| Thread Number: 41870
Are you seeing a noticeable increase in vintage goods for sale |
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Post# 617077 8/14/2012 at 20:32 (280 days old) by petek  (Sarnia Ontario) |
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  It kind of struck me a few months ago possibly while I was cleaning out moms house that there seems to be a somewhat noticeable increase in the amount of primo vintage appliances, furniture etc showing up at thrift stores and Habitat Restores etc. 60's and 70's stuff that was bought new and kept in good condition by the owners who are now in their 80's etc and downsizing into retirement/nursing homes or just plain passing away. We have a fairly large Restore here, it was previously a furniture store,, even it's jammed now and they're moving to mall land into a vacated even larger furniture store. On line as well like here there seems to be a lot more good vintage stuff showing up on CL and estate sales. Anyone else notice or is it just a figment of my imagination | ||
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Post# 617104 , Reply# 2 8/14/2012 at 21:33 (280 days old) by rp2813 (SF Bay Area) |
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 I've said it before and I'll say it again. We're witnessing the *cough* "climax" of boomer parental units vacating their homes and heading to senior communities, assisted living scenes, or nursing homes. Offspring are unloading entire households, many of which contain well-maintained vintage appliancery and housewares.
Get it while you can, boys. This bonanza isn't going to last forever. | ||
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Post# 617122 , Reply# 3 8/14/2012 at 22:00 (280 days old) by Launderess (La Pomme Grande) |
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 Is rebounding so persons can sell/unload homes again.
Remember back in the day before all heck broke loose with the economy we'd see all sorts of vintage goodies on eBay, CL and elsewhere that owner's of new homes *found* there and wanted to get shot of quickly. There was and still is lots of gold in them dar basements, attics, garages and so forth. | ||
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Post# 617125 , Reply# 4 8/14/2012 at 22:12 (280 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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 ....Is that the kids who are disposing of Mom and Pop's stuff often seem to have NO IDEA what's good and what isn't.
I recently went to an estate sale run by a woman I know from work. She was selling off her mom's Process Patent Revere Ware (the good, pre-1965 stuff with the heavy copper bottoms, not the post-'65 stuff where the copper is a thin plating) and Corning Ware. Her own kitchen? Cheap discount store non-stick pots and pans styled to look like Calphalon, but without the heft and quality. The sale was also full of small appliances built with ten times the quality of anything you can get today. I asked her why she was selling off such nice things, and she replied, "Oh, all that stuff is SO old. If anyone wants it, they're welcome to it." I'm standing there thinking, "You don't have a clue, do you?" | ||
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Post# 617154 , Reply# 5 8/15/2012 at 00:42 (280 days old) by rp2813 (SF Bay Area) |
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Post# 617156 , Reply# 6 8/15/2012 at 01:15 (280 days old) by d-jones (Burbank CA) |
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 I’ve encountered people with this attitude all my life. I suppose it wouldn’t bother me so much except for the fact that people who think this way are responsible for trashing so many wonderful and useful old treasures under the mistaken idea that “nobody would want this”. What gets me though is the fact that there’s so often no middle ground. Folks either throw it out because it has no value as far as they’re concerned, or they want to charge an arm and a leg because it’s a priceless antique. Now granted, some things are priceless antiques and some things truly have little or no value, but what happened to common sense and the ability to discern the difference.
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Post# 617162 , Reply# 7 8/15/2012 at 02:39 (280 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc) |
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Sadly,in my area its the other way 'round-older items are RARE!!!Yet at yard sales see LOTS of newer stuff-often broken.Thrift stores have closed here.Most housing areas here are very new-too new for older things. | ||
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Post# 617171 , Reply# 8 8/15/2012 at 03:32 (280 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas) |
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 A lot of the garage sales around here are nothing more than places filled with items that had "garage sale" written on them while they were still in the store!
