Dig This Treasure!

Happy (almost) New Year everyone!  It has been a really fun and hilarious first year of this little ol’ blog.  Thank YOU for reading, and for the emails/facebooking/comments/etc. that tell us you enjoy our sass.  We hope that 2013 brings even bigger and better estate sales and many more treasures.

To cap off the year, here are the top ten BEST moments of our estate sale insanity:

10. That time Erin bought a bear wearing a REAL GOLD necklace:  Sometimes you find perfectly fine treasures that you are happy buying as they are–say, a Muffy Vanderbear doll.  And sometimes, as an added bonus, that perfectly fine bear happens to be wearing a 14kt gold necklace.  In our “Cash for Gold, Part Two” entry,  Erin found out just how valuable gold is at the moment, when she cashed in a chain for $44.  Who puts real gold chains around teddy bears?  And who then sells that teddy bear for $12 at an estate sale?  Whoever that person is, we hope they do it more often–wrap all our purchases in gold please!

9. That time DTT had a huge ass garage sale:  The DTT garage sale put quite a twist on our normal routine.  This time we were the sellers, trying to convince people to buy our garage sale wares.  This was also a chance for us to unload all of the estate sale finds we had trouble selling on ebay, or that we fell out of love with.  Let’s just say, we had a lot of stuff to sell:

Check out the entry “Cold Ones Left” to see how the garage sale went, and to hear about Sarah taking a serious spill on the sidewalk.

8. All those times we found ourselves in “interesting” houses:  Hoarders? Check.  Survivalists? Check. Straight-up Grey Gardens style situations?  Check. We’ve seen it all, and somehow lived to tell about it. Take a peek at the entries: “Grey Gardens”, “Survival of the Fittest”, and “Hoarders. No Like Real Ones” for all the nitty gritty.

7. That time Erin interviewed Ryan Matthew Cohen of the Science Channel’s Oddities:  Somehow Erin scored an interview with fan-fave Ryan Matthew, and the resulting post here on DTT (Ryan Matthew Kind of Hates Christmas, and Other Revelations) turned out to be one of our most reblogged/linked out/googled entries. In a later turn of events, Erin met Ryan in New York, where he nervously informed her that he confuses our blog with the phrase “Take that Bottle.”  (That’s a phrase?)

6. All the times we made mad cash on eBay: And we are proud to say there were many! Check out our “Money Maker” entries to see just how well we did reselling our treasure finds.  Our biggest jackpots can be found in the entries: “Original Goonies Movie Posters”, “Old Duck Decoy”, “Valley of the Dolls II”, and “Crazy Horse”.

5. That time a guy asked Erin for her home address: You meet all kinds of people while out treasure hunting.  Erin happened to meet a guy who wanted to know where she lived…EXACTLY where she lived. Read all about it in the entry “Where I Live”.

4. That time we got in a CRAZY HUGE FIGHT with Cari Cucksey from HGTV’s Cash & Cari:  We get asked about this all the time, so of course we had to include it in the countdown: our infamous quarrel with Cari, from Cash & Cari.  If you remember, we started out in quite the love affair with the show, and with RePurpose estate sales.  But then we mentioned ONE sale they had that was overpriced and crowded, and next thing you know, we’re public enemy number one.  Find out just how loud ladies can yell in our entry “The End of an Era”.  

3. That time we fell in love with auctions:  Perhaps one of the biggest developments this year was our love affair with auctions.  Maybe in 2013 we will change the name of this blog to YO! We Love Auctions or something like that.  It all started with Erin’s fave honeyhole in Plymouth, featured in the entries: “Stand Down”, “Standing Room Only”, and “Trumpeting”.  Sarah caught the auction bug in the entry “Open for Bidding”, only to have it explode into auction frenzy in the entries “Auction Crashers” and “Blacktop Surprise”.     

2. That time we hunted down the person whose stuff we were buying at an estate sale and became cross-country friends with him:  Despite our humor, estate sales are a really emotional thing, and we recognize that.  Most sales happen because of a death in the family or because of other sad events (financial trouble, divorce, hoarding, and so on).  At the time when we wrote our entries “House of Horrors Part One” and “Part Two” we had no idea that a charming California man had just lost his mother in Michigan, and it was her home we were shopping at.  Our blog entry focused on the amazingly bizarre and intriguing items we found in the home, items unlike anything we had ever seen.  And before long, Erin tracked down the aforementioned Cali man (entry “REAL LIFE”) and Sarah wrote a heartfelt entry all about him and his mother (entry “Be My Little Bumblebee”).  You couldn’t have scripted it any better.  In fact, we are all now friends, and for Sarah, even in real life! 

