I did it. I finally bit the bullet and put the ad for Daddy's car on eBay for this week. I had so hoped that someone local would buy it, but we don't live in an affluent area, and all that most people saw was an old car. Those who did appreciate what a unique automobile it is can't afford it. So, after having it on Craigslist for a week with no inquiries, it was time to try eBay. After all, we have a Feedback rating of 1187 there, and an excellent reputation.
I don't like the format that eBay uses for selling automobiles at all, and really do think my own website presentation of Daddy's car is a thousand times better. But, it's a matter of getting the right person to see it.
I put the ad together and then spent about a half hour talking myself into and out of and then into pushing the button to submit it. There's no doubt about it. It has been so much harder for me to give up that car than I would ever have anticipated. Much, much harder than the house, since one of our daughters bought it.
You might wonder why I chose to put a photo of the engine on this post. If you have ever taken the time to look at some of the listings on eBay for vintage cars, you would know that most of the time they look like rusty pieces of junk, unless someone has already restored it and is selling it for up in the 20 and 30 thousand dollar range, with some much higher than that.
The contrast between the way Daddy took care of this engine and the way most of the other engines look that are up for bid is dramatic.
So, I really do hope it sells this week. If it doesn't I'll have to go through that emotional struggle again deciding to re-list it or not.Labels: 1969 Chevrolet Caprice, childhood memories, Classic Automobile, Daddy's Cars, eBay, nostalgia, selling a car, vintage
Back some time ago I wrote about getting Daddy's car back in running condition and putting it out in the yard with a FOR SALE sign on it. We posted a FIRM price on it, so we would not be bothered by lots of local folks thinking it might be a $500 car. We have had plenty of people stop, a few who sounded like they would be back with the money almost immediately, a couple who seemed to really appreciate what a gem it is, and some who wanted to customize it and ruin it, as far as I was concerned.
None of the local people who had always said they wanted to buy it when Daddy died have shown any interest in doing so. Wishful thinking.
So, since we will be having a big Yard/Estate Sale next month some time, it seems like it is time to start really trying to sell the car. We still have not put it in the paper, because I just wasn't as ready to part with it as I thought I was. I finally took lots of pictures of it this week. I couldn't resist giving the trunk a parting caress as I came back in the house. It's almost like saying goodbye to Daddy all over again. I have been working the last couple of days on putting up a website about the car, so I am coming to terms with the fact that we really are going to sell it.
It was sad and fun at the same time for me to go back and re-read all of the posts I wrote about some of Daddy's cars, starting with his first automobile in 1914 up to this, his last one, and I put the link to this post in the sales page, so collectors and those who enjoy nostalgia could enjoy reading them, too.
9 Year Old Driver! Vintage Auto Memories Part I
First Driver's License - Vintage Auto Memories Part II
Life Before the Bottom Fell Out - Automobile Memories Part IV
Just Married - Automobile Memories Part V
Daddy's Idea of a Vacation
Burma Shave, Stuckeys & Hand Surfing Memories
The Year Daddy Hated to Drive to Chicago
1969 Chevrolet Caprice - His Last Automobile
Selling Daddy's Car
I am glad I decided to make the website, as I posted almost 60 photos, so I will always be able to revisit it any time I want to, for as long as I want to.
It may have a new owner sometime in the future, but it will always be "Daddy's Car."Labels: 1969 Chevrolet Caprice, childhood memories, Classic Automobile, Daddy, Daddy's Cars, Estate Sales, FOR SALE, nostalgia, selling a car, vintage
One of our readers has been trying to figure out what this unusual vintage item is.
I found your blog and noticed that it mentioned that if someone was looking for a 'particular vintage collectible' to contact you. I'm kind of working in reverse... I'm wondering if you would know what this item is...
