Dig This Treasure!

On Friday, Sarah and I were eager to hit a sale in Farmington Hills because it had a bunch of Herend fishnet animals.  Ok, so I was more excited than Sarah, but she still seemed interested in the other items at the sale.  Everything in the photos looked high-end and collectible.  The sale was run by the same people who put on that amazing folk art sale where we scored some mega deals.

Sure enough, the person who owned this house had expensive taste.

That lamp was so badass, but it was priced $395 :(

As for the Herend I mentioned earlier, I didn’t buy any because it was all priced pretty close to retail.  I decided to return to this sale on Sunday when they were discounting.  Unfortunately by then someone had already scooped up all of the fishnet pieces!  That’s what I get for singing the praises of Herend on this blog!  Now everyone loves it.  Sheesh!

I did buy one piece of non-fishnet Herend.  This tiny rabbit box for $20:

I know, that is about the most precious thing you have ever seen.

One more story about this sale is that Sarah got busted by the police on our way home.  She made a questionable pass through a yellow/red light and a cop car started following us.  He didn’t put on his lights right away so Sarah and I were living in terror for a good couple minutes. 

Finally, the lights and sirens went on and Sarah and I sat in scared silence as we waited for the cops to approach.  I thought about asking Sarah what she was going to say to the cop, but I realized she was silently freaking out so I figured it best to just keep my mouth shut.  I’m sure she appreciated that gesture.

Then the weirdest thing happened and this young, cool dude cop strolled up and said all nonchalantly, “Watch those yellow lights ok?"  And then he started to walk away!  Sarah was like, "Do you want to see my stuff?” (meaning her license, etc.)  He said, “No, I already know who you are.”

So then the BEST thing happened.  I said really loudly and shocked to Sarah, “YOU KNOW HIM?!?!"  In my brain, they were like high school buddies or something.  Sarah pointed out that I was in fact the dumbest person of all time and that the cop simply meant he had already run her license plate and knew her name and info.

DUH.

-Erin

Update from Sarah: Erin covered this sale expertly. The only thing I’ll add here is… yes, these people are very nice and get lots of very nice high end sales. But sometimes I want to take items up to them and say, 

For example: 

Yo, dawg. A full sheet set should cost about $10 at an estate sale. FORTY FIVE DOLLARS? And we all know that Style&co. is the cheapo Macy’s brand. It’s not like those are some high quality Calvin Klein sheets. The things that are most offensively overpriced at their sales are things like this! Everyday items that do not need to be marked up a billion dollars. 

I did buy one item at this sale. A very cute, super fat "art glass” bunny (that’s what it said on the tag.) It was marked $20 which is a little steep for a brandless bunny but it’s still pretty unique and cool. 

She fits right in among all of the other bunnies that live in our dining room. 

And thank god that officer was so awesome! I would have totally deserved that ticket because the light was right at the questionable level. And thank god ALSO that Erin made the wise choice to keep her mouth shut during the whole transaction (until the very end when she thought we were long lost homies)… it’s a true miracle that she didn’t say anything else. 

Ev didn’t come with us on our adventure, and when we got back, it looked as if he was pretty pleased with that decision. 

Also, I feel sad that Erin didn’t get any of her fishnet pieces. That baby bear was adorable. 

When I saw the listing for a “Collector’s Dream” sale, I had a good feeling in my gut that I might score some treasures.  The photos in the listing showed lots and lots of porcelain, and it looked high end.  I had my fingers crossed that there would be Herend-aplenty and that it would all be priced to move.

When we got to the sale, the Lord himself might as well have opened the doors for us, because I was like 99% sure we were in heaven.

The majority of the sale was porcelain, but they also had Limoges boxes, nutcrackers, vintage Christmas and Easter decorations, collectible pottery, and more.

There was also some random stuff, like this giant box of snow owls.

Anyway, I first zeroed in on this white Herend rabbit.  I normally only collect Herend fishnet pattern pieces, but I have always wanted this white rabbit.  He is seriously so adorable.  

They had him priced $45, which is about what he sells for on ebay.  I, of course, wanted a deal though.  While looking at him, a woman came up and asked if she could help me.  I told her that I am a Herend collector and love this rabbit, but would only be interested in him for $30.  She said that was fine.  I was thrilled.  Here he is now next to one of my other Herend rabbits:

The lady helping me mentioned that there were some other Herend pieces floating around, which I had missed on my first pass through the place.  She pointed out a small Herend trinket box and larger serving dish.  Both were in the Rothschild pattern, which again, I don’t collect.

