Tuesday, 27 May 2025

A smashing day out


 I am tired this morning, and should be writing a letter to go with a parcel of books, but think I will send the letter later or I'll never get out of the house this side of lunchtime.


A pair of chickens - a daft buy, but people like chickens and they always sell.  The one on the back had the tip of its tail broken off (that morning I think), so got them cheaply and have Gorilla-glued it back in place.


I call this the French corner as all the stock is from France (above and below).  Not quite sure who would buy a painting with what looks like actual mud on the bottom, but hey ho . . .  I bet that came cheap!




Nice but too heavy to carry. I had taken the camping trolley back to the car by this point.


I liked this but have no more room for paintings.

The pick of the bunch - this is a beautiful Welsh quilt.



Nice and cheerful and very like the ones I've made - sent the girls off to Uni with one each.  Gabby's I got back, and extended it so it is now on my bed for the summer.


Not to my taste,



Sorry, the colours got washed out because it was in bright light.
 

The seller said that this was American . . .  



At the entrance to the drive-in barns.  A mixture of stuff.


Part of the stall which had the nice orchard painting last time.


A gorgeous ginger jar.  I didn't even ask the price because it was so nice it wasn't going to be cheap.  I can hear Keith at my elbow saying you should always ask the price!



About 85% of the stalls look very similar to this one (or have more metal or wooden things, or furniture).  The tin with the cap on it is just like one my mum kept her pegs in when I was a kid.


A modern reproduction.  People don't have very large kitchens in modern houses and this takes up a lot of room.


Two intriguing saddles.  The top one is from Kazachstan.  It was cheap enough, but although interesting (to me), they have a niche market.  I loved the inked design on the leather.


Stumped with this one.  Probably from a similar area but the seat so short only a tiny child could sit on it - Mongolian?  It didn't come home with me.

22 comments:

  1. I like the ginger jar, Keith was right, you should always ask the price. I've had some pleasant surprises in the past ... and yes, a few shocks too! 😄

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    1. Yes, but I was getting tired by that point and when the seller said, oh it's got the maker's name on the bottom and some of her other stuff did have pricey prices, I decided not to pursue it.

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  2. Yes, I was just thinking if I bought it, that would stay with me . . .

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  3. I'm wondering was a 'Structure Shop' was, in your first picture?
    The ginger jar has unusual colours, one I have and others I've seen, just have bunch of flowers.
    Lots of interesting things on the stalls and I like the thing with the plant in, a stick stand? or something - wood, china or paper mache? lovely colours anyway.

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    1. Obviously picked up somewhere - Lord knows what one is! I think it's a stick or umbrella stand - decoupaged wood? Attracted me.

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  4. I love these markets, the Ginger jar is very nice, but I loved the chickens.

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    1. The chickens are a bit of fun. This was a good flea this time - last time it was rained off outside and just desperate house clearance dealers with rubbish braving the weather.

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  5. Thanks for giving me a flea market fix, it's been a long time since I've been to one.

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  6. I always love your flea market posts and pore over the pages. The soft floral Welsh quilt is lovely [despite the poorly done replacement binding?]; I have forgotten when they date to, early to mid 1900s? The ginger jar is beautiful--again, mid century--50s?, English? But Keith's advice to ask the price can have drawbacks! When I first moved to NYC, age 23, I happily went off to a [n unbeknownst to me lah di dah] Winter Antiques Show. I had grown up with antiques, my parents collected, my best friend's dad was an antiques militaria dealer--I was not shy about going to shop. Even age 23 I already collected small silver ''snuff'' boxes [various uses], and vanity boxes, plus Georgian semi precious gem rings. Not a novice or ''just looking''. I fell in love w an enamel and silver box. I asked the dealer for the price. He said, "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it", and made no effort to remove it from the locked case to show me. I was so shocked, left holding back tears. Wondering how I was supposed to pay for it if he refused to tell me the price. Now I know that's a NY nasty expression, about the paying/ affording. But I still yearn for that box and the amethyst ring I had also intended to buy.
    [A few years later my third floor walk up Brooklyn brownstone apt was burgled while I was at tennis. Perhaps they watched me leave in my tennis whites? They climbed up the back of the bay window, took the rings and the boxes. I switched to collecting folk art and quilts, robbers not interested, lol.]
    When I am flea shopping I always think , How much will I pay for this? before I even engage w a dealer. I rarely if ever go higher than my silent eval.
    lizzy

