I’m used to seeing stuffed and mounted animals at auction, even an elephant foot made into a cigarette stand. But to my surprise, I recently stumbled upon a stuffed and mounted wild turkey. The full-sized creature seemed…
Category: Animals
A seeming lifetime of fox hunting & horse shows
Posted in Animals, collectibles, and Figurines
The tables were an amalgan of fox hunting and horse-show paraphernalia, signs of a life lived among horses and stables and hounds. In one room, trophies told of equestrian shows, riders and winners, along with…
Turning a corner inside the auction house, I walked right smack dab into the presence of a black and white menagerie. In front of me were tables lined with figurines of a dog I recognized…
A child’s wonder at a Star Wars thermos
Posted in Advertising, Animals, bottles, and collectibles
I was standing at a second table I had set up for my block’s annual yard sale when I overheard a mother talking to her son. The boy was about 5 years old and she…
The craftsmanship of the two wooden cylinders caught my eye first. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they looked to be both hand-made and well-made. They’re duck calls, the auction-house staffer said, and I…
You can’t have enough pigs
Posted in Animals, and collectibles
“We’re going to sell the rest of the pig collection next week,” I heard the auctioneer say as I was browsing the tables at the auction house. What on earth was he referring to? I…
What the heck are these, I thought, when I saw snatches of brown and cream items in a plastic Ziploc bag on the auction table. The bag was cloudy so it was hard to tell…
I’d seen clean sun-bleached skulls of cows and steers at auction, so I was not surprised to find some laid out on a table at this auction house. What surprised me were the plastic cartons…
What’s with the love for cast iron pigs
Posted in Animals, collectibles, and Figurines
That will sell well, I overheard a woman say to her male companion. My back was turned to them so I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I turned slightly to see this magnificent…
The two carved tusks looked like larger versions of two African ivory pieces I had at home. Both bore the features of an African man and woman carved in the side of the ivory. I…