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.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Stop! Thief! (And An Auction!)

There was some big excitement at the Flea market last weekend.  They caught a shoplifter!  A girl in her twenties or so came in with one of those empty drawstring bags on her back.  She proceeded to make her way through the store filling up that bag with THIRTY items!


I'm not sure if it was a compliment or not, but TEN of those items were from MY booth!  $65.00 worth of junk.  I knew that they had caught her with a bag full, but I didn't know what she had taken.  The police had sent over a list of booth numbers, so I knew I was missing something.  I wasn't expecting it to be that many items or that much money, I know that!  Now the items are being held as evidence and they won't be returned until the court hearing.  But, at least I will get it back and it will still be good to sell.  When I worked at the grocery store people would steal cigarettes, meat and medicines and then the Police would hold it as evidence and return it all out of date and not good for anything but the trash.  (They did dump the meat and just keep the packages, in case horrible gross things are going through your mind.)



I stumbled upon an auction today.  I just saw the sign and ended up stopping for about three hours.  I knew almost everyone there, which was weird.  I forget how long I have lived in this tiny town.  One of my friends was there, so we hung around together.  I found out tonight that it was her very first auction!  

There was a ton of gorgeous solid oak furniture, pie safes, loads of old collectible dolls and tons of other very nice things.  Things sold for a ton, but then again, it really was a deal.  I'm just too poor/cheap to buy furniture.  But some of that stuff was amazing and sold for not much at all. 

This white cabinet was out in the garage.  It was that about fifteen feet long and seven feet tall.  It must have been in a department store at one time.  It was white and really amazing.  I kept envisioning that center section cut out with a big screen in the middle and then pottery-palooza on the shelves around it.  It only sold for $40.00.  I about threw up.  I bet you could have sold it for $1,000.00 to a store.  Gah!  Granted you would have had to go rent a truck to get it home, but man, what a deal.  When they were auctioning off all the dolls and collector plates, this older man beside me did a huge expel of air out of his mouth and said, "Come ON" under is breath.  I said, "That's how the ladies feel when they auction off tools!"  He looked at me and for a minute, I thought he might hit me.  But, then he laughed and said, "I guess you're right.  Maybe I'll just go get some air."  

This guy in the yellow kept bidding on and winning almost everything.  I know he must have spent several thousand dollars on furniture and things.  Here he was the high bidder of choice on a bunch of boxes full of old jars.  The bid was $12.00 and he ended up taking all of them.  There was a big box of old played with, but still fun vintage, toys that I wanted.  I was only going to go to $8.00, but I ended up going to $20.00 because I knew he was going to outbid me anyway.  And he did.  When my friend and I were leaving, we asked him if he had a shop somewhere.  He told us that he had lost everything but the shirt off his back in a fire a year ago and he was trying to replace it all.  Then I felt kind of bad about the bidding.  But, then again, that was a box of old junky toys - not furniture or appliances.  So, I guess I don't feel that bad.  

I ended up bringing home a carload, but two boxes went to Goodwill and one big bag went in the trash.  I had a questionable moment of bidding where I bought a Cabbage Patch Doll and some Eden Beatrix Potter stuffed bunnies.  I got them cheap, but I don't know why I really bought them.  

I got this old toy box for $3.00.  I loved the old cowboy decals on it and the fact that it is pink.  I will clean it up and use it in the booth or take it to the Barn Sale.  There were about nine old baseballs in it too - really old ones that are all brown.  I can sell those for a couple bucks each too.  

This little chair was the one thing that I really, really wanted.  And, I don't know why - I have no real use for it.  But, golly, it is adorable.  It is about two feet tall and folds up.  I got caught up in a bidding frenzy and paid $15.00 for it - which really was too much.  But, I got it and I love it and I will say it is my Mother's Day gift to myself.  Thats one of the old baseballs there in the seat for scale.  