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  7. I dare say someone wanted to re-edge the quilt to improve it for sale? This would be probably late Victorian - early Edwardian period (up to 1910 ish). I would suspect the earlier date though. The ginger jar - gosh, I'm no expert on them, but it has some age to it and possibly Edwardian or earlier from the pattern on it. Perhaps if you had bought those items, they would have gone in the robbery too. What a horrid experience for you.

    I have a rough idea of what something is worth, but there is SO much to learn, and I am always learning, and some stuff I haven't a clue. When I ask a price I know how much I would go up to. Perhaps I lose stuff that way but the wonderful lead sculptural horse I loved, was NOT going to come my way at £150!!! Chap didn't even value it that much to put it up on the table, but it was on the ground! They get greedy.



    I am sorry, but any dealer THAT supercilious over his stock, I wouldn't bother to even spit on!

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    1. You are right! The items would have been stolen too, never thought of that. The burglary wasn't so bad , the person was very neat, refolded all my sweaters nicely. Tho now looking back it's a bit creepy? Anyway I only knew someone had been there bec there was a big footprint on my pastel oriental rug. Then I saw the open window and empty dresser display. All insured, but two rings [coral, aquamarine] were gifts from my parents, 10th bday, 16th bday, so that was sad. I still look for those rings on Instagram antique jewelry sites. My nearby friend was robbed another time, the person stole the contents of her fridge/ freezer: "They stole my fishsticks!" lol lol.
      You are so right, it's such a huge variety of history and provenance to learn. If it's in my field of interest I am ok, or something family members collect/ed. But something like the saddles you show I would be clueless. Even your pottery buy is not something I'd know about.
      Was the ginger jar ceramic or metal cloisonné? Stylistically it doesn't appear to be Chinese or Japanese, does it? And crudely painted plum rose scallops round the opening?

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    2. How strange is that? Was it a woman perhaps? My ex husband took a wartime ring of my dad's and sold it without me knowing. I can't even remember the pattern stamped on it but dad said he was mistaken for French resistance when he wore it in France. It must have been a sort of Cross of Lorraine. That was such a personal thing and I would have treasured it. Barsteward. . . He did the same with my mum's engagement ring . . .

      Yes, I have my specialist interests, some I have a very deep knowledge of (horsey stuff!), others a working knowledge, some of it is gut instinct, jewellery - only know to recognize periods made and a bit about Georgian paste jewellery through Tam dealing in it.

      Ceramic British ginger jar, probably late Victorian. Crude painting - Friday afternoon job perhaps!!

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  8. I also get told off for not asking the price of things, but sometimes you just know that the price will be a silly one. Lizzy D's story of a dealer's rudeness resonates with me as my Dad once had a dealer simply say "You can't afford it!" when he asked the price of a piece of porcelain. He thought it was funny when he told me about it afterwards, but I was spitting feathers. The next time I went into Scarborough, where the shop was, I sought it out and found it was closed. I never saw it open again. Karma, obviously!

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    1. I am sort of reassured that the experience was/ is universal; the dealer in both cases was a jerk. Lost sales etc.

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    2. Ah, I can remember looking round a little antique shop in Scarborough (we had a couple of holidays there, as it was part of Keith's family history, his gran was born there). Lots of stock and nothing appealed.

      Dealer stupid to lose a potential sale . . .

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  9. the whole cloth quilt is exquisite

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    1. Isn't it? On a friend's wife's stand so I felt I couldn't haggle.

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  10. What interesting items. The Ginger Jar is gorgeous.

    God bless.

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    1. I loved it, but a bit too much - it would have gotten stuck in a loop here!!

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  11. So many interesting things. It's ugly, but I would expect that someone will like the painting with mud!

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  12. Well, let's say I for one wasn't tempted!!

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