Featured Finds Thread

Nothing at my flea market....I think they raised rents, but it could have been slow due to back-to-school preparation and squeezing in the last beach days, keeping my fingers crossed. An antique mall I frequent once in awhile said they are being deluged by What Notters, so it's a win for them, not so much me. A dealer is getting rid of her research books, most are about glassware, but I picked up this lot for $44 for fun reading. I need to photograph a few more things.

 

My latest find is this rather elaborate Viennese/Austrian mahogany secrétaire, probably from the 1820s. It has a black marble top, carefully selected and matched mahogany veneers, brass lion-mask ring handles and pierced escutcheons, and a fall front containing a removable writing table with a gilt-tooled black leather writing surface.

The interior is particularly impressive, using several contrasting woods and veneers. The small drawer fronts have highly figured burr/root veneers, while the central mirrored section incorporates striking radiating sunburst/fan-pattern veneer work, assembled from contrasting segments. Lighter secondary woods are used for the drawer sides and internal construction, with dark ebonised details providing contrast and giving the interior an almost architectural character.

The mirror itself conceals another fitted compartment containing several additional small drawers. The fall front also has a concealed counterweight mechanism.

What I particularly like is how much of the workmanship and expense went into details that are barely apparent when the secrétaire is closed. Fine hand-cut dovetails, multiple decorative and secondary woods, carefully matched veneers, segmented radial veneer work, hidden drawers, mortised brass hardware and the counterweighted fall all required considerably more material and skilled labour than a simpler secrétaire. The restrained mahogany exterior therefore hides a surprisingly elaborate and technically sophisticated interior.

It was clearly not the cheapest way to build a secrétaire and seems to have been made as a high-grade cabinetmaker's piece, where mechanical refinement and the quality of the interior mattered as much as outward appearance.

I haven’t received it yet. I’ll share pictures of the construction, woods, hidden compartments and counterweight mechanism once it arrives.

 

Looking forward to your pictures!

 

When I see a tangled octopus pile of jewelry, I make a low-ball offer, putting on a sad face and saying it will take me HOURS to untangle all of this. Whatever I can make a dollar on goes into a craft jar.

 

Some recent finds, nothing spectacular.
Cats!


Buttons!

Dolls!

 

Some non-spectacular jewelry
Sterling cultured pearl ring and Taxco bangle

I love the clip dichoric glass earrings

Locket pin

Goldwashed sterling onyx cufflinks

Strung on thread, clasp replaced, not ivory

 

You have us drooling already.

 

...like I said. Wow. The flatpackers are of the same mental capacity as flat earthers.

 

Haha, indeed!

 

Wowzer to the max!

 

Big neighborhood sale last weekend in the historic district of our town. It's an annual sale, and is more and more swamped with people, not just dealers. The first couple years they held it, it was a gold mine, but now finds are few and far between. I saw a Gucci t-shirt at one house for sale (unsold)... for $175!! Every house had different items, not all like the $$ t-shirt (which, who knows? Maybe was a good deal...??) it was overall pretty fun.

At one of the sales had this German ewer, and I had to have it. I've identified the maker, so don't need help with that. I just thought the image was so Art Nouveau and cool!

 

Bay West German vase, £4 from Charity shop. Couple of same online asking for crazy high prices £80, $200!

 

After a loooooong dry spell I had a good few days

Bought these when I was selling at the local flea Sunday:
McCoy mixing bowl, a nice pitcher with transfer shell art (has a British diamond mark on the bottom, I'll try to read it later) and Mexican silver filigree bracelet and pin.


Also this great box, I left it with a local locksmith (Bev's husband) to see if he has an old key that will fit it.


And today I went on a house call. A very nice woman who took my card at an antique show 5 years ago! She knew she needed to allow her mother's jewelry go (her mother passed away 20 years ago) and it was time.

So this is what I got: Costume bracelets, the big blue and clear rhinestone pin on the left of the bracelet foot is Kennith Lane, lots of costume pins, a silver Mexican pin and a celluloid change purse necklace.



This is the inside of the celluloid change purse necklace.


Silver bracelets, 4 sash pins, costume bracelets, pins and dress clips. Silver earrings, garnet pin, earrings and ring. Silver and Jade pendant.


2 nice necklaces (love the one on the right) and a sweet Whiting & Davis clutch.

 

@Marie Forjan - The bracelet on the far left looks like my "slide bracelet" I have from the 1990s - early 2000's. The slides, beads & chain bracelet is all 14K.

 

Yowser!

 

The pierced jade pendant and bracelet are like a ring and earrings that were my mother's. I don't know when she got them, but they are worth a bob or two.

 

It's definitely costume. I'd love a real slide bracelet, maybe some day I'll find one.

 

I don't know about values, but my favorites were those last two Deco necklaces. Is the teal one on the bracelet rack glass ...or tourmaline?

 

Glass sent in silver