OK, drum roll please!!!  The BEST moment of the year, as you’ve probably guessed, is…

1. That time we went to the BEST SALE EVER:  “Best Sale Ever”, as it is known, was, well, the best sale ever!  We both still dream about this sale (literally…at night, in our dreams).  Featured in the entries: “Best Sale Ever: Round One” and “Round Two”, this estate sale will forever live on as the perfect storm of all things wonderful about treasure hunting.  The owner of this estate loved shopping, and the packed house showed it.  Everything though was high quality, clean, and most importantly, CUTE!  There was a great mix of antiques and newer items, and somehow we got the most incredible bargain bin prices on everything.  Erin bought a brand new Pendleton blanket with the tags on it for basically pennies, and Sarah took home half a Hallmark store worth of books, ornaments, and Christmas decor.  We visited this sale twice over two days and hauled our items out in a wagon each time.  

So cheers to estate sales, and “junk”, and antiques, and to all of the people and places we encountered this year.  To 2013, bring it on, we are ready for your treasures!

Happy New Year!

xoxoxox

-Erin & Sarah 

Last weekend, my family ventured up to Holly, MI for their annual Dickens’ Christmas festival.  The festival has become a tradition each year to kick off the holiday season, and it does a good job.  There are literally chestnuts roasting on an open fire in Holly.  And Scrooge roams the street being all scroogey.  

The whole gang was here, and our plan of attack was to load up on hot chocolate and then hit all of the numerous Holly antique stores.  My sister Lindsay (chugging her cocoa above) is a fellow ebay guru, and has been raking in the cash lately selling old GI Joe and Star Wars toys.  Lindsay’s husband Mike, and our mom Joan, went to a gun store down the road to “browse.”  And you all know Zach and Timmy, they chose antiques over weapons.

The antique stores in Holly are super old-timey/general store looking.  So the atmosphere is just as good, if not better, than the actual treasures.  They are also huge, so at the end of the day, we had antique-shopped for about 5 hours.

Most of the items in Holly are high-end, and also pretty rare.  The first store we went into is known for being haunted, and was featured on Paranormal Witness (never heard of it).  They didn’t have any ghosts for sale here, but they did have a lot of other neat things:

This is me making a phone call to the ghost in the store, asking if he/she has scared anyone lately.

This store is also known for a vampire hunting kit they’ve had since I was like 8 and going to Holly.  They’ve been trying to sell it for $15,000.

Zach contends that this kit is TOTALLY FAKE.  And he is probably right.  You know who loves this kit so much though?  Steampunks.  Holly needs a Steampunk hunting kit because it was being overrun this day.  I don’t really understand Steampunk, so if someone can enlighten me about the connection between them and Charles Dickens and Holly, MI and vampires, that would be so great.

I didn’t buy anything at this first store, but our second stop was very fruitful.  I found a Skookum doll for $35!  I’ve wanted one of these for a long time, but they are usually expensive.  This guy has some slight paint wear on his face, but no big deal at all.

This doll was in a locked case with some others, and the store owner pulled the doll out for me.  I then explained that there is a doll quota in my household and that I would need to hunt down my husband for approval on this purchase.  He said that was fine, so I walked away with the doll.  Now, this place was HUGE and super crowded, so it took me an eternity to find Zach.  By the time I made it back to the register to buy the doll, the store owner was convinced I had stolen it.  He let out a huge sigh of relief and exclaimed, “There you are!”  He then tried to sell me a million other dolls. 

Zach found a cool book at this store, which we also bought:

I should also mention that I accidentally rummaged through a bunch of garbage at this sale.  Literally garbage.  This is the SECOND TIME I have done this while treasure hunting.  I thought this was a basket of little ziplocked knick-knacks, but it was really trash from a nearby snack stand with coffee and cookies.

Also, there is totally a half-eaten banana hanging out in there.

We next visited a store that was mostly selling old fossils and Egyptian artifacts.  Zach was so excited about a case of old Egyptian ceramics, and then he saw a sign that said “Display Only, Not for Sale.”  I thought he was going to cry.

We did find an old lead Santa riding on a sled, which we bought and have paired with our lead skiing Santa and lead skiing buddies.

Man, those little guys bring me such deep joy.  I have probably never seen anything cuter than those recreational Santas.

The last store we visited was more of a creepy antique museum.  It was really dark, and nothing had price tags on it.  I had never been in this store because it is off the main drag, and the outside looks like a building that is permanently closed for business.

That wreath was probably put up like 6 years ago.  And all of the windows had the shades and blinds drawn.  Anyway, they were open for business.  Well, kind of.  When we walked in, an old woman “greeted” us with a frown, looked us up and down and said, “Go ahead and browse.”  Browse?  We must have looked like a bunch of Aladdins walking into the palace.

It was really dark in there, obviously.

Here is Zach touching something, which was probably against the rules.

Interestingly, in the middle of this place, was a weird little opening into a cave.  Not a real cave, but a manmade fake cave.  So bizarre, and also the best.

It had a bunch of dioramas inside….inexplicably.