What I do know about the Rothschild pattern is that a lot of other people collect it.  I checked ebay and saw that both of these pieces should be an easy sell.  However, the serving dish was marked $110.  I decided to push my luck again and ask the woman for a deal.  I told her that I was interested in the dish but could only offer her $50.  She said yes!  I was thrilled again.  As for the trinket box, I paid the full sticker price of $20 because I didn’t want to haggle with this poor woman again.

Both pieces are up on ebay, so we will see how they do!

I also bought some paper mache Easter eggs, which I’ve already packed away in our Easter decorations box.  Here is a photo I pulled offline though.  They are really similar.

I got 6 of them for $10.  

I’ll let Sarah tell you all about her huge scores at this sale.  She had quite the motherload.  Before that though, I’ll mention that we did hit one more sale this day.  It was awful.  You can probably tell by the decor:

Sorry Betty Boop collectors, I will never understand you.

Oh, also!  It was Sarah’s birthday, so we got manicures.  

Sarah is way older than me so I sometimes forget her exact age.  I think she just turned 44, but I am not sure.  Also, I made her this cake:

She really likes beagles.

-Erin

Update from Sarah: I told Erin she couldn’t post the original version of that picture of me at the nail salon and her photoshopping made me laugh until I cried. Amazing. 

I already posted about my favorite find from the porcelain sale–the frog crossing sign. I also found a bunch of items to resell–the coolest and possibly most profitable of which are all of these Fisher Price Little People things. 

They had these things marked incredibly reasonably. I bought a farm, village, house, merry-go-round, and school bus, all for about $40. I grew up playing with Little People and now they don’t make the little ones anymore (I guess too many homies choked on them?) but Adam and I might keep the house for our future children. This won’t be the first time I’ll have kept something for my non-existent children. 

I also found this Italian made Pinocchio to resell,

and an adorable Pewabic tile. Mine looks just like that one but it’s blue. 

I also bought this little car from a huge mess of Department 56 Snow Village stuff. 

We had snow village stuff when I was growing up and this little car was my favorite piece. It was only $2. 

Here is one really cool thing at that sale that I didn’t buy. 

I didn’t buy it because it was $1200. It’s by C. Jere, who is a famous mid century sculptor, I think. Check out this amazing sculpture by him of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Wowee Zowee. 

The second sale we went to was the absolute worst. Everything was overpriced and stunk like cigarettes. For the first time in my life of estate saleing, I had to THROW AWAY something I bought when I got home. 

I bought this baggie of dolls because there were some Playmobil guys in there. When I opened the bag, all of the dolls smelled so bad. They are PLASTIC and smelled like smoke. WTF?! I should have known, though. Here’s what the rest of the sale looked like: 

I don’t know if you can make out that sticker well enough, but that is a $3 sign that says Help Retarded Children. 

P.S. I turned THIRTY FIVE, not 44. 

Sorry to leave you all in suspense!  I got in late from a trip to New York this weekend.  Here now are the winners of our HUGE Herend giveaway!  Herend will be contacting all winners about receiving their prize.

Lauren M. of Utah

Suzanne C. of California

Bette W. of Washington

Jennifer Rachel M. of Texas

David F. of Michigan

Hilary R. of Nebraska

Tiffany L. of Florida

Again, thank you to Herend for your generosity!  To check out all of their collectibles, visit HerendUSA.com.

Congratulations to all the winners and stay tuned for our next giveaway!

-Erin

If someone would have told me a couple years ago that my biggest collecting obsession would be high-end porcelain, I never would have believed them.  That said, Herend isn’t your great-grandma’s porcelain.  Ok ok, technically, it is (they’ve been around since 1826).  Still, there is something about Herend pieces–particularly their “fishnet” painted figurines–that transcends across generations.  On the one hand, Herend is classic, high-brow artistry, and at the same time, feels young and fun.  

And remember when we interviewed Marsha Bemko, executive producer of Antiques Roadshow?  She told us that the most coveted collectibles are those that were always finely made and were passed down through families because of their extraordinary quality.  Well, that’s Herend.

