A dear client of mine of a certain age emailed me photos of what she thought might sell: a grandfather clock, old miner’s lamps, and old fancy china service, and good crystal. I hated to disappoint her because they’re not worth much.
In despair, she said, “Can I send you the bottom of the barrel stuff?” Here I saw a little key fob from the Apollo II flight, old and pretty half-empty perfume bottles from France, beat-up signs from her father’s filling station in Oxnard 1970’s, and her son’s old toys from the early 1980’s. SCORE!!! Those things will sell.
She also dug out an ancient huge cutting board and a casserole set 1970’s in funky colors. ANOTHER SCORE.
But the biggest score was a linear, simple, blue painted but chipped worktable her departed husband treated poorly in the garage. The rustic charm and straight lines will “fit” as an accent piece in any thirty-something’s kitchen.
Thus, I want to list the top trends I see along the lines of “objects you never suspected valuable.”
Elizabeth’s Top Ten Ridiculous Things That Sell in a Heartbeat:
1. Rural Vacation-house appropriate objects:
This category includes hunting jackets in that red and black checked wool, ancient breadboards, interesting vintage tools, objects with Native American designs, old but simple striped blankets in garish colors, objects that have that old Pendleton look, simple stone crocks and plain but heavy white covered tureens, and big glass canning jars. Also, old boating objects, especially worn old paddles and fishing gear. And Americana anything, that is NOT reproduction or MADE in the 1990’s FOR the vacation home.
2. Nostalgic Kitchen Objects
This includes distressed but simple and SMALL old painted tables and chairs in the country style, copper pots and kettles, 1960’s and 1970’s cookware of any kind especially with a modernist design or in quirky colors that are also usable, marble dough slabs, kitchen utensils from the 1970’s, usable old Tupperware, odds and ends that DO NOT match of sterling flatware, big turkey platters, old linen drying up cloths, especially those with 1970’s or 1980’s calendars printed upon them, and English heavy WHITE and SIMPLE crockery pieces.
3. Fancy Female Stuff
Back again are the linen and lace tablecloths, especially the ones big enough for a big table (as opposed to the little fussy ones), old perfumes in cool bottles, designer boxes which once held perfume and or jewelry, like those housed in your grandmother’s top drawer that you sneaked a peek in, silk scarves with modernist designs with designer names, gold belts (think the Inauguration and all that gold), fancy decorated swivel vanity mirrors, linen guest towels in pure white.
4. Barware
Yes, Barware is BAAACK! 1960’s or 1970’s gold on glass highballs, joke-y jiggers, cocktail shapers of all kinds, Lucite ice buckets, simple champagne buckets, swizzle sticks, anything for the bar that is Hawaiian in theme, modernist bar carts and enclosed bar “pop-up” furniture with clean lines, Mexican silver hors d’oeuvre spears, 1970’s bar implement sets once used in a MAN CAVE.
5. Toys from the 1970’s and 1980’s
I restored my 33-year-old son’s vintage childhood Nintendo and dragged out his old Mario and Pac Man cassettes. Also HOT is anything Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, stupid not PC board games, Transformers, old colorful but faded checkerboards for wall mounting, flip number clock radios, and any obsolete gaming system and game.
6. Vintage Cookbooks and Vintage Cooking Pamphlets with Sexist Advertising:
Anything printed that reminds us that the woman’s place was ONCE only in the kitchen etc., especially if colorful and regional. They have to look good on a shelf, too.
7. Anything for the GARDEN
Now that we host a few friends outside for drinks ONLY, garden furniture is HOT, especially the geomantic style wrought iron pieces, and – conversely – the French-y looking sets. Also, any garden urn, whether it be 1940’s Californian colors, or French cast iron, planter boxes, small glass mini greenhouses, figurative (think a 1970’s mushroom) planters, interesting vintage garden tools and clothes.
8. Anything Farmhouse Related You Stick Flowers In
Such as old big Mason Jars, Fruit Jars, old coffee cans, old worn tin buckets, old fishbowls, stoneware crocks. The look is CASUAL, spontaneous, unarranged.
9. And finally, anything SPACE RELATED
And I mean anything, such as a space mission hat, fob, belt buckle, a commemorative astronaut signed photo, anything “Spaceman.”
10. Anything Automotive
Think what the Pickers might have chosen for the TV show, especially 1970’s signage, girly calendars with shop names, pieces of certain cars, car emblems, club emblems, old car posters with muscle cars and hot rods; in short, anything “Petro-lina” now that gas may be a thing of the past.