Anniversary Goodness Part Two

Anchor Hocking Forest Green Dots pitcher & tumblers

These glasses were one of my favorite finds of the day. There are actually 5, and I paid 3 dollars apiece for them. Not too shabby. When I started pulling of the labels to wash them I noticed that they had several layers worth of price stickers. Each one revealed a different dealer tag and price. First dealer had them marked for 20 dollars apiece! Then they went from 20 to 10 down to 3. Dramatic difference! They match my pitcher perfectly. It was another pleasant surprise find several months ago. I never thought I'd find any of these polka dot items reasonably priced, just goes to show that being a treasure hunter can yield some pleasantly surprising finds!

 And speaking of polka dots, I almost didn't buy these shakers. I had one of them at home already. And even though these have lids, they aren't the original ones. I walked around the antique store, wringing my hands over them, and finally my exasperated husband said "Just buy them. You'll kick yourself later if you don't."

Who can argue with such wisdom? :-)

Pyrex Celtic Floral promotional casserole

This promotional Pyrex casserole was in my last blog, but I actually bought it a different day. This is one of my very favorite pieces of Pyrex I've ever bought. And at 20 dollars, it's one of my most expensive single pieces. So it better be good, Right?

Oh well. It's Be-yooo-teee-ful, and that's what really matters, lol!

And finally, the Good, the Bad, and the (almost got) ugly:

ANOTHER vintage Fiesta relish tray piece. For a song. 5 bucks and absolutely flawless. I do not, DO NOT understand how or why these guys keep coming my way, and so inexpensively!

I did a major happy dance when I found it. It was labeled "vintage Fiesta pcs $5.00". In other words, the dealer didn't know what they had, didn't care enough to look it up, slapped a 5 dollar price sticker on it, and sat it on the bottom of a knick-knack shelf where I'm amazed I even saw it.

vintage Fiesta relish tray insert in original green

When we got to the check out, things almost took a dive. Almost. The lady at the register looked the piece over and over. Her whole manner looked stiff and angry. She just kept turning the piece over and over. Then she sat it down and looked in a book - presumably she was checking which dealer had that booth number.

When she walked back, she seem ever-so-slightly softened. She casually said "I collect old Fiesta". I smiled at her, sweet and blank, with an expression that was like "Oh, that's nice."

But inside, I was fuming. I felt like I had been accused of cheating. I didn't know what exactly her problem was, but she obviously did.

Then, she rather snarkily asked for my tax number - meaning: Are you an antiques dealer? Did you just "pick" my antique store?

I think I managed to just look confused. But, mostly I was still just fuming inside.

When I finally got back out to the car, I unwrapped my relish tray insert and noticed that a corner of the tag had obviously been pulled up. This made me fume even more. So THAT'S what she was doing when she was turning the piece over and over again. She thought I had switched a tag. But it was obvious by the way the sticker was coming up that it had not been removed or switched or messed with.

I just got lucky is all. I found a dealer who was selling a Fiesta pcs (whatever that is) for 5 dollars because they simply didn't care enough to look it up. And folks, this was in a major antique store with lots and lots of collector's books behind the counter that the owners of the place I'm sure would be perfectly happy to let you borrow. In fact, that antique store probably even had the internets that could be consulted as well.

You can tell I still get mad when I think about it, huh?

And to tell you the truth, I think the lady was just being a good employee. She obviously knew what the insert was, even though the dealer didn't. And she didn't accuse me of anything she couldn't prove (Although, her body language and tone were plenty accusatory enough).

It just sucked some of the sweetness out of a good day and a fantastic find.

On the flip side though, this green piece made me realize that I was 4 colors in to an 'original 6' relish tray. Before this find, I was on the lookout for a cobalt base to make an ivory, cobalt & yellow tray. But now, I think I'm going to hold out for a red side and a turquoise base and have all 6 original colors - and in exactly the combination I would have picked for a relish tray if I was starting completely from scratch!

I am reminded again of all the amazing, wonderful things in the world. My heart is filled to the brim with gratitude. And I am humbled that these really cool things have come my way & on such a meager budget. Goodness DOES abound! :-)

Happy Treasure Hunting!