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Who wants to see my haul from today?

LorettaB said:
The thrift store had a 50% off sale starting today on all Christmas items this week. I was in there Saturday and saw sets of Lenox Winter Greetings china. I think it was the plate and saucer (that I'll use for dessert) but they were all boxed up so I'm not sure; only one box was open and that's all I saw. No matter, I was really out for the dinner plates anyway. Replacements has the dinner plates for $35.99 each. I asked my son to be there at 9 this morning and snag them for me. I even told him where he could see them through the window yesterday so he went by and found them. He actually snuck in this morning just before opening (when an employee left the door unlocked...no worries, he's very charming when he wants to be) and got them. 7 sets for $64 dollars. I got a couple of pretties Saturday that I'll post later but I sure am proud of those plates and saucers or whatever else there is in the boxes.winter greeting.JPGJust as long as I got the plates because I am allll about cardinals at Christmas....aka Redbirds down South here. If any of you want a good Christmas book to read, A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg is a wonderful book. Last year, a friend of mine said one of her daughters always read Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory but to her it was sad, even sadder then because of the pandemic and lockdown. I suggested A Redbird Christmas and she loved it.
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Ohhh! I love Lenox. High quality and always very beautiful!
 
stracci2000 said:
I love to look through baskets of costume jewelry. Sometimes good stuff is hiding in there:razz:
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Wow, that's a wonderful find!
There's nothing like scoring solid gold for a few hundred pennies!

I'll never forget when I was visiting my parents, I came upon a solid 14k ring that was placed on a plastic mannequin hand along with 4 other cheap plastic rings. It was an antique booth style mall but overall a bit dumpy, & the stall that I was perusing was especially quite sloppy and nobody was watching it. I wondered how many had stolen other gold things or if anyone even bothered to look.

I thought surely when it came time to pay the scrupulous looking merchant at the cash register, he would realize
"14k for 99 cents" and would call to notify the seller, but nope! The world was in my favor that day! He plopped it right in my bag and merrily I went!

That same weekend in their state, I went to a family owned thrift store and what would you know. Next to the register was a crooked bright pink little girl's necklace holding carousel & something told me to peruse it. Gold tone cheapie, gold tone cheapie, nylon cord and a jasmine figurine pendant, gold looking necklace....wait what? I carefully examined it and right on the clasp was a nicely worn "14k" stamp. It walked and talked just like gold. I asked her nonchalantly "How much do you want for these?" And she said "99 cents!" I almost smacked my purse down on the counter while saying "God dammn, God damn!!" But I held it in! Haha

Just as I was about to pay - boom, the necklace that was next to the one I picked also looked like gold...wtf is this? Is God giving me my own personal egg hunt? Again, even made by the same chain manufacturer, it too was marked.

I paid $2.97 for two 20" solid 14k gold chains & a solid 14k ring that weekend. All were attractive pieces that I saw myself wearing everyday! We plan to go back to visit my parents in Feb & my mother and I will most definitely hit the stalls!!
 
@LorettaB that is gorgeous China, what a find and how nice of your son to go and grab it for you too :)

@LemonMoonLex, love that story about your (nearly free) gold. Do you still have the necklaces and ring? Would love to see them!
 
LemonMoonLex said:
Wow, that's a wonderful find!
There's nothing like scoring solid gold for a few hundred pennies!

I'll never forget when I was visiting my parents, I came upon a solid 14k ring that was placed on a plastic mannequin hand along with 4 other cheap plastic rings. It was an antique booth style mall but overall a bit dumpy, & the stall that I was perusing was especially quite sloppy and nobody was watching it. I wondered how many had stolen other gold things or if anyone even bothered to look.

I thought surely when it came time to pay the scrupulous looking merchant at the cash register, he would realize
"14k for 99 cents" and would call to notify the seller, but nope! The world was in my favor that day! He plopped it right in my bag and merrily I went!

That same weekend in their state, I went to a family owned thrift store and what would you know. Next to the register was a crooked bright pink little girl's necklace holding carousel & something told me to peruse it. Gold tone cheapie, gold tone cheapie, nylon cord and a jasmine figurine pendant, gold looking necklace....wait what? I carefully examined it and right on the clasp was a nicely worn "14k" stamp. It walked and talked just like gold. I asked her nonchalantly "How much do you want for these?" And she said "99 cents!" I almost smacked my purse down on the counter while saying "God dammn, God damn!!" But I held it in! Haha

Just as I was about to pay - boom, the necklace that was next to the one I picked also looked like gold...wtf is this? Is God giving me my own personal egg hunt? Again, even made by the same chain manufacturer, it too was marked.

