I got that one home that his arm had a large hole in it and was coming off his body. I had to toss that one so I was happy to find this one that was in good condition. I paid about $4 for him. He sold after several months for $32.99.

At the same sale where I found MO I picked up another Disney character that I didn’t recognize at all. With the help of a facebook group I was able to identify him as a character from a Pixar short movie. This character is called La Luna Bambino. He was pretty rare and sold for $39.99.

I get very excited when I see a plush pile at a sale. I attended one church sale where they had a kiddie pool full of plush! Searching through that pool I pulled out this small vintage Steiff cat. She sold for $39.99.

This vintage Gund bear came out of another plush pile that was fill a bag for $1! He appears fairly plain looking but his 1980s date and the Gund name gave him some value. He sold for $49.99.

Also from the thrift store was this plush Copper from the Disney movie The Fox and the Hound. I paid about $4.00 for him. I think he’s super cute! He was a larger size at about 12″ tall and sold for $49.99.

While I was fishing through another box of plush under a table at a tag sale I saw a little paw sticking out and I recognized it right away as a Steiff hand puppet. I had this one when I was a child and was able to sell it for $49.99. There was also a black cat puppet there but I decided to keep it for my collection.

This next plush was a find from a nursery school sale where all the plush was 50 cents. The year before the plush was free but that’s a price increase that I can live with! This one was purchased on a gut feeling that it might be something good. You can take chances when you are paying 50 cents for an item. I thought that it looked vintage and the outfit looked cute. Only after I got it home did I find the tag which said it was a Le Mutt dog from France. He sold within a month for $55.99.

This next item was certainly unusual looking. He was a large stuffed robot call the Iron Giant. Even though he had a hole in his foot, he sold for $99.99.

This last plush really cheered up my January. He was a thrift store purchase. I had just seen a video about a man that sold a giant plush Mufasa from the Lion King for $600. I had that in my brain when I saw this large Simba plush at the thrift store for $7. When I got home I realized that this one was the same brand as the Mufasa. Although not quite as valuable, I was thrilled to be able to sell him for $300.

Those are my top ten plush finds! Stay tuned for more top ten lists!!