Saturday, November 13, 2010
RANDOM 341 OBJECT
Antique NEEDLEPOINT Footstool w ACORNS & Delicate FEET-$50
I go to a little country auction just down the road from our little dirt farm. They have a sale about every week, assuming Col. Rick Bob can scare up enough sober help for humping furniture around the room. We have a lot of fun, but most nights I should just take a fistful of dollars and throw them off a tall building and watch it float on the breeze. It’d be quicker and less painful.
But that’s not the point; now is it? The point is that there are two flibbertygibbets who always attend. They sit on opposites sides of the sale barn, and they’re both whacko about footstools, especially nice old ones like this. When they start bidding, you may as well not get involved. One of them is going to win it. I’ll bet I’ve seen them each buy fifty or so. It’s probably a real challenge to walk through either of their homes without tripping
This one is 11” in diameter and stands about 7” tall. The acorns around the skirt are wood, and the original sawdust filling remains as stuffing. (You’ll want to take the needlepoint off and put good padding in there. I would, anyway.)
Nice legs! That’s some delicate cast iron work.
But anyhow . . . these two gals, both of whom have those long fingernails that curve down like claws, which they paint various colors of enamel to make them even scarier, must have gotten the flu or something because neither one of them showed up the other night. (Maybe they both broke a hip.) I knew something was wrong the moment I walked in. The sale barn smelled like a sale barn instead of “Evening in Butler County.”
This is a good old one – put together with pride. It’ll last longer than any of us.
RANDOM BONUS 341 OBJECTS
1880 STERLING Gorham OVAL TWIST Shell, BUTTERCUP Fork +-$74
A sane person would have stopped at four or five pictures of these three old pieces of sterling because time becomes a factor. But not me: I must have taken twenty.
What we have here is a Whiting Oval Twist sugar shell, a Gorham Buttercup fork and a fabulous soup spoon, the pattern and maker of which I should know but don’t. My best guess is Gorham, but probably not. What ever! The total weight of the three pieces is 3 ½ troy ounces.
We’ll start with way too many pictures of the Whiting, Oval Twist shell. It is 5 ¾” long and is the only one of the three with a monogram, and it’s only noted if you get way up too close for your own good.
Enough already! Let’s move on to the big spoon I can’t ID.
It’s almost 7” long, and, like the other two pieces, is in fine condition.
Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s heavy too. 1.68 troy ounces by its ownself.
Finally, we get to the Buttercup fork, a Gorham pattern named after Dale Evans’ horse. It is 7” long and weighs 1.39 troy ounces.
Buttercup is from 1899, so I may be mistaken about it being named after Dale’s horse.
I seldom talk about value because that’s why I have real, honest auctions rather than “Buy It Now” sales; the price is up to you. But in this case, I’ve calculated it for you.
The value of the “silver” content is about ninety bucks or so . . . probably. My labor, figured at just over minimum wage, comes around thirty bucks. Add to that the miscellaneous fees, cost of packing materials, gas to the Post Office, prescription drugs, meals, travel and entertainment expenses and it comes up to somewhere in the two hundred and forty dollar range. (Hope that helps.)
RANDOM ESTATE SALE BLOGGING
wed. northwest side. said east coast stuff. must have been gone. boring mid century little box, but i filled up my $3 with some goodies and other bits. ebay has SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many teapots. but a nice cobalt pot for $1.99? been so long since i did a bag. but it came back the stratergy. take all pretty animal and maybe. but no fussy. ok, i took the early 1900 handpainted maple leaf. dorothy did a good job. i didn't take the dan brown newest tome either. silly me. may have more that fell out of my bag. i know i put in a little yellow/orange pitcher and the tailess bird ornie i stuck in it.
and because it was right down the street, i drove around frank lloyd wright's greek orthodox church twice + took photos.
RANDOM 341 OBJECTS
RARE Set 6 GORHAM Sterling VERSAILLES Nude SOUP SPOONS-$257
Holy mackerel! Until now, I’ve never thought of myself as a great admirer of sterling silver flatware, but this set may change all that. Big, round bowl gumbo spoons with a semi-nude woman surrounded by grapes would pretty much turn anyone into a collector.
If they were ever used, it was carefully. They are in excellent condition – nice and crisp. AND – NO MONOGRAMS.
I’m told they are from a collection of Gorham from 1888. Naturally, I haven’t touched them as far as washing or polishing.
This is one of the few patterns I’ve found where it’s actually fun to study all the little details. Some aren’t even little. At least a couple are big and proud.
