Out-Of-Season Thrifting Post - May 4, 2024

Ok, this is not just an out-of-season thrifting post (it's Christmas themed), but posted on the "wrong" day!  But, I couldn't resist, these two are such incredible finds! 

  Some of the most amazing stuff never makes it into the retail stores.  I don't blame the employees, they get too many donations to get them all out on the shelves.  This isn't a large community either, I can only imagine how much is sent directly to the Bins in large cities. Once the bins are rolled off the floor, there is still a lot of salvage value though, it all doesn't just get trashed!

www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/heres-what-goodwill-really-does-with-the-stuff-you-donate

Back to my items, two vintage Italian crèches.  A crèche is a tableau representing a scene of Jesus' birth.  Crèche means crib or cradle. A nativity scene, except some say the two have distinct differences, which I don't really see. 

This A-frame of wood is a type I haven't seen before.  

The figures are less garish, more serene, with more detail in the painting than other figures I have.  The white and gold is more like the Mexican pottery figures than Italian.

The light still works!

This next was in a large plastic trash bag.  I always look inside bags at the Goodwill Bins!  

Now, I've seen some smaller ones with a bit of bark on the roof, or sides of the manger, but this one has chunks of bark!  It's more like some descriptions of a "crèche as a cave.  I can see shepherds taking shelter with their flocks in a cave.  I had a dog who's father was born in a cave, his mother was a working Australian heeler.

There are a couple of shepherds.  The one on the right has lost the white paint, both he and the sheep look like skeletons.

The angel is introducing the ox.

Neither the ox nor the donkey look like they should be around the baby Jesus (who already sports a black eye)! 

Then there is the three king Greek Chorus coming down the steps waving their arms and swaying back and forth. 

The king dressed in green was missing from the bag, but I found him tangled in a strand of Christmas lights that must have been in the bag with the crèche and dragged out when someone pulled the lights.  This is why I don't just assume parts are missing, I will spend a lot of time searching for missing pieces in the bottom of the bins, inside shoes, in bins next to the one where I found the other parts.  Both crèches are marked Made in Italy, and the figures for the bark one are marked as well.  

These types of Italian crèches, or nativities, are very collectible, and I am fortunately to have found two in such nice condition.  These two aren't the only figures I've saved from the Bins this year.  Others are Mexican pottery, white with gold detailing.  Those will wait until the proper Christmas Thrift post time!  

Tomorrow will be the usual Tuesday Treasures post.   Thank you for indulging me and my thrifting posts!