Estate Sales

October 22, 2017

Old house in Shadyside that had been almost completely modernized inside. The owner was there - apparently she was downsizing. She'd apparently lived in central Europe (Prague?) for a while, and had bought many of the things on her travels. She was really funny. This house contained a truly impressive collection of beautiful antiques and vintage objects, and I enjoyed looking at everything very much. Sometimes taking photographs is enough for me. I don't want all of this stuff! I just like looking at it.

• $5 - Haveland covered dish
• $10 - Hand-painted rice bowl. Very small and delicate, a real work of art.
• $10 - French coin purse in silk. Hand-embroidered flowers in silk thread and gold thread, and beads.
• $3 - Herend Hungary hand-painted miniature urn, hand-painted design of flowers and Chinese(?) men dancing.
• $2 - White porcelain toothpick holder with the same butterfly design as a small ginger jar I bought when I was out with Jan a few years ago.
• $15 - Chinese Foo Guard Dog/Lion (chimera?) in brass and lapis lazuli.

October 21, 2017

Yet another gorgeous day. There were two sales side-by-side on Main St. in Carnegie, and both of them were full of beautiful and interesting things. The first one contained the contents of several estates, and was wonderful and overwhelming. From Carnegie I drove to Mt. Lebanon, where a sale was being held on Bower Hill Rd, which is a very busy street without any parking. So people had to park across the street in the church parking lot. The Mt. Lebanon police department set up a crosswalk with a police officer, a vehicle with flashing lights, and traffic cones set up to force traffic to slow down, which I really appreciated. Thanks, Officer!

• $6 - Dragonfly mirror compact in beautiful heavy enamel. By Monet jewelry company?
• $5 - Letter opener in brass and ivory, with the Buddha on the handle. On the back is stamped: "Made in Siam".
• $30 all - Hand-blown glass Christmas ornaments. There were boxes and boxes and boxes of them in the basement, organized by color. I gave a very large irridescent white ornament to a woman who admired it in my box, and I kept the one with the stripes.

October 1, 2017

It was a another gorgeous day and I went to a couple more estate sales just to get out of the house. I didn't buy a thing, but I especially enjoyed seeing the intact, original kitchin in this house in Carrick very much! When I walked into the kitchen, several people were standing around admiring the workmanship in the cabinets and the original stove, and wondering where the refrigerator was. I said, "Oh, the ice box? Probably out on the back porch." They laughed and said I was probably right. I think there was a frig in the basement...

September 30, 2017

It was a gorgeous day and I had a lot of run driving around to several estate sales. I'm getting pickier as I fill up my available space, and my purchases are getting smaller and smaller but they still make me happy. The one sale where I bought anything had apparently been the home of Russians, and was filled with beautiful and unusual things. I didn't buy a lot, but I love what I bought.

• $1 - Pink quartz and copper bracelet
• $1 - Hand-painted English bone porcelain ashtray by Royal Crown Derby ("Olde Avesbury" design)
• $8 - Needlepoint portrait with beaded detailing. This is an exquisite piece of fine needlework. The face and hand are done in petit point tapestry, with subtle details achieved by using different colors of thread.

September 24, 2017

Golden Treasures in Braddock is one of my favorite estate and consignment shops, and sometimes they're open on Sundays. My Dad worked at Anheuser Busch in St. Louis MO for most of his career, and I grew up with the Budweiser logo. I also love neon signs. So I swooned when I saw this. And of course, who doesn't need more irridescent glass bead jewelry? Plus, everything was half-off!

• $50 - Budweiser neon sign
• $2 - Large stainless steel mixing bowl (not shown)
• $2 - 1 Quart Revere saucepan with a heavy bottom, unused (not shown)
• $8 - Glass necklace (with matching earrings not shown)

September 23, 2017

I only went to one sale, which was located in a big house in Point Breeze, the neighborhood that borders Squirrel Hill to the east. The owner had been involved in the arts, and the house was full of books. As a reader and a former librarian, I tend to collect books like pound puppies, and have to be careful not to overdo it. But I found several real treasures, including the big "Georgia O'Keefe" book, and "Fifty from the Trail", which is a rare, beautiful book of cowboy recipes published by Marlboro.

The sale was crowded and the books were very heavy, and at one point I walked off and left behind a glass ashtray, which I'd set down while looking at something else. Another lady picked up the ashtray when I'd left the room, but when I returned she gave it back to me, even though I said it wasn't necessary - fair's fair and I'd lost my chance. But she was a civilized human being and insisted, which I really appreciated. I hope a better treasure came her way to make up for it.

• $32 - Eight books
• $4 - Murano ashtray in pale citrine (because obviously I don't have enough glass, right?)

September 16, 2017

Observatory Hill is up north, across the Allegheny River. It's an interesting neighborhood I've only been through it a couple of times. It was a beautiful day and I had fun driving around and looking at the houses (check out the gargoyles in front of the house that was across the street!). The house was filled with antiques and beautiful things, including a stunning collection of costume jewelry, and I picked up some unusual pieces.

• $45 - Victorian brooch with amethyst
• $10 - Aquamarine vintage pin
• $18 - Wedgewoood porcelain pin
• $45 - Blue crystal Juliana brooch by Delizza & Elster. (When I saw it I realized that I already had one by the same company: the green one I call my Godzilla brooch that I bought last winter at Golden Treasures in Braddock for about $5.)
• $10 - Victorian bracelet with hand-made Murano glass beads

September 9, 2017

Total Google Maps fail trying to get to an estate sale in Port Vue, high above the Youghiogheny River, across from McKeesport. Maps literally took me to a cliff. Fortunately a couple of guys gave me directions and I found where I was going. And after all that, there was nothing at the sale to buy, so I went Golden Treasures in Braddock, PA, which is one of my favorite places to shop.

• $7 - Hand-painted floral fan. Paper with cutouts and rhinestones on a linen backing.
• $5 - Sandalwood, I assume from India. Look at all the little sequins!
• $5 - Pale, pale blue carnival glass with blue irridescence: swoon!

August 12, 2017

Mt. Lebanon, after Noon and everything was half off

• $16 - Pins!
• $7 - Murano glass bead necklace
• $6 - Blue enamel locket

August 6, 2017

All of these things came from the same house, which was located out in Thornburg. It was a Sunday, and the second day of a two-day sale, and everything was half off. The house was still PACKED, even though it was the second day. The basement was filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves with thousands of candle holders, all organized by color.

• $6 - Cameo music box. The top flips open and the inside is lined in powder blue velvet.
• $0.50 - "The Book of Indians", by Holling C. Holling (not shown)
• $3 - Grand piano box
• $7 - Art Deco compact by Volupté in almost perfect condition; a real find!
• $0.50 - Miniature bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume. This bottle represents one of the greatest product designs of the 20th century.
• $6 - (not shown) Starfish candleholder, 2 William Sonoma seashell mugs, and a hurricane-style candle holder covered in litht blue irridescent mosaic and seashells. V. pretty.