I’m currently in Nashville for work and saw some really cool old stuff at the country music hall of fame. I’ll write more about that later, but in the meantime, check out this amazing outfit. Strange coincidence: Sugar Foot was Erin’s nickname in high school.
-Sarah
On Saturday, Sarah and I had big plans to attend the Michigan Modernism Expo, but on the way there we saw a sign that said “AUCTION TODAY.” Sarah turned her car around so fast that I assumed we were driving on two wheels momentarily.
It turns out that the auction was already in progress, and had been for about an hour. This was slightly devastating because everything left at the auction looked really good, so I assume the items we missed were also really good.
The auction was nearly all dolls, which was fine with us. Last time we went to a doll auction, Sarah cleaned up. And twice I have had crazy luck with dolls. First with a lot of dolls that included a German “dream baby” and the second time with an Arranbee doll with Armand Marseille head that I sold for $250.
Both of us blew our lids with excitement when we saw this Sasha doll still in the box. Since we learned about these dolls, we have both wanted one. Remember my fantasy about buying a mini ipad and moccasin boots for the Sasha doll version of me?
This was a “Sasha baby” and not really a “Sasha doll,” but you’ve got to start somewhere right? Because I am such a good friend, it was decided that Sarah would get to bid on this. Unfortunately it sold for like $90, and she didn’t get it :(
We also zeroed in on some Storybook Nancy Ann dolls. Somehow Sarah caught on to these being potentially valuable, and I started researching on my phone to confirm that.
So it turns out that some Nancy Ann dolls ARE mega valuable.
And others, not so much.
I figured out that the bisque dolls in general were the more collectible. The later plastic versions seemed pretty worthless. And it was important that all of the limbs be jointed. Other than that, it seemed like a crapshoot.
Only one of the Nancy Ann dolls at this auction was bisque and jointed, so I took a chance on her. And it seems like my dumb doll luck may have struck again.
Apparently silver shoes on a Nancy Ann doll are very rare. In addition, she has what are called “molded socks.” See those bumps above her ankles? Most of the dolls were smooth, but some had these socks, which were often painted white. In some dolls, like mine, the sock marks are there, but the white socks never got painted on.
Of course, I didn’t know any of this, but when I listed her on ebay, a kind Nancy Ann fan messaged me to tell me all about her. So cool!
I should mention one non-doll item at this auction that sold for some mega bucks. It was this weird mirror sculpture thing. I took a photo of it when we first got to the auction thinking it would make a good “hard to resist” item.
Well, the joke was on me, because this thing was made by Curtis Jere, the moniker of two famous mid century artists. It ended up selling for $700!!
You know what didn’t sell for $700? This box of doll heads:
[Editor’s Note: Sarah ended up buying these!]
-Erin
I’ll just start a new category of post here, with this one. The last time I had an obsession like this, it was my teenage girls on the phone obsession. I’m not over that obsession… it’s just on the backburner. My new obsession, after attending the Michigan Modernism Expo this past Saturday with Erin, is with 1960s Jorgen Jensen necklaces. Jorgen Jensen worked for Georg Jensen, but they are in fact not the same person. This is the necklace I found at the expo.
The woman selling it had it marked $85 and said it was a Georg Jensen piece, and went on and on about how famous he was. She said she’d sell it to me for $75 and I started debating. I put it on and Erin said I sort of looked like a rapper because the chain is a little thick and it hangs low. I’m cool with that look. But then Erin started doing a little snooping around online and discovered that a) the identical necklace was for sale on eBay for less money and b) it was Jorgen not Georg. I told the lady I’d pass and spent the next few minutes obsessively looking at others like it online. Here are a few of my faves:
I’m debating on that last one.
I also started freaking out last night because I saw a completed online auction for a whole lot of Jensen necklaces. So jealous of whoever won that!
Now it also appears that good old Jorgie had a sense of humor/goth side because he also made this necklace.
I think it’s cool but a little too creepy.
It’s also worth noting that last year, Erin did find two Jorgen Jensen necklaces at a sale for like, $2 each, and made a sweet profit on them. At the time, I liked them but wanted to let her maximize her profits and didn’t think to look on eBay for other designs, so I totally forgot about them.
Anyway, I did treat myself to one so far, please don’t judge.
I know this is a little crazy but I really love it and will feel like a true feminazi badass while wearing it.
-Sarah
[video]
It’s that time again–time for DTT to take a week-long break! We have treasure-seeking adventures to tell you about but no time to write about them! We need some time to catch up!
