This and That: A Blog

This little bronze figure had been in the locked case at St. Vincent de Paul for a few months.  Finally it moved to an end cap and I could see it was only $1.50.  It's something quite interesting and unexpected!  It's a reptile, a protective amulet from Burkina Faso made in the lost-wax casting tradition in the 1960s-1970s.  Not made specifically for the tourist market, although they do show up as souvenirs, these were sold for local use and regional markets.  They were worn as pendants sewn onto cloths, hung in doorways, or attached to ritual bundles for protection from harm and home protection.  It's quite a bit smaller than in this photo!  I went to a few garage sales a few weekends ago.  When things aren't priced I get concerned they will be over-priced, but in the case of these two prints I was wrong, they were well under-priced! Fragrance in Bloom by  Jean-Baptiste Robie (Belgium 1821-1910)   The publisher information is cut o...

 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, pa...

 Some Goodwill Bins "Treasures." As I've mentioned before, I "save" original art and donate it to St. Vincent de Paul, where they keep things forever (or so it seems!).  I saved this original colored pencil drawing by Helen R. Haynes.  It bears two labels on the back, the first from the Colored Pencil Society of America's (CPSA) 11th International Exhibition in 2003, where it's catalog name was South American Beauty .  The other is from a later sales listing, reading  South American Cactus, $200.00.  It's matted and framed, 24" x 24".  I wasn't going to keep it, but it grew on me and I had a bare spot on my bedroom wall (I actually parted with something else).  So, what did I pay?  44¢!  In a frame, so breakables price.  That's the reason I don't mind buying artwork just to donate.  (The colors are brighter than this makes it seem.) Two metal... they seem to me to be cookie cutters, handmade.  They make a nice edition to m...

 There's a new thrift store in town!  The sign in the window reads " Clothes and Antiques ."  The clothes were all outside on racks, and I wasn't too hopeful about what we'd (my son and I) find inside.  But, it was full of vintage and antique items!  More than newer items actually.  It reminded me of an antique mall booth, but an entire store.  Good prices too.   I got dogs.  Five dogs and an antique photo.  Here are the dogs shown by size, little to large.  Light plastic to heavy chrome plated  brass. A little plastic Scottish terrier made in Japan.  This and the next were $3 for both. A pair of playing fox terrier puppies, also marked Japan. As a rule, I avoid buying chipped or cracked items.  However, for $1 I couldn't resist this pressed glass French bulldog, chipped in places and missing his right paw.  It's Westmoreland, from the original mold, c.1920. In the mid-20s they added their logo.  The gl...

 Yard Sale Season has begun!   I went to one I'd been to a few years ago, expecting some "old" stuff for cheap.  I was right! There was an rusty old cookie tin I briefly picked up.  Then, the man told me it held his mother's buttons.  Okay, that's different, I love old button collections!  The tin was interesting, but it was really icky in the bottom, so I didn't keep it.  The top photo is of a 1940s clasp, like for a cape or sweater.  There were quite a few shell buttons.  In the button tin were things other than buttons.  Aluminium "coins."  One from an arcade, the one with the hole is an Oklahoma Consumers Tax Token, used in the 1930s to help fund Old Age Assistance programs during the Great Depression.  There are several of these.  The American Junior Red Cross tab tin button is from the 1940s.  Vintage kitchen items to add to my vintage kitchen items in my kitchen. Melon baller (my mother had this one, in f...

  Unfortunately, I didn't get to the church rummage sale last Friday.  My illness (some sort of respiratory thing) lasted longer than expected. However, I discovered I completely forgot to post these two items I'd gotten at St. Vincent de Paul the day I'd bought the postcards I mentioned last week.  How did I forget about two dog figures?  🤣  Hamilton Foundry Quality Castings (Hamilton, OH) cast iron paper weight Scotty from the 1930s.  These were promotional items given to clients, suppliers, and attendees at trade shows.  He's a heavy little fella for his size!  $5 A 1950s Japanese made pottery dog with an interesting glaze that lets the clay show through.  $2.50 I did find my son a 1950s pencil sharpener at Goodwill.  I'm not sure he wants me to keep finding them!  They're considerably smaller than typewriters and cameras, but still take up a bit of room.  It's still slim pickings, but now that the weather is warmer yard sa...

  Day 22 of  NaBloPoMo

 I took a very quick trip to the Goodwill Outlet store, aka The Bins.  I spend 75¢ and rounded it up to $1.00.  25¢ of that was for a book, the rest was breakables at 10¢ a pound. Transfer trinket dish from W. R. Midwinter Ltd., " Rural England " pattern in brown multicolor (it was made in other colors too), made between 1932 and 1946.   Midwinter Pottery became one of England's biggest potteries in the 1930s. A 3" x 4" brass frame doesn't seem so special.  However, if you take a look at the glass you can see it's convex.  Based on that, and the fact the back is a fuzzy material, it dates from the 1910s - 1940s.   Convex glass wasn't just to give a more 3D appearance to artwork, but provided airspace to protect it.  Also, in the Victorian era it signified opulence. Another picture frame, this one most likely Mexican " hojalata ," meaning " tinplate ," or tinwork.  It's a bit over 8" square, with a 3 1/4" opening.  I ...