My sister was the only one who actually found something to buy here.  It was an old paper magazine from the 1920s or so, and was advertising a circus.  She bought it because it featured some guy on the cover who designed all of the exhibits at the Detroit Zoo (she is the penguin keeper there).  It was a whopping $6.  She was thrilled.

-Erin

So remember that time I got lured to an “estate sale” and instead ended up at a commune where they were spray-painting indoors?  I should have learned my lesson then about going off the grid, but apparently I didn’t.

I’ve been meaning to write about this insane adventure for awhile now, but haven’t had the chance.  So now, submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story, “The Tale of the Bone Collector.” [Throws magic dust into the fire.]

P.S. If you don’t get that Midnight Society joke, get outta here (or google it).

Ok, so a few months ago, I was driving through Redford and noticed this weird little hut on the side of the road.  It was small, and junky, and said “Antiques.”  Perfect! I love antiques!

This man greeted me, and he seemed nice enough.  A little strange but nice.  As I chatted with him more though, I got that feeling in my stomach that Oprah used to talk about–the one where you are supposed to drop whatever you are doing and run.  At one point, the man said, “Where do you live?”  And I told him “Livonia.”  And then he said, “No no, what’s your address?”

My address?  Hmm, this man didn’t appear to work for the post office, so the request was questionable to say the least.  I laughed the question off, and went inside to look at the “antiques.”

Things were weirder inside.  And dirty.  Like really super crazy dirty.

The floor for all I know was 2 feet below me.  I was walking on compounded debris. And there were bones everywhere.  I am not making this up.  Here is a bucket of bones.

Which is cool.  I like bones.  I like taxidermy.  In this context though, things felt real spooky.

Ok, and see that muscle man photo in the ziploc?  Here, I’ll zoom in:

That muscle man runs the place.  I forget his name, but here he is now:

Well, the back of him anyway.  This guy told me he was 88, but he didn’t look a day past 75.  I liked him.  He was nice.  A little messy, but nice.  I started asking him about his place, and about antiques.  And he told me about when he was a muscle man.  Things were good, 15 minutes passed.

Then he pulled out this binder, and told me he was going to show me something.  Something he doesn’t show many people.  I had that Oprah run-for-your-life feeling again, but I stayed.  What if he wanted to show me (and give me) a bunch of gold bars?  Or maybe he had photographic evidence of UFOs or solid proof of a JFK assassination conspiracy.  I had to know what was in the binder.

So what was in the binder?  See for yourself:

Alright…baseball pics.  Cool…

Look at the pen writing on the leg of that player.  Every photo had commentary like this.

If you can’t read that pen writing, it says, “THIS IS SAD FOR BASEBALL.  IF YOU ARE A TEAM, DRESS LIKE A TEAM,” and, “IS THIS WHAT BASEBALL IS COMING TOO?  PAJAMAS?”  And there are arrows pointing to all of the players ankles.  

As it turns out, this man is single-handedly on a crusade against the length of modern-day baseball pants.  And I think he has a point here.  Those pants look sloppy!

He explained to me that he collects this binder of photos, writes his commentary on them, and then mails an example every month to Mike Ilitch, the owner of the Detroit Tigers.  He then told me that he hasn’t heard back from Ilitch, so he’s been sending examples to the newspapers and local TV news stations.  

I didn’t really know what to tell him except to keep up his crusade and that he was, “Fighting the good fight,” which I really think he is.  Pull up your pants you dummies!

I didn’t buy any antiques, but I did leave with an asthma attack, and with a new realization that you really can collect anything.  Sarah collects gross porcelain, and I collect nice porcelain, and this man, well, he collects an arsenal of scribbled on baseball pics.

-Erin

So, I’ve written in the past about how the most rewarding part of finding things at estate sales and reselling them on eBay (besides sometimes hitting big) is how much new stuff I learn about old things, and how cool it feels to connect someone to something they end up cherishing. I never used to consider myself a person who got excited about really old stuff–I’ve never liked historical fiction and I’ve never gotten excited about seeing old historical documents in person. History just seems boring when you grow up learning about it through textbooks.

But obviously that’s changed over the years, and one thing I’ve always loved are photographs, I guess because they capture a REAL moment in time in a way that no other medium can. So I’ve written about a few different types of photographs I’ve found and discovered are valuable by accident. My favorite photos to find are ones of people with their pets, just because I’m an animal lover. I’m thinking of starting a recurring type of entry that features those pictures.

