Dig This Treasure!

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 

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.