You Have to Love Box Lots

We go to many auctions in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois--and we were beginning to think that the age of the box lot was passed.  Thanks heavens it has not.  Not even at the swanker auctions.

We attended an auction recently--and the best goods that day were to be found in box lots.  Some auctioneers take each little consigned widget and auction it off separately.  It is much easier for a dealer to make money if several items are thrown together--sometimes actually in a box and sold at one price.

Last weekend I struck auction gold in a box of books.

I love books about plants-vintage household hints-and copies of classics.  This was a botanical find. 

Treasure included:
Herbs for Daily Use in Home Medicine and Cookery by Mary Thorne Quelch (early 1900s)
Farm Weeds by George Clark (1909)  Jammed with color drawings of weeds--incredible!
Gardener's Assistant  by Robert Thompson (1904)  Full of color botanical drawings.

Today is supposed to be cleaning house day.  Instead--it is 15 minutes cleaning-15 minutes reading.

Viva La Box Lot!

Elkhorn Flea Market August Report

Dear Husbola and I have just finished selling at Elkhorn Antiques Market.  A terrific temperature day for selling--and the crowd was strong.  We observed less buying this month--and feel buyers'  hands are staying in their pockets a bit more as the end of the summer rolls around.  The great weather was a real blessing! 

With the good comes the start of a bad trend that we don't like--and we heard this complaint from several dealers we spoke with over the weekend.  Good natured haggling has turned into insulting offers from a small percentage of buyers.  Big time.  And we know the reason why.

Reality shows have hit the television now for several years.  I don't want to be libelous--but you know the shows we mean.  TV shows that try to make instant personalities out of mediocre dealers or designers--they hit shops, shows and private homes and offer ridiculous prices--RIDICULOUS low prices for items.   We got that yesterday.

Courtesy in dealing and buying means everything to this Lady Antique Dealer.  Of course we deal with people. Of course we have a better price.  Ask me for my best price and I will give it to you.  Please do not offer me $10 for an item marked $50.  Please do not stand in my booth and pick at me--several times even--for a lower price.  I smiled at you and told you my best.  Take it or leave it. Do not point out a flaw in a 100 year old item and think by insulting the piece I will sell it to you cheaper.  But they do this--just like the "televison stars" do.  I even had a woman lowball me with the phrase "come on--take $80 CASH".  Really Girlfriend?  Did you think I was going to take kettle corn as payment?  Do you think that by offering CASH that I don't have to report my earnings?  Think again.

Blah! What is it about the five losers I encountered makes me forget the scores of buyers that were courteous?

Nellie Parkinson and Her Fabulous Sauce

A break from antiques today as I mine through a towering pile of recipe cards.  Yeah right--"someday" I'm going to organize them in a book.  But not today.  And not tomorrow.  I did promise a few recipes on this blog--and this is a vintage recipe after all.

I found an old card--quite stained--and titled "Nellie Parkinson's Chili Sauce."  A flood of memories came over me--as this was a favorite recipe of my Grandma Lenore.

As a child--many summer months were spent in sand country in central Wisconsin at my grandparents' Christmas tree farm.  A small cottage built by my grandfather, nestled in 30 acres of pines of all types that were planted and groomed and harvested for Xmas trees.  Surrounding neighbors--not even close to earshot-- lived on farms--mostly planted for Green Giant and Birdsye crops.  There were many year round residents--this was working farm area--not a resort community.  One of the neighbors was Nellie Parkinson.

Nellie was old when we knew her.  I have no clue how Grandma Lenore got to know her--but since Lenore could get the body to talk back to her at a wake--she must have struck up a conversation with Nellie in the grocery store or laundromat.  Lenore was a superb cook--and she probably would discuss recipes and "what to do with all these tomatoes" with Nellie.

Hence--the chili sauce.  Of coures it is a recipe card with no amounts and the scantest of directions (so I have added some proportions.)   But boy it's tasty. It should cook down to a dark rusty brown and the consistency of a thick salsa.  As a companion to red meats of all kinds-on chicken--YUM-ME!!

Nellie Parkinson Chili Sauce
12 ripe tomatoes (if you are lazy-leave the skins on)
6 apples (same thing about the peel)
3 medium onions
2 cups vinegar
4 cups brown sugar
3 red peppers
1 heaping T. salt
1 heaping T cinnamon
1 heaping T ginger
1/4 t cloves

cook it till thick.  a couple of hours maybe.  on a slow flame.  Then I freeze it in small containers.

Terrific Scandinavian Trunk

I waited all day at an auction earlier this summer.  An estate auction in Town With No Name Illinois that was a true estate--wagons and wagons of "stuff" and rows upon rows of furniture in all manner of condition.  Ok furniture--but nothing special still I saw THIS.

Dated 1867.  Beautiful grain painting and super decoration--you can see the condition of the paint--and there were touches of the most terrific royal blue--you can't see these flourishes in the photo.  And pristine.  The inside of the trunk was clean, no musty fusty odors--and--drum roll please--the original lock and key.  You just never find them with the key.

