The other day I was at the mall and set up in the middle was this random woman with tables full of vintage jewelry. I didn’t know that the mall let people essentially set up a yard sale inside, but she had nice stuff so I was down with it. Everything was kind of thrown in boxes and all mixed up, but like I said, most of it was pretty nice. If you stepped within 5 feet of the tables, the woman alerted you that she was making SUPER CRAZY GOOD DEALS, DISCOUNTS ON EVERYTHING, ETC.
I found this vintage Navajo storyteller ring made by F.T. Henry. I was pretty surprised to see it! She had $22 on it, but I got it for $10 due to the super deals happening. You can tell that the ring is handmade because it’s not a perfect circle, and the carving is kind of crude.
Here is a cool article on storyteller jewelry. Basically, the style is folk art created by Pueblo Indians to represent their culture. The carved and inlayed scenes can be really detailed and ornate.
Definitely a cool piece!
-Erin
Punched Tin & Teto the Clown
Pretty much every Sunday Zach and I go out to breakfast at a place called Thomas’, mostly because I am addicted to their pancakes. Last week, after breakfast, we decided to stop at a random estate sale nearby. It was advertised as being 50% off everything, so it was definitely worth a look.
The house was completely full of random treasures, without any real rhyme or reason. These people collected a little bit of everything, which was great!
I know Sarah will look at the above photo and ask why I didn’t buy her that little German ornament guy in the middle. She collects these, but I forget their names. I didn’t buy this one because he was broken.
Most of the items in the house were unfamiliar to me, and I didn’t have the best reception on my phone to look things up. Because of the discount pricing though, I took a chance on a few items. The first was this old puppet, made by Hazelle’s. I found out later he was called Teto the Clown.
I also found this cool punched tin box. I don’t know how old it is, but regardless, it’s interesting and pretty. I decided to try selling it, but knew I was happy to keep it if it got no bids.
I think maybe it’s a mailbox or something! It mounts to the wall. And for the record, it did get bids on ebay, so so much for keeping it. Teto the Clown sold too.
Zach had the best find by far. A piece of Native American pottery by artist Sally Garcia. Neither of us knew of her when he found this piece, but after doing some research, it turns out she is rather well-known. She is credited “as the first pioneer of hand etchings on ceramic pottery.” Her large pieces sell for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. The piece Zach bought is pretty tiny, and had its original price sticker on it marked $84. He ended up paying $15 for it.
We both love this piece so much and will probably keep it forever. Definitely a fave find, so kudos to Zach for eyeing it!
-Erin
Update from Sarah: I’ve never met another person so addicted to mediocre pancakes. Why didn’t you buy those HO cars?