Anyway, I’ve periodically come across photographs that seem really old and are mounted on hard, round edged, smooth cardstock. They’re always priced a little higher than other cards, which is why I’ve never bought very many. Well, last week Erin and I hit a sale where there was tons of old paper, including a huge box of dirty (as in not clean) antique photographs. I grabbed the whole thing. There were lots of different kinds of pictures but many of them were like these:

After doing some research, I discovered that these are called cabinet cards. There’s actually a really helpful Wikipedia entry about cabinet cards and provides some info that can help you date them. In general, they were the popular style of portrait photographs between 1870 and the 1890s. There were 22 of these in the lot I found, but unfortunately, because they were stored in bad conditions, they aren’t in super great shape. Here’s a picture of most of them: 

I have them up on eBay now, if you’re interested.

The other cool thing is that along with these photographs, I found lots of other ephemera (letters, cards, etc.), including the wedding invite for that baby in the lower right corner! The back of that picture said “Beulah” and in an envelope in a stack of papers, I found this:

Sort of sad, but also sort of cool!

So the other thing I learned about cabinet cards is that the most valuable ones are either post-mortem pictures of children, or pictures of Civil War era soldiers. Speaking of post-mortem photos, here’s an update on mine from a week or so ago:

So yes, there are lots of individuals out there who like to collect antique pictures of dead people, and they’ll pay you a lot of money for them.

One last thing–even more valuable are carte de visite (CDV) photographs, which are from the era before cabinet cards became popular. So keep your eyes peeled for those!

-Sarah

On Sunday morning, I woke up to the sound of Erin texting me about an auction in Tecumseh that afternoon. Tecumseh is about 25 miles west of where I live, so I was thrilled at the prospect of Erin coming to my side of town. Also, the pictures of looked pretty awesome.

When we arrived, the woman who owned the “gallery” where the auction was taking place mentioned that some of the items pictured online might no longer be available. I thought Erin was going to throttle her. After we got our numbers, we walked away and Erin growled, “Is it wrong that I’m really annoyed right now?!?!” I don’t know what she saw online that she thought might be unavailable, but damn girl, calm yourself. 

We walked around and checked everything out. The nice thing about this auction was that they gave everyone a list of items and then went through it in order. This was cool because there were no surprises. You knew when you could go get a snack or go to the bathroom. I didn’t do either of these things but I liked that it was an option. 

We took our seats and got ready for the auction to start. Here was our view:

As you can see, it was not a packed house, which made it even better.

Now, I’ll be honest. When we did our rounds, neither of us saw a whole lot of anything that we HAD to have. But once the bidding began, we quickly realized that the crowd was not willing to pay much for anything there, and there were quite a few valuable items.

One of the first things on the list that I hadn’t noticed displayed was a box of pieces of Bybee Pottery. I know about this pottery because my parents used to collect it. I’ve actually been inside the Bybee store, possibly on more than one occasion. I’ve probably blocked it out of my memory because, as a child, it wasn’t very entertaining to spend hours at a pottery store in Kentucky on a family vacation. Anyway, as an adult I’m thankful for these experiences, because they give me the knowledge I need to make dolla dolla bills, y'all. So yes, Bybee pottery can be valuable, and the people running this auction sort of knew that, but sort of didn’t really. The had the big lot listed as “BB Pottery,” I think because the bottom of Bybee stuff is marked “BB” and they probably found some of those listings on eBay. Anyway, bottom line is–I won a whole moving box of the stuff for $5. I haven’t decided if I’m keeping it or selling it.

The entire auction was very entertaining for a number of reasons. First, Erin and I both had a secret crush (came out on the ride home) on the auctioneer. Second, there were these two women in the front who were serious know-it-alls. They kept chiming in, telling the auctioneer how old things were or what they were used for. It was unreal. But it was also super hilarious.  Everyone would be silent waiting for the auctioneer’s description of an item and then you would just hear this brute woman yell, “THAT’S OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD. YES THAT’S VERY NICE.  VERY RARE.” and on and on. Third, it was entertaining because clearly people were SHOCKED that we were willing to pay more than $5 for things that we either wanted or wanted to sell. And finally, the printed list of items gave Erin an opportunity to entertain me with drawings. At one point they were auctioning off a lamp and the auctioneer noticed there was a dead spider on it. The worst know-it-all woman proceeded to jump up and yell, “Don’t touch that, it’s a black widow!” Erin and I could not stop laughing. Here is her illustrated response:

In the end, we came out with so much stuff that Erin’s little Jetta was packed to the gills. I have no idea why or how neither of us captured this photographically, but I assure you that the quantity was insane. I even sent this text to Adam after I got home:

I took some risks on the stuff that I got, but the coolest thing by far was this old Monroe adding machine that still has its original cord and works!

I spent five dollars on it and it varies but they do seem to sell for quite a bit of cash on eBay. We’ll see! 

While we were checking out, Erin said that three different women came up to her and said something along the lines of, “SOOOO…eBay, huh?” in a disapproving manner. Clearly these people were 1) used to being able to come to this place and not pay very much for things they wanted and 2) not happy with some youngins comin’ in and sweepin’ up. So the regulars there were not happy about our presence… but you know what? Too bad, y'all!