I paid $2.97 for two 20" solid 14k gold chains & a solid 14k ring that weekend. All were attractive pieces that I saw myself wearing everyday! We plan to go back to visit my parents in Feb & my mother and I will most definitely hit the stalls!!
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Yesssss! Great score @LemonMoonLex
These are the stories I love to hear!!!
The good stuff is out there, you just have to be patient and look!
 
@stracci2000

Barbara Stanwyck!!! She was a wonderful actress. I'll be watching "Christmas in Connecticut" again on Christmas Eve.
 
Paisley2628 said:
@stracci2000

Barbara Stanwyck!!! She was a wonderful actress. I'll be watching "Christmas in Connecticut" again on Christmas Eve.
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Don't you just LOVE her?
She was such a great actress.
I've adored her since I was a kid!
 
stracci2000 said:
I just walked out of a local antique mall with a 14k leaf brooch for $3.99!
It was in a little bag with two other costume pins.
It looked really nice compared to the others, and the pin back was finely made. There was a tiny mark that I couldn't read, and I left my loupe in the car!
Anyway, I took a chance. When I got out here to the car, I could finally see the microscopic 14k mark. Yay! I'll weigh it when I get home.
IMG_20211219_165336140~2.jpg

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I hung it on a chain today
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I thought the china was restaurant ware by Syracuse but it’s not….that’s not what it says on the bottom! No matter, these will be wonderful soup or salad bowls. The tablecloth is very heavy, very large, and very pretty. (I paid $1.99 each DBD9315F-547D-416B-9EB2-5413A9EAC0CD.jpeg80CBBD60-FED2-441E-894E-DC31D3A63CA1.jpeg2289578D-4F28-40D2-9CF4-8832245BD575.jpegfor the bowls and 15.99 for the tablecloth.)
 
YadaYadaYada said:
@LorettaB that is gorgeous China, what a find and how nice of your son to go and grab it for you too :)

@LemonMoonLex, love that story about your (nearly free) gold. Do you still have the necklaces and ring? Would love to see them!
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I do still have the necklaces but I passed on the ring to someone else as my collection has gotten ginormous over the last year & I decided to wittle it down to the bare bones; my ideal pieces. It was lovely though! I'll have to see if I have a pic!
 
@stracci2000 two questions: how often do these finds happen for you? Like 1/10 times or more like 1/3?? Also I’m curious if you ever sell your finds, like the valuable vases and dishes such or do you keep all your goodies?
 
LemonMoonLex said:
I do still have the necklaces but I passed on the ring to someone else as my collection has gotten ginormous over the last year & I decided to wittle it down to the bare bones; my ideal pieces. It was lovely though! I'll have to see if I have a pic!
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Is the story in this thread? I started to look but it’s quite a big thread!
 
Mreader said:
@stracci2000 two questions: how often do these finds happen for you? Like 1/10 times or more like 1/3?? Also I’m curious if you ever sell your finds, like the valuable vases and dishes such or do you keep all your goodies?
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It's hard to say. I think it depends on the frequency of visits. I drive by that one thrift store (where I found the Italian vase) several times a week, due to my job. Therefore, I stop in every time. So maybe 1 in 5 visits I find something worthwhile.
There's another good thrift that is 20 miles away, and I go by there monthly. But once again, sometimes I leave empty handed.

I keep all the goodies in my hoardatorium....I need another china cabinet, for sure.
I feel so lucky when I find something great, that to let it go seems to defeat the purpose.
 
LorettaB said:
winter greeting.JPGJust as long as I got the plates because I am allll about cardinals at Christmas....aka Redbirds down South here.
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How utterly gorgeous!!! Congrats on a great find!

We moved west this spring, and no longer have Cardinal buddies coming to the yard. We lived on a ravine and I fed the birds—my faves being the ones on your beautiful plates! They all have such beautiful songs/calls, as well.

Also love Lennox. :kiss2: This pattern is the perfect Christmas/winter pattern!
 
LorettaB said:
I thought the china was restaurant ware by Syracuse but it’s not….that’s not what it says on the bottom! No matter, these will be wonderful soup or salad bowls. The tablecloth is very heavy, very large, and very pretty. (I paid $1.99 each DBD9315F-547D-416B-9EB2-5413A9EAC0CD.jpeg80CBBD60-FED2-441E-894E-DC31D3A63CA1.jpeg2289578D-4F28-40D2-9CF4-8832245BD575.jpegfor the bowls and 15.99 for the tablecloth.)
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@LorettaB My parents had dishes like this, and other restaurant ware, this at their summer place. My sister wanted a set of them and did some research for online sites (Etsy, eBay, dish replacement sites, etc.) and in the process, discovered that dishes older than 1970s often have high levels of lead. :???: She abandoned the search for the dishes and purchased clear glass ones, instead.

The FDA changed regulations in early the 70s to reduce lead content in dishes. Various sites (I don't have any for reference) indicated that it's better to use the dishes for decorative purposes, or to eat/drink from them very rarely. :???:
 
I went hunting for gold again today.
I headed over to the same antique mall where the gold leaf brooch came from.
Some of these sellers just don't check their items, apparently!!
This time I found a 14k white gold and diamond ring, $9.00! The 14k mark is partially missing cause the ring was sized.
But I confirmed 14k with my acid test kit. And the stones checked out as diamonds.
IMG_20211221_175555448.jpg

A sterling Judith Ripka charm bracelet with a smoky quartz heart. It's heavy at 48 grams, $8.00!
IMG_20211221_175418415.jpg

And a sterling and enamel Victorian swallow pin. $3.99. It has two little chips, but that's ok.
IMG_20211221_175459119.jpg
 
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stracci2000 said:
I went hunting for gold again today.
I headed over to the same antique mall where the gold leaf brooch came from.
Some of these sellers just don't check their items, apparently!!
This time I found a 14k white gold and diamond ring, $9.00! The 14k mark is partially missing cause the ring was sized.
But I confirmed 14k with my acid test kit. And the stones checked out as diamonds.
IMG_20211221_175555448.jpg

A sterling Judith Ripka charm bracelet with a smoky quartz heart. It's heavy at 48 grams, $8.00!
IMG_20211221_175418415.jpg

And a sterling and enamel Victorian swallow pin. $3.99. It has two little chips, but that's ok.
IMG_20211221_175459119.jpg
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You’re on fire!!!
 
Mreader said:
Is the story in this thread? I started to look but it’s quite a big thread!
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The story is only a few posts above, should be on the same page but maybe you meant pictures?

I looked through my camera roll & unfortunately it looks like I deleted the pics of the ring as I passed it along to someone else. I tend to not keep photos of pieces that don't belong to me anymore, but I still have my chains!
 
LemonMoonLex said:
The story is only a few posts above, should be on the same page but maybe you meant pictures?

I looked through my camera roll & unfortunately it looks like I deleted the pics of the ring as I passed it along to someone else. I tend to not keep photos of pieces that don't belong to me anymore, but I still have my chains!
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I see it now! Somehow I missed that story. Wow. I’m going to hit up some thrift stores now.
 
@stracci2000, is the enamel bird a Wells piece? It looks very similar to ones I have seen.

Obviously that diamond ring is amazing! Makes you wonder what other treasures out there are just waiting to be discovered. Also love that Ripka bracelet, I had a necklace and bracelet of hers that I wore forever, the stones (topaz) were so abraded when I stopped wearing them!
 
Mreader said:
I see it now! Somehow I missed that story. Wow. I’m going to hit up some thrift stores now.
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Don't forget your loupe!
Also, check out purses. I have found Coach, Sharif, Kate Spade, Fossil etc.

Have you tried consignment shops?
They tend to have very nice items for great prices.
 
stracci2000 said:
Don't forget your loupe!
Also, check out purses. I have found Coach, Sharif, Kate Spade, Fossil etc.

Have you tried consignment shops?
They tend to have very nice items for great prices.
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Mostly I’ve been to two antique malls in town but their jewelry even costume is behind glass haha where you have to get someone to open it. But I need to make a day of it!! And yes I carry a loupe in my purse haha.
 
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