Antique Hunting: This Day Was Shot
07.18.08 By The DeanThe best part of selling antiques and collectibles, the best part of collecting antiques and collectibles is the hunt. I have discussed our trips to great antiques shoppes in many different states, getting to fun auctions and exciting antique flea markets and the success of adding to our many collections or buying items for resale mainly on Ebay.
This weekend we decided to forego any buying experience for a chance to take a leisurely drive along the shores of Lake Michigan to one of the many tourist and vacation spots in Wisconsin, Door County. Our idea was to re-experience trips we had taken with our children and other family members many years ago, just taking in the natural beauty of the area, having a quiet slow-paced lunch in one of the quaint little villages, search for an old lighthouse to photograph and head home having spent little cash except for a paycheck on gas.
We only went about 30 miles north when we spotted this unusual sale sign. Now who can pass on a sale with advertising so boldly written directly on a car, with the magnitude of passion this seller displayed?
We had to stop, the sign was too compelling, but, alas, our only find was this corn cob shaped serving bowl with lid. With a price tag lower than the current price of two ears in our local grocery, how could anyone pass it up.
Once again bitten by the flea bug, our trip turned to searching for more ingenious signs with now a set purpose to spot the next sale. Heck, we spotted signs no bigger than 1×1 foot with writing so small wifey had to exit the car just to read an address or see the arrow. One lead us to a farm yard sale where tractors were selling like hot cakes and the smallest item was a two hundred pound cast iron wood burning stove. (We have a set rule: If Wifey can’t lift it, she can’t have it.) (You should have seen her carry me over the threshold on our wedding night.)
But bum and bummer, our hunt produced only minimal results, as we continued to find yard sales. This restaurant ware is interesting, and I could have - should have taken a pass.
Never one to pass up door hardware, these two escutcheon are heavy brass, but newer than we normally offer for sale.
A sleeper might be this Johnson Outboard model, run by batteries; we have had success with similar items.
After lunch at a nice lakeside bar and grill where we sat outdoors on their patio and enjoyed the lake breezes and a nice meal, our conclusion was we were not going to make it all the way up the peninsula, and we might as well spend the time at some antique stores.
Luck was against us this day, oh Wifey found some trinket jewelry, (she always does) and her collection grows, but we passed through three or four antique shops without opening my wallet.
One last stop, it was nearing closing time, at a shop so large we assumed it was a collection of dealers. Turns out, everything was owned by one person and was so crowded and cluttered, I had my finger on my cell send button in case I tripped over something (not on the speed dial 911, but on my lawyer’s phone number.)
With all that this store had in stock, and as hard as we search for a bargain, I found nothing so compelling enough to buy. Wifey found this interesting leather medical bag with a gold leaf inscription “Blanche Suchan, Green Bay”, very old and showing years of use, we’ll have to research this lady to see if she held the title of doctor.
Now I only like to point out our successes, the bargains we find, and places we have found where your leisure time can be rewarding in finding items for your collections, but there are days like this my friend, there are days like this.
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Article Tags: Antique Stores, Barn Sales, Door County, Restaurant Ware, Rummage Sales, Yard Sales================
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July 18th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
You folks are seriously hooked. Good thing you have an outlet. I wonder if ol’ Blanche was perhaps a midwife.
July 25th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Bliss,
Thanks for the response.
Hooked, you think!!!
I have tried to research the name and found one or two that seems to follow the time and place, with no other info. The midwife is a great suggestion, it would fit into having a large medical bag with the labeling, and no reference to MD.