The auctioneer was being decidedly honest. He didn’t expect the collection of condensed milk containers – however lovely – would sell well or at all. Not a single one had attracted a bid on the…
Category: China
There was nothing very distinguishing about the array of vintage planters spread out over two tables at the auction house. Except that they were so cute. Most were figural, in the shapes of animals, from…
A mixed bag of items people tag to buy
Posted in Auction, Books, Children, China, and collectibles
The small round orange and lime stickers pop up like weeds. You can see them on any number of items on the auction tables. They don’t usually bother me because I’m always curious about what people…
The note was written in a neat clear script. I couldn’t see the exact words from where I stood across the table at the auction house, but I was hoping it was a personal message.…
It was beginning to feel like an invasion – the non-threatening kind, though. First, there were the cute pedal cars, a rainbow-colored mass of little engine-less vehicles that crowded rows of tables two months ago at…
Bouillon cup – too big for tea, too small for hearty soup
Posted in China, collectibles, and dishware
I was more curious about the two handles on the cup than the pattern. What was it? It wasn’t a teacup because it was too large, and it seemed much too small to be a…
A porcelain teapot with a Noritake-style mark
Posted in China, collectibles, and pottery
It was a lovely porcelain teapot but not my type. It had likely been part of set with a creamer and sugar bowl years ago. But those other pieces had walked off with relatives or gotten…
Janet & Sherry the auction hunters: Day 4
Posted in China, collectibles, dishware, Glassware, Home, and Kitchen
My auction buddy Janet and I picked out five items at auction recently to see how well we’d do against some of the TV auction shows in choosing valuable items. Each day this week, I’m…
Having one elk creamer too many
Posted in China, collectibles, and dishware
“People in our generation, you didn’t just collect two of something,” the auction staffer, a man who looked to be in his late 60s, said as I stood there with another auction-goer bewildered by the collection in…
I was on the hunt for a few small plates for meals. Not the dinner plates that I tend to pile high with food just to make sure I fill them to the rim. I…