I know the first day of the new year is supposed to be a time for looking forward (and I’ll certainly be doing that). But since Auction Finds is a blog about looking back, I…
Category: Clothing
As soon as I entered the wide open room at the auction house, I knew I had walked into the world of Butch Lewis. On a far wall in front of me was a huge…
The man had pulled the brass item out of a piece of soft white paper and was watching amusedly as the young camerawoman examined it. I didn’t hear him identify the piece but saw that she…
A congregation of women’s fancy hats
Posted in Clothing
“This is my favorite.” I heard the bass voice of a man so I looked up to see an auction-house staffer headed to the far end of a shelf with a mirrored backdrop. His eyes were…
Who can tell me what this is, the auctioneer quizzed us auction-goers as we sat staring at the next item up for bid. He was holding a small brass stand with a slanted head that, from where I…
First, let me tell you about a child who was apparently loved: I picked up at auction a small blue cardboard case covered in royal blue satin. I looked inside and saw a cute pair…
The joy of being a woman
Posted in African American women, Beauty Products, Clothing, and Women
It’s a sheer pleasure being a woman. Some of the best stuff in the world is made – not made, but designed – for us, and we partake of it unabashedly. We are some of…
Inside a local ‘Storage Wars’
Posted in Architecture/Buildings, Clothing, Computer/Electronics, and Home
The man was tailor-made for a Philadelphia version of A&E’s “Storage Wars.” He was a big burly guy with a belly that protruded beneath his blue pullover rather than hung over his belt (at one…
When I first saw the two heavy metal contraptions on the auction table, I was floored as to their name or purpose. They had ridged corn-cob rollers that resembled the top of a wringer washing…