My auction buddy Janet had spotted the doll she wanted. It was a boy doll with round cheeks and wearing an orange outfit with matching cap. Next to it was a girl doll who looked like a princess. …
Collecting vintage black dolls
Posted in Dolls
Tag: auction
As soon as I gathered up the items I had just bought at auction, one of the regulars came up to me. “Did you get the jewelry?” she asked. My bounty included some sewing items in…
Didn’t I see that at Marshalls?
Posted in Home
A couple years ago when I used to shop until I dropped, two of my favorite stores were Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. They both sold quality merchandise at a price that was kind to my…
Tips on figuring out what your stuff is worth
Posted in Auction Tips/Find an Auction, Books, and collectibles
I got an email recently from a woman who had three watercolors by MC “Five Cent” Jones that her parents had bought 20 years ago. Her mother is 91 years old, and the daughter wanted…
Hand crank ice cream maker
Posted in food
A few years ago, I read a newspaper article recommending the best electric ice cream makers. It was a cute little Cusinart that also made yogurt and sherberts. I just had to have one. I…
First look at a marshmallow shooter
Posted in Toys
My auction buddy Janet initially spotted them. About eight crazy-tube objects had been arranged on a wooden post like tree branches by a flea-market couple in a space next to us last weekend. They resembled the…
Body parts fit for a doll
Posted in Dolls
It was like stepping into a used automotive parts room, but without the greasy mess. These parts were either rubber or plastic, and the room was open and clean. They were arms, legs, torsos and heads…
The man walked up to me a little anxious, surely hoping that my answer to his question would bring him relief. Were you around when they sold the elephant? he asked. I knew exactly what…
Sculptor Selma Burke revisited
Posted in African American women, and Art
Although African American sculptor Selma Burke had lived just north of me for years, I have never had the fortune of finding any of her works on the auction tables. No one has been careless enough…