The reason that I do not show more of my estate sale treasures is that, generally, I must move very fast to hide everything from Mr. Retro Renovation. He is not so amused by all the Stuff filling every storage space in the house these days. Yesterday, though, he left for a few hours and I was able to linger over and photograph my stash from the late 1940s/early 50s home that I explored on Friday. So what do I buy? Ever since my collage class and in reality, before, I adore “ephemera” — which is defined as things created that were never really intended to survive. Advertising is classic ephemera. So are Betty Brite cupcake holders. There are still some parchment paper bake cups inside. 13 more items after the jump.
Here’s more kitchen ephemera. This envelope – and tons of sandwich bags – were in a box of stencil patterns. The woman of the house was using the sandwich bags to hold each stencil piece. Drats, I meant to go back yesterday, last day of the sale, and buy all the stencils — because I wanted all the wax sandwich bags. I was afraid to buy it all on Friday. I thought the estate sale pro’s would charge me too much. But, I couldn’t go back to the sale because I got all busy — in my own kitchen. Oh well.
Is anyone looking for mid-century wood (mahogany? teak? walnut?) and stainless steel cabinet pulls?
These are really quite beautiful. 3″ spreads.
I bought five panels of fabric printed with Barbie outfit pieces that you can cut out and sew. Maryann Roy: Is there a market? What do you think each panel is worth? There are two outfits per panel.
An aluminum (?) plate from some kind of machinery. In the postwar era, Pittsfield was buzzing with manufacturing.
The folks who owned the home built clocks for a hobby. I was able to nab about five of these blueprints. Two (including this one) are particularly beautiful.These are probably my favorite things of the whole day. “Craftplans.” There were a bunch of clocks for sale, too. Gosh, maybe there will be one or two repeat sale days next weekend… I would love to go back. My head is always swimming after two-or-three hours of poking. Yes, that’s how long I usually take going through a really good estate sale house. I look in every nook and cranny. Then I go back again and try to SEE the house and everything in it. What was it like to live there? How did the people live? What were they like? What happened there? I always ask permission to take photos, and leave my card.
I got two of these. Notice how the pie plate says, “10 cents deposit.” Deposit???? What the heck is that all about? Were these for pies you bought at a bakery…and then you had to return the pie plate?
Okay, all you youngsters, listen close, but be forewarned that what I have to tell you is, well, shocking: You see, back in the day, we did not have Excel. Every input to the P&L… the Balance Sheet… Accounts Receivable… Accounts Payable… and the like… had to be WRITTEN DOWN and TALLIED UP by real people. Legions and legion of people, actually. Because you see, we didn’t have personal computers AT ALL.
I like to collect books and binders like this… thinking someday, I will transform them into collage books.
$4 for this cake server — it has a pressed glass bottom and a lovely chrome cover with a pretty decorative glass knob on top. Oh, and that’s a roman coin belt in the foreground.
Aha! The one and only thing I bought that I truly “needed”: An electric knife. Our electric knife — which, I am telling you, did not last more than a few years under very light use — AND I am sure it was expensive as it was a gift — recently died. Another case in point, Bungalow Bill, about the crappy quality of stuff today. Crap to the right of us, crap to the left of us. Crap crap crap. (My first curse on the blog, I might as well go for it.) This vintage GE number cost me $7. It came in the original box – and the set is fit into this plastic holder thingy that I could hang on screws in the wall, if I so choose. I might.
Five yards of chintz, aka polished cotton. I have no idea what I will do with this. This was a colonial house – a Cape Cod. Everything inside was very early American. There were tons of beautiful pine dressers and the like – selling for a song.
Detail from the chintz — The White House.
I found a few sheets of vintage Schumacher wallpaper in the garage. Not big pieces. But so gorgeous. This is called Cabala del Lotto. Does anyone know what that means? Caballo=horse in Spanish. There is no Spanish word for “lotto” that I am aware of. So…I’m left guessing. Italian, right?
Another vintage Schumacher wallpaper. I didn’t see either of these papers on walls in the house, though.
They were sample pieces – the prices were on the back. Caballa del Lotto was $10.25 per single roll. The other paper was $7/roll.
The Cabalo del Lotto paper was designed by John H. Jacoby. I am in serious love with this wallpaper.
