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Out and about are many collectors on the
weekends and weekdays! In almost any town there’ll be those
antique shops, not to mention numerous garage/yard sale signs, the
ads to follow up, much less flea markets. The thing that drives the
continuing hunt is the adventure of pursuit — where’s
the bargain? The long sought-after item? The one-of-a-kind? The
what-a-shame the sellers didn’t know thing? Just one more
stop or shop? At the end of the day, say hunting online, there it
might be, indeed! Collectors are passionately online and out and
about.
Flea Market Find: You just never know
about flea markets. A semi-retired contractor was browsing through
a flea market this past fall. Something caught his eye — an
electric, battery-powered skateboard, with a remote control! Now,
this board was/is not a collectible, he thought, but it was just
what he suddenly wanted, no, needed. He bought the brand new
in-the-box board for $20 cash and a multi-meter (total value $50)
in trade and then transported it to Florida.
Florida neighbors thought him wacko
— what with him skateboard riding all about, but he
wasn’t he having outrageous fun? His wife, though? She just
hoped it was not going to turn out outrageously painful!
What’s this got to do with
collecting adventures? Seems that a friend of the, say, mature,
skateboarding funster, happened to look up the skateboard
manufacturer’s catalog online. Somewhat in shock, he also
checked the board out on eBay. Imagine the surprise of the wife,
much less the skateboarder, to discover that the bid price at the
time eBay was checked, for the same board was already over $500
dollars! New, the particular board was listed at nearly $1,000!
Of course, even if not new, which this
skateboard certainly wasn’t/isn’t any more, the wife
thinks it most interesting that the board is actually worth
something besides worry. Didn’t the owner deliver family
holiday cards while riding on it! At least that explains at last
why a youthful plumber’s assistant tried to give the man an
immediate $50 spotting him skateboarding by down the street. He
says, try this as handy, cheap transportation to a local mall
supermarket. Just “park” the board under the cart!
Flea market items may not always turn such
a profit — if he sells this one — but it points out
that the browser-collector, whatever the collecting genre, needs to
keep eyes and ears open for possible surprises and items to
“flip” — as they say. Buy to sell. Remember
collectibles are a cultural thing — not everyone is into
high-end antiques or items more than 100 years old.
Diverse Shop Browsing: I was able to slip
into two Tarpon Springs stores recently co-owned by Gerald and
Cindy McLaughlin. Their side-by-side shops, Victoria Ivy and
Antiques Forever, are a wonderful cache of joyous antiques and
collectibles — literally something for everyone. I did ask
the proprietors to point out some interesting items to discuss with
me. We wandered through the well-laden shelves, counters, in and
out of nooks and even into so full rooms.
In the first shop there were a number of
pieces which had once been in “The Zone,” a long-gone
Tarpon shop area, most buildings lost to fire. The piece that most
interested me, hanging there just behind a little old red fire
truck, was a sign from “The Zone’s” sandwich
shop. Hey, according to the sign you could get a hamburger or
grilled cheese sandwich for 25¢! You wish!
Another item I browsed and examined on
purpose was a solid cherry dining set by Willett, including the
table, four chairs, a leaf, a corner cabinet, hutch and buffet from
the 1940s, all with wonderful detail! Saw a #0568 on the back of
the corner cabinet — perhaps a clue to the original listing.
Cherry wood like this just had to be gently touched to appreciate,
so too the turnings on the chair tops, felt. Someone looking for
solid wood gorgeous, never mind collecting, must come along and
fall in love here.
Way back in another room, a giant burled
walnut matched armoire with oriental latches. Just how handsome and
fabulous is that? Browser fun was had by threading through those
pathways back to see this huge piece, on all sides, on the way,
much appealing and fragile, such as china and much sentimental like
gloves and a small sled.
Finally, I was led into a niche to see THE
Waterbury Mantle clock! Made of onyx in 1881, a substantial,
beautiful timekeeper which works! Gerald McLaughlin told me the
details. He had done much research on the piece.
It’s always a good thing for
browsers and potential buyers to have knowledgeable sellers around.
Some think that this right away jacks up the price. Not really.
Long reputable dealers who know precise information about their
inventory are a buyer’s asset too. More likely the price will
be fair. People looking for “cheap for great” here,
best look in their own attics, as to think that a dealer would not
know about the beauty and memory pieces they sell. Yet, the same
dealers may offer fine clues about additional research to be done
even before buying and may know something about the actual
background of the item which helps authenticate it.
Once I bought an antique tea cup at an
antique store and that dealer put me in touch with its elderly
original owner who told me the actual story of that particular cup
and its unusual travels, making my buy almost priceless.
For further information about the
Waterbury clock and its manufacturer, one might consult Waterbury
Clocks and Watches 1st Ed. by Tran Duy Ly. With a second edition
apparently upcoming, this is a good reference on this line of
famous clocks.
Keep on browsing!
© 2007 Rosemary Lee Potter. All
Rights Reserved.
Rosemary Lee Potter is a confirmed victim
of the collecting bug and can be reached by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or write to her in care of Tropical Breeze,
P.O. Box 585, Safety Harbor, FL 34695.
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