Yard/Estate Sale Finds Archives | Page 3 of 5

Vintage Finds Memories of Merthiolate

November 21, 2016 by Florence 26 Comments

Vintage finds memories of Merthiolate…just got back from visiting our daughter in Maryville, and of course no visit anywhere is complete without a thrift store or two, or even an estate sale if I can find one! With the help of Craigslist and GPS we did find a couple of estate sales, but I was several hours late. Still found some nice goodies.

Vintage Avon from the 50’s and 60’s…had a corner on cute containers. I couldn’t resist “Here’s My Heart Beauty Dust” powder box.

Found a sack of brass napkin rings with 3 usable sets like these~

Wish I’d arrived early at this sale…everything was practically cleaned out when I arrived, so the prices must have been good~

But I did find an old book that caught my interest…a 1908 Elementary spelling book…such a tiny book, but it is loaded with info…even fables!

Favorite find of the day~

It was full of little glass bottles of mostly Merthiolate…

…and a metal Band-Aid box, bottles of Mercurochrome, iodine, adrenaline, and Paragoric…all vintage first aid medicines.

Does anyone else remember scraping your knee, running in to Mama, and out came the dreaded Merthiolate? Wow, did it ever burn!!! So we blew on it to make it better. Burning means it’s working right??? Of course it does.

Many years later, I ran out of my one bottle of Merthiolate hoarded from childhood. I went to the pharmacy to replace it only to discover it’s not made anymore. Yep, after all that childhood torture, I actually went away disappointed! They said it was because of the red dye, but here’s a bit of “Merthiolate” history that clears it up…

The active ingredient in mercurochrome and merthiolate contained mercury and was deemed not effective and dangerous by the FDA. The active ingredient in mercurochrome and merthiolate contained mercury and was deemed not effective and dangerous by the FDA.

Dangerous huh? Not effective? (I beg to differ.) I confess I never knew it contained mercury, did you? I and every other kid was brought up on the stuff, and we’re still here. It’s my understanding that it is available, but with different ingredients, and not as good.

So much for my vintage finds memories of Merthiolate. Who else remembers Merthiolate?

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Get the Estate Sale Groove

September 18, 2016 by Florence 34 Comments

In trying to get the estate sale groove again, I found two sales a few weekends ago to wet my whistle. Are the days gone where I’m setting my alarm clock to arise at dawn to get my night-owl, yard-sale-lovin’ non-morning-person, bloodthirsty self out?? Mebbe yes…mebbe no. Join me in seeing the latest finds…

As I’ve shared in previous posts, I try not to get my panties in a wad about getting there early, and may I admit I detest standing in line?

One was a downsizing/moving sale by someone I knew, but mostly newer stuff remained by the time I got there. I did find a few treasures.

Not old…a little plant stand chair. This is for me. At some point, I will paint it white, but not high on the priority list.

get the estate sale groove — Plant stand chair

Vintage silverplate filigree Salt & Pepper shakers…

Vintage tape measure…paid $3…worth about $25.

Love the basket…perfect condition, and I plan to use that in some more Fall displays when the pumpkins start coming in, or it could be used to hold Christmas balls in season. The vintage galvanized bucket looks great in farmhouse displays.

This is not an old watering can, but the candlestick is vintage.

It’s 26″T…dwarfing every tall one I’ve ever seen! I would like to repurpose it …not sure what yet. Painting is a first step…after that, any ideas?

A pretty little metal tray…not old…keeping for the moment until I decide what to do with it.

Don’t you love it when you find something you really need? I had just told Gary we better stop and get some of this after the estate sale.

…AND it’s not dried up!

The next sale was unplanned. I happened to see the sign on the way home, so we stopped to investigate. Turned out it was a sale where the owner wasn’t sure what to collect, so they collected EVERYTHING. Packed full of stuff, run by the family, and very over-priced, but I did find a few affordable items.