Its total length is no more than 6 inches. I'm really at a loss, and would appreciate any help you can offer. Or if you can direct me to someone that could help, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
Sheila
The first thing that popped into my mind was that this is part of a desk set from the quill pen era. They used fine sand in a container to pour on the paper, so the ink would dry without smearing.
The other thing that came to mind is some kind of unusual open salt, back when people didn't use salt shakers at the dinner table.
I did suggest that Shelia email Kovel's Komments, on the chance they would choose her object to identify for their free newsletter. If you know another place that might be able to help, please let us know.
OK, I put out my guesses.... now it's YOUR TURN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS????Labels: collectibles, collecting, Dirty Butter Estates, heirloom, identifying antiques, nostalgia, vintage
SANTA .... He's EVERYWHERE!!
We have always had a lot of fun finding unusual items at Estate Sales on our Friday Date Day, but this little Santa decoration caught my eye, and the more we looked at it, the more unusual it appeared. If you click on the picture, you will see that all of the dolls in Santa's stockings have sad faces! Doesn't that seem strange to you?
So, it's not surprising that it was a Santa collector who bought him from us on eBay. I struck up a conversation with Brian, and asked him if I could share some of the pictures of his collection that he sent to me. He plans to write a book about Santa collecting, and it looks like he has plenty to write about!
Labels: childhood memories, Christmas, Christmas decorations, collectibles, Date Day, Estate Sales, nostalgia, Santa, vintage
Sometimes we find old things at Estate Sales that just flood my thoughts with childhood memories. One such item we found not long ago was a Tommee Tippee set of an old food dish and child's drinking cup. They were definitely used a lot, and this cup does not have the sippy lid, but the old decals with the teddy bear were enough to send me into a nostalgic reverie. I used the weighted round bottom double handle cups with our own children, but this set is quite possibly from when I was a small child, and could very well have been like a set that I would have used.
I tried hunting down some history on the Westland Plastics Co. that made these way back when, but had no luck. Most of the weighted vintage cups that I could find on the Internet were assumed by the sellers to be from the 50's, but my immediate nostalgic reaction to this set would place it in the early 40's.
So, does this set look familiar to you? Can you help me place an age on them? I'd love to hear your stories about how old things like this can evoke powerful memories.Labels: 1940's, childhood memories, Estate Sales, nostalgia, Tommee Tippee, vintage
Carnival Glass collecting involves a lot of reading, research, and spending time studying examples of the original pieces, in order to tell the reproductions from the originals. With that said, we received this email recently from someone who was looking at our Dirty Butter Estates items on eBay, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to be able to answer our reader, who is also named Rosemary. If you could help her out, I'm sure she would really appreciate any information or suggestions for resources she might use to find a picture for her mother to see.In the late 1920's early 30's my mother won a carnival glass dish/bowl by tossing a coin in the dish. She had the dish for many years but it got broken. My sister and I have been looking for one for years. My mother said it was about 6-8 inches across and plain. She describes it something like a console bowl. She said it had lines underneath and rounded down at the top. I saw something on e-bay that might be it, but not sure. It is a salad bowl. Do you know of anything like this?
Rosemary
If you or a friend is knowledgeable in this area of collecting, I'd appreciate it if you would post a comment, or send this post to your friend.Labels: Carnival Glass, collecting, Dirty Butter Estates, eBay, hobbies, nostalgia, vintage
Every once in a while when we find something unusual at an Estate Sale, we buy it, even though we don't have a clue what it might be worth, just for the education it can give us when we do the research.
This glass oven ware pan was just such a find last week, that I couldn't resist. What intrigued me was the big logo in the bottom with the cursive name of Mary Dunbar in it. I had never heard of that name before, but when I did the research on her, I found some very interesting information. I even found a forum where her grand daughter was chatting about what her grandmother had accomplished!
It seems that Mary Dunbar was the name given to the Jewel Tea Co.'s spokesperson in the 1920's. The lady who went by that company name was the head of the company's test kitchen, and wrote a series of cookbooks and a monthly newsletter. She is credited with the invention of the 7 minute icing recipe. There was even a Mary Dunbar seal of approval, much like the Good Housekeeping seal of today.