-Sarah

Update from Erin: OK, yes I was annoyed when we got there.  You can’t be all like HEY PPL WE ARE HAVING AN AUCTION HERE ARE PICS OF ALL THE STUFF WE ARE GOING TO SELL, and then when people drive over an hour to get there, tell them that you already presold a bunch of stuff.  That is like Auction Etiquette 101.  So rude.

But then I started looking around and things looked pretty cool.  I wanted nearly all of the furniture in the place.

I did buy one piece of furniture actually.  This old, primitive trunk was the perfect size for the end of our bed.  We had another trunk there, but it was too big, so sometimes I crashed into it when walking around in the dark.  Plus, this trunk is just so darn cool looking.

I also bid on some junk I didn’t really need, like some vintage frosted glass sundae cups and a bunch of Barry Goldwater campaign memorabilia.  (George was wearing the hat from this lot on Tuesday.)  Everything was so cheap though, I just figured what the heck.

At one point, I tried to buy a Wendy’s frostie off the guy in front of me.  His friend brought him one, and when I saw, I offered him $10 for it.  He was more than willing to take the deal, but I felt kind of bad about it, so I revoked the offer.

The money I saved on the Frostie bought me some pink Depression plates (on ebay now!) and a silver tea set by Sheffield.  Some Sheffield sets sell for hundreds of dollars!  I was excited when I bought this, but it only ended up selling for $32 (I paid $20 for it).

What I did love about this tea set was that it was BLACK when I bought it.  Just totally covered with tarnish.  I planted myself in front of the tv and used silver polish to clean the hell out of it.  It took a few hours, but I was amazed at how shiny the set really was. I found the process of polishing silver really gratifying, so I hope I get to do it again soon.

Alright, so the last thing to mention was the check out process.  Sarah mentioned this, but I’ll reiterate that at least 4 or 5 people walked up to me and said things like, “eBay, huh?”  or “Sooo…eBay?”  or “Must be an eBayer!”  I don’t know when eBay became such a dirty word, but I felt like I had to respond to these people in a hushed tone.  I told a few of them that we keep most of the things we buy (kind of true), but you could tell they were skeptical and disapproving.  

Next time we go to this auction, we will both be wearing scarlet letters.  Sarah in general already wears like 6 scarlet letters, so her letter for being an eBayer might have to be mini sized.  I’ll be wearing mine like Alvin & the Chipmunks.

This past weekend, our husbands were busy finishing up a record they’ve been working on for over a year, so Erin and I were orphans. Clearly this meant that we had to find more opportunities to blow our money on old sh*t. We succeeded in this mission.

A few weeks ago, I had read about this Antique Expo that was going to be happening in Southfield, so Erin and I decided to check it out on Saturday morning. 

On our way there, Erin had speculated that this event might be a little too baller for us, and she was right. It was a huge event with lots of different dealers and collectors, and things were priced much higher than you’d find at an estate sale.

Luckily, there were a lot of rich people perusing the displays, so the sellers were in luck. Erin and I aren’t rich, but we don’t exactly look like we stepped off the set of Newsies either… 

…so I’m not sure why we were so consistently ignored at the various booths.

I mean, little did they know that one of us will pay some fat cash for the right piece of porcelain. AND we each had to pay $8 to step foot in the joint… so c'mon!

Anyway, we walked around and looked at stuff while people ignored us. There was some really cool stuff at this expo, but unfortunately, my pockets were not deep enough to buy most of the stuff that was interesting to me. Here is a table that I was coveting: 

It looked cooler in person. And that peace sign isn’t part of it. But anyway, it was $500. 

Here is a leather rhino that Erin was coveting: 

He was about $900. [Edit from Erin: The tag clearly says $850.]

In the end, I bought some old overpriced postcards and photographs from this person: 

…as well as some old metal stamps for Adam that I forgot to photograph. 

Some other cool things I saw:

A bird mansion…

and a collection of miniature books. 

Erin ended up purchasing a piece of scrimshaw from a smooth operator. I think it’s illegal to sell ivory or something. Hence, the title of this post. I’ll let her tell you more about it. 

-Sarah

Update from Erin: It’s true that people treated us like vagabonds at this sale, which is such a bummer and awkward.  Oh well.

It is also true that the stuff at this show was pretty baller.  The leather rhino that Sarah mentioned earlier is a SUPER RARE piece sold by Abercrombie & Fitch in the 50s/60s. People go mad collecting these, hence the crazy price.  I only knew what this was because Zach has been coveting a similar elephant for forever.  

I was empty handed until the end of this sale, when I noticed a piece of scrimshaw tucked away in a showcase.  This particular piece was a sperm whale tooth with a scrimshaw whale design.  It has been a dream of mine to own some real scrimshaw, but it is really really expensive…not to mention illegal if it’s whale.  Since 1973, it is illegal to sell whale ivory, unless it is an antiquity (over 100 years old).  You still see scrimshaw on elk bone and replica whale teeth, but most authentic whale bone scrimshaw is in museums or personal collections. 

