Dig This Treasure!

Last Friday, Sarah and I were at it again.  The sales looked kind of promising, so we headed out full of hope.  The first sale was in Bloomfield Hills and looked packed full of art.  It indeed did end up being packed full of art.

A lot of the art was legit, but some of it was fake paintings on cardboard in frames without glass.  All of it, however, was not really my style.  The mix here was religious-y art and Oriental-type stuff, all with some horse art thrown in.  Those plates in the very bottom of the photo above were horse silhouettes.  They made me feel wild and free.

Speaking of horses, I did actually like this one:

It was priced at $45, which seemed reasonable because someone handmade this.  I didn’t buy it though because I already have one horse sculpture.  Oh wait, I have two.  Although the second one is more alien-horse than horse-horse.

Here are some other things neither I, nor Sarah, bought:

How hard is it to keep clothes on dolls?  Why are ALL old dolls naked? 

I am not a big mid century person, which I am assuming this table is.  It might also be from the 70s, which is even worse to me.  Still, kudos because all of the furniture seemed fairly priced, along with most of the items in the house.

Here is Sarah wearing purple tights and having a bookgasm.

I did buy one thing here, a silver swan bowl/tray.  I bought this to resell because it is REALLY heavy, and my speculation is that it is sterling silver plate, or maybe just silver plate.  I remembered seeing a really similar one at a sale a few weeks ago that was selling for almost $2,000.  I doubt this one is worth that much but it was worth the gamble.

The second sale we hit was in Farmington Hills.  It was run by a company that literally named itself “Oy Such a Deal.”  Maybe they abbreviate it to OSAD, who knows.  SPOILER ALERT: What I do know is that they should call themselves “Oy We Sell Garbage” or “Oy We Sell $75 Chalkboards” or “Oy We Hate Beyonce” (that will make sense in a minute). 

When we walked in, the workers were having this super loud conversation about how Beyonce can’t really sing.  They were going on and on about how it’s “all computers.”  I WAS STEAMING…like honestly furious.  I almost said something, but then started cracking up at how hilarious it would be if I actually defended Beyonce herself at an estate sale.  You know who DOESN’T need my help in this world?  Beyonce.  She is doing just fine.

Anyway, the sale was full of garbage.  And really expensive garbage at that.

World’s Most Expensive “Vintage” Chalkboard.

Sarah liked these little school chairs, but they were $40 each:

Needless to say, I didn’t buy anything.  Oy, such a bummer.

-Erin

Update from Sarah: Ok, what is UP with that penis thumb picture that Erin added but didn’t say a damn word about?!

I’ll start with the second sale because it was the most infuriating. I found four records (reasonably priced at $1 each) and two mugs. When I got up to the checkout desk (where that penis thumb was located), she told me that they’d only take cards if the total was $20 or more. You know what’s cheap? THAT. Take the 30 cent hit and let me give you $7 on my credit card for that garbage. Erin and I were both without cash that day because we started pretty late. Oh well. I guess I really didn’t need that ‘80s Care Bears record. Or the '80s Garfield mug.

At the first sale, I found some great stuff, but it took some digging.

First, this adorable reindeer sweater that is acrylic and itchy but worth it for the cuteness.

I also found this very cute (legit) Coach purse for $20. It’s more orange than red.

And these cute earrings.

Finally, before I left for work that morning, Adam told me I was dressed like Punky Brewster. What he meant to say was that I was dressed like a weird elf. That outfit looks so wack from behind–it looks like I’m wearing nothing but a huge coat and purple tights! This is why I don’t have a 3-way mirror in my house.

Anyway, Erin’s right. I WAS having a bookgasm. I get SO excited when I see a room full of books. Unfortunately, these people didn’t have a lot of winners, but they did have a very strange mix. Super conservative Christian stuff mixed with books about hypnosis. Here are some of those cool old books about neurosis, hypnosis, and many other osis-es.

I found the best book in the bunch. And yes, of course I bought it. 