It seems that the Jewel Tea Co. put coupons in with their various spices and tea products, and those coupons could be redeemed for various household goods. The most well known of these was the Hall China Co. Autumn Leaf pattern china and related items. This pattern in highly collectible today. Our loaf pan was probably one of those premium items.
We have this Mary Dunbar pan listed on eBay now, if you're interested.
Premium items used to be so common. Banks gave you clocks and toasters for joining, and Service Stations gave out knives with fill-ups. I'm sure you can think of a lot more such give-aways. The customer was KING in those days. Now you're lucky if you get a pen with the company name on it, or a refrigerator magnet!!
Hmmmmmm .... something's changed over the years, hasn't it?? Now, it seems as if the mentality of most businesses and clerks is that they are doing us a favor by deigning to do business with us. I liked it better the way it used to be, thank you very much!!Labels: 1920, Dirty Butter Estates, Estate Sales, Jewel Tea Co., Mary Dunbar, nostalgia, Premiums, recipe, vintage
As I've said before in other posts, my Daddy always dated everything in his life by what car he was driving at the time. The last car he had was his 1969 Caprice, which he always said he bought when our younger DD was born. LOL
He babied and pampered that car, wiping down the engine, checking the oil and water, and generally making sure it was in tip top shape before he drove it anywhere. It was always kept in a garage, and the only place there's any flaw at all on the finish is back where he put his hand on the trunk when he filled the gas tank. For some reason that part of the finish faded, so Daddy tried to even the paint out, but not successfully. He had put duct tape on the driver's door handle a long time ago, too, because of a tear. But other than that, the whole car looks like it hasn't been broken in yet, even though it has about 133,000 miles on it.
The old girl has been sitting patiently in the garage for a long time now. Daddy used to start it up every few days, even after I quit driving it, but then one of the brake cylinders leaked. After that, it's just been sitting.
We have several people who have expressed an interest in buying it from me, so I've called the local mechanic to go get it and get it back in good running condition. It's kind of sad to be thinking about getting rid of it, knowing how Daddy felt about his cars, but I don't have a desire to keep it, either.
The car is so old that Daddy didn't have a Title for it, so I called the county license office to see what I needed to do. The clerk said all I needed to do was make out a Bill of Sale for it. So that means I don't have to deal with the State DMV to get a Title for it, and I'm glad of that.
It should be interesting to see if any of those people who have ooohed and ahhhed over the car over the years, who said they would want to buy it, really will be interested. Of course, it will sell for a good bit, since it's so old and in such good shape. In fact, it will likely sell for considerably more than Daddy paid for it!Labels: 1969 Chevrolet Caprice, Daddy, Daddy's Cars, nostalgia, vintage
Some of the treasures I always look for when we go to Estate Sales are any really pretty or unusual aprons. While everyone else is busy with the furniture or china, I'm rummaging through kitchen drawers or stacks of linens in the back bedroom. I buy them all - the everyday aprons, home made preferably, the cute handkerchief aprons, fancy party aprons that never saw a kitchen stove, and the big coverall kind that often have stains on them.
So, what's the attraction? I think it's because I always associate aprons with my Grandmother and Mama. Both loved to cook, plus my grandmother dressed up every day. So she always wore the big coverall kind. I have trouble seeing her in my mind without an apron LOL. Just about the only time she didn't have one on was when she went somewhere.
Mama always used the half apron type, but one was always on the ready, hanging from the towel rack. I'm hoping, when the time comes, that I'm going to find some of Mama's stuck back somewhere, but I don't really expect to find any. Mama was not a keeper - she was a neat freak, so when she got older and didn't cook fancy any more, she probably used them as rags and got rid of them.
