The Secondary Market for Used Loveys

There's a market for everything! With two little kids, I know the significance of a lovey or security blanket. I'd tell everyone who's having kids to just BUY TWO so you have a back-up. The problem is, you don't know which soft blanket or toy will become the lovey until later. If you're unlucky, the "one" will no longer be in production, or some slight design change will make your child reject it.

People are paying up to $50 for even some lightly used loveys because they are so desperately needed.
My boy loves this soft rabbit by Angel Dear. Not the one with the open eyes. Not the one with the floppy ears. This specific one. The sleepy one with short ears. Fortunately, this is only a $20 replacement on eBay, not much above retail.

I've never look for old loveys at yard sales, but I'm always looking to one-up the competition, so perhaps it will be a gold mine!

BTW, if you have a Lovable Lounger "Pipa Pig" by Ganz, we desperately need one!! Seriously!!! Contact me!!!

The Aesthetic Movement & Some Victorian Wallpaper

I found an old crate of wallpaper rolls from an 1880s Victorian house at a local estate. Many were in the vivid reds and golds so associated with the era. But a lot were more subtle and still "timeless" in their design and colors. The style was from the Aesthetic Movement, a style less widely regarded than Art Nouveau or Art Deco, but in my opinion equally impressive. It was popular in the late 19th century and draws from a Japanese influence, combining geometric shapes with animals and plants from nature. I highly recommend reading about James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room if you are interested in this style.


Below you will find a fragment of my Aesthetic wallpaper, which I have digitized just for you. It is repeatable and looks awesome just about anywhere.

Researching Antique Photos - Rouen, France Mystery Church

I found these two antique photos in a circa 1920s album (top left). They were both marked "Rouen Cathedral." Now, it might have fooled Aunt Maude flipping through it 90 years ago, but looking closely these are clearly NOT the same church.

While researching to keyword Rouen Cathedral (the one on the left), I came across this image (center) from here which showed me the mystery church was within sight of the Rouen Cathedral. That's a big clue.

Using the satellite images at Google maps, I went looking for that large round courtyard in the vicinity of Rouen Cathedral. I found it after a few minutes. My mystery church is the Church of St. Ouen (top right). It is very satisfying to discover the solution to a historic puzzle like this.

The album also contained this image (left) of the Church of St. Vincent, which was destroyed in 1944 by German bombs in World War II. All that remains now is a stone arch in the town.

Collection of World War II 35mm Slides

I sell a lot of stuff that simply seems to "disappear" once it is packed and shipped at the post office. I almost never have the opportunity to see what its new owner does with it.

I recently sold a slide collection with a few originals from a WWII soldier, stationed in the Galapagos. The buyer asked me a few more questions about the lot, and I was able to dig up some more info on the soldier from other paperwork in the lot. With a name (and a broader knowledge of WWII than I have!), the buyer was able to piece together a nice blog posting about the soldier.

It's nice to see the slides within an historical context. Check out: portraitsofwar.wordpress.com

Breaking News: Tightwad Donates to Wikipedia!

Today, I was doing some research on this late 17th- to early 18th-century little pewter salt or nut dish. I knew the crest was German, but I was hoping to find some more useful keywords. A Google search brought me to this Wikipedia page: Coat_of_arms_of_Germany
Within moments, I had black eagle, Bundesadler, and Federal Eagle to use. Now, I'm usually pretty cheap, but I use Wikipedia so much that sometimes I think about all the reference books I don't have to buy. This Wikipedia page is so full of useful information and graphics, I did something I've never done before: I clicked the banner and actually donated to Wikipedia!
The historical articles on Wikipedia are great sources of information, usually free from all the politics and pranks of more topical pages. (Although, I do seem to recall reading that "cast iron is a great material for sex toys" a few years ago!) If you use Wikipedia as much as I do, think about sending a few bucks their way. Or just DONATE.

Sometimes, the Early Shark Gets the Fish

This is what my local fleamarket looked like at 6:30 this morning. Yes, I was the first buyer there, but it does not do much good when no sellers are ready. I sat in my car. I walked across the street to get hot chocolate. I looked for constellations, twiddled my thumbs, etc. Sigh. Let's go, people!

Anyway, another dealer recently called me a "shark." It was not intended as a compliment, but I am certainly taking it as a compliment. I've learned over the years that nice guys don't go home with the good stuff. I like to go home with the good stuff.

(UPDATE: I found out later a friend/competitor got $500 worth of gold from this fleamarket for $5. Sometimes, it's not about being first; it's just about being in the right place at the right time.)

Oh eBay. You make me laugh.

Oh eBay. When I see something like this, it makes me laugh. eBay makes this whole listing thing seem so glamorous and simple: "Hey, everybody! Look at this wad of cash I have from selling stuff on eBay!! Woohooo!" The "FREE" part is funny too, because they don't tell you about the 10% they'll get when you sell something. A wad of $20s in your back pocket?!? Ha! You'll never even see that cash, it's all ones and zeros in Paypal. If you want cash, go to Craigslist.