If you do come across something nice, it'll likely be priced for near what it was new or even over. I asked a woman running a sale as to why she is selling a five year old KitchenAid mixer for $395. when you could buy it in the store for less. Her response? "We're selling this stuff, not giving it away!". | ||
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Post# 617183 , Reply# 9 8/15/2012 at 06:40 (280 days old) by 112561 (River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
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 I watched a vintage Magnavox console ('61 to '64, approximate) almost hit the floor at our Fort Pierce Goodwill. A woman attendant immediately told the worker to remove it, a back leg was broken off. So he uncerimoniously trucked it sides up, sliders going askew, back to its fate to who knows where. It should have been delegated to the big Goodwill clearinghouse where the immigrants and few collectors haunt. One occasion they had a '71 Magnavox Etagere stereo with the glass shelves, and a giant campaign chest styled Magnavox Star System color set with the top line audio. Another day there was a Zenith tube console there. No goodies lately, maybe they hit shopgoodwill.com, such like shows up frequently, they're not all clueless. I can't stand the clueless mooks that think they're doing the organizations a favor by tossing all that old "trash" or maybe finding an unpacked small appliance from another era, which they promptly remove from the box and toss it onto the shelf, 'cause nobody wants all that packing stuff and papers. | ||
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Post# 617210 , Reply# 12 8/15/2012 at 09:53 (280 days old) by petek (Sarnia Ontario) |
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Antiques and antiquey furniture doesn't seem to sell well now. It used to be a nice old dining set or bedroom set would come in and they'd be snapped up and gone by the time they hit the Restores floor, probably by antique dealers. Now the stuff sits there for days if not weeks and there's been some pretty classy looking sets | ||
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Post# 617217 , Reply# 13 8/15/2012 at 10:24 (280 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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"Now granted, some things are priceless antiques and some things truly have little or no value, but what happened to common sense and the ability to discern the difference."
Occasionally, that can be almost funny. One of our local thrifts has a manager who is absolutely convinced that Corelle is worth a lot of money. She even devotes a special area to it, where the pricing is at least double that asked for other dishes. So far as I can tell, no one has bought any since I found a few pieces of my Snowflake Blue there a few months ago. But the regular dishes? Not a clue. I was recently able to pick up eight dessert/berry bowls in Royal China's "Blue Heaven" for fifty cents each and pass them on to a friend here locally who collects the stuff. I've found pieces of my "Currier & Ives" for the same money. Just don't expect to get any of that precious Corelle at a bargain! | ||
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Post# 617219 , Reply# 14 8/15/2012 at 10:33 (280 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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Maybe I should come to your area for additional serving pieces to add to my Cunningham & Pickett "Norway Rose" set. Also looking for serving pieces for my Fine China of Japan Rosemary #5555 set. Around here when good china is up for sale it fetches big money, and the people gladly pay it too. | ||
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Post# 617223 , Reply# 15 8/15/2012 at 10:46 (280 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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Post# 617235 , Reply# 16 8/15/2012 at 12:47 (280 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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Here is a link to Replacements.com with my Norway Rose pattern. CLICK HERE TO GO TO polkanut's LINK | ||
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Post# 617239 , Reply# 17 8/15/2012 at 12:54 (280 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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Here is another link with my Fine China of Japan Rosemary #5555 pattern. CLICK HERE TO GO TO polkanut's LINK | ||
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Post# 617244 , Reply# 18 8/15/2012 at 13:14 (280 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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Post# 617288 , Reply# 19 8/15/2012 at 17:47 (279 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!) |
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 "...I still can use almost anything that turns up, except cups: "
LOL! I know exactly how you feel! I've saved 8 each of the saucers, teacups, coffee cups and coffee mugs from my Centura patterns and won't even look twice at a stack of them anymore. I learned very quickly that most people like a larger mug, even for tea, so most of the cups and saucers that were extras went right out. Saves a ton of space.
I see Corelle all the time so will keep an eye out for you, Sandy. I've not seen either of the rose patterns, Tim, but that Norway Rose is very unique - I like the bold patterned china! | ||
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Post# 617300 , Reply# 20 8/15/2012 at 18:37 (279 days old) by Launderess (La Pomme Grande) |
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Some of y'all need to make up your minds.
If persons price a *vintage* item for what they think it's worth there is great noise as to the high price. If the thing is too low they "don't have a clue". Usually the market will sort these sort of questions out on it's own. We've seen estate sales listed here where goods didn't move (such as a vintage combo unit) because what interest there wasn't happy with the price. OTOH we've seen items move for prices that have left many gobsmacked. | ||
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Post# 617314 , Reply# 21 8/15/2012 at 19:47 (279 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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Thanks on the Snowflake Blue!