Last Tuesday, I had the day off because of doctor’s appointment mid-day, and I was really pleased because there was a crazy looking sale that started that day. Sales typically do not begin that early in the week, but there are a few boneheaded companies that do such a thing. The pictures of this sale reflected that it was: 1) very dirty and 2) full of old things–especially from the ‘80s. I am cool with both of those conditions, so I was excited to have the chance to go check out this sale. I was right on both fronts. Here is evidence in both regards: 

1) Mega dirty:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dirtier Sesame Street toy. 

2) Lots of '80s stuff: 

What you see here are boxes of cereal from the 1980s that are in plastic bags. They were each marked $10, I believe. Quite a steal. 

First things first–this sale was being run by our old friend, THAT GUY. That guy is a total scammer, and has no idea what he’s talking about. So half the stuff at this sale was overpriced and the other half was underpriced. In the end, it all worked out. And even though this sale was totally, disgustingly filthy, I found some cool stuff. Both to laugh about and to purchase. 

On my way upstairs, I spotted this box of naked Ken dolls. I don’t know why, but it really made me crack up. 

Once upstairs, I made my way into a room filled with possibly the most stuffed animals and dolls I have ever seen in such a small space. 

This doesn’t really do it justice. When I was in this room, a woman came in and asked me, “Do you think this is all one person’s?” How sad that this was probably her first estate sale experience. I told her yes, that this was one person’s stuff. She looked horrified. 

Most of the dolls and stuffed animals in these boxes were in sorta gross shape, but I still was excited about the quantity, because really… there are so many possibilities for treasures. It turns out that I DID find a treasure in one of these boxes. 

Tee hee, just kidding. I found an adorable Rushton mouse, who was in really great shape!

Like I mentioned–half of the stuff at this sale was overpriced, and the other half was underpriced. That mouse was priced the same as Chucky up above! 

Here’s some other stuff I laughed about: 

Look at that dummy! 

If anyone ever wanted to start a collection of California Raisins… here was a perfect opportunity. 

Huggabunch…what up?! Just in case you were wondering, his name was Hugsy. 

In the end, I found some cute things, including another Joan Walsh Anglund doll. She has heart patches on her knees!

I also found two GIANT boxes of photographs.They were marked $75 (for both), and the guy would NOT budge, so I decided to take a risk. As it turns out, there were over 1,000 pictures in the boxes and some of them were bulge photos, so I think I’ll have an update about the outcome of that find, sometime in the future! 

-Sarah

The other day, Erin and I had a conversation about the purpose of those “Baby on Board” signs that people used to put on cars in the 1980s. We had this conversation because we still see cars sporting these signs. The only conclusion I could come to was that people are trying to be like “Don’t hit my car–there’s a BABY inside!” to fellow drivers, but I’m not sure. Does anyone out there have one of these on their car who’d be willing to provide some insight?  

Anyway, at a sale last week I found the perfect thing for Erin, but it was too pricey to purchase as a joke: 

Basically, this is a baby version of ME that Erin could have put on her ride. Note that the actual BABY ITSELF sticks onto your car windows–not just the sign. 

In conclusion, What. The. F*ck. 

-Sarah

Monday night’s episode of Antiques Roadshow opened my eyes to a whole new area of collecting: beaded bags made by the Plateau Indians.  These incredible bags are hand sewn, and beaded with tiny, tiny seed beads.  The designs are colorful, intricate, and obviously amazing.

Antiques Roadshow had visited the Northwest Museum in Spokane to view some of these bags, and each time they showed a new one, I would literally gasp.  I’m not kidding…I discovered later that night that my reaction was so memorable, Zach tweeted about it:

Seriously people, LOOK AT THESE BAGS:  

So it turns out that you can actually buy plateau bags on ebay!  There are quite a few up right now:

Alas, they are mega expensive, so for now, they will remain a “holy grail.”  Some day though, a plateau bag will be mine.  SOME DAY.

-Erin

Wow, we’re really behind. Well, last Friday we went out for the second day in a row because I’m lucky enough to get a winter break. We started out by going to a sale in Dearborn that was put on by one of our favorite companies. They seem to like us and give us deals, which is awesome. I saw some old paper in some of the pictures of this sale, so I knew we had to hit it. 

