We Have Your Collectibles: Home Of Fair Oaks Antiques
You Want Antiques, Vintage, & Collectibles; We've Got 'Em
I’ve been busy writing a lot of eBay Guides — my most recent one was inspired by this vintage Christmas tree stand my folks have for sale. I just knew it should be reborn and repurposed as a decorative piece! Other cool ideas and inspiration in that post comes from Laurel of Chipping With Charm. Her site is a real treat to visit!
Hubby has been listing a number of classic film cameras for auction on eBay. (For some of us, it is easier to call film cameras “classics” that to face the hard fact that film cameras are “vintage” or even “relics” — but in this digital age, they are! In fact, even imperfect cameras and lenses have value as parts because there’s no one making them anymore!)
There’s more still to be listed, including camera filters and whatnot, so please keep an eye out on our listings! Thanks!
PS We also went to an auction on Saturday and got something spectacular. Not to tease too much, but we will be sharing details soon. Meanwhile, you can see lots of photos of what we spotted (but did not buy) at that auction here. (There are links in that post to lots of other photos too — so click-click!)
Gosh, this week has flown by! I spent the week helping my folks, aka Antiquips, of No Egrets Antiques, with their latest estate sale. It was a very large estate, just full of Asian art & decor — including this set of vintage Bronzeware flatware. (Yes, flatware comes in bronze!) It was amazing how much we sold! However, after five sale days, there’s still this fabulous rosewood breakfront with carved dragons and a mid-century modern secretary with plenty of display space for your mid-century modern pottery and other pieces. (The flatware chest and Bronzeware is still available too.)
After all that, this weekend is the last Elkhorn Antique Flea Market of the season! Here’s just some of the goodies we brought.
Stop by and see my parents and I in both #216. We’d love to see you!
All of this reminds me that the entire summer has flown by!
Pretty soon it will be time for the October issue of the Dolls By Diane newsletter — just what will I have in store for you to learn about dolls this Halloween?! Could it be even more creepy dolls? You’ll have to wait (and subscribe!) to see!
While the weather may be putting a damper on the flea market season, antiquing never really ends!
We have a shelf in one of the glass cases at Exit 55 Antiques (Fergus Falls, MN) and recently put in a whole bunch of vintage dollhouse furniture (along with a few dolls, some vintage children’s books, etc.) The furniture was made by Marx, Superior, Multiple Products Company and others.
My favorites are the two-piece bed set, the little green lamp, and the little console (featuring a TV and a turntable).
Among the “etc.” are a pair of vintage cake toppers. One is a bull and bullfighter; the other, a pair of teenagers talking on telephones.
Some pieces have already sold. If you are interested, please contact us. Or call the shop directly at between 10 am and 5 pm (Central time). We will ship!
Joseph and his wife were about to celebrate their first anniversary. Like any good husband, he wanted to give his wife Julie a special gift. In this case, it was a vintage typewriter as the couple had recently attended an event which celebrated the typewriter and Julie became smitten with them. (This is part of a larger typewriter trend!) However, Joseph isn’t just any good husband — he’s an awesome husband.
When difficulties arose in getting the first typewriter he ordered to arrive as a surprise at the hotel, he contacted us at our Etsy shop to see if we could overnight our Olivetti-Underwood typewriter to them. Who are we to stand in the way of True Love? Heck, we love happy beginnings as much as happy endings! So we hustled our behinds to make it happen, including typing a personal message from Joseph to his lovely bride. Not only did the anniversary gift arrive on time, but just in time for the couple’s arrival at the hotel. We know, because Joseph texted us to say so — complete with a photo!
Everything worked out perfectly, it was waiting in our room when we arrived. Thanks so much for your care in getting this to me, and for typing the note.
We are so glad it all worked out and so proud to have been a part of their love story!
Thanks, Joseph and Julie, for letting us share your story — and, again, happy anniversary and best wishes for a wonderful life!
PS Just look at their cute baby!!
My parents, of No Egrets Antiques, were credited on this week’s episode of American Pickers on the History Channel!
Their name appeared in the credits as part of the “Archives Provided By” team of experts, which meant they had helped Mike, Frank, and the crew with some research and photographs used on the show. The specific item my folks helped with was an S.S.S For The Blood bucket which Mike discovered on a pick.
My folks were found by the television show staff based on this article my mom had written for Collectors Quest, back when we were all paid staff writers. Here’s an excerpt from that article:
the S.S.S. stood for Swift’s Southern Specific and that this was one of America’s oldest pharmaceutical companies, founded in 1826. Their first product was the S.S.S. Tonic, used for blood. So, it was indeed an advertising piece. Now on to its purpose. We found an exact replica of this pail which had sold at auction a few years back, although no price was available. It was intended as a string holder! You would place the ball of string in the bottom, with a piece that would trail out of the opening. These were handy devices used for wrapping items that sold in the pharmacy. It was placed on the counter top with a nearby roll of paper and you’d use the string to secure it.
That article also included photos of the old pharmaceutical advertising item, also shared on the show.
And here you can see No Egrets Antiques in the credits! (Psst, you can also find my folks goodies at eBay and Etsy.)