It's one of the original four Corelle patterns (the others were Spring Blossom Green, Butterfly Gold and Winter Frost White) from 1970, and it holds the distinction of being the first Corelle pattern ever to be discontinued, in 1976. So, it's less plentiful than some of the others, particularly the dread Spring Blossom Green, which is everywhere, by the carload. I said what I did about the cups because I only look for the hook-handle cups, which is a little hard to explain to people not familiar with early Corelle. Two hook-handle cups and saucers are actually on the shopping list; I already have six of each. I do not collect cups in Centura or Pyrex. Launderess, I'm not trying to have it both ways. If people sell things dirt-cheap because they have no appreciation for the past and haven't done their homework, I certainly don't mind. That doesn't stop me from marveling at their lack of initiative; with Google, you're rarely more than a few clicks away from information about collectibles and their value. | ||
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Post# 617320 , Reply# 22 8/15/2012 at 20:12 (279 days old) by Maytagbear (N.E. Ohio) |
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"Butterfly Gold" Corelle for almost 25 years. I got heartily, heartily sick of the stuff. I have one piece of it now, a luncheon plate, and that is more than enough. Corelle will break, but it takes a lot of doing to achieve that. Lawrence/Maytagbear | ||
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Post# 617327 , Reply# 24 8/15/2012 at 20:19 (279 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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I don't think I could have taken Butterfly Gold for 25 days, let alone 25 years. It is, however, better than Spring Blossom Green, which makes me shudder when I think about actually eating off it.
Weirdly, there is a sudden epidemic of Woodland Brown popping up everywhere where I live, mostly cups. Woodland Brown was the pattern that replaced Snowflake Blue; it was a design of brown flowers drawn in outline. Very late 1970s - earthtones and all that - a perfect companion for a macrame place mat. I never saw it much until a few weeks ago, and now it's in every thrift I go to. | ||
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Post# 617334 , Reply# 25 8/15/2012 at 20:33 (279 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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Nope, Snowflake Blue was one of the original four, made from 1970 to 1976. It was the least popular, which is why it was dropped.
Old Town Blue dates from 1972; it is the longest-running Corelle design that is actually patterned (Winter Frost White has been made longer, but is not patterned at all). Old Town Blue is officially discontinued, but short runs are still made for Corning Outlet Stores. The reason I'm collecting Snowflake Blue is that it looks really good with Corning Ware Blue Cornflower. Old Town Blue clashes with Cornflower; it looks like you tried to match them and were really, really bad at it. If you want a great Website for Corelle lore, I suggest Corelle Corner, which is a very well-researched site with trustworthy information: CLICK HERE TO GO TO danemodsandy's LINK | ||
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Post# 617342 , Reply# 26 8/15/2012 at 20:51 (279 days old) by xraytech (S.W. Pennsylvania, near Pittsb) |
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 I absolutley LOVE the Butterfly Gold pattern, I've been around it all my life, my gram got it in the late 70s and mother got it for a wedding gift in 1984. I have a full service of it, plus drinking glasses, salt and pepper shakers, baking pans, and pyrex bowl set.
I also only accept the original hook handled cups | ||
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Post# 617350 , Reply# 27 8/15/2012 at 21:03 (279 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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....Behind those hook-handled cups.
When Corelle was introduced in '70, the cups were all Centura, not the same Vitrelle glass the rest of the set was made of. The reason was that Vitrelle begins as a flat sheet of glass, and it's hard to make a cup out of a flat sheet. Centura was used for the first two years of production, to give consumers a familiar-looking cup. But the drawback to Centura is that it's not microwave-safe. That wasn't much of a problem in 1970, but it was starting to be one a couple of years later, and the situation got worse every year, as microwave sales boomed. So, in 1972, Corning came up with the hook-handled cup, which WAS made of the same Vitrelle all the other Corelle place pieces were made of, and which was microwave-safe. The problem was, not everyone liked the hook-handled cup, even through Corning tried to market it as something designed with a handle that would not let you burn your fingers. Over the years, Corning has also tried Pyrex cups, and current patterns often include cups made of regular stoneware from China. But I'm with you - the hook-handled cup is the one that is really Corelle, and that's what I collect. They're a little hard to come by in Snowflake Blue, because they were introduced in '72, and Snowflake Blue was dropped in '76, meaning there were only four years of production. In some patterns, like Old Town Blue, it's possible to find cups in Centura, in Pyrex, and hook-handled cups in Vitrelle. Pick whichever you like! | ||
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Post# 617437 , Reply# 29 8/16/2012 at 01:34 (279 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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 I have noticed a major increase in vintage items for sale, mainly because as others have mentioned, a great deal of older people are passing away or going into retirement homes / downsizing. This means most of their goods tend to be sold at estate sales by their children and/or heirs, who have sorted through them, rescued what items they wish to keep, and are selling the rest.
