Treasures Found! - An Enlightening Experience

In the early 1990s, I was picking one summer afternoon, driving east of Winnipeg, and ended up in the northern Ontario town of Kenora.

I ended up walking into the local hardware store, which still retained it's beautiful, original oak, turn-of-the-century interior, in all its glory.  My mind went to the treasures the building MUST hold...

But, as it turned out, after a good hour of scoping things out, this was not going to be the superb pick I had in my mind when I first walked in.

The aged owners, despite keeping the interior all original, had a prosperous & modern business where they kept a very up to date inventory. All new, fresh shiny inventory graved every inch and area of the place. Nothing of any real age was displayed, aside from a few store fixtures & store displays that were in use, and not a single one would they entertain selling.   It was quite a contrast, the oak cabinetry that lined the walls, and the modern inventory that it showcased. But, it was an old school, working hardware store, and it still held that magic feeling of a place time forgot.

They had made good use of the 3 story building. Even the full basement they turned into retail space for their wares.  However, despite their efforts, it turned out the place still held a few vintage trinkets.....but only on the third floor, in a tiny former storage room, frequented by only by the most curious of customers who bothered to venture up the steep worn staircase. It wasn't be retained as storage.... no, the merchandise in there was on display for sale, also!  They were certainly utilizing every inch of space in that store for inventory display! I did spot an attic door which I never did get to venture through, so who knows what it held...though, it may have been as empty and sparse as the little storage room I was in.

From the little former storage room I purchased some odd items....some NOS jockstraps from the 1970s, a bit of common depression glass, and I even pulled a couple old light bulbs from a crate on the bottom shelf. The crate was chock full of the thick-with-dust, obsolete, delicate glass & brass pieces, each carefully fitted in its own cardboard sleeve. To my surprise, each one I pulled out had a little slip of paper glued to it, with the name of the very hardware store I was standing in. Looking at the darkened brass end, it was apparent there was no way they could be used in today's Edison style sockets. The had a hole in the center, and it was apparent that they screwed onto a rod, and down into a smooth sided socket.

They would make a neat souvenir of that pick, I thought. A quaint souvenir only, because who in the their right mind would want old light bulbs?

So, then time passed....a few years of time.

eBay came into my life in the following years, and out of novelty, I decided to put one of my Victorian light bulb souvenirs up for auction.

When it hit over $140, I realized I needed to make a trip back to that hardware store!

So, I went back, and it turned out the owners had been selling the bulbs as souvenirs of the store at their front counter!

Figuring they were asking much more for them now, and not remembering what the heck I had paid for my initial purchase of them, I casually asked how much they wanted for them...

The price was $2 each!

Keeping a stone face, but jumping inside, I went upstairs and went into the little room. I spotted the crate......Luckily for me, they obviously had been slow sellers, as there looked like there was nary a half dozen more missing from the crate since I had last seen it!

I brought the entire crate down..and when they counted them up, they ended up giving me a bulk purchase discount!

Apparently, I was now in the antique light bulb business....

I sold a few more on eBay, with the price dropping a little each time... as the niche market for this particular light bulb was slowly being saturated by my warehouse find.

Despite being still significant in number, I ended up getting about $65 a bulb from one buyer for the last of them.  You see, it turned out his immaculately restored Victorian home used the very sockets these bulbs fit into!

So, in the end, my $2-a-bulb purchase made me literally "thousands" of dollars!

So, the next time you see some item that you think it neat, but worth little, think again....educate yourself, do some research! Really, on the long list of things you would assume to be treasure, the lowly light bulb is certainly something you would have envisioned to be on that list!

Consider yourself enlightened!

Egged On

Seeing as it IS Easter and all, I thought an EGG-cellent story was in order. Yeah there was a little bit of CORN thrown in for good measure there...(get it? Chickens lay eggs and CORN = chicken feed?)

Ok, I admit, that last one really was a heck of a stretch....

Even though I have no funny, unusual, gross, (etc) picking stories that involve eggs (that I can recall) t hat makes it more difficult to do a post about eggs....but I am still managing to do a posting talking about eggs...and Easter.

You still with me?

Anyway, an Easter egg hunt is sort of like picking, right?

So, let's just go looking for some VALUABLE eggs, and other Easter related things of value we can add to our scope of knowledge...adding more to that long list of weird things we can pick, and maybe create a nest egg after the items are sold......!

