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Friday, November 30, 2012

Auction Day


Yesterday's auction was crowded and busy!
This estate of a fairly well known local family who
collected clocks, historical memorabilia, figurines
coins and guns brought out a large crowd!

The George Washington signed letter ended up being
pulled from the auction, at the advise of legal counsel
handing the estate, while family members end a
disagreement over who the letter actually belongs to
and if it is indeed genuine. So, that was a little disappointing!
I wanted to see it and see how much money it brought!
But there were a lot of other interesting things to see.
Oil paintings, over 200 clocks, pretty dishes and furniture.


This group of stuff came home with me!

  1. While I was clerking, this lemonade set with pansies on it sold. It was going for very little money, so I bid, too!  I stop bidding at $25 and when the pitcher and four cups were handed over to the lady who won, she found a chip on one of the cups.  She didn't want the set any longer and the auctioneer asked me if I'd like the set for $5.  Well, sure! :)
  2. Found a box of milk glass in the trash.  This little pedestal bowl matches a tiny cake stand that I found at another auction.
  3. This little pitcher will make a lovely flower vase.
  4. A flower frog.  Not sure why someone would leave it for the trash, unless they didn't know what it was.
  5. Two mantel clocks left for the trash.   We have several old wind up clocks already.  I love them!  I'll let The Mister fiddle with them and see if they work.  I hit a couple of bumps on the way home and they started chiming. ha.  Reminded me of A Christmas Carol when Scrooge is eating his porridge and the bells and clocks start chiming on their own as the ghost of Christmas Past is on his way. haha.  Quite the effect driving home in the dark alone...with the big full moon right in front of me in the sky! lol!  Maybe one of our clock keys will fit these and we can get them working.  Fingers crossed!  They also need a good cleaning!
  6. A stack of pretty old plates.  I like to use them for drain dishes under my indoor potted plants.
  7. I loved this old frame.  And it's grey! ha.  Perfect.  It's filthy.  It will have to get a bath in the kitchen sink like the cement bunny did!  lol.
  8. More milk glass.  I'm finding that this sells well in my etsy shop, so I took it from the trash, too. 
We chatted with one of the daughters that was there for her parents estate.  She said every inch of space in their home was covered with clocks.  All the furniture, the walls, shed, even the garage had clocks.  Lots of ticking and chiming.  lol.  I know that would drive some people crazy, but I grew up with a  clock like that.  I love it!

So, there you go!  Fun day!  Fun trash!
I'll let you know what happens with the clocks!





54 comments:

  1. oh wow drama and intrigue at the auction...who does it belong to? smiles...an hope you get your clocks working

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    1. haha..I know...we should turn into a tv show! lol...

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  2. Now this was a fun auction! Goodness, look at all the goodies. Thanks for the idea of the old plates for drain plates for indoor plants. That's a great idea.

    Don's mother had a lot of milk glass..never thought of selling it on ebay...Mmmm.

    So much fun reading about each item. Sending hugs.

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    1. milk glass is selling well on etsy, so I don't see why it wouldn't on ebay!

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  3. I'm always amazed by the things that get thrown away. You did good!

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    1. me, too! it really is amazing! I bring something home almost every time!

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  4. cool stuff! Love #'s 1 & 3! My Mom collects stuff like tose and the plates. Glad you get to dig through and rescue some of it for your shop :)

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    1. I've always loved old pitchers...their so versatile. And I don't mind a chip....that way if it gets broken, I don't feel so bad. ha.

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  5. I like the clocks. My parents have a mantle clock similar to one of them. Hope they work. I like the pansy set too!

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  6. It is pretty sad how wasteful some of these people are but it works out great for you. I wonder if someday you were to find a real "treasure", worth a lot of money, would the person who tossed it try to claim it was theirs and not yours. I would say it was their loss and your gain. Love the clocks but that does sound like a lot of them. Glad you had a nice day.

    God bless.

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    1. Very wasteful, indeed. I totally agree....and they paid for the stuff...and then left it behind. I don't think there would ever be an issue....we don't go looking through the leftovers until all the customers are gone and we've balanced our money. Work before play. haha. So, it's just us...and the trash guy comes right behind us! Yesterday he was smashing the glassware we didn't take into a big rolling trash can! I took a few things just to save them from that terrible shattering sound! lol....

      yes, that is a lot of clocks...too many to enjoy, actually. ...although I guess they did!

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  7. 200 clocks? they must all be cuckoo :)

    I thought of you last night. The light coming in our bedroom was so bright, at first I wondered if I had left the backyard lights on. Then I remembered you posted about the full moon, which is why our room seem bright. So, thank you for saving me a trip back to the kitchen to check on the light switches.

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    1. haha...well, I do what I can to help out. Our bedroom was bright, too!

      I agree 200 clocks is a little crazy. I guess collecting can get out of hand some times. Like I told someone else...I wouldn't want to dust them...but looking at them was fun!

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  8. oh my gosh, you have the best job! Treasures treasures!