We took this trunk to Odana Antique Mall in Madison--a beautiful mall with delicious quality room ready antiques.  The trunk did not last a New York Minute!  Thank you happy buyer,

Did I tell you I got TWO trunks at that auction?  To be continued...

Our New Space at Lauren's Antiques Delavan Wisconsin

My Dear Husbola is a master in the art of diversification.

Ever since I have know him--he preaches "don't put your eggs in one basket" and he means it.  Whether it is picking stocks or planting in the yard or ordering his packages of honey bees--he believes in picking things that are very different from each other. You may not know or care--but each of our hives has a different nationality of bees.  Who knew there was a choice?  But I digress.

We are now selling in THREE shops--Odana Antiques in Madison,  On the Square Antiques in Walworth and our newest venture Lauren's Antiques and Art in Delavan Wisconsin.  Yes--the antiques and vintage trade is rough these days--trying to sell people things they do not need--but it remains a challenge and is in our blood.  Dear Husbola says we should not just count on one place to sell--what if one shop goes out of business?  SOOO, diversify we did.

Lauren's place has been around for many years--I might guess 15-ish.  She was the manager for many years and had the opportunity to purchase it a few years ago and took the plunge.  She runs a very friendly, laid back shop--and when you meet her--you get the impression nothing could surprise her or anger her.  But she is a shrew business woman with an easy laugh and smile- the shop works--and has a loyal following.  The rent is reasonable and the lease is month to month.  She has few rules--but you better follow them.

Lauren's Antiques and Art is in an old five and dime store--so it has large bright windows and a wide floor plan.  Our space is on the first floor--and "somewhere in the middle",  across from a large coin selling booth.  We took the space on July 1--and since it was so hot here these days--we made a quick trip up to put come things in--to be fine tuned later next week.  We are going to focus on vintage--and affordable--and colorful--with an uncluttered fresh look.  The shop is pretty jammed full generally--and we hope to make our statement by not being so full--so you can actually see what you are buying.  Delavan has a busy downtown--a wide brick street, cafes and close proximity to the lakes that tourists love.

You can't miss it.  Main Drag Delavan--Hwy 11-middle of the block.  South side.  A great pick around kind of shop.  Two levels.

And say Hi to Lauren.

Some Women Should Just Not Wear Shorts

Dear Husbola and I have returned from a good Elkhorn Antiques Market this past weekend--the weather was grand, the crowd was relaxed--quite a bit slower than the market in May--which gave us some time to reflect on some observations--not all related to antiques.

What is that shopper going to do with the broken sawed off ladder we saw them hauling to the exit?  Or the wire egg basket that looked like it was run over by a truck?

I should have bought seller Chippy Shabby's incredible blue french chairs-and they were marked SOLD early on Sunday.

I had been dreaming about a Lion's Club brat all week--with kraut--and it did not disappoint.

The 1940s  INCREDIBLE chippy aluminum flamingos are now in our living room.

Lady Who Also Sets Up in Our Building?  Your  loud voice grates on my nerves ALL DAY LONG.

We sold more "men's things" than "women's things" this month--and we have to remember that.  Two fabulous hunting watercolors and a folk art painted wall tackle box from Canada.

Good stuff sells at Elkhorn.  Not just the aforementioned egg basket like items.

Tattoos  Tattoos Tattoos.  Still makes me wonder  what they will look like on 80 year old arms.

I am married to a very very VERY good and indulgent man.

Shoppers at Elkhorn skew younger and edgier.  THANK HEAVENS.

And--last but oh so not least--Some women should just not wear shorts.

An Acre of Tables and Blue Ball Jars

Continuing with my weekend auction report of last week, we ventured about 65 miles to an estate auction in Wisconsin that promised five generations of untouched glory.

Auctioneers know that nothing gets the patrons juices flowing more than tantalizing--just a little bit--in their advertisements and promising there are untold treasures in the estate--and many have not seen the light of day for decades. Five generations of dusty treasure.  Well it worked--and off we went.

Arriving very early--we were able to get a parking space directly across from the property.  This is essential if you are buying and have to hike your mother lode back and forth to your vehicle.  The auction grounds greeted us with a heavily tree shaded house and rows and rows and rows of set up card tables--each table piled high with stuff.

Oh this is THAT auctioneer.  This is a well known auctioneer who does not auction items one by one.  He stands next to a card table and offers choice.  So you might be bidding on on items and your neighbor bidding on another--you don't know till the auctioneer says SOLD and you claim your prize.  You also have the option of taking more items from the table at that price.  The auction is a mad house--with people jockeying from one table to the next--and it is easy to miss items.  There were a couple of auctioneers working two rings--no snoozing here.  And they do get through a great deal of inventory quite quickly.

Nice day--hot but dry--and we picked up a bunch of treasures.  Some incredible unused--11 yards to be exact-screen printed classic 1960s fabric--a beautiful splint basket  and a great lamp to name a few.

Summertime---estate auctions--auctioneer hyperbole--it doesn't get any better.