The seller told me that he bought the piece from a zoology professor at MSU downsizing his collection.  There was no price tag on the piece, so he quickly spouted out that he would take $150 for it.  I got him down to $140 and was thrilled.  I think I got a mega deal here, since REPLICA scrimshaw sells for that much on ebay.  

And at a Nantucket scrimshaw gallery, pieces sell for over $1,000.  My piece is definitely not as old as those super high-priced pieces, but I do think that $140 was a steal.

I went home and made a cool wood stand for the tooth and am now displaying it proudly.

Ok, and before anyone gets hot and bothered, I am a Whale Wars fan.  That said, whaling used to be an important necessity, and the culture of whalers is fascinating.  I’m not down with the modern day hunt for endangered whales, but I am SO DOWN WITH THIS OLD SCRIMSHAW.  If you have any, hit me up ASAP.  I’ll pay porcelain prices for that shiz.

-Erin

Well, Friday started out great–when I stopped at the credit union to get some cash before driving out to Erin’s, a man with a gold tooth told me that I was a “gorgeous woman.” Can’t get much better than that. I also parked behind this person.

Good thing he’s from Ohio and not Michigan because that’s what *I* wanted for my next vanity plate. 

Like last week, this week’s sales didn’t look amazing, but there were still a few that we wanted to check out. When I got to Erin’s, she told me that she had spotted a secret/rogue sale near her house, so we stopped there first. All signs pointed to it being fabulous… 

…but in the end it was not. 

The best part of this sale was that it was being run by a cute little old lady and someone who I assume was her daughter, and they had all of her little old lady goods displayed on these tablecloths: 

Next on our agenda was a sale that looked like it had some potential, but again, it ended up being not that fantastic. I honestly didn’t find anything except for a few old brochures/cards. Here is one cool thing that Erin spotted in the basement rubble…it’s a decanter: 

We felt a little discouraged after this, but still went to two more sales. The next sale was in Dearborn Heights and was ultra depressing because it obviously was not an old person. I don’t know why but the sales where it’s obviously a foreclosure or huge family accident or something are always most depressing to me. Also depressing was that these people had horrible taste. The first sign: 

Everything in this house was cheap and made in China. Also, they had more pillows than any house I’ve ever been inside, but strangely neither of us took a picture of them. Here is one other gross thing Erin did capture, though: 

I bought four children’s paperbacks (Ramona the Pest, etc.) for our neighborhood Little Free Library and the woman running the sale charged me $2 for them even though the sign said they were 25 cents each. I asked her about this and she told me that the “really skinny ones” were 25 cents, and the rest of the paperbacks were 50 cents. Man, they were really trying to get any pennies they could. 

The last sale of the day ended up being the best. Once again, the sale was listed as being in the Boston Edison district of Detroit, but it was really…not. Still, worth going to! So here’s what the house looked like on the outside: 

Like many old houses we’ve been to in Detroit, the first and second floors were in good shape, but as you progressed up or downstairs, it got progressively less inhabitable. The people who lived at this house, I believe were a professor and a social worker, from what I gathered after asking some of the estate sale company employees. They had a lot of really nice stuff, and then a lot of areas that you could tell they just hadn’t even gone in for decades. 

Here is a room of books that made me happy: 

Erin was very impressed with the carved wood throughout the house: 

While Erin was exploring the third floor of the house…

…I was exploring the basement. 

When I first got down there, I noticed that it looked pretty hazardous, but I couldn’t help myself… I had to go inspect some of the rooms that were back there. Right away, I noticed a milk crate that was full of family photographs and scrapbooks, and many of them were extremely old. As I tore through some of the surrounding piles of junk, I found more and more and just kept piling them on. I was so excited because of the sheer quantity. One of the rooms that was behind the area pictured above was an old darkroom that nobody had touched in many, many years. Here is a picture that Erin snapped of me, demonstrating where I so badly wanted to get: 

Back behind all of that rubble, I could see about four or five paper boxes filled with old paperwork and who knows what else?! 

There was just no way for me to get over to those boxes when there was that much debris in the way… For the rest of the day, I kept thinking about what might have been inside those boxes. So disappointing!

Anyway, when I got upstairs with my enormous stack of photographs, I was ready for some sad news. A lot of the stuff in the house was priced fairly high (despite those photos, they owned many nice things), and since there was so much stuff in my crate, I expected the worst. But the guy sort of gave it a cursory glance and told me $20! I was so excited, I wanted to do a dance. 

So I spent my Friday night looking through someone else’s family history. I’ll write more about what I found in those boxes some other day because there were some REALLY cool photographs, but I’ll leave you with the most horrifying find: 

I got a serious wave of heebie jeebies when I found this–it was wrapped up inside old tissue/butcher paper so it was a real surprise. The good news for me is that people collect these things, so if you’re into that sort of thing, bid away!

