Antique Show Report: Tons of Tiny Treasures

The first antique show of the season arrived this past weekend with the stormy spring weather. I gathered up my pocket change and went to see what treasures I could find. My budget was very limited this time, due to an upcoming vacation, so I tried to look only at very small things. Fortunately, there were a lot of very small things! I found:

Some antique dollhouse "tobacco felt" rugs. These 5 inch rugs were given away as premiums with cigarettes and cigars in the early 1900s. In the same booth, I also got a nice old dollhouse plate rack, complete with its plates.

Next, I got a bunch of dollhouse grocery items, all made of wood with paper labels. The largest can is 1 1/4 inches tall, and they all date from the 1920s-30s.

Pigs in Clover, an absolutely impossible hand-held dexterity puzzle from the 1950s, was next:

And my favorite find of all was a little vintage 1960s troll, 3 1/2 inches high, wearing his original outfit and shoes, with very unusual rooted, variegated hair:

Hi!

Toy Show Report

Yesterday we went to one of my favorite events of the year, a local antique and vintage Toy Show. It's held in a shared venue with a farmer's market, which makes it very crowded, and lots of fun to people watch  (little old ladies gently pottering along with their shopping bags, looking for fresh produce, are jostled by panicked vintage toy collectors, reminiscent of the Comic Store Guy from the Simpsons, racing towards the rare find they can see in a booth across the room.)
We raced and jostled with the best of them, and, although I missed out on a 1950s Mr. Potato Head set in its original box (I could SEE it, but just couldn't get around the corner of the table fast enough...darn little old farmer's marketing ladies...) we came home with lots of fabulous finds, including:

-4 vintage games: the Dark Shadows Game made by Whitman in 1968; Mr. Mad, a battery-operated, marble-spewing robot game made by Ideal in 1970; Kerplunk, another Ideal creation, from 1967; and an early edition of Barrel of Monkeys

-a fantastic 1950s felt beanie hat, loaded with vintage Cracker Jack and gumball machine charms

-2 German dollhouse tables, circa the 1920s, priced at only $5.00 each!

-a tiny set  of German porcelain dollhouse dishes, circa the late 1900s, with a tureen, gravy boat, cream pictcher, vegetable dish, plates, and tray, found in an old candy box beneath a pile of junk, priced at just $10.00!

- a little Scandia House pencil top troll from the 1960s, 1 1/2 inches tall, still in her original outfit, spotted in a grab bag of (mostly) junk, for just $5.00, too!

-4 vintage dexterity puzzles, mostly from the 1950s: a Cracker Jack prize; a fortune teller; a space-themed dome shaped one with great graphics; and a nursery rhyme design

-a fantastic space-themed card game from 1952 called Space Race; it features fabulous illustrations of mid-century rocketships, spacemen, and aliens

-a set of tiny 1960s robot figures, possibly gumball machine prizes

-a huge lot of R & L cereal premium figures from the 1960s-70s: Astro-Nits, Funny Fringes, Toolie Birds, Crater Critters, etc.

-and 3 interesting old Valentines

Seen, longed-for, but not purchased were a German-made, mohair clockwork cat from the early 1900s (standing and dressed, like Puss in Boots, it danced when wound, and was incredibly beautiful); and a whole booth full of vintage monster movie posters and ads, along with the much-sought Green Ghost and Outer Limits board games. Everything in the monster booth was priced at the very top of "book values" and, consequently, has remained in this booth, unsold, for the past several years...I have a feeling the dealer doesn't really want to sell any of it; he just wants to show it off, a sadly not uncommon thing among some rare toy dealers...)

Pics to come later this week!

Antique Show Report

We went to our last antique show of the year yesterday, my favorite of the whole season. (Thankfully it was an indoor show, because we had our first snow yesterday as well...) Many of the past summer's shows were much smaller than usual due to "the economy", so it was a happy surprise to discover this show was larger than ever, and packed with old toys.

What did we get?

-a simple rocking horse made by the Mengel Company of Louisville, Kentucky in the 1920s-30s, in beautiful condition

-two tin litho and cast iron "Kingpin" bowling games made by the Baldwin Mfg. Co. of Brooklyn, New York, in the 1930s-40s

-a set of antique German dollhouse dishes and utensils in their original box, circa the 19teens-20s

-vintage dolhouse groceries, 1940s-50s

-a 1907 Cracker Jack Bears postcard

-a set of Flagg family dollhouse dolls MIB, 1950s

-a baggie full of very old German dollhouse furniture for only a buck! (The glue on the pieces had dried and given way, so they looked broken, but were not: all the parts were there and they were easily reassembled. Just goes to show: it's often worth rooting around in dealer's dollar bins of apparent junk...)