So if you’re like me, you’ve started asking for Herend pieces at Christmas, birthdays, and baby showers (hint, hint, they’ve got a whole baby line).  Or if you’re like me a year ago, you are simply perusing eBay listings and drooling over the fantasy of just owning one Herend piece.  Well, worry no more.  Whether you’re an established collector or just starting out, Dig This Treasure and Herend USA has got you covered.  We are giving away SEVEN Herend figurines, each from this month’s new releases.

But before we tell you how to win, here’s some insider info on (and my review of) all the pieces:

Herend already has several swan designs in their collection, but wanted a less stylized depiction of the bird.  The new figurine presents the swan in “all its grace and glory.”  I say “hooray” because this bird looks incredible.  A perfect gift for a wedding anniversary or Valentine’s day.  Or for the classiest of ladies (and gents of course!)

Two members of the Herend USA product team visited the Maison et Objet show (France’s largest design expo) in 2012, and voila, inspiration struck.  While the Eiffel Tower figurine is perfect for any Francophile, I’m pretty biased towards Herend’s typical animal designs.  Still, an interesting concept I’m sure many will love.

Yes, now we’re talking.  A hot air ballon riding bunny?  Perfection.  (Perhaps the Eiffel Tower design should have an added animal friend too.)  A Herend team member visited Arizona and saw some hot air balloons.  The idea for a figurine was refined by the product development team, who added one of Herend’s signature bunnies.  Love this.

This snowman evokes my inner Rachel Zoe, and makes me say things like, “This is BEYOND.”  Seriously, this snowman has got to be my most favorite Herend design of all time.  I know, I know…it’s not an animal, but it is SO cute and SO perfectly detailed.  It is also a genius design by Herend because all of us collectors will want this little guy for Christmas.  What’s shocking is that Herend almost didn’t release this design!  It went through TWO whole summers of waiting before being approved for release.  Please Herend, make an accompanying Santa Claus and Rudolph.  

This baby elephant might make you do a double take.  He was part of the Herend 2012 Kingdom Classic collection, where he appeared with his mom.  Here he is, now “weaned.”  Herend has a mighty assortment of elephant figurines, so I assume lots of people collect and love them.  I’d rather see some more exotic animal designs, like Herend’s kiwi bird or koalas.  However, this is coming from the person who has five pieces of Herend, THREE of which are bunnies.

This fox design has a great, folk art kind of look.  Very whimsical, but still traditionally Herend.  The guilded paws are adorable of course.  And while he looks simple, this fox was quite a challenge for the Herend factory.  The placement of the legs made them unstable during firing, and some retooling was needed before the final version was perfected.

And of course, the corgi!  I actually won this piece during Herend’s “Name the Introduction” contest.  It was probably the best day of my life.  Herend’s British distributor requested this design, as any fan of British royalty knows this dog breed is a favorite of Queen Elizabeth.  I love this design because it’s cute, first off.  And because no matter where you are from, you probably have at least a little British mania.  (Gotta love that Kate Middleton!)  Herend nailed it on this one.

So there you have it!  All 7 designs.  So how can you win one?  It’s pretty simple:

1. Visit HerendUSA.com and at the bottom of the page, click Contact.  

2. In the email form, tell Herend what your favorite design is (new or old).  

3. Include your name, address, and email.  That way, if you win, Herend can reach you.

And that’s it!  Herend will randomly select 7 prize winners from all of the entries.  We will announce the winners here in TWO WEEKS on August 5th.  (Herend will also email all winners.)

What are you waiting for?  Go enter!  And be sure to tell your mom, husband, friends, hair dresser, and anyone else who loves Herend!  Good luck!

-Erin 

lezzomatic said: I saw a piece [of Herend porcelain] on my aunts mantle and freaked out and then had to strangely explain why I was jumping and shrieking.

DTT Responds: Steal it.  -Erin

I know you all have been pining for a porcelain update.  I have heard your cries, and here now, is the current status of my porcelain collection.

I’ve been exclusively buying Herend porcelain, and more exclusively, porcelain in the Herend “fishnet” pattern.  Back in September, I caught wind of a special Herend event happening in Troy, at Nieman Marcus.  The event was at the end of October, so I counted the days with a reminder calendar on our fridge.  

The day arrived, and I hiked out (despite having a cough & cold), to buy me some high-priced ceramics.  The event featured a Herend artist, direct from Hungary!  She was handpainting figurines right there in the store!