Here’s an action shot of me trying to find more. 

I didn’t find any. 

We did end up with some treasures, and it was one of the first sales we’ve been to in a while where there was actually junk to look through. I’ve realized that I get annoyed when things are super organized. It takes some of the fun out of the hunt! We found a pretty interesting board game, but we did not buy it. 

Here is one other awesome thing I didn’t buy: 

I am not sure what a foot charger does, but it sounds life-changing. 

In that same closet, I found a really amazing bag, full of bingo-related items. 

You will not be shocked to discover that I bought this bag. It was too weird not to. 

The next sale we wanted to go to was all the way in Rochester Hills, which is a hike from Dearborn. This sale was full of really amazing stuff–especially pottery. They had a ton of Bybee pottery but all of the pieces I liked were damaged.

Erin took some nice pictures of the inside of this condo. 

It was so nice and warm and cozy in this house. We wanted to take a little snooze on the couch across from this fireplace. 

I was obsessed with this half cupboard but I have nowhere to put it. It reminds me of many of the more primitive pieces of furniture my parents had in our house when I was growing up. 

The basement of this house was home to quite a few treasures, including this awesome old wooden toy truck. 

I bought a few other things at this sale, but this was by far my favorite. 

After we left this sale, we found two others nearby. The first was so overpriced that we only stayed long enough to take a photo of this $35 typewriter. It was ridiculous.

I also showed Erin this tall, narrow case, and asked Erin if she thought it would look cool hanging on a wall horizontally. She then informed me that it was a gun case. Shows you how much I know about guns! 

The last sale of the day was a bust, but it did provide some laughs. When I looked at this next picture just now, it made me LOL again. 

We found those dudes separated and Erin reunited them. They were pleased. 

I have about as good eye contact going on as that dummy does. 

I did find one treasure at this sale–an old Dirty Dancing mug for my mom. My mom LOVED that movie so I could not resist buying it for her. When I went to check out, the woman at the table shrieked and said, “I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!! WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS?!” I told her I found it in the cupboard with all of the other mugs. Another woman working at this sale asked me, “Well don’t you feel bad now for buying it?” Uhm. What? I said, “No!" 

After this adventure, we ate at an old REAL diner in downtown Rochester, and on the way home, hilarity ensued. I am going to let her tell this story, because I am certain that she will embellish it. 

-Sarah

Update from Erin:  At the first sale, I bought some glass insulators, which I am saving for a separate blog post.  So hold on to your butts for that one.  I did see a cool set of this dishware though, but didn’t buy it:

Anyone know about this stuff?  They wanted $75 for the set, which seemed steep, but maybe it’s collectible and I had no idea.

Like Sarah mentioned, this sale was run by a woman we really like, and who gives us great deals.  On this day, the woman’s brother happened to be at the sale, and she introduced him to us.  I proceeded to ask this man, "What do you do?”  My intention was to figure out if he was in the same business–running estate sales and whatnot.  Sarah started laughing hysterically and exclaimed, “YOU CAN’T ASK PEOPLE WHAT THEY DO!!” It was like that time in Mean Girls when Gretchen said, “Oh my God Karen, you can’t just ask people why they’re white.”

Anyway, I’m not entirely sure why you can’t ask people what they do, but I know from now on not to do that.   (For the record, the guy was a hospice nurse, not like, a drug dealer or something.)

The next sale was the best.  It restored my hope in estate sales.  We’ve been in such a rut lately!  This sale, as mentioned, was a cozy little primitive cabin–except that it was a condo.

I got an excellent deal here on a Bordallo Pinheiro set of Christmas dishes.  Last Christmas, I bought a large platter and bowl from this set, and now I have lots more of it!  I got all of this below for $20! 

I also found this great stuffed Santa for $13.  His beard is rabbit fur.

Sarah mentioned that the last two sales were garbage.  Besides selling a $35 typewriter, one of the sales was selling a Harry Potter card game for $20!!  A card game, like UNO…for $20.  Unbelievable.  

Ok, so on the way home, my phone died.  Sarah needed me to look up directions, so she gave me her phone to use.  When I looked at the screen, an iTunes playlist was pulled up, and the title of it was “erin.”

