Happy treasure hunting in 2015.

[Vinca]

It's 13 degrees out and I'm already chomping at the bit for yard sales to start again! The first one is usually in late March. In between I hit the thrift shops or any estate sales that pop up. Saturdays are a fun ritual: up before dawn and out the door an hour later never knowing if I'll come home with a valuable piece of art or nothing at all. As I get older - now 65 - I realize the fun of the hunt is a valuable resource in remaining "young." Keep on pickin'! (P.S. I found a lovely impressionistic painting at the last sale of the season. By a listed artist and worth a few hundred bucks. I spent $5.00.)

[brer cat]

1. We are heading to an estate sale tomorrow.

I can't think of a more fun way to start a new year.

Good luck to you, Vinca. Spring and yard sales will come soon!

[Vinca]

3. Ooh, I'm jealous. None are scheduled for my area at the moment.

There is a storage auction later in the month and if it's not 20 below I might venture out to that.

[safeinOhio]

2. No yard sales until spring.

That gives us a great chance, as sellers have no way to downsize their stuff. I have 3 houses to visit this month. I'll be the only buyer they have.
I pass out business cards every day. If nothing else, I'll look on graigslist or newspaper ads and find someone with a few things for sale. I don't look for things I want to buy in those ads, I get inside and start looking for things I do want to buy. The best way to find a great old box is to look outside the box.

Best of luck and have a ton of fun.

[Vinca]

4. I discovered I'm really lousy when it comes to buying as a result of advertising.

I got a few takers on an ad I put in the paper a number of years back and I seemed to attract either people who thought their stuff was made of solid gold or people who were really poor with absolute crap they needed to sell because they were desperate for money. I ended up owning a bunch of worthless crap because I felt so bad for them I bought the stuff. Guess I don't have to worry about becoming a greedy, rich person. LOL.

[safeinOhio]

5. I hand out lots cards

Few pay off but they are really cheap
At a New Years party today I set up three possilable deals that look real good. While hanging out at the mall yesterday I started up a conversation with a customer that ended up with me buying a nice cider/wine press out of his trunk in the parking lot. I've joined orgs like the local dems and a humanist group that led to contacts while also being active in good causes. Be active if you're retired and have a bunch fun.

[Vinca]

6. I don't think of myself as retired because I've been self-employed for so long.

Retirement, IMHO, is overrated. Just keep on keeping on. I intend to emulate a Vermont lady I knew who raised sheep. She dropped dead in her garden at 85 or so. Aging is just a number. My secret for finding stuff is to educate myself about obscure things. I previewed an auction once and spotted a piece of pottery I recognized as a very good potter. The piece was signed, but apparently no one knew her name. I left a bid and didn't attend the auction. I got the pot for $25. When I went to pay and pick it up another dealer asked me if the pottery was by a local person and I just smiled. It sold for hundreds. I've also created some rules in my head about art that is either unmarked or by someone I've never heard of. First, my initial "feel" for the piece and if I think it's done by a professional or an amateur. Second is the presence of any kind of gallery or exhibition sticker - that's an immediate "buy." Third, the materials used and condition of the piece. Sometimes dirty and crackly is preferable. I have to admit I have a houseful of art that is beautiful but still a mystery, but every so often you hit a winner. Oh, and I make it a point to pay just about nothing for things which adds to the fun of it all.

[juxtaposed]

7. Who is the artist?

[Vinca]

8. The painting was done by Otto J. Kurth (1885 - 1965).

He belonged to a group of painters known as the "Peconic Bay Impressionists." The pottery I mentioned in the last post was done by Rose Cabat and had an interesting lava glaze and was not in her usual "feelie" style.

[juxtaposed]

9. Thanks, I collect certain new england impressionist artists.

I like Cabat's nipple vases, it's rare to find one without damage to the top.

[juxtaposed]

10. do you have a picture of the cabat vase? Would love to see it!

[Vinca]

11. No. It was something I sold rather quickly.

There's a photo of a very similar example in one of my reference books. I'll see if I can find it. Who are some New England impressionists I should be watching for (since I do my hunting in Vermont and New Hampshire primarily)?

[juxtaposed]

12. I don't know about watching for but, I'm

currently looking for Theodore Demerest Coe, Robert Connavale, Alfred Vance Churchill, Robert Strong Woodward, and expressionist Karl Zerbe, Hyman Bloom, also Sue Coe to name a few!

[Vinca]

13. I can usually spot a decent piece of art a mile away, but many times I'm unfamiliar with the artist.

I just wondered who you were collecting so the names would go into the old memory bank for future use. I just took a few moments with my pottery books and I can't find what I'm looking for. Sadly, I didn't really care for the Cabat piece myself or I would have kept it. I do like her other work, but the lava glaze looks "gloppy" to me.

[juxtaposed]

14. I've been doing what you state for about 30 years. I've done the storage units years ago.

I've bought estates for years... I can spend from a buck to 10k in a week on things that shine..
It's like a trap, I look for certain things and over time they appear.. I deal mostly in art, but will not leave anything unturned.

[Vinca]

15. And the best days are when you find something you don't want to sell. IMO, of course.

That's how I judge good finds: either big money makers or something I want to keep. They don't have to be both. One of my favorite finds from last summer is a $3 carved bird that's on the bookshelf.

[Jetboy]

16. It was slim pickens this winter but since the weather broke it has

been very exciting!

Finally some good stuff came into the auction house and I was able to scoop some of it up for a song. I was bummed out and broke and suddenly my inventory looks great and sales are sure to pick up soon. No doubt there will be many more great picks now that it is nice out. I had a rough year last year but am sure to have a great 2015.

Happy hunting to you too!

[Vinca]

17. Your story is what keeps us going.

We still have snow up the wazoo, but I religiously check the ads for yard sales anyhow. I typically have a good find early in the year and a good one late in the year. I thought I'd found my early year find last week at a thrift shop. I dragged home an illustration by a children's artist and hoped it was worth at least $10,000 (her highest sale is $30,000). Sadly, after sending out photos, I'm certain it's not. Better luck next time I guess.