Odds are most of us will never come across a REAL, antique Fabergé Easter egg....But, you never know, and if you at least know what to look for, maybe you WILL be one of the few who discover one of these beauties. Just remember I set ya on that when you do find one....Maybe drop a few hundred thousand of that profit into my "Tip Jar" on the blog here when you do find and sell one, ok?

I could also do a post about egg, rabbit, chick (etc) shaped paper mache candy containers, but I suspect there are already a million blog postings out there that have already done postings on those, especially at this time of year!

Let's stick the the unique, rare and extremely valuable, shall we?

There are all sorts of "collectible" Easter related items out there, from candy containers in all sorts of forms, from paper mache, to glass, to plastic, to cardboard, and on and on.

Yes, there are some rare ones that may command some extreme dollar figures. Pre WW1 German made, Paper Mache, highly detailed, finely made, antique, and mint condition pieces tend to be the ones that generally command high hundreds, even thousands, of dollars in collector circles.  But, take note that like with most other items in the collecting community, damage, missing pieces, discoloration, repairs, etc, etc all have negative effects on values....some more negative than others.

I try to be realistic in this blog, in that I don't spout how every "X" is worth big money.

Rarely is any "X" worth big money.

Only certain "Xs" are worth big money...and then only if you can get them to the right market, during the right time.

However, thinking back to being a kid, I know that finding "lesser" eggs during Easter morning was still a thrill.

The thrill is in the hunt, after all....just like picking.

Bargains For Me, Bargains for You!

 ________________________________

I admit it, I have a heck of a time passing up a bargain.

 

I can pass up a bargain, but when I see that it is priced well below value, I have to stop and think...

Sometimes thinking about the item much longer than others.

If I am "smart" that day, I will leave many of those "bargains" on antique shop showcases & where they are sitting on thrift store shelves, and yard sale tables.

The reason being is that I end up figuring out that the item really is not a bargain. 

Sure, the item is priced at $5, and well should be worth $50. 

However, it is only be worth $50.00 once it is sold for that....

And I have to clean it.

And store it.

And haul it around to a dozen antiques shows.

Wrap it.

Unwrap it.

Clean it again.

"Sell" it...IE: market it to a potential buyer, talk up the piece, etc.

And then find out they have one identical and were only interested in pricing out theirs.

*Sigh*

And start again....and on and on and on, 

Until such time that someone comes along, and is willing to buy it.

But only at a discounted price....

Sold! 

Finally!

But only for $30....

And I had to absorb the tax.

Now, did I realistically make any money on my $5.00?

Nope.

I always need to remind myself that my time is worth money, and so is my knowledge & experience.  I am where I am because I have "paid my dues" over many years.

I have tons and can get tons of inventory. I find stuff where others can not. I find the things at bargain prices, without being dishonest with people.

 I have many sources, connections, etc.  

Add that to my broad scope of knowledge, curiosity, and ability to get interested in vastly different subjects. 

I can go to an auction where the competition is fierce for the advertising items, and where it seems that there will be no bargains. I will end up bidding on a lot where the auctioneer is desperate to get a bid, and thanks me for taking it away for $2, and people in the crowd think I am nuts for buying that box lot of trash.

I smile and say to the auctioneer:

  "You're welcome...and ya owe me a beer."  

My smile is not entirely due to my joke, it is due to knowing there is a  $500 item in amongst the junk.  It is not an advertising piece, but  Staffordshire Pottery. Despite a couple small chips, it depicts unusual subject matter, and will be a quick flip for $250 to a fellow dealer, after taking some pictures and dropping him an email.

 I am good at what I do. 

And I work darn hard.

I am not rich, cash wise.... heck, I'm not even "well off" financially.


 Life happens, and it has "happened" in such a way that I am not exactly where I wanted/planned to be by now, at my age.

 Then again, being retired by 40 was my plan. 

Yes, I was extra optimistic at 20!


Anyway, the point is I have tons of inventory (literally!), and really do not want to deal with it all. I am tired of the grind of wrapping, unwrapping, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Yes, there is LOT$ of money to be made on that stuff.  However, I like..(wait just a minute...scratch "like")...I  PREFER a "quick flip", a fast sale, a bulk sale, a whole pile of stuff being sold at once to one person, etc, etc, etc....and I don't care that an item/items go out at  wholesale figures. I'm not greedy, I don't need, nor want top dollar for everything.