Finds from the estate sale for your house – Pat’s entry 
Shopping at an estate sale – my tips 
Estate sale: Pittsfield, Mass. 
Become a fan
Gosh, is the handle of the meat fork accompanying the electric knife made of actual wood?? That’s something you wouldn’t see today.
Great scores, Pam. You might have to do a whole wall of your house as a wallpaper collage someday to show off the collection you’re building. Or take up bookbinding!
…Maggie
yes @magnarama, i have yet again another career in front of me to transform these materials into something else!
My parents have had that GE Electric Knife in Avacado Green since the very very early 1970s. It may have even been used when they got it, and its still going strong
Good find.
I highly HIGHLY agree about the crap, crap, crap we have today. Hence all my appliances except the microwave are vintage! I also cheat and have a new mixer for bread…but only cus the Sunbeam doesn’t have dough hooks nor do I have a big bowl for her yet….
@carla, the more I estate sale shop the more I believe: you basically never have to buy anything new aside from a very few items like you mention. you just have to wait long enough…and everything you need will come to you at a fraction of the price. Of course – this would take incredible time and patience, which the vast majority of folks do not have and time is money, as they say. I should also add: Of course not everything today is bad quality. My above rant is caused by the premature death of an electric meat slicer that, to be sure, should have lasted much much longer. The other item I have been unhappy with, consistently: toaster. On the other hand, my coffee makers never seem to die. And, vintage electric mixers always seem to be underpowered and I once got an electric shock from one.
I don’t know what it means, but that lotto wallpaper is like the Mexican loteria cards, kind of like Bingo? Maybe this is an Italian version?
Here’s the wikipedia entry on loteria:(hope that worked)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loter%C3%ADa
Woah @maddy — you are absolutely right. I went to the wikipedia entry and there is great info on loteria cards, historically. I think I now have an all-new passion.
hey pam
yes, the pie pans would be returned to the bakery. Marie Callendars was doing this in its stores in the southwest as recently as the 1980′s.
Thanks, Joyce’s Jane for that info – this was news to me – how cool!
Nice finds – but I am loving the turquoise boomerang table holding the knife set. Is that original and would you have any more pics?
Yes – that is my Formica Skylark boomerang laminate countertop, aqua, in the photo. You can see more pics, I believe, in the Pam’s Kitchen tab along the top.
I lLOVE that chinz fabric and the Barbie clothes fabric! Great finds!
Is that your boomerang kitchen counter in the electric knife photo?
Oh my gosh did you ever score! I love all of your wonderful finds! The sandwich wax paper bags are amazing! And the vintage wallpapers are fabulous!
You did good girly!
:0) Sharon
Great finds! The cabinet pulls are GORGEOUS. That fabric would make amazing curtains in the kitchen (cafe curtains maybe?). And I am dying over that wallpaper. Maybe you can use it to line the back of a cupboard somewhere so you can enjoy it every time you open the door.
Hi, Pam
Joyce’s Jane is right about the pie pans…although Table Talk Pie pans went back to the supermarket.
Maybe someone in this house worked at the Schumacher factory on Hoosic Road in Adams, Ma.?
Great finds…I always think the same thoughts at inside house sales, especially when a family has resided there for 50 years. They make me kind’a sad- but I usually leave with a trunkload of treasures…so it evens out!
I found some wonderful vintage sandwich bags at a church yard sale about 15 years ago and bought them for 15 cents. Everyone thought I was nuts, but they have had a wonderful spot in my pantry ever since!
The “Betty Brite” cupcake holders caught my attention. In my hometown in Ohio, in the 1960s and into the 1970s, there was a small chain of “Betty Brite” laundramats and even a drive through “Betty Brite” car wash. The spelling was the same. The signage on these enterprises featured the face of a perky early 1960s type woman. Who was this Betty Brite that she put her name on cupcake holders and launderettes and car washes? An early Martha Stewart? Or, is there no connection? May be folks just less careful about using others trademarks and logos back in the day…
I still remember bakeries taking deposits on pie plates in the late 80s. You’d buy your pie, and then bring back the plate to get your deposit money back.
Pam, I know what you mean about filling up every storage space with estate sale finds! I think I may have to build a storage building in my back yard if I keep collecting things! Those cabinet pulls that you got are great!
oh, those cabinet pulls are wonderful!!
