Tuesday Treasures - September 19, 2023
For quite a while now I've been walking out of St. Vincent de Paul empty handed. Oh, there have been things I liked, but the prices have been higher than I've been willing to pay. So, I was pleased one day to find several inexpensive items on a recent stop.
About 1 1/2" high, a Britains black Shire lead toy farm horse from the 1950s. It may have been made in Britain, but the company name comes from the founder's name, William Britain, and was first known as W. Britain. They were established to produce lead toy soldiers. In the late 1960s the use of lead in toys was no longer allowed. Lead figures should not be used as toys, and if you handle them make sure to wash your hands well afterward. It's in very nice condition for its age.
These 6" pierced copper framed lithographs are from the '50s. The prints are Red Boy and Pinkie, from paintings by Thomas Lawrence. Pinkie has a small tear, and a bit of remaining tape, because, in their lack of wisdom, the volunteers put the price sticker AND tape to hold it down directly on the print! Red Boy has glass, Pinkie doesn't. The regular items in the store just have sticky stickers, in the "Collectibles Corner" they cover the sticky stickers with sticky cellophane tape. They have ruined more than one antique book. They write prices on a lot of plastic toys with permanent marker. Even collectible ones. These too are from England. These were only $1 each.
This salt and pepper shaker is a form known as a "one-piece," one shaker with separate fill and shaker holes. I was told by the seller it was "old," and looks to be hand-made. One-pieces don't seem very efficient to me. I'm sure I'd manage to sprinkle pepper when I meant salt, and I rarely pepper my food. No, I never pepper my food once it's cooked. I do use it in a few recipes. Some one-pieces have salt at one end, pepper at the other (think of a long dog shape), or a two spouted jug, the spouts facing right and left (or up and down). Here, a thumb would block one side as you shook the shaker.
The workers don't think to not damage the goods when pricing? That's a failing. Too bad there's not a way to let them know not to do it. (But I assume there's enough turnover in employees that just as you got them trained, you'd get a newbie who would do the same things all over again.)
ReplyDeleteUsually it's only St. Vincent de Paul, which only has volunteers. Regular volunteers, and I often talk to the one who puts out the art (not the collectible art they over-price), so maybe I'll mention it to her. Goodwill is better, but not perfect. It would seem to me, if you put prices on the back or bottom of anything, a customer would pick it up to see the price, therefore touching the item, perhaps edging them over to the side of buying!
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