Vintage Thursday: Recent Finds

One of the advantages of being a traveling storyteller is that I find neat little out-of-the-way shops in my travels. I've been fortunate lately to make some good finds.

First are these lovely lamps. They're not real stained glass of course; they're made in China but I adore them. They were priced at $12.99 each, but the day I was there, all lamps were half price. Lucky me! The worker there said the lamps had just been put out for sale moments before I came in; two other women tried to buy them before I could get them to the register.

My original intent was to re-sell them, but when I put bulbs in and turned them on, I knew they were staying right here.

 I've found some beautiful Early American Pattern Glass here and there. I do love finding these dishes and identifying the patterns. It can take hours and sometimes I will look for days before I find the name, and it is always a thrill when I finally identify it.

This piece is a pattern called Wildflowers; it was made by Adams company in Pittsburgh around 1874. This plate is in almost perfect condition. With the age of pattern glass pieces, it's not unusual to find some chips and other damage and a perfect piece is fairly rare. I found only one small chip on this.

This pretty creamer is in the pattern called Ruffles, made by U.S. Glass around 1891. I like the bubbles in the glass. Although bubbles in newer glass are considered undesirable, they are commonplace in old glass.

I was stunned at the price on this lovely covered butter dish in the Portland pattern, also made by U.S. Glass. Sometimes people think this glass is cheap new glass because it is heavy and there may be rough edges from the molds used back when this process was still being developed.

Another surprising find was this bowl in the Panelled Acorn pattern, made by Portland Glass around 1874. I paid $1 for it; I don't know its value but I'm sure it's worth more than that.

Another view of the bowl, but it doesn't do it justice.

This old piece was really being abused at the flea market where I found it. It was very dirty and had a collection of oddments in it. I asked, and the guy said, "You can have it for $1." I took it. This old piece was made in Wellsburg, WV by the Riverside Glass Company in the 1880's. It should have a rounded lid that completes the circle started by the base. The pattern is called Center Medallion, not very creative but certainly nice to look at. It has issues--a fairly large chip on the base, two small cracks inside the glass, and paint speckled on it. But I love it even with its faults and will be searching for a lid for it. Will I sell it? Probably not. I doubt it has much value in its condition, except to me. There is one listed on eBay now (not mine), complete with lid, so if you're curious to see what the complete item looks like, you can see it here.

 Not everything I found was EAPG, of course.

At the place where I have my new booth, I found this gorgeous green Depression glass berry bowl set, made by Hazel Atlas

 The color is really intense; it shows better when the bowls are stacked. I believe this is the "uranium glass" that glows in a black light, but I need to get a blacklight to test it.

 

 

These candlesticks are a bit more modern--1950's to be exact. These sell well and for good prices on eBay IF they are in perfect condition. The chrome on these needs some real cleaning, and the lucite on one appears foggy in one place so I'm not sure if I can get them back to original condition. If I can, I will make an excellent profit; if I can't I will still make a very good profit on them so it will be worth the elbow grease.

These copper kettles also need elbow grease. I've washed them both and begun cleaning one of them. They were filthy! These were Goodwill finds; I think someone had them on top of a cabinet and never cleaned them. I still have a lot of work to do to get them clean.

This is the pattern called Gay Fad, made by a company called Bartlett Collins around 1950. It looks brand new, inside and out. It's actually much prettier than my poor picture.

I'm still researching these lamps. The gold flowers are added on, not painted, and there is a sticker on one of the lamps that says "V V Made in France." They are quite heavy. I haven't cleaned them up yet, and have no idea of their age but I liked their shape and style.

I liked the shape of this tall Japan-made pitcher too--another flea market find. And last is this sweet little sugar and creamer. My gut tells me this is EAPG but I haven't researched them. There are chips on both pieces but at less than 80 cents for the pair I could not pass them up. They'll probably be in my kitchen, my morning tea companions.

I hope you've had some happy hunting and good finds lately too!

Linking to these friends: Colorado Lady, Apron Thrift Girl, Her Library Adventures, From my Front Porch to Yours and A Coastal Charm. Check them out to see lots of great thrifting finds and vintage items!

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.