This past Saturday we took the train
up to Connecticut for an autumnal
adventure. The leaves were post
colorful peak but we needed a foray
into the country. With our dear friend
"T" we ran around this history laden
land like eager little pigs searching
for truffles. We sniffed around every
hill and dale in pursuit of "finds".
The difference is that while this pig
adores an occasional dish of fungi,
we were actually hunting the most
elusive of delicacies... bargains.
Any jaunt to far flung Fairfield County
requires frequenting musty antique and
consignment shops. It's been said that
the rich have too much and therefore
have been known to be quite careless
as they cast off their excess. While this
blogger has vociferously claimed to
need nothing else... Like Christopher
Columbus, I can't resist discovering a
long forgotten or overlooked treasure.
You never know what you're going
to find and frankly, that's the most
exciting part of the experience. That
said, you have to know what you're
buying or at least have a gut ability
to identify any forlorn item that hints
of "quality". We've all watched as a
garage sale ingenue grins agog at
an appraisal on the Antiques Road
Show. While certainly some can fall
upon bargains, the majority of finds
are due to the purchaser knowing
much more than the seller.
I love old things. Not only are they
beautiful, they glow with the patina
of age. More than that one can sense
that they somehow have a soul. With
purchase, a bit of those who owned
them prior comes along for the ride.
Survivors of times long gone, what
might have once seemed ordinary has
become rare with age. I truly can't
understand why one would pay an
exorbitant price for something new
when older, more unique treasures
are there for the picking?
beautiful, they glow with the patina
of age. More than that one can sense
that they somehow have a soul. With
purchase, a bit of those who owned
them prior comes along for the ride.
Survivors of times long gone, what
might have once seemed ordinary has
become rare with age. I truly can't
understand why one would pay an
exorbitant price for something new
when older, more unique treasures
are there for the picking?
One of my most favorite haunts is
Bergdorf's seventh floor. What I
adore most is the antique china
department where I always find
beautiful items that I must have.
Rather than purchase I rush home
and hit e-bay! Why pay $750 for
a set of soup bowls when you can
bag them for $35 from some poor
slob in Indiana plus free shipping?
Recycled dreams
What goes around, comes around...
Dear Granny passes in Peoria.
The kid's take what they want.
All debris goes into a garage sale.
Granny's "ugly" Pickard celery dish
(1935 wedding present) garners $5.
A week later it sells on ebay for $20.
Soon it sells at Bergdorf's for $350.
Purchased as a wedding present, it's
wrapped and shipped back to Peoria.
Winner takes allCross continental commerce seems to
benefit all involved. What may charm
this Manhattan roue is most likely not
considered modern in Manhattan, KS.
Urbane fools lay a table with antique
accoutrements requiring a hand wash.
Practical midwest mavens prefer to
serve on shatter proof Corelle prior to
throwing it into the dishwasher. In the
end neither is wrong, and when able to
swop dollars for dishes, both clean up
in the process! If I'm happy, you're
happy. HAPPY HUNTING!!
