Tuesday Treasures - May 19, 2026

 I found what I think are some nice things to share this week!  

First, from St. Vincent de Paul, my first salt and pepper shakers in the nodder form.  They're the cutest shakers I've ever seen!  I was happy to pay $8 for them.   They are older than I expected, made in Japan by the Takito Company (1880-1948) between 1935 and 1945.

Moving on the a Goodwill store. 

A Makonde, Tanzania, carving from mpingo (African blackwood). The dark wood isn't painted or stained, it's the heartwood, the pale is the sapwood, the live outer layer under the bark. It's about 6" high and probably made in the 1960s. In the 70s they began using power tools, and this shows chisel marks. There are several different types of these carvings, this is the Binadamu, realistic human figures representing everyday people.  I only paid $3.88! 

Now to the Goodwill Outlet, or Bins.

A fabulous birdhouse! It's folk art, most likely done in Connecticut or upstate New York, painted with milk paint.  It's from the 1930s-1940s.  Yes, it's missing the dowel perch below the mouth, but that doesn't affect value, and shouldn't be replaced.  To preserve the paint it shouldn't be hung outdoors.  In the 1960s and 70s reproductions of these were made in Taiwan, and you can really tell the difference in materials and details.  This one is actually more detailed than some other originals, with the whiskers and the whisker dots.  

This cast lead alloy horse-without-a-tail was made between 1935 and 1942 by the Barclay Manufacturing Company, New Jersey.  It was part of either a soldier or cowboy set.

My son and I got other things at the Bins that day, books, clothes, an abalone shell, slippers... so I don't know how much these two items were other than $1.89 per pound.