Thrift shop shopping WDUBT

ghce
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Well we don't seem to have a specific thread for thrift shopping and as I am always browsing the many thrift shop / charity shops in my area I will kick it off with my WDUBT ( what did you buy today).

I am always attracted to Asian crafts and related and came across this pure silver (1000) Japanese Saki drinking bowl for US$0.60 and at exactly 80 grams was a steal for melt value of US$80.00.
And this lovely Japanese ceramic plate for 60 cents.

I know many others here share the collecting bug for things other than fine Horological pieces so show us your recent finds.


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lindo
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My wife has been a charity shop prowler for decades. It is a rare week when she does not come home with nice quality things (including watches) at silly prices. That encompasses Danish silver jewellery (eg Georg Jensen), Japanese and Chinese ceramics, silver and other nice objects, European silver trays sold as silver plate which are actually .800 fine (80% silver), paintings, and even fine small pieces of furniture - like recently a superb bedside table retailing for $900 that she bought for $25.

I guess a lot of it comes from deceased estates, when executors just want to clear a house.

She has been doing this for fifty years, so she can quickly distinguish the 1% good stuff amongst 99% ordinary discards. One of her great buys was a ladies compact from the 1950s. It was sold as a gold plated compact but she noticed tiny gold hallmarks - a $38 buy was worth over $1200 in scrap value.

The only downside is that our house is full of stuff....
 
lucreative
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Had an amazing Goodwill in Hollywood, CA that many wealthy people and celebs donated to and I worked nearby so I went almost every week during a lunch break. The list of items I "bought", and bought is in parenthesis, since it's more like found for the price I purchased. For example, Salvador Dali signed woodblock print with cert of authenticity, Montblanc pen, sterling silver galore like a Shreve and Co vase, plates, and cups, Baccarat crystal, gold jewelry. Those days are gone. But WDUBT, a nice First Edition Stephen King IT book.

But I still haven't found that barn watch yet.
 
ghce
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lindo lindo
My wife has been a charity shop prowler for decades. It is a rare week when she does not come home with nice quality things (including watches) at silly prices. That encompasses Danish silver jewellery (eg Georg Jensen), Japanese and Chinese ceramics, silver and other nice objects, European silver trays sold as silver plate which are actually .800 fine (80% silver), paintings, and even fine small pieces of furniture - like recently a superb bedside table retailing for $900 that she bought for $25.

I guess a lot of it comes from deceased estates, when executors just want to clear a house.

She has been doing this for fifty years, so she can quickly distinguish the 1% good stuff amongst 99% ordinary discards. One of her great buys was a ladies compact from the 1950s. It was sold as a gold plated compact but she noticed tiny gold hallmarks - a $38 buy was worth over $1200 in scrap value.

The only downside is that our house is full of stuff....
Yeah that's the major downside, room to display ie a bigger house!

Our family have been doing this for the last 2 generations and over the last 60 plus years have had some amazing finds such as ancient Egyptian ceramics officially dated to before 500BC ( that was bit of a highlight and hard to top) about 2 years ago I bought a 9.5 out of 10 or better mans Omega Deville for $3.00 in good working order. But most weeks we come away with some amazing finds.
 
ghce
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Bought this, the handle was all wrapped up in insulation tape when I found it in the shop.
A bit of google research found out what it is and used for.
Fifty cents for a bit of sterling and steel.

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redpcar
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"A bit of google research found out what it is and used for."
Do I get 3 guesses?
 
ghce
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redpcar redpcar
"A bit of google research found out what it is and used for."
Do I get 3 guesses?
Oh yeah!

I must admit when I first saw it I thought I should know what it is but searching the grey matter proved fruitless until I googled it then the elusive memory of what it was came back.
 
redpcar
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1. Knitting?
2. Crochet?
3. Basket weaving?
 
Spruce
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It’s a 'button hook' for doing up the buttons on the boots worn by ladies in the Victorian times. My antique dealer mother used to come across them.

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It looks like silver so it’ll be hallmarked and the date can be found by reference to it.

It’s collectible so probably worth more than the value of the silver. The design is quite ornate and in good condition.
 
ghce
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Spruce Spruce
It’s a 'button hook' for doing up the buttons on the boots worn by ladies in the Victorian times. My antique dealer mother used to come across them.

IMG_0168.webp


It looks like silver so it’ll be hallmarked and the date can be found by reference to it.

It’s collectible so probably worth more than the value of the silver. The design is quite ornate and in good condition.

Spot on!
A gentler age where fashionable accoutrements were in vogue.
Boots, vests and possibly corsets too.
Wonderful evocative curiosity I think in the 21st century and the sort of thing one would most likely see these days in the likes of Downton Abbey.
 
lindo
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My wife's pickup today for $20. A silver tureen weighing 1.25kg. It was marked 900 with a maker's stamp. That's right - 90% silver.

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Walrus
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lindo lindo
My wife's pickup today for $20. A silver tureen weighing 1.25kg. It was marked 900 with a maker's stamp. That's right - 90% silver.

IMG_4477.webp
That’s a hec of pick up. A kilo of silver for 20 bucks.
 
Pastorbottle
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lindo lindo
My wife's pickup today for $20. A silver tureen weighing 1.25kg. It was marked 900 with a maker's stamp. That's right - 90% silver.

IMG_4477.webp
That's a fancy spittoon you've got yourself there!
 
ghce
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lindo lindo
My wife's pickup today for $20. A silver tureen weighing 1.25kg. It was marked 900 with a maker's stamp. That's right - 90% silver.

IMG_4477.webp
Wow that's the sort of deal that makes it all worthwhile!
 
Archer
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lindo lindo
My wife's pickup today for $20. A silver tureen weighing 1.25kg. It was marked 900 with a maker's stamp. That's right - 90% silver.

IMG_4477.webp
The question is how much of that weight is actually silver. Often pieces will have weight added inside the base by using cement or some other type of material, so there is just a thin layer of silver around that.
 
lindo
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Archer Archer
The question is how much of that weight is actually silver. Often pieces will have weight added inside the base by using cement or some other type of material, so there is just a thin layer of silver around that.
Good point, but in this case the base is not closed - it is all silver.
 
lucreative
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Had a kid come up to me at a thrift store asking if a silver bowl he was holding could be used for a dog food bowl. Supposedly another person was dinking with it all weekend as well thinking it was a heavy silver plate. He gave it to me since "I have no idea" what it was, but I saw STERLING on the bottom. Nice pick up for $9.99 USD.

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ghce
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Purchased a bunch of DVD's all horror and Daniel Craig 007 plus a few other modern classics, 50 cents each for a dozen DVD's
But the one pickup I really am pleased about is this book, a first edition beautifully written and presented history of Aberystwyth.

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