Gettin' Stoned

Wow!  What a weekend.

With 3 estate sales, one road trip, 6 thrift stores, some Craigslist selling, and a little road-side picking under my belt, I'm pooped.

I'd planned to get even more done, but, unfortunately, my kidneys had their own ideas...

.... like getting all infected and growing a few stones on me!

Those ****s!

Not looking forward to this experience AT ALL.

If you feel like joining in the festivities, here's a gallery of all the little lovelies that could potentially be making their way through my urinary tract.

Here's to hoping that they don't turn out to be like these caltrop-looking MF'ers.

Source: Herring Lab

Thank you, internet, for making me think that I'm going to die.

Estate sale scores

Sorry for the delay there.  The girlfriend just arrived back in town and we've been dealing with a few more house issues. 

So here's all the goodies that I picked up at the estate sale 2 weekends ago with Mr. Modtomic.  They had a decent selection of MCM stuff, but prices were a bit too high for my liking.  The estate sale companies seem to be catching on to the whole retro-modern trend and adjusting their prices accordingly (some more so than others).  There's also pretty stiff competition from dealers.  Mr. Mod, his girlfriend, my friend Jon, and I showed up pretty darn early but our team was 4-7th in line.

I was really lucky to get anything at all, because the organizers made me move my car AS THEY OPENED THE SALE!  Oh c'mon.  I'd been waiting there all morning.  Why make me move it now?  Couldn't it wait 2 minutes?

I guess the real competition was over the American of Martinsville dining set, because I was like 25th into the place and all of these smalls were still sitting with their tags in the corner.  Sweet!

I'd actually lost out on an Ebay auction for one of these brass candelabras a few months ago.  I was a couple minutes from winning for a few dollars and the seller took it down to "correct the international shipping rates" and then relisted it with a $50 reserve price.  Well, who needs him/her!  Now I've snagged my very own for a small fraction of that reserve.

I'd also been looking all over for some West German pottery.  This green and orange piece, with its texture and bright colors, is my personal favorite.  It almost looks like a Brutalist sculpture.

These mugs were kinda an impulse purchase, but at 50 cents, who really cares?  Now I can sip in style.

Overall, things turned out better than expected after the car fiasco.  I've spent most of my time/money going after large pieces of furniture and haven't really focused on smalls, so this will really help to fill the place out.

See you all in another couple days.  Good luck and good thrifting!

Weekend Update

What a weekend!

Remember that "promising estate sale" that I mentioned in my last post?  Well, Mr. Modtomic, his girlfriend, and I devised a plan, split up the potential spoils, and showed up super early so that we could stake our claim.  We were all alone in line, so we were feeling pretty smug.  Then after half an hour of waiting a fellow early-morning-riser came up and ripped a number off the pad on the front doorstep.  Numbers?!  There weren't supposed to be any numbers!

To our dismay, the estate sale company, Steve & Sheri, changed the rules at the last minute and put out numbers the night before.  Of course, all the dealers had already taken their spot at the top and we were 7, 8, and 9.  Dang!  I'd printed the sheet in the late afternoon and the change wasn't on there, so it must have happened in the evening.  Who does that?

After that fiasco, we decided to head on over to Denny's and drown our sorrows in savory breakfast meats, starches, and maple syrup.   However, I remembered that I'd also printed off the info for a "retro flea market" that we'd wanted to see but didn't think we'd have a chance to get to due to the conflicting estate sale.  Might as well check it out, right?

I'm glad we did, because that place was a treasure trove of MCM deals.  It actually wasn't really what I'd call a flea market.  It was more a mid-century modern cast-offs sale, where most things were a little dinged up, but there were plenty of goodies to be had at very reasonable prices.  

The owners of Rocket Century, who put on the sale, were even kind enough to take Mr. Mod and I in and show us around their shop.  It's always fun to meet people who share the same interests and wow!  They've got quite a collection - everything from Adrian Pearsall coffee tables to Cold War propaganda posters can be had there.  It's a veritable repository of mid-century modern collectables.

After Mr. Mod and I split, I headed back to the first sale, just to see if I could make a go of it.  As expected, it didn't turn out well.  Not only had the estate sale manager changed the rules at the last second, but one of the dealers had taken the first few numbers for himself in order to delay everyone else getting in behind him.  I even overheard the manager and him whispering off to the side about where the items of interest were and how they were priced.  What a crock!  I know that dealers are repeat customers, but everyone should have to play by the same rules.  If you can't stick to them, why even have them in the first place?

So I missed out on my set of Lane Acclaim step end tables and a coffee table, which was a big disappointment.  I've already got a set, but they are covered in water marks from the previous owner and the finish is completely shot.  Here was my chance to get some in what was described as "perfect condition", but a scandalous estate sale company and dealers blew it.  Can you tell that I'm bitter about the experience?  BECAUSE I AM.