Favorite find of the day~vintage kitchen bins from the ’30’s. Paid $20 for all 4. These have a great farmhouse look.

Vintage letter opener with a pocket knife and case…in beautiful condition. I have never seen this combo before, have you? I’ve sold a lot of letter openers in my time. See the 3 pretty hatpins? Just loved those ($2/ea). The vintage hats that were there were pretty, but at $10 each out of my budget!

Not terribly old, but this was a cute pierced earring holder. It has a bit of rust, but adds to the charm IMHO. Can be found in my Etsy shop.

To give you another example of high prices, a Waterfall chest of drawers, a dresser, and a bed for $3000! The Waterfall style is not too popular around here unless painted. They were probably going to be keeping that!

So did I get the estate sale groove or not???!

Let me know if you have any ideas for the tall candlestick!

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Estate Sale Humdinger!

August 28, 2016 by Florence 24 Comments

Recently I went to my first estate sale in 4 months…

I almost talked myself out of going because:

*I would be late

*I was tired

*All the good stuff would be gone

*Dr.’s orders: no stairs, and it’s almost a certainty there will be stairs when you’re in someone’s home.

*I’m vertical but don’t want to slow up other shoppers…

Have you ever been in line at an estate sale behind someone with a walker?? I’m thinking….lady, this isn’t the place for you to be!! Why are you even here?? OK, I wasn’t on a walker, but I didn’t want to be that frustrating person.

Perfect excuses, right?? RIGHT! Except I went anyway. And I was glad I did. It was an Estate Sale Humdinger! Yes, a lot of the advertised goodies were gone, but I found it refreshing for once not to be in such a hurry but to take my time looking more closely. Girls you know how we are at estate sales…scan the room, grab and run. I’m finally tired of all that. So if I miss the good stuff? I just don’t care that much.

Let me show you all the goodies I did find, and I was 3-1/2 hours late~

I thought this was pretty cool. I’ve never seen a brass candlestick like this before. It was one of my favorite finds and is in my Etsy shop now as a “Mid Century Modern Minimalist Brass Candlestick.”

A set of 8 vintage picnic plate holders. These turned into a sunny yellow from harvest gold after a good cleaning with soap and water. Unfortunately, a smoker had lived in the house, but most of the stuff I bought won’t be affected.

At one time, I wouldn’t have given these a second look, but I’ve found that the straw/wicker picnic plate holders sell for me, so these should too…hopefully. 8 for $1 was a price I could live with.

Several of these are first editions, and most were in the basement, where there was little smoke smell.

I love these two. The one on the left is a vintage 1933 Delta Upsilon Book of Songs. Delta Upsilon is still an active fraternity today. It’s in the Etsy shop.

Vintage perfume bottle and a little alabaster bird~

Silverplate trivet. I don’t see markings, but they may be buried underneath all the tarnish.

I rather like this for only $2. Not a thing wrong with it. Prices were cheap for an estate sale on the first day.

Vintage round sewing basket in my Etsy shop now.

These are so pretty and sealed in plastic, so no smoke smell!

There were about 4-5 packs of these mixed silverplate and stainless pieces of flatware…great for crafting….wish I’d bought more than one. Can be found in my Etsy shop.

These old ornate globes are hard to resist when the price is right. I usually see them anywhere from $10-20 at estate sales on the first day. At $4/ea, these were a great bargain.

And here’s a vintage kitchen gadget of some kind. I’ve never seen it before. Does anyone know what it is?

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I’m Swimming in Frogs!

July 24, 2016 by Florence 16 Comments

I know you are waiting with bated breath to find out why I’m swimming in frogs…

If you read my last post, “Vintage Picker Off Limits Home Tour,” you may remember I’ve spent the entire summer sitting on my duff and NOT going to any yard sales, estate sales, or thrift stores. YES, I’m stir crazy!

