Finding Antique Treasures

All of the items I share in the article I found in the last few months in my area stores. Some of them are listed on E-bay and some are already sold. See if you have seen any of these pieces in your neighborhood or town.

This spring I decided to shop at a second hand thrift store located in an older building in town. It is a sponsored by a local church which provides food, clothing and shelter for the homeless and low income people in our area. Much to my delight many interesting pieces of vintage and antique items donated by local citizens appeared on the shelves.

I could list many small "treasures" which satisfied my interest in both Asian and American art. The quantity of hand painted china and early patterns which sometimes are signed and stamped seemed to increase. Searching for genuine antiques which are often copied using modern production techniques and sold in newer retail shops allowed me to learn and to afford to buy an older handcrafted item. You need to educate yourself about the small details of craftsmanship and materials before spending high dollars. Be sure it is really vintage.

This cute heart box already sold on Ebay.

Certainly everyone can find a yard sale nearby to explore early in the day. Do plan to rise early, drink that cup of coffee, then venture out to the sales in your area offered on Friday or Saturday. Sometimes you can find old boxes of books, record albums, older popular kid's toys, clothing with vintage charm and furniture too.

Take a friend if you enjoy the social conversation and inspiration of another viewpoint. Plus if you have a friend in the passenger seat it is so much easer to find addresses which must be read quickly oftentimes in traffic. In the summer it gets so hot here that we have to realize sales may close by noon! So if you stop for donuts or sleep late just forget making the effort at all.

Be sure to take lots of five dollar bills and ones too because that way you can be sure to buy an item when the seller may not have cash for a twenty dollar bill.

The "Peace" jewelry box pictured below is an item I have listed for sale on Ebay. I found this item for a good price and thought it merited attention and would interest that special someone interested in vintage collectibles.

I was meandering through the store when I suddenly saw a brown pitcher standing on a shelf. It had wooden slat like sides and what looked like copper pieces to hold it together. It turns out that I had never seen a pitcher like this one. It was likely used in the early San Francisco days or even earlier in Europe to serve cider.

What was the most fun after being able to purchase it before someone else found it was doing the research on it on E-bay. Sure enough I found several similar pieces which were in the primitives section. There were some which were already sold and a couple of pieces for sale. One needs to check back on E-bay frequently because as time passes many new items are either listed or sold. I am including a photo of it below this paragraph for you to see.

This piece is a genuine antique being that it is over 50 years old!

I have always enjoyed Asian design. The history and nature which often comes to life painted on the side of a piece of china is often very vibrant. It can be signed with various kinds of stamps and styles which indicate various specific years of production. I often have to look into a quality antique book or search online to find the photos of these stamps to identify them. Below is pictured a plate which I have for sale on E-bay. It is a smaller size plate and accented with gold paint. The birds are in a free form style which accents the creativity of the artist.

Collecting and learning about various vintage and antique pieces can be unique to your own special and personal preferences. It can consist of a very specific collection or just be eclectic with your choice of size and space allowances.

I hope you enjoy finding these little treasures yourself and keeping track of some of the history of how your items were made and used in days gone by. It is a wonderful subject to explore on the internet. Often you may run across a piece which is nearly impossible to find online. Just keep searching and consult with an antique store if you cannot identify a piece. So many of these pieces become lost for years in boxes or abandoned storage places.

Please share with us in the comment box below about any little treasures you found.