Wow-I had fun just looking at these photos! You must have had an amazing time while there. LOVE the fabric
In my college accounting classes, we used pencils & paper-I feel so old!
OMG! I have to keep L from seeing the Barbie Patterns, Pam…she will be trying to trade all my favorite stuff off to you just for those! Wow! Score!!!
I should only be so lucky, my estate sale adventures have been pretty few and fruitless this year.
And….yeah…the cabinet pulls. Aaaahhhh…..
I heart that cake server — so many of these items look familiar. Great finds!
The drawer pulls are perfect! You asked if anyone was looking for pulls. Are you selling them and how much?
These are things I am always on the look-out for on ebay, but seldom see, and never enough to do my entire kitchen. These would work beautifully.
I love estate sales! We actually saw one of those electric knives the other day at an estate sale and it looked almost just like that one. And I also agree everything today sucks. My parents still use most everything they got for their wedding in the early seventies and it looks great.
I bought some pretty neat plates at an estate sale on Friday. I hope to have those posted on the blog soon. Especially since I want to complete the set and I can’t find anything online about them.
Thanks for sharing your finds! =)
My goodness, it’s practically “estate sale orgasmness”. What wonderful finds!!!
Great stuff!
I still use pen and paper for stuff like that and other things, I just don’t like doing it all on the computer, lists too.
That’s funny, one thing I think is made like crap crap crap IS coffee makers! We go through 1 every 5-6 months! Ridiculous!
I think most old stuff is better, of course there are exceptions, and some things need to be made safer. Whenever we get vintage electric clocks we take off the motor and replace it with a battery thingy (sometimes you have to replace the hands too) so it’s safe, besides the pain of having a cord, those old motors can overheat and are not real safe.
But usually I would rather have old things.
I myself have had to curtail my estate sale buying. I’ll drop a couple hundred every weekend if I don’t stop myself. I now have six (SIX!!) dining sets, two with china cabinets…two with buffets. I have just about filled a three car garage…oh yeah, and two complete households with estate sale, thrift store and flea mkt. goodies! My rule is I can only spend money that I make from selling something on Craigslist! I’m trying real real hard to keep to that rule!
Oh, and coffee makers? I only use a french press…works everytime!
I bet we could all collaborate and write a great “Estate Sale How To” book! There are so many people who don’t even know what an estate sale is. I only found out about them via a web page a few years ago call (I think) “low life St. Louis” or something like that.
Chris.
Wow! What fantastic goodies Pam! I took a look at the vintage Barbie patterns. I don’t recognize these as the “Sew Free” sets that Mattel put out in the 60′s. However, there were other makers who put out their own patterns. There are collectors who just love this and have even had the pleasure of putting the outfits together themselves as adults!
The sailor suit looks adorable! I’d post to some doll boards.
Maryann
What a haul you made, Pam! Way to go! By the way, if you’d like a pair of those pie plates, I have one exactly like your estate sale find. Mine came from a local consignment shop years ago and you are welcome to have it.
Our local yard/estate sales were a little on the lame side this weekend; however this morning I acquired the “world’s coolest blender” from a co-worker: a Super Chef Master Craft……..right out of Mrs. Jetson’s kitchen. I am thrilled with it just as you must be with all those fabulous finds of yours.
(Does anyone else out there have to sneak stuff like this into the house……for those reasons which I won’t mention?)
MrsErinD – I hear you on the coffee maker dilemma! I finally switched to a Chemex coffee maker (after reading about them here and finding one on ebay) and I love it!!
Thanks Jeanne I will check it out! :O)
Goodness … I have a somewhat cheaper version of that cake plate: the design and glass plate are the same, but the cover is aluminum with a bakelite knob.
That is the same electric knife my mother has. Like her now-vintage vaccuum and Danish flatware, it’s one of those household items that’s been around so long it feels like part of the family. Mount that sucker to the wall, Pam. I’m confident it won’t crap out on you.
ok..so now I have a description of my obsession…ephemera. Yes, people …Barbie people do buy that vintage fabric. I’m a former Barbie person…(that’s another story).
I have found some vintage Ecko Eterna wood handled silverware to go with that electric knife. I’m trying to get my system to upload the pictures for you…another MIB treasure.
Love your comment on the ‘before xcel’….cause I use it everyday, and the old days were better it seems!