This woman did not speak English, but I proceeded to tell her that I admired her work and loved Herend and blah blah.  

There were a lot of figurines to choose from, and I was so excited because this was the first time I had ever been in the presence of more than one Herend piece available for purchase.  Up until this point, I had only bought Herend at an auction, and on ebay.

I wanted to buy a piece in the lavender fishnet pattern because it is a newer released color.  Here is what I chose:

I even had the artist write “Herend Event 2012” on the bottom, and sign her name!

So my collection now stands at 4 pieces of Herend fishnet figurines.  I had a giant cat too, but I am selling him on ebay right now because I want to buy a cuter piece to replace him. Also, I’m aware of the rabbit to non-rabbit ratio here, and don’t worry, I hope to remedy that in the future.

But wait, there’s more!

So a few weeks after the Herend event, I randomly stopped at an estate sale while out buying dog food.  And lo and behold, they had a piece of Herend!  Priced at $10!  It’s not fishnet pattern, but it is still super pretty.  He is displayed on the shelf below the fishnet pieces.

Again, if you/your mom/your grandma/your neighbor/your anybody has some Herend porcelain they are looking to sell, let me know!  I have 100% positive feedback on ebay, so you know I’m legit. 

-Erin

After the success of purchasing my first piece of Herend porcelain, I decided that it would be nice to start collecting this stuff regularly.   I imagine a little shelf in our house with all Herend pieces.  It will take awhile to get there, but why not start this endeavor with a bang…

I found this Herend seal box on ebay and decided to splurge on it.

LOOK AT HIS SAD LITTLE SEAL FACE!  I love him.

I don’t want to say exactly what I spent on this guy, but I will say that it was more than $128 and less than $130.  Don’t tell Timmy. 

-Erin

As I mentioned, the plans for my birthday last week were entirely based around treasure hunting.  Saturday night, Zach and I went to an auction in Plymouth.  I’ve mentioned this auction before on the blog, and the last time we went, we left empty handed.  This time though, things were VERY different!

We arrived at the auction and the place was packed with high quality items.  There were Le Creuset pans still in the box, Lenox serving pieces, cool art, and LOTS of porcelain.  If you’ve been following closely, I’ve been in the market for some baller-ass-rich-people porcelain.  Now was my chance to get some, and because it was my birthday, I could drop some mad cash on it and not feel bad.

I bid pretty regularly during the auction, and won lots and lots of things.  My first two purchases were Lenox:

You can’t really tell, but these pieces are HUGE.  And the edges are 24K gold.  The larger dish cost me $22 and the smaller one was $7.  Let me just say now, that this is INSANE for Lenox.  I was thrilled.

The low, low prices continued all night.  I bought a lot which included an antique silver-plated serving tray, an old silver trinket box, and a super heavy metalware cake stand.  I paid $5 total for all of it.  I bid because the cake stand is by designer Michael Aram, whose work usually sells for around $250 new.  I already have this on ebay. 

At this point, we had been at the auction for a couple hours.  The only negative about the auction is that it goes from 7pm until midnight, with no schedule of when certain items will go up for sale.  I told Zach though that I had my eye on a particular porcelain rabbit, and that I would stay there all night.

The rabbit in question was a Herend, and in the hand-painted fishnet style.  I had been coveting one of these rabbits on ebay, and even asked Zach a week before to buy me one.  It was fate, this rabbit was to be mine.

When the rabbit finally went up for auction, it was paired with a Limoges trinket box.  I was really worried because those dumb little boxes are SUPER collectible, so I figured a million people would bid.  

But then the bidding started, and it was just me and this dude a couple seats down from me.  I just kept my hand in the air, instead of raising and lowering it with each bid.  I really wanted to look at the guy and yell, “STAND DOWN.”  

But then he bowed out at $17.  SEVENTEEN DOLLARS?!  I was so shocked and thrilled.  Zach said that the guy gave me death stare when I went to collect my goods, which made me savor the victory even more.

Here’s my little buddy:

And in case you are wondering if I made a good purchase, here are some recently sold Herend figures:

As for the Limoges box, it is already selling on ebay.  

This entry is getting long, but the scores I had at this auction were never-ending.  The last item I bought was this Royal Doulton rabbit bank.  Ok, I obviously like rabbits, but look at this guy!  So great.

This bank was my most pricey purchase of the night…a whopping $30.  Obviously worth it.

-Erin