PinkSlip and Other Springtime Treasures

Junking this week: It's been a pink week--set of pink mixing bowls with cobalt trim; pink McCoy cookie jar; vintage clothing (I have a black dress with a pink waist--a pink slip will be wonderful with that).

One of my readers asked me to explain junking. There's no one way to do it, or explain it--but here goes. I know a little about a lot of vintage and antique collectibles--ephemera (the postcards, posters, and advertising ephemera on this blog are almost always from my collection); pottery; 40s/50s collectibles; Art Nouveau and Art Deco frames; jewelry of all types (mainly costume--Bakelite, marcasite animals, and Taxco); perfume bottles; half/pincushion dolls; Japanese prints.

I go to yard sales, estate sales, antiques stores, flea markets, trade day (also known as Third Mondays), thrift shops, anywhere the junk looks promising. I look at and through everything to find things I covet or things I can resell. (Through the years I've made a lot of friends, and we look out for each other's needs). My dad used to be an antiques dealer, so I've learned a great deal about what to look for and have a few outlets for things I'd never need.

I do ask for discounts--almost always--and I'm not above being charming to get a deal. I don't yell, get mad, or stalk away. If a price is ridiculously low, I still ask if it's a professional (trade day/flea market) seller. Most of them love the haggle. When I'm on that side of the table, I will haggle as well. If someone doesn't haggle, then I am disappointed. It's a conversation.

My friends tell me I'd have been a wonderful carnival barker. This is not my usual personality, but wheeling and dealing bring it out in me.

TIPS I ALWAYS FOLLOW: I take plenty of cash so I have correct change. I offer to barter services (resumes, desserts, Harvey's artwork and portraits)for something I love but can't afford. I have even traded a poem for a wonderful antique jewelry cabinet. I don't buy anything damaged that I cannot fix myself (sewing--touchup painting, replacing clasps). I am scrupulous in researching eBay purchases, and I've only been burned once in 10 years. I study research books on items I want and try to learn values. I do NOT carry these books with me when I'm shopping. That's the mark of an annoying mark. Don't do this!

If I love something, I still have to be able to walk away from it if it's out of my price range--this does not necessarily mean overpriced. Only once have I not been able to resist an enameled brooch. It was of a dragonfly, and I paid $200 for it. I didn't eat lunch for 2 months in order to afford it. I later found out that the eyes were real diamonds and it was 18-karat gold and early 20th century French plique a jour. I think that's a great dieting tip--save my lunch money for jewelry!

I still regret the Art Deco clock I didn't buy--it was $400 for the complete garniture. I couldn't have afforded it at the time if they'd knocked a zero off.

I need to learn how to walk away from desks. I have a desk in every room of my house except the bathrooms.

Confession #1: I have removed items from dumpsters and trash bins before, including my favorite antique gilt frame (3 x 5 feet!). All it needed was glass.

Confession #2: I have a crush on Alistair Appleton, Paul, and Jonty from Cash in the Attic, BBC, and I also have an obsession with Leigh and Leslie Keno from Antiques Roadshow..

Confession #3: I married Harvey in no small part because he likes old things, especially those with their original finish. This bodes well in choosing a partner, as when you begin to crackle with age, you will be even more attractive to him/her. (I have had to accommodate his collections of 5000-plus Christmas ornaments, evil clown cookie jars--I secretly like both of these--as well as thousands of McDonald's and Star Wars toys and over 75 plastic Santas from 6 inches to 5 feet in height. This arrangement does have a few drawbacks. He puts up with my Bakelite bracelets and insistence on a pink and black kitchen).

Confession #4: My favorite piece of jewelry is the Art Deco ruby and diamond ring that Harvey bought it for me with his student loan money after we were first married, so it is priceless to me. When a dealer looks at it, he/she will often ask "Is that an estate piece?" My answer: "Not till I'mdead.

Confession #5: One of my favorite collections, which doesn't go with any other interest of mine, is Raggedy Ann and Andy. I have over 200 of these dolls, including the funny homemade versions that show up in the 10 cent bin at thrift shops. I also like Barbie and Gene, but I sold my collection years ago. I love the clothes, though and wish I'd kept them. I did keep my GI Joe and Baby Pat A Burp dolls--the only dolls I had as a child either eructated or fought.

Advertisement: I have a collection of antique purses (from beaded to lucite to funky 60s leather and 70s tapestry bags) that I'm considering selling/trading. Anyone interested?

P.S. The term "to gyp" (not so obvious) is a racial slur. I wish that people wouldn't refer to Romani and other Travelers in this demeaning manner. I hear this one all the time, from people who wouldn't dream of making other politically incorrect statements.