Around to the side of the house there was a bunch of old junk out of the shed.  I didn't take any photos, but for $1.00 a "lot" I got a box full of old trampoline springs, a big bushel basket full of old letters and a old wooden box full of glass gallon jars.  The letters all have have nail holes in them and were taken off a sign of some sort.  I'll have to sort them out and we'll see if we can figure out what it used to say.  I really only wanted the wooden box, but the glass jars are good too.  Lastly the trampoline springs - I saw "cat tails" made out of them for the garden.  Now, will I actually use all these things and complete these projects - WHO KNOWS!

My last item is actually my very favorite and guess what?  I found it in the trash pile!  
I thought it was just a run of the mill Trick or Treat pail, but I it looked a bit big so I picked it up.  When I saw that masked face I knew I had struck gold!  Such a happy find.  Literally - a find!

I had a good afternoon of people watching and junk buying.  It was a fun day!

16 comments:

  1. I love that the little red chair says "My Own Chair." So sweet. And a perfect gift to yourself for Mother's Day.
    Pottery-palooza. That's a great new term for the vintage world.

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  2. so glad you are going to get your things back was she planning reselling them? Odd. I love the pumpkin so cute.
    Cathy

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  3. Hmmmmm....lost everything but the shirt on his back and is replacing it with vintage toys? Sounds a little fishy to me.

    Loved that little chair when you posted it on IG yesterday. I have a couple that sit outside with flowers on them. Definitely worth the 15 bucks, especially if you love it!

    Happy Mothers Day!

    Erica

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  4. You really do have fun with your Junkin adventures! Love the Halloween guy, but the red chair is soo sooooo cute! Happy Mother's Day!

    Linda

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  5. What a fun way to spend the day!
    I hope you will show a picture of the cat tails because I can't quite picture what you are imagining.
    Happy Mother's Day to you!

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  6. Glad they caught the shoplifter - she was really having a good time in your booth! You got some neat things but I love the little chair the best, too! Happy Mother's Day!

    PS now I'm going to google cattails made from springs!!

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  7. at auctions, if someone buys box lots and there is an item you want, approach them and make an offer on the one item. It has worked for me.

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  8. I'm glad the thief was caught. Since you don't get the items back yet, I'm glad that there was nothing of yours that you had a bigger price tag on.

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  9. I'm not buying that guys story either. If you are replacing what you lost and you lost everything..vintage toys and canning jars? And he spent a ton of money on other stuff? Sounds like a reseller...

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  10. FUN! FUN! FUN!!
    Show us some of the projects when you complete them - YOU always do (complete them!) - they sound intriguing ;-)

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  11. That little red chair is adorable. Not sure if it's $15 worth of adorable considering that awesome hunk of cabinet sold for $40!!! I have not been out thirfting or yard saling or auction going in TWO weeks and it is killing me! The kiddo's been sick, so I can't actually whine about it too much or else I look like a bad mom, but it's still killing me :)

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  12. Yes, they caught her! I'm so over people thinking they are entitled to someone else's stuff.
    Hopefully the police don't put evidence stickers all over your stuff. They did that to my friends laptop that was stolen and recovered. Goo Gone couldn't touch that thing.

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  13. Anonymous11:18 PM

    So glad to find out about some of the items and what they sold for. Leaving an auction early kills my soul. I forgot about the trampoline springs and I am happy to hear that you got them.
    Lastly, I asked one of the auctioneers about the guy in the yellow. I was told that he spends a lot and has a shop in Stillwell. So yeah, don't feel bad.

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  14. I really do have a bad auction problem -- I almost enjoyed reading your story of going to one as much as I do actually going to one myself! I just LOVE them. That is CRAZY that that big cabinet thingy went for $40. A Lot of times the furniture goes for so cheap because people don't want to deal with hauling it off...maybe someday I will own a gigantic truck and employ two strong men to come to auctions with me and I will make off like a bandit. LOVE the chair and think it was totally worth $15.

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  15. Wowee what a great deal! and what luck to stumble across the pumpkin blow mold!

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