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.

Blue Mountain Pottery

I'm a fan of Blue Mountain Pottery, and love coming across it. It's not as popular as McCoy or Roseville, I've seen it mis-identified a few times. Since it was a Canadian Pottery company, that might be the reason for some of the confusion. Unfortunately, it closed it's doors in 2004, a victim of cheaper imports. It was a popular pottery company, and there are plenty of pieces in good condition, as well as fan clubs that can help you should you have any questions. However, as time goes on it will become more unique.

The glaze always catches my eye, and I check the item out. If it's the real deal, the glaze is thick, and Blue Mountain Pottery did a double glazing with two different colors known as "reflowing decorating." Some of the pieces with a closed bottom are marked BPM, but other marks existed. The most popular color is the greenish shade(s), but they also did other colors, such as reds and golds. They did figurines to serving ware. Below are a few pieces from my own collection, and they aren't for sale.

This is an example of the open bottom, it won't be marked. One of my pieces still has a paper label, but just because it isn't marked doesn't mean it's not Blue Mountain Pottery. As with anything, there are fakes, so be cautious and know the dealer.

This cat is approximately a foot tall, I couldn't get him in the entire photograph. Please note the label. With vintage, it's not tacky at all to leave the label on, and it increases value.

The deer was being sold as a Frankoma, and I got the dog rather cheaply because they didn't know what it was. Fortunately, I did.