“How do you find these things?” This is a typical question that often accompanies the “Where?” as well. My best advice is to look everywhere. When visiting a sale, the common approach is to separate what is for sale from what isn’t. While I do recommend making a quick review of all the rooms in an estate sale, a good friend taught me a lesson that follows the philosophy “Everything is for sale.” Rather than be concerned about the taped off rooms and the “No Entry” signs take everything in that you can and feel free to ask about what you can’t see. A few weeks ago I found a lone estate sale …
One thing a good Urban Archeologist shouldn’t overlook is the occasional box or dusty shelf of books. They are often passed over or ignored and seem destined to be undone by technology. No, I don’t think e-books will cause hard and soft cover books to disappear overnight. For one thing, some of us don’t have it in us to throw out a book. Think of that unread copy of “Moby Dick” you’ve had on your shelf for years. That paperweight won’t ever leave. Sure, you wish it would, but there it sits resting on your conscience because it was a gift and, well, you can’t throw out a gift. But that may be…
I’ve said many times before — “Some of us were born to collect, and some of us have great collections thrust upon us” — at least it’s a quote I would like to be known for saying. I have never been able to settle for collecting one thing, it may be more accurate to admit I am a collector of collections — or maybe the stories around them. In an article published a few weeks ago, I wrote about a jar of matches I picked up at an auction. It wasn’t the matches I wanted, but the odd coins of varying currency among them. I have purchased matches before, though not nearly in as great a quantity, …
One of the categories I think very few of us can resist while on a “dig” is our past. No matter how old you are, you have a history. The shows we watched, the toys we played with, the products we’ve used, all play an important part of who we are, and often what we look for. Like retrospectives, or “clip shows” of your favorite comedy series, searching through the collections of other folks is a great opportunity to enjoy a sort of slow-motion look back at the things you thought you had forgotten. This happened to me one afternoon while digging through some old magazines. There in a stack were…
I have to admit I do go through a sort-of withdrawal around this time of year. The weather may be cooperating but the sales are not. Last week, when I so generously offered a way to find sales, I didn’t expect that there would only be one in a 50-mile radius. In my world, that equates to a prolonged drought. I even went as far (literally) as to drive outside that radius to a listed estate sale in West Pawling, NY. I should have known I’d have no success when the shortest route to the sale was met with a “Bridge Out” sign. I persevered only to be grossly disappointed by the slim pickings at …
I found a friendly comment placed under last week’s article asking me the question for the ages: “Where do you go to find the good sales?” I have been doing this weekend treasure hunting for as long as I can remember. Actually, it all started with a parent teaching me to drive. What better place to practice parallel parking then among the row of cars at an estate sale. Of course, once successfully wedged between two cars, I had to go and take a look. My first lesson in successful treasure hunting: Randomness. As a dashing (writer’s embellishment) young lad of 16, I was immediately attracted …
When I woke up on Saturday, I knew it was not going to be the best day to find a “dig,” or possibly a blog post, or even an article. I had actually checked the night before to see if there were any sales in the area and was hopeful when I found a lone estate sale listed in Danbury. The snow had been falling since 3 a.m. and the prediction was for 3-6 inches, maybe more, maybe less. Looking out the window, I figured the day was lost to finding anything, except lower back pain from shoveling. My wife doesn’t drive in the snow, but cares about her clients, and when she asked for a ride to work…
It may be obvious, but after discovering the glass negative from this earlier post I have been fostering a small obsession to learn more about them. Thanks to a mutual friend, I have known Nancy Zorena for several years. Remembering that she was connected with a historical society led me to getting in touch with her. Nancy, who has been a past president of the Monroe Historical Society, and is now currently a volunteer, met me in the History room of the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library on a warm Saturday in January. I was there to see what I had been searching for: a large collection of glass …
Last week I ended with a find that almost slipped through my shredder. The item was an odd wedding invitation addressed to Florence Sagendorf, the owner of the 44 Connecticut post cards (see image) found from 1904-07. With no date and taking place out of state, the invitation really didn’t have much interest. However, seeing that the groom was serving in the military as a Cavalryman piqued my curiosity. I wondered what luck I would have if I just Googled the groom’s name? It turns out that Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, who was about to be wed to Adele Howard Holley in 1911, was more than just a…
What are we looking for when we go tag sale-ing? Some people look for that best-selling novel they wanted to read two years ago or the piece of discontinued china that will complete their own set. I look for items of local historical significance. Because I rarely find what I am looking for, I will often settle for anything with a good story behind it. Earlier in the year, at a sale in West Redding, I was looking through piles of books when I came across a postcard album with a heavily worn cover. During the late 19th, early 20th century postcards were sent as frequently as emails are today…
Why do we send Christmas cards? I don’t want to shake a billion dollar industry to its foundations, but I have to ask the question. Every year, my wife and I sit down and select a photo of our daughter in holiday dress, add a snappy or humorous quote or greeting and order copies of these to send to people we know and people we think we know. Whose idea was this? Apparently, this all started in the 1840s with an Englishman who got tired of writing a personal note to each of his friends and acquaintances. Sir Henry Cole asked an artist to draw up and duplicate a picture that represented the …
When the sales begin to dwindle this time of year, if you look hard enough and are willing to travel, it is still possible to find things that are unique and beyond description. That was the case this past weekend, as I scanned my sources and found no “digs” in the local area. However, in New Canaan there was a listing that sounded very inviting. "Wexford Hall", the magnificent English country mansion designed by William Tubby in the 1920s, is overflowing with wonderful and unusual art, antiques and collectibles: furniture, rugs, porcelain, ivory, silver, books, linens, garden items, three …
In this edition of the “Urban Archeologist” I share one of the many gadgets I have come across. Take a look at the images and see if you can guess. I will reveal its purpose at the end of the article. It started on an Autumn Saturday when members of a friendly Brookfield family greeted us at the door. Like an introduction, they explained that their mother (living) is an artist and their grandfather (deceased) owned an apothecary in New York City. The sale was a collection of their things representing over 100 years of accumulation and it was spread all around the house. My eight-year-old …
I am very lucky to live in a part of the country that is steeped in its own history. The towns around me are 200-300 years old or more. I don’t live in an old neighborhood, but I only need to walk five minutes before reading a plaque on a home from the 18th Century. When I look for sales, there’s always the chance I might get to buy a historic piece of this community. Earlier this year, I did just that. New Milford was the direction I had chosen that Saturday in June, sometimes I just go on a hunch and hope for the best. Other times I pick a sale out of the listings and just head toward it …
