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, October 24, 2011

Box Lot Fun

Box lots are fun.  As long as you see one or two things in the box and you only bid what you are willing to pay for those items, you can't lose.  At one point, the auctioneer placed two boxes full of doilies, a box full of tablecloths and a plastic sack on the table and said we were going to bid for Choice.  Choice means you bid what you are willing to pay for whichever box or sack you want.  If you win the bid, you pick one, two three or all of them and you pay that amount for each box lot. 

The Auctioneer started the bidding at a dollar and it eeked it's way up to $8.00 and that was the winning bid. You know I was bidding for the tablecloths and I held my breath when the winning bidder stepped up and took the plastic sack and said, "Yahoo, I got my blender," she said. What the heck a blender was doing with doilies and tablecloths, I don't know. But, I was quite happy that she didn't take the tablecloth box. So, the auctioneer did choice again for the remaining three box lots and the winning bid was $10.00 that time. I held my breath again as the winner stepped up - but they took both the boxes of doilies. That left my precious box of tablecloths sitting alone. I honestly thought they would be the first things to go, but apparently no one else appreciated them like I do.

The auctioneer ended up throwing a bunch of those crap on top of the tablecloths and I won the bid for $6.00.  That was my highest bid of the day and there was a lot of extra stuff in those boxes - a lot of it ended up by the dumpster and being donated to Goodwill.  I did get these two gorgeous Startex tablecloths in bright springy colors and that was worth the $6.00 to me.
I got all of these things too.  A tablecloth, a watermelon potholder, cute camel potholder, a couple trivets made out of old bottle caps, a pot scrubber, embroidered flour sack and a potholder.  I'm keeping the watermelon, the grapes and the camel.  The rest will go to the Flea market. 

Other finds from box lots: An old Funeral fan, brushes, tins, old cars, a brooch, some can openers for old Beer brands, cigar boxes, an old bank bag, blocks and a wee nativity.  I'll probably have to keep those blocks since my name just popped out at me when I opened the box, but the rest will go to the Booth.

Two fun vintage Handkerchief boxes with the hankies still intact and some old children's books with stellar graphics.  I'll keep the box with the sweet images and sell the other one.

An old cooky press, two spoon holders, a neat old metal box and an old powder compact with mirror.  I'll keep the box and sell the rest.
Here is a good example of what I was actually bidding on and what I got. I got a huge box full of really gaudy ug-lee Christmas and Halloween decorations. Nothing cute, just ugly stuff. But, peeking out from the box was that blow mold with the cat, so I bid and won the whole ugly mess for $1.00. That blow mold was well worth the dollar, plus I got that old plastic pumpkin head on the right too. (I had found the other blow mold at a yard sale earlier in the day for 50¢.)

This box was part of the tablecloth lot.  I don't can green beans or make jam.  I don't need lids and jar rubbers (!) so I should just donate them.  But, you and I both know, I better have a look in that box just to make sure.

These things are old and interesting, so maybe I shouldn't donate them.  Some of those jar lids are priced at 2/19¢.  Maybe they will go to the booth too.

A box of Never-Pick ChikNbits (to keep chickens beaks shut) is a unique find.  I can always use a glass lid for one of my old jars and a brand new porcelain lined Zinc lid is always a happy find.

That matchbox is nice. It's very old, has good graphics and would look nice in my vintage packaging display.  It sounds empty, but I don't want old matches around for safety reasons, so I better look inside it to make sure it is really empty.

Just some old wax paper crumpled up in it and uhm, wait...is there something else in there?

OhMyGosh!  A wee bride and groom cake topper from the 1940's.  A-dorable.  Turns out, this surprise couple is my favorite find of the day and I didn't even know I was bidding on it. 

You just never know what you will find in a box lot!

6 comments:

  1. some good finds I laughted at the wedding couple it looks like the bride is a foot taller than the man. Someone must of made him.
    Cathy

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  2. Great stuff! And so cheap!

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  3. Wish we had more auctions and such here. Love the bride and groom surprise. The Chicknbits are so funny - would have never guessed what they were for. Great stuff!

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  4. Oh my....you had some fun looking through your box lots! I think the tablecloths are beautiful and the jar lids are fab but oh yes my favorite is the Bride and Groom also! hugs, Linda

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  5. So fun! I'd love to do that someday. :) The bride and groom are such a fun find!

    I just thrifted a cute pin cusion made out of two of those jar lids. Hmmm, just a thought if you get a crafty inspiration?

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  6. LOVE your finds!!! Wish our auctions were that cheap!!

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