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    1. I know! It really is....not too many days a month and fun perks after the hard work! :)

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  9. Damn that is a lot of clocks
    And a lot of tick tocks
    Having no room would drive me nuts
    But then I'm already in nuts ruts
    So what's a little more insane
    And looks like you scored some treasure at your lane
    Even if dirt came with it
    Sure a little shine will work and if not try spit haha

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  10. I would have loved to have attended this auction! Sounds like such a great assortment of things! Sad that some of those things were left or trashed. Nice that you got them though.

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    1. Every once in a while I think I'd like to attend just to attend...and not work it! ha.

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  11. ****** SCORE!!******

    Love it all! I can't believe all this was in the trash.
    You should see what's in my trash! LOL

    Just have to ask, was he there?

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    1. I love that I can find practical stuff, too, like drip dishes for my plants. haha.

      haha...yes, he was there! Only said hi in passing, though, since I was clerking when he checked in and out. But he did make sure to come say hello. lol....No pictures, though...I'd die if he ever caught me snapping a photo! hee.

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  12. WOW....You know I love Milk Glass...
    Actually I already have 2 or 3 each of those shown...not bragging..just saying!!! hahaha...
    One can never have too much Milk Glass...
    Those are words to live by...
    I"m tired...
    Think I'll hit the sheets soon!!!
    Have to feed the monsters again tomorrow..
    Gosh...
    What a great Mom I am...
    But...I am in good company, eh Betsy??

    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  13. I think you would love to visit auctions in France...
    Best regards,

    Pierre

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    1. Oh, hahaha...well, yes, I KNOW I would love that!

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  14. Wow - such drama in the auction!! The letter is pretty amazing - I hope it's genuine and gets to a museum for all to see asap!!

    Pitchers 1 & 3 are BEAUTIFUL!! Take care
    x

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    1. It will be interesting to know what end up happening to it!

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  15. I have a wind-up clock in my family room. I love the sounds of it ticking and chiming the hour and half hour, mainly because it's the same clock I grew up with. It was called the curfew clock in that you had to be in before it finished chiming midnight or you were in trouble.
    My sons on the other hand, had a hard time getting use to the sounds it make. Though after 10 years, they've stopped complaining about it.

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    1. yes, it's true that if you didn't grow up with that sound, it can be a little annoying. For me, it brings back some sentimentality, I think. :)

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  16. Yours sounds like a very interesting job. I love the little pitchers, and you know I am a sucker for pretty little plates. Mom has a couple of clocks in her bedroom, but they haven't been wound in a while.

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    1. I love to hear them ticking. You should wind them! Or would the chimes wake her up? We had one that belonged to the mister's parents and when we hung it in the dining room (our bedroom is on the other side of the wall) the chimes would wake us in the night. But we eventually got used to it and don't even hear it now.

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    2. She can't hear a thing after she takes her hearing aides out. It is us who would probably wake up, especially ,y Mister. :)

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  17. I love this auction!lol I really enoy your treasures!
    I love 1 and 3 and love the clock.we have one was my grandad I saw this clok all my life and when he died my mom give me.
    lovely things Betsy!!xo

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    1. Oh, that's nice. It's always fun to have things you saw growing up!

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    2. tea I have a sew machine (is correct?) from my chilean grand ma, I have with plants (I think I show you but Im not sure)
      And the clock is from mt chilean grand dad, the clock is german (I think about 1940) were typical of these times. !

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  18. Like you, I too love old dishes and such. Unfortunately, my checking account definitely doesn't share my love of those things, even at the bargain basement price of your $5.00 rescued pitcher and cups. But boy, what a lovely item to have been able to save from destruction! Finances, plus the fact I have no room any where in my house to display beautiful old items like those but sure do envy you being able to get them.

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    1. well, thanks for stopping by, Jeni! I totally understand. Picking through the auction trash is the best...it's free! Sounds like your home is already full of lovely things!

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  19. Lots of good scores for yourself. And it's too bad you didn't have even more photos of all the cool stuff they sold!

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    1. yeah, but don't want to bore people with too many photos...

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  20. Such beautiful collections, I'm happy you were able to take home a few pieces.
    We had an elderly neighbor in England who collected clocks, once you stepped inside his little cottage, it was a symphony of ticks and tocks, and chimes and bongs, it too reminded me of the Old Curiosity Shop, a step back in time (pun intended) :)
    ~Jo

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  21. What lovely finds! And you have useful things to do with all of them. Congrats!

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    1. that's probably the best part...finding things that are useful!

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  22. It WAS a fun day!!!! Busy but fun! I love the treasures you picked from the leftovers! Glad Steve didn't get to smash that lovely milk glass!

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  23. You got yourself a nice collection of treasures! What fun!

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  24. My imagination runs wild when I wander through estate sales and antique fairs. I imagine all sorts of family events with the items that I see. I would have loved being a part of that family's stories for the day!

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    1. It's always so interesting to find out about the families....and when you browse through the things, it's like a timeline of their life.

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  25. You sure know how to make money out of nothing.;) Actually, I would not know what number 4 is either.;))
    xoxo

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