-a great old carousel photo, dated 1940


Pics to come this week!

Michigan's Antique Yard Sale Trail Report: August 13, 14, & 15 2010

Last weekend, we followed the Antique Yard Sale Trail, an annual 200 mile secondhand shopping adventure along Michigan's Lake Huron, St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair shoreline that stretches from Algonac in the south all the way around the tip of Michigan's "thumb" to Sebewaing in the north. Besides enjoying the beautiful scenery from the bluffs along the lakeshore, we saw lots and lots of amazing things for sale, including old gasoline pumps, vintage televisions, and a taxidermied alligator (the highlight of the sale, in my opinion.) And I found several treasures, of course (although I didn't buy the alligator.)

"Fumes," a taxidermied alligator smoking a pipe 

in a relaxing, and utterly unnatural position, was priced at $325.

Can't you just imagine all the decor possibilities?

 

A 1949 "Suitcase" Sentinel, the first portable television, 

was available for $199.

One table held a beautiful display of vintage hatboxes, shoes, and ladies' accessories, including this swanky faux leopard print head wrap and scarf. I was mightily tempted...

At the other end of the collecting spectrum, a dealer had a yard full of rusty treasures, including vintage sleds and this old Gulf gas pump:

If, for some reason, you needed a Greyhound bus sign, 

this dealer could hook you up:

And what did I buy? Something I've always wanted (who wouldn't?!): a vintage cast aluminum kiddie spring-rider animal from a playground. 

We mounted it on a piece of plywood cleverly embellished with fake grass for an authentic outdoor look. It now serves as an additional seating option in the living room.

Church Rummage Sale Finds: Vintage Barbie and Board Game

A local church had its annual summer festival this past weekend, and it included a rummage/jumble/white elephant sale. A lot of collectors have given up on these sorts of sales, in the belief that things like eBay and the Antiques Road Show have resulted in a much more antiques-savvy public, who know better than to donate valuable items to be sold for pennies. But I optimistically persevere, and am occasionally rewarded with a treasure. Or, in this case, two treasures. Amongst the miles of tables full of household detritus, I finally spotted:

1) Why: the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Game from 1958:  complete and in fantastic condition. Price: .75 cents!!! This is a much-sought vintage game that typically sells in the $45-$65 range, with appeal for TV, movie, horror, toy, and board game collectors.

2) a 1963 Barbie Fashion Queen doll, with two of her three original wigs, also in great condition. Price: $5.00!!! This Fashion Queen would normally retail for about $50-70.

I gleefully scooped them both up and raced for the checkout, where a smiling little old church lady took my $5.75. For a moment, I felt a pang of guilt and thought, "should I tell her what these are and how they should be priced?" But I didn't. I am SO going to hell....

Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Game, Why, is basically a paranormal version of Clue, the classic detective game. The premise is that Alfred's mansion, depicted on the wonderfully illustrated game board, is haunted by several ghosts, and he's hired four famous detectives, one of whom is played by you, to determine how and why the ghosts were murdered. 

The detectives are clever spoofs of famous mystery icons like Sherlock Holmes and Dick Tracy:

The Fashion Queen Barbie was an unusual entry in the legendary doll line. Instead of rooted hair, she featured a molded 'do, and came with three wigs in differing colors and styles so her young owner could change her looks. Unfortunately, the materials in the wigs and head reacted badly to each other over time, resulting in chemical melt marks to the doll's cranium if the wigs were left in place for an extended period. This makes finding a Fashion Queen in good condition a bit trickier than one might expect. My rummage sale find is amazingly and delightfully melt mark free.

Here she is as found, with her two wigs:

Here she is with her brunette flip:

And with her red bubble cut:

 Barbie is dressed for church...

Antique Show Report

Found some great things at an outdoor antique show this past weekend: a miniature Steiff bear circa 1908; a very unusual British teddy from the 1930s with the biggest ears I've ever seen on a bear; an American lithographed wooden dollhouse from the early 1900s in a very petite size; a fantastic old photo of a child with a toy bear; a small doll trunk; and a doll sized glider swing. A sneak peek is shown below, with details to follow!

Garage Sale Report

Every Memorial Day weekend, a local community hosts a gigantic "Garage Sale" in its three-story civic center parking structure (or parking "garage": get it?). I braved the crowds and the heat, and found some great old toys at super-cheap prices. It's odd how it happens, but sometimes certain shows or sales end up delivering a theme; a week ago, I found all teddy bears at an outdoor antique show. At this sale, for some reason I found mostly old wooden toys, including:

--a fun wooden puzzle made in Holland, circa the 1950s. It depicts a little village, and when the pieces are removed, they can be stood up to make a three-dimensional play town.
--an antique Milton Bradley set of Ten Pins, complete with hardwood balls, circa the 1900s, in its original box.
--a set of beautiful 1920s building blocks, in their original box, too.
--an unusual set of dollhouse kitchen furniture that might be from a 1950s classroom playset. They have a chunky, "educational" look to them.
--and a 1962 Barbie thermos.