Well, after that I decided to take my friend Jon, who needed some furniture for a new place of his own, along for a second go round at Rocket Century and ended up adding a few more items to my load (more on them later).  Unfortunately, I left behind the gorgeous Jens Risom Sofa (which looked almost exactly like the one pictured below) that I'd been eyeing up the whole time.  That thing was HOT, but it it looked like a cat/dog/some kind of vermin got ahold of it and it needed reupholstering.  Hopefully some kind soul will take it in and give it the love and attention that it deserves.

source: Flickr - teawithamouse

With the van already bursting at the seams, Jon and I headed up to the Ron Paul rally at Lindenwood University, but on the way I stopped and for one last pick: these two Danish lounge chairs (first is mine, second is his).

Anyone have any idea who the manufacturer is?  These things are pretty ubiquitous, so I haven't really put much time into learning how to identify them.  The only one I know is Baumritter, but those are usually tagged, right?

So we've gone through the whole range of emotions here today.  There was excitement, disbelief, disappointment, and joy.  In the end, I'd spent some time with good friends, made a couple new ones, and brought home a huge haul to boot.  Can't ask for anything more than that!

Every thing's coming up roses

Promising estate sales, retro flea market, sunny weather, garden blooming, new roof, new MCM lamp, BBQ pulled pork, and a Ron Paul rally - It's gonna be a great weekend in St. Louis

Estate Sales

Take a bunch of naturally competitive people who are desperate to get ahold of rare and sometimes valuable treasures, sprinkle in a few crazies and weirdos, add a bit of sleep deprivation/exposure to the elements, and mix in vague, contradicting rules and conventions and you've got a recipe for drama.  Anticipation, disappointment, joy, regret, frustration, conflict - It's all there.

I've only been attending since I bought my first home several months ago, but If you've ever been to an estate sale, you're bound to have a few stories.  There's always the rule-breaker, "the item that got away", fist fights, or people who do some straight-up bizarre stuff.

So let's hear 'em.  What's your best estate sale tale?

My favorite so far was the sale where the family members came in about an hour before the sale started and cleared out all of the decent items in the entire place.  People were LIVID.

source: smugmug

"Things without all remedy should be without regard. What's done is done."

Ahhhh.  Cold medicine, antibiotics, and a full night of sleep were just what I needed.  Never underestimate the power of a Saturday lay-in to cure what ails you.

Unfortunately that lay-in meant that I missed what was probably the greatest estate sale weekend of the last few months.  One sale alone had a Broyhill Brasilia bedroom set, Brasilia dining set, and an American of Martinsville bedroom set.  That's practically a whole house-full of my favorite mid-mod furniture right there.

Ok, so I may have made a mistake.  Surely I could have dealt with one more day of ickyness and sleep deprivation if it meant a chance to get in on the action.  Oh well.

Also, congrats to the St. Louis Cardinals on their World Series win!

Back On Topic

While last week may have been a disaster, I did manage to snag some of the big-ticket items on my checklist.

I'd been fretting all week about which sale I'd attend: the one with the Sputnik chandelier or the one with the another of my most-wanted pieces.  Both began at the same time and they were at opposite ends of the city, so one would have to be sacrificed.  How could I choose?  In the end, I decided to go for the Sputnik.  It's easier to transport and I was considering constructing my own wall unit anyway.  

Surprisingly, nobody showed up until 7, two hours before opening.  There I'd waited, sitting in the cold since 3 AM, all for naught (Admittedly, I did have a lawn chair, blankets, and free wifi).  It was well worth it though.  I got that coveted first spot in line and easily snagged the lamp.  Good thing I did, numbers 2 - 10 all went for the exact same thing. 

There isn't much available on the history of the Sputnik chandelier, but they were (I believe) originally designed by Gino Sarfatti for the Italian lamp-maker Arteluce.  I can't find an exact date, but I would assume that it was produced shortly after its design inspiration, the Sputnik-1 satellite, launched in 1957.  I'm pretty sure that mine isn't an Arteluce, but it may be a Lightolier, a firm that mass produced Sputniks in America during this time period.  I'll have to check if there are any identifying marks (and update with an actual picture of my Sputnik rather than a stock photo).

After checking out, I headed up to the second sale, just to check out what was left.  I figured there wouldn't be much.  After all, I was an hour late and when I pulled up, there was a woman carting out a load of bubble lamps and shell chairs.  And that's where we'll pick up next time.

A side note - They call it a "tag" sale for a reason.  You take the tags off the items you wish to purchase.  If the item does not have a tag, someone has already taken it.  I had 3 different individuals try to walk off with my dear Sputnik this Saturday, one of whom managed to break several of the star bulbs.