I have tons of inventory, and really need to get rid of it. I have no time to put it all out on shelves, clean it spic-and-span, package and price it, etc, etc.

It is time to cut my losses....the merchandise is fine, salable, and not junk.  But, all the bargains I bought and really are not bargains once I "do the work." Combine that with my market access. It is tough here, really, to sell many things.   

 I can buy some wonderful art glass at a heck of a bargain, but when it comes to selling it in the shop....well, that bargain is taking up space....and slowly becomes something that is costing me money. Yes, when the item takes up space for things that will sell quicker, that slow seller begins to cost you $$$$.

The odds are I will sell 20 old tin signs before anyone looks at the Orreffors vase.....grossly underpriced at $200......no one, that is, except the little old lady who looks at the price and gasps...or brings it over to the counter with a toonie ($2) in her hand.
So, my bargain hunting eye and years of buying, bidding & rooting around all over has caused an accumulation of stuff.....lots of  inventory.  
Darn good inventory (heck, GREAT inventory) if it gets to the right market.

What I am getting to here is thus:

 I am soon going to be offering much of my inventory at WHOLESALE and BELOW WHOLESALE prices.  

The catch is, a buyer has to buy a large lot. From a 2' x 2' boxful, to a gaylord container full, to a truckload.

Instant inventory for someone to sell at their store, flea market, auction, on eBay, whatever.  Cash in my pocket, potential profit in the buyer's pocket.  Did I mention I also hate doing eBay sales of anything these days?


PLUS, not only do I have vintage stuff galore, I also have "new" stuff, modern merchandise, army surplus stuff, and more. 

I did say I had a hard time passing up a bargain!  

So, soon you can buy lots bulk from me. 

I did the "heavy lifting"
 

 The "windshield time"
 

 The dirty work,

The dangerous work,

The loading & sorting

 

And not to mention  accumulating it into larger quantities of "like" items...all the stuff you'd spend tons of time doing, when all you want to do is sell, sell, sell!

I make some money for my work, you will make money for your work. 

Let's see how it works out!

  If you are interested in this opportunity, "Friend" me on Facebook.

And keep watching this blog, too!    
  

Pickin' Story Around a Globe

Long ago, when I first started picking for a living, I was driving down a road, just off a main highway, but still a well traveled, paved road. I spotted a 1950s gas bowser (electric gas pump) in a guy's farm yard with a sign still on it. This was/is unusual for being on such a well traveled route...usually in such cases, the stuff turns out to rarely ever be for sale.


I pulled in, and the owner came out of the house right away. I leaned out the window of my truck, and asked him if he would sell the sign off the gas pump. I figured he'd probably been asked 1000 times before, but I might as well make it 1001.

 He said "I don't think so." I asked if I could just take a look at it, and I' then make him an offer, and he could say yes or no.

He agreed.

I jumped out of my truck, took a look at the pump. It had two porcelain signs on it,  both Texaco Sky Chief, as well as two "This Pump Contains Leaded Fuel" (common $8 - $15 retail at the time..and only still as much). The Sky Chiefs were selling retail for about $85 each at the time. I told him I'd give him $85 for all 4 signs (a fair offer in any picker's book). He had a surprised look on his face when I made my offer, and I got the immediate impression that people had been hassling him for years to sell them...but for next to nothing.

He said he'd go and grab me a screwdriver, and I told him it was ok, I had one in the truck. While I was taking them off, he stood there, watching me work. He seemed to have a somewhat thoughtful look on his face, and after I had two of the signs off, he said,

"You know, I think I have the glass thing for the top of that".

My thought was "Ok, cool." He might have meant he had the flat glass inserts at the top front sides (maybe $15 retail for a Sky Chief one) or if I was very lucky, he had the globe that would go on the top of the pump.(a plain Sky Chief gas globe was worth about $300 - $350 retail at the time).


 The pump did have a factory insert covering the hole on the top, but no evidence that it had ever been off and a globe mounted over it. I wasn't overly optimistic he'd drag out anything other than a flat glass plate or 2.
So, I kept working away while he sauntered back to his garage. Almost done, taking off the final 2 small signs, I looked up, and.....

he was carrying a gas globe as he was walking towards me.....

but not a Sky Chief globe! It was a North Star ENERGY Globe (North Star was a Canadian company later bought out by Shell). The ENERGY globe happens to be far scarcer than Texaco Sky Chief globes.

