Country Auction

I went to a great auction this weekend in rural Nebraska. It was an old farmhouse that was being cleared out, and had a bunch of old vintage primitives. I couldn't buy everything I wanted, the windmill weights went higher than I wanted to pay, but I did get some great finds. Keep an eye on my Etsy shop, as I've already posted some of my finds.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Modred12

Box of Wooden Pegs

Sometimes in the vintage trade, you come across items you're just not sure what to do with. At my last auction, I ended up with a box of wooden pegs. They could also work as vampire stakes, but since I'm not friends with any vampire killers I'm not sure what to do with them.

I haven't come across any this old. They likely marked property or a garden, as some still have some rope with them. They were then put in a barn and forgotten, until I came along. They will probably sit in my basement for awhile, as I'm not sure what to do with either. Thankfully, we have the room, and my husband tolerates my vintaging. Sometimes you just hold onto items until you learn more about them, or what to do with them.

I did learn people would make dolls from some wooden pegs. I remember being a child and learning about Laura Ingalls' doll she made with a corncob. In today's modern age, it's hard for me to relate to this. I don't know how we survived without the inter net, but survive we did. I would prefer a soft doll to a hard doll, but again, it's a different age.

The only marking pegs I see today are metal. Someone likely carved these from wood, taking time and care. I want to make sure whoever ends up with these realize that once upon a time someone cared about his work, and made these. That's also part of selling vintage, you want your items to find a good home. For now they will stay with me, until I find one.

Country Auction

Once upon a time, someone mentioned that vintage sellers didn't work as hard as people who sell handmade because they don't put as much time in it. I'm guessing they've never been to a country auction. I attended one yesterday, the family had been there for four generations, but the place had been sold and it was time to move some very old items. There was a bunch of it I had to sit through, and as one woman said "we used our antiques," so mint condition wasn't an option. This is to be expected though, mint condition is a rarity with vintage, especially since some of the items dated from the early 1900s.

I got up in the morning, and it was cold and raining. It rained throughout the day, but I had my fingerless gloves from HamsaHealing, plus a jacket and coat because I am a bit of cold-weather weenie. The auction was at the farm in an out-building, so it could have been worse. You park along the road and walk-up, my feet got a little wet and muddy by the time I was done.

More rain. Most auctions have a friendly vibe to them, even if you're being out-bid. I sat next to one lady who took some of the items that no one was bidding on. She turned to me and said "I'm nuts." We both had a good laugh and I helped her move some our her items to another area, as space was limited.

I wish I could re-do furniture. Farm furniture is usually older and quality made, it just needs to be refreshed. Unfortunately, it's not a strength of mine. Maybe someday I'll have the room to buy it then re-sell it to people who can give it new life.

There were a lot of quilts and older linens. I don't know much about then, I think that's why I like reading the blog A Passion for Vintage Textiles. She knows her stuff and I'm always learning something. As a general rule, quilts hold their value. I have yet to go to an auction where they are going "cheap." I think every generation appreciates the quality and beauty of quilts.

All farm houses have to have a friendly dog, and this was no exception. His name was Clay, and even though he was wet I had to pet him. I have to admit, I gave him a french-fry. He wasn't too proud to beg, nice dog.

I made it through the auction, it was a full-day and time to go home. Sometimes with auctions if you can out-last some of your fellow-bidders you can get better deals. I had a good time and will be listing some of the items on my Zibbet and Etsy web-site as time allows. I hope everyone had a nice weekend, but hopefully yours was warmer with less rain.