The Dead Zone.

[Vinca]

That's what we ought to rename this forum. I guess it reflects the difficulty finding any "stuff" to get terribly excited about. I think I've lost my mind because I've decided to rent an additional booth at the group shop that includes some wall space for art work. My rule of thumb going into sales is always "go for the art first." You never know when something great will pop up. (A William Matthew Prior painting was found in a town 20 miles from me.) Of course, going for the art first means I've got a ton of nearly worthless paintings, prints and pictures. I just sent some photos of a damaged painting I found to Skinner's to see if they think it looks like anything. One of these days . . .

[eleny]

1. I'm glad you posted

I check every day and am sorry folks aren't finding the goods.

I've been wanting to get over to the thrift but am not taking too many chances of getting a virus. Seems like the older I get the longer it takes to get over it. I'm really itching to go.

Like you, I walk over to the paintings first thing. Paintings and then lamps. I look through every painting stacked on the floor as that's where I find the best ones. At my ARC store they always have so much. I don't ever expect to find anything worth a whole lot. But so long as I find something that really speaks to me, then I'm happy.

How do you send to Skinner's? I couldn't find anything at their site about appraisals. A few weeks ago I sent a photos of one painting to a site recommended here but haven't heard back.

[Vinca]

2. I may or may not hear back from Skinner's because the form

I sent in was a consideration for consignment. In the past they've let me know my item wasn't up to snuff for them, but it said something on the page about them only getting back if they want to sell the item. This particular painting is a real shot in the dark because it has damage and isn't signed, but I thought because of its age and folk art style it was worth checking out. I'm 99.9% sure it's nothing, but I have a fear of selling something valuable for nothing. When I first got interested in antiques and collectibles I found an antique redware charger that was beautifully decorated. I paid a whopping 50 cents for it at a hospital bazaar. Unfortunately, I had no idea what it was. It sat on my kitchen counter with bananas in it for a couple of years. Finally, after renting a booth in an antique shop, I decided to sell it. I was thinking of asking $20. Fate stepped in and as I was browsing a newly acquired book about antiques, the piece popped out at me from the book. I took it to someone with more experience and knowledge and, sure enough, it was a great piece. I later sold it on ebay for nearly $800.

[eleny]

3. I love hearing about your experience with the redware charger!

Not that all stories have to reflect a huge profit. But it's so nice to read about how it sat there for some time and then you learned it was something authentic and in fact historic.

I was at an auction north of the Denver area one Saturday night many years ago and saw this unpainted cast iron rooster. I didn't know what it was. It was the rooster with an iron tab at its lower area that had a hole in it. I waited and waited for it to come up. Just as I was walking back into the hall from taking a break, the rooster was up for bidding. The bidding was about over but I raced in and raised my paddle. I think I paid about $30. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that I learned it was an old windmill weight. I left it unpainted and we use it as a door stop. I love that rooster.

[Vinca]

4. Wow! I'd love to find something like that.

Our doorstops are Hubley repros (purchased at an auction before I could really tell the difference, but we needed them anyway). I don't think I've ever seen a windmill weight in our neck of the woods. You probably saw the segment they did on them on the "Antiques Roadshow" about a year or so ago.

[eleny]

5. I didn't see that show

I ought to look and see if there's a video available on YouTube. I'm glad that there's an episode about these on Roadshow. Thanks for the heads up!

[democraticinsurgent]

6. thanks for waking the dead

i think we must all be guilty of waiting for someone else to post something fun. i will post my most recent find in another thread. ;-)

[eleny]

7. I can hardly wait!

I was getting ready to dig out something I found long ago and just posting about it. Maybe that's what we should do anyway during these dry spells. It might be that people are feeling a little under the weather, too. A friend of mine was sick all weekend. Rummaging through old, dusty stuff might feel a little icky right now. :D

[grasswire]

8. I'm going to write somewhere and beg for an antiques...

...and collectibles TV network again. I want it really bad. I would watch it FAITHFULLY! Too much, probably.

[Vinca]

9. I even watch the British Antiques Roadshow!

[Vinca]

10. So Skinner's got back to me.

My crummy painting is a crummy painting. Oh well . . . the search goes on.