Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

January 23, 2010

Antiquing

I am one of those people for whom "antique" is a verb. I love, love, love going to antique stores, if for no other reason than to just look at old stuff. It's like being in a museum of Americana. Twice a year, there is a huge antique show sponsored by Palmer Wirfs of Portland, Oregon. It used to be in the Tacoma Dome but switched to the Puyallup Fairgrounds a few years ago.

I got up early in order to get the grocery shopping done so that I could be in Puyallup before the doors opened at 9:00 a.m. There was plenty of free parking and I entered at Blue Gate.


I find it curious that the Volcano Evacuation Route was pointing into the Fairgrounds. Sure, gather everyone in the same place and watch the lahar sweep them into oblivion.
I got my ticket and headed for the Showplex, one of the largest buildings at the fair.
I'd been looking forward to a Fisher Scone all week, so I was a bit crestfallen to see the Scone Wagon was closed.
However, once I got inside the Showplex, I saw that there was an open scone window inside!

YUMMY!!!!!
I spent the next 2 hours weaving my way up and down all of the aisles, taking in all of the cool, old stuff.
This booth was really beautiful with all Asian artwork, statues and the most amazing wood chests and trunks. Val, I looked for the horse & carriage from "Chinoiserie" but there wasn't one. (Click on the photos for a closer view.)

Some of my pics came out a bit blurry because I wasn't using a flash and trying to shoot without people noticing me.
These were the absolute CREEPIEST looking dolls and figurines. I would not want one in my house.
There were some people dressed in Civil War era clothes.

I could kill my mom for getting rid of all my lunchboxes, especially the metal ones.
Lots of duckies.

Of course I wanted to buy all of the pretty glass and sparkly jewelry.

I guess this explains the origin of the term "bombshell" when it comes to a pretty girl.



Huge, innit? Crowded too.
If there is one thing I wish, it's that MEN WOULD JUST STAY HOME! I don't understand why they feel the need to accompany their wives to these things, when all they do is stand there, in the middle of the aisles, with ZERO spatial awareness. Go home! Take your manhood back and stay home watching sports! Then there are the old men who like to 'set a-spell and spin a yarn' with various booth owners about the tools and wares, making it virtually impossible to inquire as to the price of items. Ladies, I'm begging you, leave the 'unnecessary accessories' at home to drink beer, watch TV and scratch!!

After I finally shopped my way through the Showplex, my feet and low back were killing me. I thought about getting a foot massage when I left.
The Civil War reenactors were outside, shooting their black powder rifles.

I don't go to the antique show with a list or anything. I just like to drift and see if anything catches my eye. This year, I scored a cute little Ontario license plate, which was probably a cereal premium. It's quite small, probably 2" x 5".
A nice linen postcard of Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill in SF.

I love to collect postcard folders/books. They have many photos of different sights, all folded together in a little booklet.

Postmark from 1948.
This was one of my biggest scores, a booklet of photos showing the damage from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It's postmarked 1908 and extremely fragile.

One of the pages isn't attached so I scanned it.
This was also a huge find, and is also very fragile, which is why I didn't try to scan the postcards inside. There's no date on this, unfortunately, but it's clearly from the early 20th century.
I don't collect fans, but this one caught my eye and was a steal at only $6. You HAVE to click on this one to see the amazing colours.

I also found this adorable little metal box with jewels on the lid and sides. "Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes..."

I hadn't exactly planned on buying another antique beaded purse, but I could not take my eyes off this one. I knew if I walked away, someone else would buy it, so I scarfed it up. It dates from the 1920's.
That's the bottom. Isn't it cool? All my fave colours too!
So, all in all, a successful day at the antique show! I can't wait for the next time it blows through town in November!

12 comments:

  1. Jojo, we really are twins.

    I LOVE antique stores and find them irresistible. Even if I don't buy anything, just to be among the old things intrigues me.
    I like to touch objects and "feel" their history. People think I'm a nut.

    The metal box and the SF postcards are beautiful!!
    I agree about the men too. All they do is get in the way and whine like bitches about wanting to go home anyway.

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  2. I like "mod" stuff myself,or odd antique medical instruments.I know I'm dark,I can't help it.You know,when I was little,beaded purses were quite the thing for a girl my age.I had a yellow and white one.My grandmother gave me some old ones too.I don't have them anymore.

    The crummy modern ones were glued on beads that I would end up pulling off.The last exhibit I went to was a gem show-not big but pretty nice.

    Glad you enjoyed it Jojo.It sure looks like fun to me.Oh,and I agree-leave the men at home!

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  3. I wasn't expecting there to be the Chinese horse, JoJo - remember how much it was worth!

    I do love the fan. I have a collection, and there is a fan museum a couple of miles from here, so I can tell you that you need to keep it closed most of the time or it puts too much strain on the structure. Keep it wrapped in acid-free tissue paper, in its box if you have it.

    BTW, the fan museum does fan-making classes, and I did one several years ago. It really was fun.

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  4. You mean I can't open the fan and tack it on my wall??? *wailing & rending clothes in the street* It's way too pretty to keep closed and hidden away!!! *pouting & stomping foot*

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  5. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Who, in their right mind, does not just absolutely LOVE antiques -- from vintage clothing to furniture to cars. For me it's all about nostalgia. A yearning for simple times past. When life was uncomplicated and straightforward. I swear, I must have been born in another space and time. I'm feeling a little sappy and schmaltzy.

    What I also enjoy very much are old trains. Included on my bucketlist is to tour Canada on one of those old trains.

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  6. Anonymous11:44 AM

    Looks like you had a wonderful day and managed to get some goodies too!

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  7. Bobbybegood, when you make your trip plans to do the trans Canada rail trip, let me know b/c that's been a dream of mine since the 1980's!!!!! lol

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  8. Great!! You'll be the second person to know.

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  9. Sorry JoJo. Depends how long you want it to last. In the museum they have special display thingies to support the fans, but even so they change the displays regularly.

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  10. Great pics! I felt as though I was there. Amazing things there, looks like you found some treasures.

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  11. Jo, I would love to follow you on facebook, but I was on facebook, forgot my password, went to my Yahoo site to retrieve it, and my computer became infected with spyware, worms, and viruses. So now I stay away from Facebook. Maybe in the future I will get up the nerve to return. However, I am on twitter.

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  12. Awesome Jo-Jo! You have got me in the perfect mood at the perfect time. Tomorrow daughter and I are going to an antique show! And we are smart enough to leave hubby home to watch football ;)

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