Pics to follow...

Country Antique Show Report

Another rainy day, another antique show...this one quite a distance from home, waaaaay out in the countryside, but well worth it.

Finds included:

     -a pair of early 1900s toddler's boots, in black and brown leather,

perfect for an antique teddy bear

     -the craziest looking bear I've ever seen: a 1950s British ted with
huge eyes, a big felt nose, and a

      smile that fills up the bottom third of his head

     -and a motorized Steiff dealer display from the 1980s, 

featuring a huge, revolving teddy bear

Pics soon!

Antique Show Report

I attended my first outdoor antique show of the season this past weekend, and it was a doozy. Thunderstorms, hailstones, sheets of freezing cold rain, and 45 m.p.h. winds that lasted for about three hours....one might think an outdoor show would be cancelled in such conditions, but no...not even when four tents blew over and one of the dealers was (reportedly) knocked unconscious by a pole.

I did wait for the worst of the wind to subside (and for all the poles to be better secured), but once I found I could walk upright in the face of the zephyr, I plodded on. One of my dealer friends greeted me with a shout (so as to be heard over the wind): "Hey Tracy! Guess we're the tough ones, huh?" Her neighboring dealer replied, "Or the stupid ones..." I suppose those of us who braved the conditions were a bit of both. I went home with windburn, shoes full of mud, and a severe chill, but I scored several treasures, and here's the great part: they were all 1/2 off, or 2 for 1, and one thing was even FREE! because all the dealers wanted to get the heck out of there.

I got a vintage 4 machine vending unit that had been priced at $100 for only $40, because the dealer was so anxious for someone to haul it out of the mud. That someone was me, and joy of joys, when I got it home and cleaned it out, I found a whole bunch of 1950s-60s gumball machine prizes in the bottom of one of the units. They were actually gumball prizes I've paid $15 apiece for before, so I think I came out pretty well on this deal, even though the machines need lots of restoration.

Other finds included:

--2 fantastic, early vintage trolls, in original outfits (yep, there's more of them coming)
--a 1930s dollhouse-sized hoosier cabinet, kitchen chair, and accessories
--an assortment of dolly-sized antique dishes, teasets, and baking ware
--2 vintage board games, including the hard-to-find Mr. Ree, with almost all its parts
--a 1930s bisque figurine Cracker Jack prize (found in a box of broken junk for only a quarter!)
--a 1930s Little Orphan Annie lusterware child's teapot, which goes with a set I already have that is, coincidentally, missing its teapot
--a 1930s Buck Rogers Big Little Book and a 1940s Mandrake the Magician one

Pictures to come soon, once I'm over my cold.
                          

Antique Show Report

Yay: Antique Show season is here! I attended our area's first show of the spring over the past weekend. Although dealer numbers were down, and some of my favorites were absent, I did manage to find some great stuff:

-a 1962 Barbie case chock full 'o clothes and accessories, including some really hard to find pieces

-a set of lithographed tin toy kitchen appliances (fridge, stove, and working sink) from the late 1940s/early 50s

-a fantastic, primitive toy kitchen cupboard, circa 19teens

-and a German bisque and composition baby doll, probably made by Kestner, also in the 19teens

Posts and pics to follow!

Toy Show Report

Yesterday my sweetie and I went to a little toy show, one we've never been to before. Treasures were plentiful, prices were affordable, and we met lots of delightfully eccentric people. My favorite was a seller who wouldn't let any of his toys go home with buyers he found "unsuitable", and who kissed each of his toys before he finally let them go. (Thankfully, I was found worthy of the doll I wanted: after a lengthy sizing-up period, he said, "well, you look like you would give her a good home, so that's okay then.")  Treasures found included:

-2 fantastic vintage novelty valentines, which I am gleefully saving to post next year
-a 1950s Archer Space Man for only $5!
-a cute, cute, cute 1960s Ideal Baby Pebbles Doll (from the Flintstones) for $15
-a big 1970s Dam Norfin troll, with mohair wig, original outfit, and made in Denmark, for just $6!
-a circa 1906-1908 American teddy bear with an incredibly endearing expression (considerably more expensive than the foregoing items, but still an awesome deal)
-and something I've never seen before: an early 1900s tin "postcard projector": a metal box about the size of a breadbox, with a magnifying porthole lens on the back and a sliding door on the front. By inserting a postcard into the sliding door, closing it, and turning on the lightbulb inside, the image can be seen in magnified form. Strange!

Pictures to follow throughout this week!