In the meantime, if you’re new to reading this blog, allow us to suggest checking out Erin’s list of top 10 moments of 2012.
See you on Monday!
-Erin and Sarah
I saved this awesome find from the Igloo sale because I just love them so much.
I spotted these adorable buddies on the same table where all of those vintage Steiffs were located. They are some tiny handmade beagles. I mean, I don’t know that they’re beagles, but I’m just going to pretend that they are. They seem to be knit out of cotton string of some sort. It also appears that a child made a couple of them coats out of felt. They’re a little worn/dirty but they’re still super cute. I got all four for $5.
If you look close, they also look a little crazy, which makes them even more awesome!
-Sarah
At the Plymouth auction this week, things felt very garage sale-esque. That’s not to say I didn’t see anything worth buying, there just weren’t any $200 Art Ross pucks or $400 cast iron banks for sale dirt cheap.
This cigar box had some human hair braids in it, which is NOT CREEPY AT ALL. I’m shocked that these weren’t mixed in with some women’s underwear and random drivers’ licenses…you know, because that is how serial killers normally store their HUMAN HAIR BRAIDS.
Speaking of creepy, this container had a tiny alien fetus inside:
It was marked “Area 51” on top and was obviously a souvenir from there. Lemme tell ya, people were going nuts over this alien. I sat in my seat and just watched as each person would pick this up, look at it for a good 10 seconds, and then look frantically around the room for their loved ones. They would then mouth to them, “Did you see this thing?!” It was such a hit. I got a really good kick out of how much everyone was amazed by this. It sold for like $20.
I also cracked up over this gigantic walking stick/staff. It was hardcore Gandalf style. Zach for weeks now has been talking about buying a walking stick because “it’s cool,” even though he doesn’t really walk anywhere. He talked about this nonstop, and I would get really worked up over how embarrassed I would be if he started walking with a walking stick. I was literally begging him not to buy one online. A few days ago, he finally revealed that it was all an elaborate charade just to get my goat. And got my goat he did.
I just realized that there actually was one high priced item at the auction. This turkey platter sold for $300! I was going to bid on it, but when it passed $30, I was like nevermind.
The platter was flow blue and made by Ridgways of England. From what I have read online, it was probably from the 1920s or so. I’m really curious if this was worth the $300 price it sold for, or actually more. I can’t find anything comparable on ebay. Anyway, it is always a shock when things sell for lots of money at the Plymouth auction, so everyone clapped when the platter sold.
I was waiting on an old cast iron mailbox to go up on the block. In the meantime, I bought the following:
A nice giant rug that George and Milo were so kind to model for me. I’m not sure if this rug is Native American or Mexican, but I sure do love it. I got it for $5! It reminds me of the rugs/table runners I bought at auction in Canada.
I also got these Santa sticker things. I say “stickers” because that seems to be the only reasonable purpose for these. Maybe I should say “stamps” because it appears that you lick the back of these and stick them on things. I am planning to frame the whole sheet as is and hang it up at Christmas.
The last thing to note is that Timmy and Joan came to the auction, and they bought a Herman Miller office chair for like $30. Sold new, the chair is over $500. FTW! They were so pumped over this purchase that it kind of made them auction tyrants. They thought they owned the place. When I was being outbid on a cast iron mailbox, they started yelling at me, “KEEP GOING! KEEP BIDDING! WE’LL GIVE YOU THE MONEY! DON’T LOSE.” It was hilarious. I listened to them for a minute and then bowed out of the bidding because it was up to $75…for a mailbox! Insanity. There are tons on ebay for $30-$40.
-Erin
Two weeks ago, Sarah emailed me a link to a sale that looked pretty crazy. The house was packed and it seemed as though the homeowner had several different collections going on. More importantly though, like I said, it looked packed! I started having flashbacks to Best Sale Ever.
When we arrived at the house, things were indeed packed inside.
The collections here included stuffed animals (Steiff mostly), dolls, fossils, dinosaur-related things, mini decanter bottles, Native American crafts, and porcelain miniatures.
Sarah focused in on the Steiff animals first, and boy were they cute. The prices were probably fair, but higher than we wanted to spend. The guy running the sale told us though that if we bought a lot of stuff, he would give us a great deal.
Steiffs above, and below are some cats riding in a car:
I quickly focused in on all of the Native American items in the house. I found a small collection of birchbark and porcupine quill boxes. Lots of tribes made boxes like these, so I am not sure whom these are from. My hope is that these were originally from Michigan, and possibly Anishinabek.
