What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Monday, March 05, 2012

The Week in Junk

Saturday morning I spotted an ad on Craigslist:  We have a unique variety of Items. My grandparents had an estate sale, and what they didn't sale ended up in our garage. We have antiques, dishes, Christmas decor (old), clothes, fitness equipment, and more.  The address was right here in my small town, so I Googled the address and it was 0.9 miles from me.  So, I hurried around and went before we had to leave for the Kite Festival.  

When I got there, it was a young guy, all bundled up shivering and cursing the cold.  He told me that nothing was marked, but everything was pretty much a quarter, fifty cents or a dollar or two at the most.  I thanked him and told him that I was here for the Old Christmas decor.  He told me that he had already sold a lot of it (I purposely DID NOT ask what he had sold) so I started to think I was too late.

As we were talking, I spotted this bundle of Mercury Glass picks lying on the table and with that, I knew that I had found enough to make it worth stopping.  Mercury Glass picks are one of my most coveted and hard to find items.  

I gathered up a few items in a box and he quoted me a price of $3.00.  I added a few things to it and told him I was doing it so that he could adjust the price accordingly.  He said, "Well, the more you buy the less it is, so now you only owe $2.50."  Alrighty, my kind of guy!  I ended up spending quite a bit more than that, but I got some goodies.
Some of these photos just aren't that great - the afternoon sun is changing and I am having problems finding a good outdoor sop for photos.  Plus, it was windy today and that was causing me troubles.  Anyway - these old books are neat - the sewing book has it's cover, but the cloth cover is sweet with it's pink binding and scissors and spools on the front.
This set of books in in disrepair.  All of the bindings are in the box, but they are off the books themselves.  It is the complete works of Rudyard Kipling.  But, there is something else - do you see it?
There is a swastika on each book.  I  know that symbol is from all times and all cultures, so I want to research it a bit.  The books have color plates and are nice books.  I wish they were in better condition, but what are you going to do, right?
I shy away from records and LP's, but these four old Christmas records caught my eye.  Love the one on top with the Gurley Candle front and center.  I think they would look great in a vintage Christmas Display (perhaps even one in my very own home).
When I got home, I discovered that one of the records is bright transparent red.  Cool, huh?
I got all this old Delta Airline stuff from various boxes.  The guy helped me find different things here and there.  This will most likely go on ebay as a lot.  It's interesting to see the things that they used to give you when you flew - a luggage tag, pens, a pencil sharpener, buttons, patches, etc.  That all makes sense.    
But, a Razor Knife?  Can you imagine getting that in this day and age?  Heck, you can't even fly with an Emery Board, can you?  I got five of these and I will just keep them.  They are pretty handy!

Several sweet children's hangers.  I love using these to display baby clothes and doll clothes.
A piece of English Pottery, a dainty bone china teacup, Goofy Glass vase, Pottery vase, Cigar box (that still has stinky cigars in it....) and a bunch of vintage drink parasols.  I'm keeping the parasols, cigar box (sans the cigars) and the English Pottery.
A sweet hand embroidered Scotty Apron.  It's in need of a washing.  It will go to the booth.

Vintage Dennison cutouts.
 A vintage happy New Year decoration which I was pleased as punch to find.  A nice addition to my growing collection of New Years decorations.
And now, POW, on to the vintage Christmas.  It's all small stuff, but I was tickled to keep finding things here and there.
Lots and lots of gold stuff, which isn't really my forte.  But, it was old and in good shape so I bought it.

More gold stuff, some miniatures, millinery leaves and other goodies.

Just in time for St. Patty's Day - vintage Leprechauns and clovers.  Now, that is a first for me to find. Even a spun cotton pipe on a clover.  Fun!
The keepers including an old Submarine toy, an old harmonica box and the best of the Christmas.  

It was fun to get to dig and hopefully it is just a glimmer of what is to come this Yard Sale season.  

It's 11:00 and tomorrow is my first day at work!  Yikes!  Gotta go!  

PS.
Hope you found some junk this weekend.



13 comments:

  1. Shara, I love everything you found, especially the Christmas and the St Pats stuff and those super cute little hangers! It was a good day for you! So glad you stopped there.

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  2. 8-) worth the wait 8-)
    THANKS for sharing! Love the guy seller's attitude ~ That is J's attitude when I leave him solo at our yardsale...

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  3. Yay Shara...she shops...she SCORES!!! the more you buy, the better the price?? awesome! *e*

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  4. If I had been there with you, we would have had to divide everything between us ,love everything! I've never seen a red album before!! Neat! I have a couple of those hangers that were mine when I was little.

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  5. Nice haul, MB! Love the mercury glass.

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  6. Lots of wonderful vintage treasures! I love the Christmas and the St Pats the most!! Those books are amazing. You are getting me excited for yard sales this year! hugs, Linda

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  7. good finds for being the dredges of a previous sale. Would have grabbed those Christmas picks in a flash! That razor knife is certainly not a sign of the current times as a airline giveway!

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  8. I love to dig around for small items, your digging sure got you some great airline memorabilia. Love the St. Patrick stuff.

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  9. Love it all. :) I have amassed quite a few of those mercury glass bead picks but they are still on my Top 10 list of things to find! I hoard them, I fully admit to it.

    Lots and lots of great finds! That is one heck of a kickoff to junking season. :)

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  10. That would be music to my ears, if someone told me the more I bought at an estate sale, the more I save! That Roger Williams album is killer!

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  11. LOVE your finds!!! Especially the red record!!

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  12. Looks very much like the auction I went to last weekend. I came home with a car full of stuff! I spent two days going through and taking pictures to post. I HOPE to get to it today....

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  13. Love the vintage Christmas decor AND the red record album! Great stuff!!

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