-Sarah

Update from Erin: I loved that first sale!  Sure, they had like 2 things for sale, but how can you beat free cookies and coffee?  There was even a cute grandma who followed us around and tried to sell us things.  I found a Waechtersbach teapot for $3!! 

$3 is a SERIOUS steal.  This pot on ebay is worth about 25-30 dollars.  If you don’t remember, my mother-in-law got me hooked on this dishware when she gifted me some a few years ago.  Every Christmas, she buys me a few more pieces.  I even found a bunch of this set at “Best Sale Ever” so my collection is getting pretty huge.

Sarah also found this trivet for me to buy.  It was something ridiculous like 10 cents.  Zach and I vacationed in Cape Cod for our honeymoon and have the biggest crush on Nantucket.

The second sale had a lot to look at for sure, but I only bought a couple old Disney plates to sell.  And for the record, I liked that decanter Sarah mentioned earlier because it looked like an awesome 80s computer.  But then it was all political and I backed off it.  Still cute though!

And also for the record, that Corvette at the third sale was a baller ass ride.  I thought I made a superb joke about it just needing a new windshield (the windshield was a large decal sticker with bubbling from age, but this made the windshield look cracked). Sarah didn’t seem to laugh.  

And alas, the final sale.  I had a blast at this one.  The house was COOL. The furniture and decor reminded me of our own house, only more upscale.

Well, except for the random Taz poster.  People sure do love them some Taz.  Are there any anthropological or cultural studies on the love of Taz?  I’d totally read that shit.

At this sale, I bought some bubble wrap, a tablecloth, and a cast iron still bank that looks exactly like George.  I splurged on this for $20, which was fine because I had barely purchased anything the whole day.

It looks just like him!  I can’t believe it.  This little buddy doesn’t eat mail and dig up the lawn though…or pee on the bed.

-Erin

After my solo auction excursion, I convinced Sarah to go to another auction with me the following the day.  I had auction fever for sure.

This auction was in Romulus, so Sarah met me there.  I had arrived first and scoped out the goods, and was pretty excited about most of the stuff there.  Everything was high quality.  I saw a bunch of old greeting cards that I figured Sarah would like, and a bunch of old chocolate molds for me.

There was also a separate doll auction going on in another room that I figured Sarah might like.  Boy did she ever.  I think she stayed in that doll room nearly the whole night.  Every time I came to check on her, she was drowning further and further in a sea of dolls she had purchased.

That furry beast on the top of the heap looks like this up close:

Sarah paid money for that, in case you are all wondering.  It came in a lot with a bunch of other animals, but this kitty was by far the best.

I bought many things at this auction but nothing that I really really wanted.  Most of the stuff I bought was super cheap, and I decided to just take a risk on reselling it.  This sale had some old paper mache Halloween decorations I wanted REALLY BAD, but like last time, they sold for a crazy high price.  I was so disappointed.  A lot of two pumpkins sold to this guy for $220 and I wanted to walk up to him and tell him that 1. they aren’t even worth that! and 2. my Halloween was now ruined.

There he is all smug with his pumpkins.  I should say MY pumpkins.  My stolen pumpkins.  Also, someone is going to step on those as they are so carelessly placed on the floor.  If I had those pumpkins, I would have gone to the doll auction and bid on a $400 antique doll cradle to carry my pumpkins in.  That’s how much I love those pumpkins.

Whew, anyway…speaking of the doll auction, I did buy some dolls.  I got a lot of 3 for $10 and a Madame Alexander baby doll for $10.  The latter turned out to be my best score, as I sold it for $56.

I also bought an old print of a natural history museum to hang in our house.  I used to work at a museum like this in Ann Arbor and got to teach kids about dinosaurs.  This print reminded me of that and was just too darn cool not to buy.

I definitely overpaid for this ($40) but I love it so much that I will accept that hard truth. At some point, a dude came over to me and said, “You know that’s the Louvre in France, it’s a famous museum.”  I politely thanked him for the knowledge, but will say now that that is a bold faced lie.  No dinosaurs up in the Louvre y'all.  The print also says Hunterian Museum, which wikipedia says is in Scotland.

I’ll let Sarah talk about how much she loves auctions now, but before I do, here is my favorite part of the night.  Near the end of the auction, the auctioneers do a sort of speed round in which they break off into little clusters around different tables and sell the stuff on each one at a very rapid pace.  Sarah was bidding on a bunch of cards and valentines during one of these rounds, and as soon as she started to, this older woman behind her let out a yelp similar to that of a trapped animal.  A sort of singular moan/howl of true sadness.  