When they're all ironed up and laid out for picture taking to add to my descriptions on eBay, they make quite a display of domesticity, and they always carry me back to Grandmother's and Mama's kitchens, and big hugs that buried my face in their sun scented cotton aprons.Labels: aprons, childhood memories, eBay, Estate Sales, nostalgia, vintage
It's really funny what odd little bits and pieces of the past linger with us over the years. One of my memories from my grandmother's home in Chicago is of a little china creamer. I can see it in my head as if I had used it just yesterday. It was a squat little pitcher, with a short trunk as a pouring spout and the tail became the handle. His bulging sides became the bowl of the creamer, and I remember that the details of his head were outlined in pastel pinks and blues.
It wouldn't do for Grandmother to pour milk into my glass from the milk bottle. No, she would put the milk in the little pitcher, and I would oh so happily pour the milk into my glass or on my cereal through that wonderful spout. I even remember just drinking straight from the elephant's trunk. Why it turned ordinary milk into such a treat, only a child could completely understand. But it was special to me, turning the mundane into magic.
Grandmother and Granddaddy moved from Chicago to Birmingham, where we lived, when I was 14. I was busy adjusting to High School, and, for the time being, relics of my childhood were not on my mind. So, there are several things from their Chicago home that were left behind that I wish now I had had the good sense to ask for. That little elephant would be at the top of my list.
I've looked at many little elephant pitchers at Estate Sales, hoping to one day find MY elephant, but so far I've been disappointed by each one. What made him different from others I've seen is hard to put into words, but I know I'll recognize this childhood friend of mine when I see him.Labels: Birmingham, Chicago, childhood memories, elephant creamer, Estate Sales, Grandparents, vintage
When I think back over my childhood, one of the images I see is of Mama doing her yearly washing of all the lace curtains in our house. I don't remember if she washed them in the washing machine or in the bathtub, but it's the drying ritual that left such as indelible memory in my mind's eye.
This tedious chore had to be done in pretty weather on a Saturday. First, Daddy would haul the frames out of the garage for stretching the wet lace on. All around the outside wooden frame were hundreds and hundreds of little spikes, sticking up in a row. I remember helping Mama to put her curtains on these torture racks. I'd pull the bottom ones, while she pulled the top ones. Each outside loop of the lace was pulled until it fit over one of the spikes. On and on we tugged and stretched, until the whole curtain was attached to the frame. Left leaning against the clothesline in the sun, it didn't take long for the beautiful white curtains to dry.
The sun did its magic, so the pattern of the lace was perfectly symmetrical, with no need for any ironing. And they smelled great, too! If you've never hung clothes out to dry in the sun, you have no idea just how wonderful clothes can smell!!
In this day of wash and wear fabrics, it's hard to imagine anyone going to this much effort for curtains. And Mama wasn't a stay at home housekeeper, either. She had a full time job as long as I can remember. We did have a maid, who cooked, cleaned, and stayed with me until they got home from work, but these precious lace curtains were always something she took care of herself.
Maybe that's one of the reasons I'm drawn to look at any delicate lace that we find at Estate Sales. Sometimes we luck up on a beautiful piece that is not high priced, and they always sell quickly and with a nice price. I must not be the only one who associates fine lace, doilies, and cutwork with precious memories of days gone by.Labels: childhood memories, Estate Sales, lace curtains, vintage, vintage lace
It's very rare for me to blog about any of the vintage items that we sell online, but I think I'm becoming quite taken with the DAHER collectible tins of various shapes, made in England in the early 70's. I've gotten to where I can spot one from across the room when we go on our Friday Date Day and rummage around at the Estate Sales.
If you're curious to see what other DAHER pieces we have on eBay right now, just take a look here. Do you have any of these tin canisters, trays, or bowls at your house? Or maybe your parents had some of these pieces? Do they bring back any memories for you?Labels: childhood memories, collectible tins, DAHER, eBay, nostalgia, online sales, vintage
Donald Douglas,
jan,
help?