Second on the ‘before Excel’ comment…I remember having to track warehouse inventory and generate purchase orders with a giant INDEX CARD SYSTEM!!!! And when we got them? Half of us HATED the computers! What a laugh , looking back, isn’t it?
The coffee maker surfaced it’s head in here, I see. Maybe someone can help with our great dilemma. We have not one but two vintage Farberware “Superfast” percolators. Awesome coffee, one big and one little. Both take the same size plastic doohickey in the top of the lid which is a good thing as one cracked and one is holding on by a nothing. Anyone have ideas on where to find replacement bits?
Dave
Ugh…..make that SEVEN. Seven dining room sets. I just “acquired” a Kent Coffey Drexel set.
Chris. (so much for the rule)
Oops, meant Kent Coffey Perspecta set!
Chris.
Estate sales are addictive. My addiction began nearly 20 years ago, when out of curiousity I stopped at my first estate sale and stumbled upon a campaign-style desk for $60. My wife then joined in the fun and it is routine thing for us to hit a couple of sales every Saturday (typically the second day of estate sales in the Chicago area, when the best deals can be had). We avoid accumulating too much stuff by becoming more and more selective over the years (we are actually able to visit an estate sale without feeling compelled to buy something- seeing some of the old houses where the sales are held is often interesting enough) and thinning out the collections by holding garage sales of our own every couple of years and making regular donations to the local thrift shop (where we also shop). So, we do keep things in check- not (yet) ready for an “intervention” like that “Hoarders” program on A&E…
For anyone close by in SW Michigan, …there is an antique sale at the Allegan Fairgrounds the last Sunday of every summer month. Miles and miles of vintage stuff!! The season is now over with…so I can save my money up for next year. But well worth the trip for anyone close by-
News Flash!!!
I found the parts for the percolator! For a WHOLE LOT of percolators!
I found them at Ace Hardware, but they are probably available elsewhere. Two universal sizes cover near all percolator makes and models, and they actually WORK! The brand name is FITZ-ALL, and they come on a really spiffy vintage-looking cardboard hanger tag. Same company also makes all sorts of replacement vintage-style knobs for pan lids and so forth. Very cool! Cost me a whole 5 bucks, which is more than I paid for the percolator, but I really wouldn’t mind if it was twice that so I could have my coffee!
Dave
there is a Mexican game called Loteria. Looks amazingly like the Cabella de Lotto paper you purchased.
I am interested in the mohogany cabinet pull shown on the
website. What is the dimension from screw to screw.
I am only looking for 2 at the moment. Thanks Alexis
Sorry, Alexis, I decided to keep them.
would love to know more about the schumacher eagle wallpaper. ive been looking everywhere for that! any reference on the back?
I’d kill for the wax sandwich bags!! Oh, have you ever heard Neil Young’s “Piece of Crap” song? just the ticket – he always hits it on nail head!
Hi Pam i was interested to know what you were going to do with the clock plans? Would you be interested in selling them or interested in copying them for a young future woodworker? Thank you for taking the time to read these.
I so love your blog. I’m so glad I found it, and I can go over the old ones and they’re new to me. I’m not suprised you like collage. I love altered art so much I now have enough treasures to last me and most of the people in the world who also love it for the next 20 years. I just can’t pass up the stuff that would be “perfect” in a piece.
Hi Linda, welcome. Yes, I love collage — I kind of think of it now as a metaphor for a lot of what I do. Tip: A good way to go thru the blog if you’re new is via the archives. They are in the “Quick Links” section at the very top right. Have fun!
I am interested in the cabinet pulls!!! Love them! Let me know if you are still wanting to sell them. Thanks!
I am probably going to put them on ebay at some point….
I remember those wax sandwich bags. When I was in elementary school they were the least desirable type of sandwich bag. The best were Glad bags with the fold-over tops, and the runner-up was a baggie with a twister tie. How dumb we were.
The teak handles are just gorgeous. I wonder what they were for. It would be nice to find the manufacturer and match them up with some needy furniture.
Were you selling the teak cabinet pulls on ebay at one point? I got 2 of these on ebay and want more. please let me know if you are willing to sell them.
sorry, angela – gone
Wondering if those teak kitchen pulls are still available and if so how much?
Thanks, Jane
long gone