The one I wanted was almost $50, so I told myself that if I didn’t buy anything else, then I would get it. And I would also see if I could get it for around $35 or $40.
I carried this little guy around for about a minute before I put it back. I don’t really have a good use for him, he’s just cute:
I think the sled might have been Native American made, and then someone just stuck the dog on there.
There was TONS of Native American stuff I wanted, and it started to become clear that I would have to find just one favorite item and buy that. I liked these dolls, but most were priced around $60.
And I loved these little kids’ seal fur boots, but they were $25 I think. SPOILER ALERT: I’m pregnant!! So I seriously considered buying these and making my child wear them. Then I started to worry that seal fur might be itchy.
Ok, so what was the one high-priced Native American craft that I settled on buying? This adorable sculpture:
It’s an igloo (obviously) and when you open it up, these little guys are inside cutting up a seal:
It was marked $25, but I got it for $20. I also bought two other things. The first is a cast of a dinosaur egg fossil. I bought it for my friend Jenna who has a dino-loving son. I used to work at a museum that had a similar cast and kids would go wild for it. Imagine a baby dinosaur coming out of this thing!
I also bought this bag of Christmas ornaments. They are little fruits and very adorable. The bag has never been opened, so they are also really clean. $5 for all of them.
All in all, a fun sale. Sarah bought lots of things, so I’ll let her tell you all about it.
-Erin
Update from Sarah: I was a little worried when we first arrived because things seemed to be priced relatively high. But the seller was willing to negotiate, so that was nice. This sale was especially fun because there was a combo of both cool things to buy and look at, as well as insane things to laugh at.
For example, check out this senior picture of seals:
Or how about a DIY lingerie book?
Speaking of Erin being pregnant (!!!!!), I found this rare photograph of her baby in the womb:
I did find some treasures at this sale. Here is photographic evidence of me obtaining said treasures:
I just recently realized that in almost every picture of me on this blog, I have sunglasses on my head. WTF.
Anyway, there were some cool old books at this sale. I got really excited when I found the first of these two, and then MEGA excited when I found the second:
Children’s books about our parents, Cindy and Timmy, both of whom have been featured on this blog!
I also found these amazing travel journals that I will write about another day, because there are some amazing quotes inside:
Here are some other adorable things I purchased:
Look at that little French guy!!! He’s so small and cute! Oui Oui!
I also found some adorable old postcards of cats being naughty. This one is what it looks like every time I arrive on Friday to pick Erin up. I’m always looking for num nums and she never has any for me.
I went back the next day of the sale and bought one of the Steiffs that were left–the Bassett!
I got him for $15 and he sells for about $50 or more, so I’m not sure if I’ll keep him or sell him. The second day of the sale is also when I purchased my very own llama, which I wrote about yesterday.
I also found this very scientific drawing.
When I went back the second day, I was really hoping that this weird thing was still there, but it was gone. :(
I don’t know why I didn’t buy it the first day we were there. It’s a little creature made out of fur and a hoof. I don’t normally like anything made out of animals but this thing was just so weird and different. I’m sure Adam is counting his blessings as he reads this.
When I was a child, I was obsessed with a clip on Sesame Street about a girl who brings her llama to the dentist. Anyone remember it? I wanted a llama so bad, but my mom told me I could not have one. (I also could not have any other pets because my brother is allergic to any animal that has fur, hair, or feathers.) I cried and cried when she told me this. I cried a lot as a child. I absolutely do not cry a lot as an adult. Not at all.
So imagine my delight when I found my very own llama at a sale a few Fridays ago!
He’s adorable and handmade and is made with real fur! He actually came with a dorky outfit, but I immediately removed it (leftover habit from childhood–I hated when stuffed animals came with clothes.) I also did some research and this is indeed a llama and not an alpaca, which is very similar.
I was also lucky enough to find a cool vintage book about llamas!
Someone in that house was my soulmate, that’s for sure!
-Sarah
You may recall that Erin and I found a little gem of a store in Clinton Township a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how but the first time I looked in this glass case, I missed this treasure. It wasn’t until I asked the owner if I could see something that I noticed those vintage wooden nesting houses hiding in the back of the case on the bottom shelf.
I freaked out a little because they were really familiar to me but I couldn’t place why. Then I remembered that we had these same houses when I was a kid, but I haven’t seen them in my parents house in years, so I’m not sure what happened to them.
When I described them to my mom, she didn’t remember them, but then this past weekend I showed them to her in person and she immediately remembered them. But she had no idea where they went.
Anyhow, it seems like you can find some of your own on Etsy!
-Sarah