While I often see items that I cannot beleive they are parting with, I can understand, as one cannot keep everything, and though they probably have modern style homes, who knows? Maybe they are selling Mom's Frigidaire Flair because they kept Gramma's Hotpoint. Maybe they are parting with Gramma's sewing machine because they kept Great Aunt Emma's. Or maybe their Mother-In-Law was so awful they wouldn't let a thing from her home enter theirs, (I actually was told this was the exact reason for a sale by the daughter in law a few years ago). Either way, I try not to judge people for why they happen to be selling items. Especially since while I am shopping for myself, I usually manage to pick up at least a few vintage items, that although they are not things I collect, they can be re-sold on ebay to generate a bit of income for myself. I look at it this way, from what auction agents have explained to me, (most local estate sales are auction type), items which do not sell are generally thrown out at the end of the day, as the heirs do not want them. Some actually have a truck waiting for just that reason. So by purchasing items which don't interest me or others, (I dont buy expensive items, as I cannot afford to be part of a bidding war), and re-selling them, I am sending them on to someone who does want them, rather than letting them go in a landfill. I don't expect to ever get rich this way, but doing so helps to offset the money I spend on the items I do collect. | ||
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Post# 617448 , Reply# 31 8/16/2012 at 05:30 (279 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
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Up until a few years ago I had a complete setting for 12 in Spring blossom green which I had collected a few peices at a time, along with all the serving ware, casseroles, mixing bowls, cruets, salt and pepper, butter dish, the works. I began collecting it at a time when I had avocado green appliances in the kitchen (Frigidaire stove, GE fridge), and matching green Club Cookware, so I kinda had a theme going, lol.
My grandmother was constantly attempting to talk me out of the set (even offering to buy them or to trade me her stoneware dishes for them), so after the old stove gave up the ghost, and the fridge was painted almond to match the replacement stove, I carefully packed all of it, dishes, mixing bowls, every peice of spring blossom green I had, and took them all to her. You would have thought I gave her the Hope diamond. It turns out that when she was a young bride, she wanted a set of Spring Blossom Green Corelle like her sister in law had very very much, but they could never afford it. All these years and she had never forgotten how badly she wished they could afford that set of dishes, and thats why she wanted them so badly. Had she told me the story before, I would have sent them home with her immidiately. Until I took them over and she told me the story, I had just assumed she noticed them and thought they were pretty. Now anytime there is a family dinner at her house, she makes sure everyone knows where the dishes came from, and that when she passes away, those dishes go to me, lol. | ||
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Post# 617451 , Reply# 32 8/16/2012 at 05:50 (279 days old) by danemodsandy (West Lanford) |
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That roughness on the edges of Corelle pieces is microscopic chipping from being in the dishwasher. If your dishwasher's racks are good, with all their Plastisol, you generally won't have the problem. The darkening at the edge is, as you suspect, rust sublimated off dishwasher racks onto the roughness.
Some roughness doesn't hurt anything, though if it ever reaches the stage of discernible chipping, you need to retire that piece. The rust can be removed by CLR or Lime-Away or Zud. | ||
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Post# 617452 , Reply# 33 8/16/2012 at 05:53 (279 days old) by chuffle (West-central PA) |
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That's a sweet story. Always interesting to hear why folks click with certain patterns, certain items. Joe | ||
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Post# 617492 , Reply# 34 8/16/2012 at 09:11 (279 days old) by Launderess (La Pomme Grande) |
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Comes to the Rescue!
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Who knows what goodies may soon be found?