I think this lady thought she was going to be the only person interested in these items, so when Sarah bid, she was obviously distraught.  Every time the bid went up, she would repeat the same moany “NOOOOO.”  I felt bad for her in a way, because I had been sad about my pumpkins…but at the same time, the whole thing was absurd and hilarious.  Listen people, auctions are like the end of “Old Yeller”…heartbreaking but necessary.

-Erin

Update from Sarah: I won a SH*TLOAD of dolls at this auction, and it was SO FUN! HOWEVER, Erin failed to mention that at least four dolls in that doll pileup were hers.

I think Erin is an auction addict now, but I understand why. It’s like going to an estate sale but more exciting in some ways, because you don’t really know how much you might end up paying for something you want. There’s more mystery involved. Also the whole thing was mysterious for me because Erin invited me about 5 minutes after I got out of work, so I had no idea what would be there, and I definitely did not know that all those dolls would be there! The only real downside about auctions in general seems to be the sadness that happens when you don’t win something you really want–like the pumpkins.

The only complaint I have is that the food was not good. Erin had tempted me before by telling me that the auction she normally goes to with Zach in Plymouth has a huge food bar with french fries (I don’t know about you but that’s enough to entice me), but at this auction, I had a hot dog that was so bad that I threw it away after one bite. An occurrence that is unprecedented in the history of my life. 

Before I talk about what I won, let me say that half the fun of going to this thing was the people watching and also seeing some of the insane things in that doll room. Erin said the stuff was all high quality but I mean, you saw that stuffed cat. And here’s another doll we didn’t win: 

I don’t know if the previous owner was trying to make a statement (The Bluest Eye?…) or was just blind, but that is one crazy looking doll that I would not describe as “high quality." 

Unlike Erin, I ended up winning everything I wanted, and that stuff fell into two categories: dolls and stuffed animals, and ephemera. I haven’t even really sorted through the valentines and postcards that I won, but so far the dolls are doing well: 

I think I paid $30 total for those three dolls (plus some), so I’ve definitely made a profit. There are many more where those came from. Here are two terrifying ones that I have on eBay right now: 

When I saw that paraplegic doll it made me feel weird and sad inside. I ended up getting her because she came with that first doll (the antique Horsman doll) and when they brought her over to me I felt so genuinely creeped out. Erin wanted me to just throw her out but I feel like maybe some doll collector will give her a new pair of legs. Or who knows? Maybe you’ll see her zoomin’ around some day like Oscar Pistorius! 

Last night I drove to Howell for an auction.  Now, I wouldn’t normally recommend spending your Wednesday night driving to Howell, MI but I went for two reasons.  First, I was cooped up working all day yesterday and started going a bit stir crazy.  Second, Zach has either the Plague or Black Lung, so I wanted to decrease my chances of catching it.

Oh wait, and three, I wanted to buy these awesome old paper mache Halloween decorations:

That cat one alone sells on ebay for $60-$80.  The pumpkin varies anywhere from $30-$70 or so.  My plan was to buy them for keeps…we’ll get to that later though.

The online listing for this auction said “Boston Peddler Auction” but when I showed up, the sign outside said “HAMMER TIME AUCTIONS.”  I laughed really hard at that.  

The place was kind of a ghost town.  And it seemed like most people were there for the snacks.  In the back of the room they were selling various Little Debbies and that sort of fare.  $1 per box!  What a steal!  People were walking out with boxes and boxes full of this stuff.

Besides selling probably-expired-moonpies, this place was weird for many reasons.  Here is a sample of the decor:

Let me be honest and say that I don’t get the joke here at all.  Is this a sexual innuendo or an ode to cannibalism?  

Also weird were some of the items for sale.  I wish this picture was more clear, but that there is a burlap sack for use in bagging terrorists.  It has a silkscreened image of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and the phrase “Terrorist Body Bag.”  

I almost bid on this.  Look at how nicely it is framed.  Let me point out though, that you could NEVER fit two bodies in that little bag.  I don’t speak from experience, but I do speak from common sense.

Ok so on to the auction.  I’ll spoil it now and say that I didn’t win either of those paper mache Halloween things.  It’s like people at this auction were made of money.  Either that, or they were just super competitive and insisted on winning any item they bid on.  Both of these items sold for over $50.  My logic is that I could buy some on ebay for around that price, and in better condition.  Still though, I was bummed.

I did buy some old pressed tin cap guns for $3, and this spooky old Halloween costume.

What’s weird about this costume is that it looks very similar to someone I know.  I don’t want to name names, but I will say that it rhymes with “Barah.”

Perhaps my best buy was this Mickey Mouse pull toy from 1939.  It is in rough shape, but I only paid $10 for it.  Ones in good condition sell for $150 on ebay, so hopefully I can at least make my money back.

I don’t anticipate heading back to Hammer Time Auctions anytime soon, but I will for sure remember it fondly.  Well, kind of fondly.

-Erin