I said, calmly, “Um, did you name an iTunes playlist after me?”  It felt like I had just caught a stalker peeking in my window late at night.  Sarah was SO busted.  We died laughing for like 10 minutes, after which Sarah explained that a year or so ago she was going to make me a mix CD, but never got around to it.

Sure, likely story.  I should note that one of the songs on the playlist was “My Humps”  because I am apparently mega Fergalicious to Sarah. 

Because I was off of work last week for winter break, Erin and I were able to go treasure hunting for two days in a row. We ventured out on Thursday, ready to hit up a really packed looking sale in Garden City. Don’t let the name fool you–Garden City is not a gorgeous haven. We arrived at the house and it felt like a repeat from a few weeks ago–you had to enter through the back yard and it was a treacherous, icy swamp land.

When we finally made it inside, we were pretty pleased with the offerings right off the bat:

Scary models, lots and lots of junk, 3-dimensional animal artwork, sexy babies… what more can you ask for?

Right away, we saw some cute stuff but it was a little overpriced. For example, these guys were cute but one was stained and the other was marked $25.

There were some other interesting items, but again, a little too pricey and it was the first day, so there was no negotiating.

I would have bought that Pee Wee if it wasn’t so crazy expensive. Adam and I both have a soft spot for Mr. Herman.

There was also a lot of not so great stuff at this sale:

The real interesting collections were down in the basement. I don’t know what it is lately but we sure have run into a lot of beanie babies. This sale was no exception to that recent trend.

These bins alone seem to be holding lots of beanies but they don’t even begin to capture the number that this person had. She also had a lot of other stuffed toys and dolls.

Sexy dress, sexy specs.

Mountains of Barbies. Note that many of them are multiples of the same item.

Lots of Mikhail Gorbachev dolls.

A lot of the dolls (Barbies, etc.) were totally overpriced, but one thing that was not overpriced was a set of Snuggle bears with their original tags, marked $5 for the whole set. This was a steal! And Erin was kind enough to give me them. Here they are, waiting for buyers on eBay:

You’ll notice I also found some talking Taco Bell dogs in their original bags at this sale as well. I’ll take any respectable offers, so please buy them.

Erin and I both bought this snowman “Beanie Buddy” for $1 because it was so friggin’ adorable! Next Christmas he’s gonna be chillin’ (no pun intended) in my living room.

Finally, the best thing I found by far was this music box, featuring breakdancing bears. They dance to the Flashdance theme song.

-Sarah

Update from Erin: That Jesus wall mount looks like a hunting trophy.  When I saw it, I could not stop laughing.  A little deer head Jesus…so weird.

Let me also say here, that if a crazy person buys that large Snuggle bear from Sarah for $70, then she better treat me to lunch.  I don’t know on what planet people buy Snuggle bears for $70, but should it happen, I am a FOOL for finding those bears and giving them away to her.

Like Sarah mentioned, I bought one of those stuffed Christmas snowmen.  It is seriously the softest stuffed animal I have ever felt.  I love him.  

I also bought this Mexican folk art piece for Zach’s mom.  It was her birthday last week, and I knew this would be a perfect gift.  Sandy is Mexican herself, and collects all things south of the border.

A little carousel!  The figures had really worried expressions on their faces, which made this even more cute.

-Erin

I’m not sure if I ever wrote about this, but last year at the Best Sale Ever, I found a doll version of my husband. As a grandpa. Then, this year for Christmas, he gave me a doll version of myself. Here we are, chilling together.

Well, apparently the grandpa doll was made with a matching grandma. My mom told me that a few weeks ago, she found the pair together. I was outraged that she did not purchase them for me. She just told me about this last week, and then strangely, I found this SAME grandma last Thursday! OF COURSE I purchased her, though now I’m not sure if Doll Me is going to be jealous or what.

She’s a little janky and dirty so I think Doll Adam will prefer to stay with Doll Me instead of Grandma, but I’m still glad to have her. Who knows? Maybe this is Future Doll Me.

-Sarah