A friend moved this weekend and there was an estate sale. Plans were hatched to send my better half in my stead. He sorta knows what I want, but sometimes I wonder. Off he went the first day. He returned with 4 frogs, a brass paper clip, and a picture frame. I was a little disappointed. “You went the first day and got there roughly when it started, and this is all????” OK, I didn’t say it…I thought it.

Still, I liked what he brought home….

First Day Finds

This frog is adorable and vintage from 1995. I also love the brass paper clip. Both are in my Etsy shop. Frog is here. And the Brass Paper Clip is here. (Froggie is sold.)

I really love this guy!! Isn’t he unique? He is a bit big and heavy to ship, but never mind…I want him!

Gary scored this too, and it is a lucky find~a Panetta brooch. Panetta is highly collectible and of fine quality.

Second Day Finds

I don’t go the second day as a rule, but my good friend was going. She shopped the half-price day for me while staying in touch by phone. (Is that a good friend, or what???) I had a ball “shopping” and out of that I culled:

A wooden chest…quite heavy and big

Ginormous box of fabric scraps (not shown)

Small box of yarn scraps (not shown)

Large metal tray from England and the picture frame from the first day.

An Occupied Japan figurine, modeled after the famous German Hummel figurines.

Cup and saucer from England

A small enamel teapot

Aren’t you surprised this doesn’t have a frog on it?? I know I am….

…and FIVE MORE FROGS!

This guy reminds me of “Alice in Wonderland.” Did that story have frogs?

Here is another favorite….that face! Isn’t he cute? He is actually a bank…the coins go into his mouth, and this fella is made in Japan….

HELLOOOOO…

I never associated my friend with frogs…but now you know why I’m swimming in frogs, and it’s a good thing because I was fresh out.

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Smoky Mountain Pickin’

June 15, 2016 by Florence 16 Comments

Smoky Mountain Pickin’ always follows visits to our daughter who lives in Maryville, near the Smokies. Her hubby is a direct descendant of one of the original Cades Cove families, so we often visit the Cove or an obscure historic site if we can find one. Elkmont fills the bill, a fascinating abandoned village right in the middle of the Smokies, so interesting to visit for its crumbling vacation cottages, most of which are falling in.

old abandoned swiss chalet — Smoky Mountains Elkmont

Elkmont homes caving in — Homes caving in

Look at that fantastic chimney!

Most of these cottages were built between 1910 and 1930 and renovated over the years. Now the Park Service will save only a few, allowing the rest to fall in….demolition by neglect.

The pink cottage, the last one vacated, is in better shape than the others, and restored for modern use. The others? They don’t look too bad until you get up close, and see the deterioration, holes in the floor, holes in the roof, rot, water damage, etc.

The visit is not complete without seeing the site of the Old Wonderland Hotel built in 1911 with its heyday in the 1920’s.

Great Smoky Mountain Pickin — Ruin of the Wonderland Hotel

So back to pickin’~Speaking of antiques, Townsend, Tennessee, where we were staying, is LOADED with antique shops. A great place to browse for us vintage lovers!

Unfortunately, the thrift stores were slim pickin’s. We went to about 5 & this is it!

The real Smoky Mountain Pickin’ jackpot came on the weekend where we hit one estate sale, and several good yard sales. Here is the extent of that haul. This would have been impossible without GPS…Cheapskate Southern Girl Picker finally got one, even though hubby says reading maps is good for the mind.

TN Yard/Estate sale haul — Tennessee Yard and Estate Sale Haul

MOST favorite finds…would you look at that cool 50’s pink can opener?? Vintage suitcase…no handle, and beautiful etched glass lamp…I LOVE old suitcases so this was a lucky find!

The frosted vintage hurricane lamp came from a rummage sale. Examining it closely to discover why it was so cheap at $2, I discovered AFTER I got home~I may have just inherited a new lamp…I’m not so sure it will sell with this much damage…what do you think?

Kicking myself AGAIN for not examining closely enough…one of my biggest faults. (a bad fault to have)