What was your most exciting antiqing/flea market/garage sale find ever?

[RebekahK]

I once found a little Steiff mountain goat at a street fair in rural Spain - cost 5 Euro!!!

[Madam Butterflye]

A Marques de Elorza Art Deco bracelet from France! I wish I could keep it but I'm currently selling it on e-bay to help with moving expenses! I've also seen 1 posted here for reference - having sold in 2007 for $375 or so! It's rhodium and stainless and very intricate/delicate in design. I can't wear it though as it's for a small wrist - but I can admire it, however . Oh well - I'm sure I'll find more Deco again! Equally - a 1901 Watson and Newell Silversmiths Flip Board Calendar designed by Margaret Armstrong with zodiac spoons and snippets of poetry by famous bards of the day on every page - appealed on many levels: Art Nouveau drawings, poetry, calendar, spoons, and zodiac symbols. I sold this one, too! I do have photos of it however! Anyway, I love Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs.

I got the bracelet at an Estate Sale and the calendar at my former local treasure trove for $2.99!!!!! The bracelet find I cannot disclose the price of right now for obvious reasons!!!!

[RebekahK]

Very cool! At least you have pictures of your finds, I photograph everything in my collection whether I sell the items or not - so in essence I have a collection, and a photography collection - of what I really love! <3

[MarkyMark2]

I'm kind of boring and like old records. One time on a family vacation in Michigan, I stumbled into an antique shop with hundreds of classic jazz albums from the 50's and 60's and the guy was selling them for like $1 or $2 a piece. From Miles Davis, to Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, he had tons of classics. I don't remember how much I spent but you usually don't come across so many in one spot for so cheap and great classic albums...

[solas]

I once picked up an antique African Fly Whisk that was made of ivory and elephant hair. I did not know what is was but listed it as a phallic symbot made of horn and elephant hair. I sold it for a 100 dollars. Apparaently it was rare, ancent and should have been a museaum peice. The collector who bought from me told me what it was after I sold it to him. I thought I did my home work on this one but I was looking in the wrong place. If only I had googled "whisk".

[tinfoilhat]

Rebekah, you will appreciate this. I mostly do auctions, not flea markets or garage sales. My best-ever auction purchase was a Steiff Max and Moritz in pretty good condition for $55 plus the buyer's premium. This was after I had gotten outbid on all the crappy dolls that were there. Nobody knew what they were. Stuart Holbrook of Theriault's likes to say "The more you know, the luckier you are." He is certainly right!
TFH

[sandfisher]

One of my favorites is a Hull Vase - U.S.A HULL ART L-A 8 1/2 In perfect condition
$4 purchase. The book value is $200 - $225

LAC.jpg

[RebekahK]

Sweet find indeed!

[sunpower2010@hotmail.com]

scan0008.jpg Hi everyone, my parents found this at a garage sale and paid 7 dollars for it back about 25 years ago.

[RebekahK]

Now that is awesome!