 

SO, at the time, I had never had one before, and had no idea what it was worth. There were no reference books on Canadian globes (still really isn't), and most collectors were always pretty tight lipped about values.

I figured it had to be worth $400, so I told him that I figured it was worth $400 retail, and I'd pay him $200, and, because I wasn't 100% sure I was accurate on my thought of value, if I ended up selling it for significantly more I'd come back with half the difference.

 He agreed, and a deal was made.

Those were the days when I was picking with my grocery money, essentially, and trying to triple it to also cover my rent. Times were tough. Picking to pay the rent and eat. Picking was my income and entertainment. Forget being able to go to the movies. It went on like that for 2 years.

I managed to eventually sell the globe for $600 to a straight up, honest collector I was dealing with at that time. But, rent, groceries and the necessities of life gobbled it all up before I knew it. Life has a way of throwing you curves, especially when cash is in short supply.

I didn't forget. As far as I was concerned, I had an outstanding debt to pay. About two years later, I had some spare cash, and went back to that farmhouse with a $100 bill, and knocked on the door.

The farmer answered, and soon he remembered me, and the transaction. I then told him I had sold the globe for $600, and thus, I owed him $100, as per the deal we had made.

He was dumbfounded. He said that he didn't think I'd ever be back.

 I told him simply that I had made a deal, and I don't back out on my deals.

He graciously took the $100.

Then he said, "I'm retiring, and in the shed there are two trailers of stuff...the auctioneer told me not to sell anything before the auction, but you go in there, and pick out what ever you'd like to buy."

I picked out some cool stuff,including a steel Exide Batteries advertising tool holder, then ended up in his house's basement, where I bought a stack of McColl Frontenac letterheads.

McColl Frontenac is also commonly known as "Red Indian" - their logo was an Indian in full headdress - They were later bought by Texaco - and as a result of the great graphic image they used, and the fact they were Texaco's start into the Canadian market, their advertising is very sought after stuff.

 The letterheads had some goop on the top, bundling them together like a note pad, which made me hedge on price. The stuff was black and nearly rock-hard...some sort of tar. I told him I knew they were good, but the goop might just make them a tough sell, but I thought I may be able to remove it. I offered him $15, and told him the same thing I'd told him on the globe....If I got significantly more than $30 or $40, I'd be back with half the difference.

He smiled and said if I did do far better on them to just keep the extra cash.

It was a pick that I came away feeling very good from. And, yes, I happened to do very well on the letterheads in the end...and didn't even have to clean the goop off.

I know, some of you will say I am nuts, but it is just the way I roll. I believe in Karma.

Trust me, following that sort of method for many things is a good policy, and always works out well in the end, I assure you.
On a picking trip, pickers do buy more than a few things at some stops. Personally, like to fill my van if there is enough decent stuff there, and really make the stop worthwhile. Due to sheer bulk, their low price quotes, high price quotes, bulk purchases (IE: Box of interesting small junk you don't have time to go through right then, but drop an offer for on spec), you do over-pay for some things and you under-pay for some things. It comes out in the wash most of the time in those cases. If the piece is darn good, don't risk screwing up the deal by low balling on the price so you are "safe."  If they quote the price, and it is a good price, don't dicker...just buy it.
If it is insanely cheap, offer them a little more. That kind of gesture will come back to help you in the end...and possibly even within a few minutes or even seconds of putting it out there.

Some people figure that regardless of the price, they need to get it for less. If it is $10 they want it for $6. If it is a buck they want it for 50 cents....if it is 25 cents they want it for 10 cents...even when  the item is easily worth $50. I sometimes see these fools operating and think that if the item was marked FREE they'd tell the seller they wanted to be paid to take it away. I just glide in to the sale, scoop up the bargains and pay for them, while that kind of fool is making faces at the seller, poo-pooing the merchandise, trying to weasel the price down another dime.

Really, why would you waste your time like that?

I figure my time is worth more than those few cents or dollars. 

Plus, you need to have some class.

 So, while they are dickering their 25 cent purchase down to 10 cents at that estate sale, just keep picking up the $100 & $200 items priced at $2 each and thank the "greed gods" that person obviously happens to worship! 
Those sorts of people waste lots of time, and manage to make more enemies in a year than you will ever make by being honest and decent. 

Plus, the time they waste can end up becoming your advantage. 

So, with that, I tip my hat in thanks to all those people who low-balled the farmer with their offers on his Sky Chief signs!