Lions and Brahmas and Ponies

Oh my!  I have so many titles for this post.  “I love Missouri”, “Wowzers” and “Best Day Ever” top the list.  Aside from mom having the con-crud and the continued heat and humidity it was a wonderful antiquing day.  Before getting to the good stuff I will show a few helpful hints on what not to do when selling or shopping.

I loved this log cabin set up, but the dealer wanted to sell everything together, including about half again as much behind the cabin, for one price.  There were some nice figurines in the deal, but I think it will be quite a long time before they can find someone to take everything on this table.  It is a nice idea to keep everything together, but from the mish-mash of ages and styles I don’t thing everything started out together to worry about completeness.

Next we have an example of how not to display items for sale.  There were more horses underneath the pile in the suitcase.  Each horse was $12-$40, and if you want that kind of money, display them in a way that does not damage the merchandise!  Sheesh, it may have seemed like a clever concept, but do it with something that doesn’t scratch and break!

This display of chairs made me wonder who the dealer thought was going to buy them.  Chairs are practical items, and none of these were display-worthy Chippendale.  If I am interested in buying a chair I want to sit in it to see how sturdy it is.  I wouldn’t even bother finding someone to take one down to try out as there was so much stuff in front it would take major rearranging to get to them.

Finally we have a how not to shop moment – don’t walk by very common items without taking a closer look.  Years ago I started forcing myself to slow down and study or pick up every horse shaped object I saw.  I have found wonderful things like nightlights and chalkies that aren’t apparent in a walk-by of a booth.  In this case the innocent looking Misty is actually a glossy 4-eye Misty!

Hope you were sitting down before scrolling to this picture.  Yep, I had a VERY good day.  You can see in the picture why collectors call this version the 4-eye Misty.  Only the very early models have the white circle around the left eye.  The Brahma is not only glossy, he is CHALKY!!!  I pulled a picker maneuver, saw the HR Mountain Lion in a showcase, glanced at the HR German Shepherd and offered the dealer a bundle price.  He took it and I did the happy dance.  Both are mint and the dog has wonderful early eye and face detailing.  I am also happy about the Mold-a-Rama Brookfield Zoo lion and elephant as I don’t often find these inexpensively and in good condition.  The Christmas ornament is very desirable with the shooting stars and planets.  Oh, and there is a Beswick, Small World CWP, leopard appaloosa Western Prancer, and a very nice parrot hanging planter in there as well.  A very good day indeed!

On to mom’s purchases.  I am very happy, and think our finds from today are my favorite of the trip if not the last few years.  The vintage pantyhose in original box is very popular.  The toy drum with Indian graphics is in great condition and very cool.  The Faygo cans have such great art, one with skier and one western theme, with pull tabs and pure retro goodness.  The fish plates are always popular, and sell very quickly.  In the middle are three “Bar Hounds”, so very cute and in great condition.  The blue kitten plate is Westmoreland Glass.  There are car glasses, an oil can, toy car on original card, Artesania Rinconada cat, Southwest Airlines puzzle – just an amazing day of finds.

On to Kansas tomorrow, hope our picking luck keeps up!