Just finished my doll articles for the Dolls By Diane newsletter. This time, I write about a large doll I literally was shocked to find —
Slumped like that on the floor, I thought she was a person at first! She’s an old Martha Chase doll; but to find out more you’ll need to read the article. *wink* The other article I wrote was a reader’s request, about Effanbee’s Dy-Dee Dolls and the famous Aunt Patsy who visited doll shops and the like to promote the dolls. If you hurry up and subscribe to the Dolls By Diane newsletter, you’ll get them delivered to you when they are published. (If not, contact me & I will forward the latest issue to you!)
Early in May, we sold a bunch (but not all) of our old dairy cream separator funnels or cones in our Etsy shop to a lady in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada.
The lady was Kat, called “Kat in the Hat” (she’s from Medicine Hat, remember — isn’t that cute?!), and she had a project idea based on something she saw on the side of the road…
Here’s the story from Kat:
My journey with The Whirlygig
It started out with a trip to the Dairy Queen with my son Chris when we spotted this thing on someones front lawn. I took a picture. I knew I had to make one. I had no idea where to start. I went to work the next day and talked to an old fella named Wayne about it as I had no clue what those cone looking things were. Within 20 minutes Wayne came and found me and said it sounded like old cream separators. Then to the internet and found Deanna’s photo from her Etsy Shop and sure enough that was them. I was so excited I ordered them right away. I scored 2 bike wheels off kijiji from a fella named Clark that fixes up bikes for kids in his neighborhood. I found the pipe in a dumpster of scrap metal at Bud’s Auto repair. I wanted a fancy weather vane directional for the top but those things are way to expensive so back to work (Value Village) and found a metal fish and painted it black. This whole project has been quite an adventure of meeting some really interesting people. Then came the build which wasn’t very easy as I had no instructions to follow but I persevered and step by step it came to be the most fun project I have ever done. My Name is Kat and I want to thank everyone who had a part in this most fun build.
I think it turned out to be so cool looking, don’t you?
You can keep up with Kat and her projects by following her Pinterest board.
The copyright for all whirlygig photos belongs to Kat in the Hat; used here with her permission.
First we scored this sweet little vintage red and white Coast-King tricycle…
It’s a Coast-to-Coast bike.
Then, just a couple of weeks later, we scored another vintage Coast-to-Coast bike.
This one is a Columbia bike and it looks pretty snazzy up on the wall as art, American Pickers‘ style.
I especially like the depth of placing some vintage hubcaps on the wall, so you can see them through the spokes in the bike’s wheel.
The old Milwaukee license plate is still on it. Note the year: 1954.
Both vintage bikes are currently at Exit 55 Antiques; please call the shop directly at (218) 998-3088 for more information at (Shop is open 10 – 5 everyday, Central Time.)
PS We also have some old bike wheels in our spot outside at Exit 55 too.
PSS We also had a retro Apollo banana seat bike; but it sold in the first hour we were at the Elkhorn flea. Photo here.
It’s only the half-way mark, and yet this month has been exhausting! Last week, we went picking — everyday. It was the annual “garbage week” here in Fargo, and you wouldn’t believe the stuff some people toss out! This is one week that proves one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. (Of course, not all of it was great; but that’s what makes picking work. That, and the lifting and cleaning of items.)
Among the finds, a sweet child’s chair, painted pink.
Of course, there was lots of other rusty relics too. We put many of those in our space outside of Exit 55 Antiques, Fergus Falls, MN. (You can see a photo of some of them on our Facebook page here. Don’t forget to “like” us!) While we were there, we also updated our booth space.
That update included this vintage barbecue display too. (If you wonder who Fair Oaks Antiques is at Exit 55, or at Antiques On Broadway in downtown Fargo, just look for the items marked “EQ” or ask to see the stuff from dealer “EQ”.)
While out picking, we also found lots of old windows and screens. The screens have inspired a project idea, which, when we have some down time I will share; but it’s certainly not down time now — we have the Elkhorn Antique Flea Market this weekend!
So we are leaving for the drive to Wisconsin today. (We were too busy trying to pack the van full — more work, ack! — so I don’t have any photos to preview what we are bringing this time. But photos will be posted on Facebook this weekend.)
We hope to see you in Elkhorn; but if not, you can see what we recently added to our main Etsy shop. Like the charming yellow vintage Princess sewing basket and the antique cobblers’ shoe or boot last.
There’s also some reading you could do…
I am still writing about antique and collectible dolls for the Dolls By Diane newsletter. In January, I wrote a very special piece about boys and dolls which I was graciously allowed to post at my antiques and vintage collectibles site, Inherited Values. I’d love to hear what you think about it.
Other past doll articles: In February, I wrote about The Kewpie Doll; in April, it was Simon & Halbig Dolls. If you’d like to read these dolls articles, contact the folks at Dolls By Diane — or send me your email address and I will forward a copy of the issue with the article you’d like to read to you. (And don’t forget to subscribe to the Dolls By Diane newsletter so you don’t miss future doll articles!)
Again, we hope to see you at Elkhorn!
