Dig This Treasure!

It was pretty dreary on Sunday, but Zach suggested we go to the Flat Rock Speedway, where they were having a flea market.  I’m glad we did because it turned out to be lots of fun!

I just looked at the large version of this photo on my computer and there is a giant Confederate flag dead center.  UGH.  I will assume it was a person selling only authentic Civil War memorabilia.  (It wasn’t.)

Man, what I wouldn’t give to drive one of those buses around the track.  They were all smashed up and looked like they had several different rounds of fire damage.  I’d still totally drive one though. And crash it.

Here are my boys.  Aren’t they cute?  I gave Everett a tootsie roll pop to keep him busy.  He sat in silence and ate it for about 2 hours.  Shoutout to tootsie roll pops.

Look! It’s another one of those ICP dolls!  On what planet was someone like, “we should totally paint the doll like this.”  It’s awful.  No one will buy that doll.

There were a ton of these jail mugshots in a ziplock bag.  I wanted all of them.  They were so amazing.  Most of the crimes were gambling and larceny related.  The guy selling these though wanted $4 EACH.  No way.  I wanted the whole bag for $10.  No deal.

I also liked this old “flicker” watch.  It was similar to a hologram.  The baseball player would swing his bat when you turned your wrist.  The guy selling it said it was from the 50s but it looks more 60s or 70s to me.  He wanted $95 for it.  That was out of my range but still very cool to try it on.

Speaking of holograms, how do you say “hologram?”  Zach says HOE-LOW-GRAM to which I promptly called him an idiot.  I say HA-LAH-GRAM.

Here is a hotdog I ate.  It was good as hell.

I only bought three things but they were all great.  This whole flea market had treasures I had not seen before, and everything was priced pretty reasonably.

I got these Gurley Halloween candles still in the box.  They are on eBay now, but I fantasized about keeping them.  They are seriously the cutest. I paid $10.

I also got this Halloween blow mold. It is also cute.  It was $5.

My largest purchase was this gigantic lot of old Sesame Street toys from the 80s and 90s.  Sarah will 100% murder me for not giving these to her.  I paid $15 and put them on eBay Buy It Now for $50.  They sold instantly, which is a blessing and a curse.  It is nice to make a profit, but the fact that they sold instantly makes me think I should have listed them for higher.

Zach bought an old railroad poster that was framed.  It was really neat until he realized it was just a photocopy of an old railroad poster.  The aging on the edges and the slight tears were not real when you looked close, just a copy!  He returned it after we raised a stink.

Zach also bought an amazing old watch here, but only after we went home first.  It was pricey, marked $395.  I could tell it was weighing on Zach’s mind and that he loved it so much.  When we got home, he texted with a watch friend in New York, who valued it around $1200.  A similar one on eBay recently sold for $980.  Zach raced back to buy the watch.

He ended up getting it for $300 which is a great deal.  This watch is a chronograph, which is way more collectible than your average vintage watch.  The brand is Vulcain and it is from the 60s. The dial style is called a “surfboard.”  I think he will probably wear it awhile and then eventually sell it.

That’s all from Flat Rock! 

-Erin

I’ve always been a huge complainer about vintage reproductions.  There are few things more frustrating at an estate sale than a seller trying to convince you something is truly antique, even though it has Philips head screws and the freshest paint you’ve ever seen.  And don’t get me started on the phenomenon of “primitives” that have overtaken every antique mall.  

Anyway, I learned recently that there is a time and place for reproductions.  Especially when it will save you some cash and give you a huge boost in your holiday decorating.  

Case in point: A few weeks ago, Zach and I received the latest Vermont Country Store catalog.  This catalog is pretty much the best because you can order Christmas onesie pajamas and things like this:

You can also order great vintage reproductions.  Zach called (yes, you still have to CALL to order) and bought us the following two things:

A Halloween light up blow mold and some Gurley style candles.  

Now here is why I approve of these repros:

Every time I find an old Halloween blow mold at an estate sale or antique store, the cords look like 26 different cats chewed on them.  Or the lights inside are burnt out.  Or they are priced around $40.  I have never found a true vintage blow mold worth buying (except for a Santa face that ended up having a short in the cord).  This Vermont Country Store version cost $16 and will last for years.

Speaking of lasting for years, true vintage Gurley candles do not.  When I come across them at sales they are dented, smushed, half-burnt, or have lint stuck all over them.  They can also be crazy expensive.  Seriously, like SO CRAZY EXPENSIVE considering these are candles!

The ones we purchased from Vermont Country store are nice and clean and cost $20.  Still a little pricey, but worth the splurge for a good vintage look.

I might even buy these Thanksgiving ones next:

All of this thinking about repros made me realize that one of my most coveted antique items might best be purchased new.  Remember how obsessed I am with those old paper mache Halloween pumpkins?  Seriously, these things have evaded me for years now.  First, they are so hard to find (at least for me).  And they are obnoxiously pricey:

Plus, most of these pumpkins are in bad shape considering what they are made of.  And almost all of them are missing their paper inserts that give them spooky eyes and mouths.

Perhaps one day I will find one in good shape and at a good price, but in the meantime, why not buy a reproduction version?  There are plenty of good ones out there.

Only $22 and this will look adorable on my mantle for Halloween.  And if my cats chew on it I will be less sad.  

So maybe repros aren’t all bad.  They certainly have their place.  So tell us, do you buy reproductions or do you find them oh-so-offensive?

-Erin

Update: OK, heads up.  You don’t have to order over the phone.  Sarah was sure to inform me: