How Special for the Western Collector! Buffalo Bill!

I found this book that was printed in England that contains 100 posters of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show! It is in near mint condition with only a small outward curl to the top corner of the front cover! I am offering it for sale for only $49.95 plus shipping by media mail which is more than 50 percent less than the current retail price! A great buy! If you are interested email me at frogpatch@gmail.com for my paypal address! Thanks!

The Benefit of a Second Pair of Eyes

We were out on our usual weekend treaure hunt and my wife uncovered this blue and white pottery pitcher. It really shows a lot of age and I love the polka dot and double stripe design! Turning it over I saw it was marked but even with my loop I could not make it out! It was apparently a utilitarian piece. Just prior to taking these pictures I asked my wife what she thought. "Germany" she said without hesitation, "It says Germany." So much for my mystery. I still can't make out the rest! But just knowing it says Germany narrows it down to the first part of the 20th century. If anyone recognizes the maker could you please let me know! It is, by the way, one of her all time favorite pieces unlike my little rolltop desk below!

Why Does My Wife Hate This?

When I was living in New Jersey we stopped at a yard sale at an old house. I think it was in Neptune but I am not sure! I spied this little childs rolltop in the backyard. It was faded and covered with stickers and crayon marks. I head a dealer guy ask the woman running the sale how much? She said ten dollars and he said, "I'll give you five!" There is a difference between haggling and insulting! I walked over and handed the woman ten bucks, picked up the desk and headed for the car with my wife following and asking, "Why did you buy that?" "Because I like it," I replied.

It came with me to Florida and I found the matching chair at the local Salvation Army store for 5.00. I use the desk to store fishing tackle in a room that is storage space because my wife, even after my painstaking restoration, still asks me why I bought it! I dragged it out for the picture and she made sure that it would not remain there. It is so unlike her not to appreciate old things! I don't care. She has this big stuffed monkey that she has had since she was a kid in the 50s. Guess where he will be sitting from now on!

I Thought that Plate Looked Familiar

There is nothing that gets my adrenaline up faster than seeing an Estate Sale sign that was stuck out on a pole without being advertised! That is just what happened when we found this pink cherry blossom plate laying on the couch unseen by the other shoppers. It was $3.00 which provoked no haggling from me. I suggested to my wife, as we got back in the car, that I thought we had a blue one just like it. Sure enough, it was stashed in a drawer as a service piece by her because it coordinated with some blue and yellow plates. I did some quick online research and learned that it also came in green and was produced by the Jeanette Glass Co. right through the thirties. A little FYI, a child's tea set in blue (actually called delphite) was made and is very rare! I sold one in the 1970s for over $100.00

Mid 20th Century Toleware

We were out this weekend as usual and it is the slim picking time of year down here, south of the south! We did however find this sweet little piece of 1940s toleware! This type of hand painted metalware is a revival of the extremely valuable handpainted wares from the 19th century executed by the German and Dutch immigrants in the U.S. This nice example was made by Hamilton Tole in the 1940s! I have had several pieces of 20th century tole and actually sold a red pierced edge tray on eBay for close to one hundred dollars. This handpainted ware is still readily available on the market and is a great investment as late folk art! Good Hunting!

Saw this Thing Sticking Up

I was walking around at a small, once a year, flea market in town a little later in the day than I prefer. I was not really expecting much because it had been picked over for a couple hours. I spotted this thing sticking up in the middle of some kitchenware. I could tell from a distance that it was old by the color of the metal. I walked over and saw it had an old blue Ball jar attached to it. I realized that it was used to pick the jar from the hot water bath. A little metal piece slides up and down to tighten the clamp securely. Being a fact that my wife has a collection of blue canning jars, I paid the $2.00 and brought it home where it joined this other accessory, a 1904 lid remover.

Home canning is gaining in popularity recently, apparently due to the economy. It can be an enjoyable project for the entire family that is fortunate enough to have their own garden or live near a place where fruits and vegetables can be purchased in bulk.

UPDATE: Back on May 18th I showed you all the save a plant that I rescued from Loews! I had put this incompetent gnome is charge of it with the instructions to make it grow or become a Travelocity understudy!(scroll down to the May 18th post!) Well the plant died! I showed mercy to the gnome and gave him the Cuban Oregano to care for instead. If he can kill that he will be headed for the thrift store!

Meanwhile Back in Frogpatch Gwendolyn Gagglesquack, advice columnist for the Frogpatch Dispatch, is planning a "Real Housewives of New Jersey Season Finale" party next Thursday! You are all invited.

Rare Pictures from Marilyn Monroes Early Screentest

I found a magazine in the attic where I lived 25 years ago that was printed as the first edition back in 1955. It is a treasure trove of photos of all the beauties from Hollywood including these rare pics of Marilyn. Please do not copy the picture as it may still be copyrighted. Photo credit goes to Phillipe Halsman. I will post others everyweek so please come back!

Three Little Hidden Treasures!

I was looking through the drawers in my place trying to find some historic flatware that I dug from a box at a sale to write about when I found these. Years ago they sat propped up in a little cabinet but have been stashed away for two moves. They were all flea market finds from New Jersey but I do not remeber where! My wife actually bought them in three different places. The one on the left is a Japanese Rose Medallion plate from the late 19th or early 20th century. The one in the center is a Limoges piece circa 1900. The one on the right is the most interesting. It is a Royal Worcester plate that dates form the late 1700s. The mark on the back was copied from the mark of the Sevres factory in France. It took several hours of research to determine that. It is very rewarding when research leads to an answer instead of my usual dead end. Sometimes it pays to search you own home for lost treasures.

No Weekend Treasures to Post

The weather is getting really hot here and the sales are becoming fewer and farther between condensing the competition! My wife foung a blue and white pocelain food mold but that was about it. I will hit the local thrift store during the week and see what can be uncovered and post it here.

Thanks to Didi5611, Garage Sale Junky and Cowvin Cow for becoming my new followers! Welcome! Please come back soon and bring a friend!

Why can't I sell this very old frame?

This is an ogee frame that is handpainted and grained and dates from the mid 19th century! I found it for a really low price at a thrift store near my home! I was going to put a mirror in it but my wife does not really appreciate it! So I listed it on Bonanzle where it sat with no interest for six weeks. Then I listed it in my vintage shop on Etsy where it has gone without a look for six or more weeks! If I still had an Ebay auction I would expect this frame due to its age and condition to bring around 90 to 125 dollars or more! I guess I will go back to my original plan and put a mirror in it for the next place we live!

Black Americana

From emancipation until the civil rights movement images of african americans where used in advertising, toys, kitchenware and other common everday items, often in a derogatory or insulting stereotypical manner. Black Americana has been prized by collectors for a variety of reasons, some of which are questionable. The depiction of black americans should be sought after for two reasons and two reasons only. First, for its historical value as a reminder of how far we have come and the contributions of Afro Americans to society and tradition and second, for pure art value.

The Southern Cookbook is from the early 1960s and has several "cute" little poems using the N word. I was shocked when I saw the copyright date. This reminded me that that segregation still existed less than 50 years ago. In the late 1940s and 50s Japan produced countless items like the ones shown in the picture. There were toys and dolls, kitchenware and more. These items are still easily found compared to the rare iron banks and advertising from the turn of last century that commamd premium prices on the antique market. The post cards from that era are still common but extremely racist!

The sheet music that I found in a stack at a thrift store of Carry Me Back to Old Virginny dates to the early 1900s and was written by James E Bland an African American.

The two dolls, above left, are from my wifes collection. The rag doll on the left was made by hand by a black person, probably a little girl in the 1930s. The doll on the right is an import from Poland in the 1950's with a cloth body and composition face.

If you are interested in starting a collection of black americana the internet is a good place to start. It is very easy to search out. Also check garage and yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. It can be an enjoyable area to pursue. There is so much variety. In a couple weeks I will display my wife collection of black dolls.