Treasure Hunting Sourcing Trip - Funky Vintage Finds from Maryland USA
I am back from a great get-together of like-minded on-line shop owners and we descended en masse on the Thrift Shops, Antique Malls, Consignment Stores, Garage Sales, and Estate Sales in and around the Baltimore area of Maryland! What fun during "show and tell" after our Treasure Hunting jaunts! It is so amazing that we all found such different items with barely treading on each others toes while on the hunt!
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| A variety of small Treasures found in Maryland |
From modern Limited Edition Collectibles by The Ashton Drake Galleries (Barbie hanging ornaments), to Native American moccasins and gloves, to vintage ladies powder compacts, to War Medals! The selection in this batch is eclectic, just as I like it! "Antique" belt buckles....really? Fleetwood Mac and Styx dated 1977. Do you feel old now? Kitschy black poodle wall plaque c1960s to 70s made from lucite, seashell napkin rings, Italian swan heart inlay wooden musical jewelry box in a rare pink hue, vintage wooden chopsticks, Smokey the Bear pinback badges, Korean Asian wooden nodder/bobblehead doll, wooden carved lid detail music box by DI Alpen, Otagiri musical dancing bear bank, Vintage West German cigar box complete with a collection of old business cards, and lastly, some vintage ladies fancy dress gloves.
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| Scarves, ceramics, & more! |
A stack of vintage handkerchiefs, pocket silks and scarves, a black leather biker or Goth ladies armband purse, Saks Fifth Avenue nautical wristlet dress gloves, natural birch wood hand carved Santa Gnome nutcracker by Geir Nymark Norway, celluloid ship with glass smoke stack salt & pepper shakers, Canadiana Pottery red drip mugs, coin purse with silver beads souvenir of the Ambassador Bridge Windsor Canada (strangely, I always find Canadian items while traveling!), Hawaiian Art pottery Surfer Palm tree mug, Tiki shot or shooter mugs, celluloid vintage child's toy dog with turning letter blocks for his body, US Airforce enameled belt buckle and an intricately needlepoint stitched Middle Eastern hat.
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| Vintage Hair nets, stereo viewer cards, bubblegum collector packets, vintage souvenirs |
A pile of antique stereo viewer cards for use with a stereo-opticon viewer a popular pastime in the pre-TV era in the early part of the 20th Century, a vast collection of 53 sealed bubblegum packets spanning many genres and dates and containing stickers or trading cards, a collection of coloured vintage hair nets, wooden souvenir wall plates from towns in Germany, matching pair of silver plated souvenir trinkets from Washington DC, a cream vinyl purse with bakelite frame & twist clasp, and a brown painted cowbell. The "fragile" box off in the top corner contains a modern Franklin Mint collectible brass sundial and certificate.
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| Tub of neckties and plush |
The front tub contains over 20 novelty and advertising neckties, a vintage hand smocked pink infant's dress, bonnet and embroidered bib, a Tommy Bahama hibiscus polo shirt, Hard Rock Cafe plush Ace the dog promotional item for the Seminole Tampa Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, two 75th Anniversary Serta Sleep Sheep plush, one in pink supporting Breast Cancer research, a genuine kangaroo fur large souvenir koala bear, clown pinch-armed plush koala, vintage grey plush Coke promotional bear, a pair of Steven Smith Union and Confederate soldier plush bears with wooden rifles and a red plush Veggie Tales zippered pouch.
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| Bubble Boy Celluloid Peeing Novelty |
An unusual c1930s novelty vintage collectible find is "Bubble Boy", a delicate celluloid figure of a boy with glass tubes front and rear filled with light yellow liquid. Hold the stem of the back vial with your fingers and the liquid bubbles up into the front vial as if Bubble Boy is peeing! The liquid is in a vacuum environment and just the heat of your fingers raises the temperature to its boiling point! It is very rare to find Bubble Boy with his vials and liquid intact!
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| Handpainted scarf signed Monica Wilson |
I think my favourite discovery is this hand painted acetate/rayon scarf signed Monica Wilson, one end depicting the blooming jacaranda trees in Pretoria Transvaal South Africa and the other end showing a lovely Springbok antelope, the national symbol of South Africa. The scarf likely dates c1930s to 1940s and could possibly be the work of Monica Wilson, respected Social Anthropologist of the day, who authored many books on the subject.
Although it rained for most of my stay in Maryland, the sun did peek out a few times so we could see the beautiful butterflies!
Some of the items shown here are already available at Mandicrafts, and after a little more research, others shown here will also be offered, although one or two may remain in one of my own collections!
I am off to prepare for my NEXT sourcing adventure! In a couple of weeks I will be in Western Canada and then Fabulous Las Vegas, Treasure Hunting so that YOU don't have to!
Bear Hugs
Mandy
Mandicrafts
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Handy Links:
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Mandicrafts Bears and Collectibles Store
Mandicrafts Website
Mandicrafts on Facebook
Coming Soon!
What a great haul Mandy! So many great things. I love that Monica Wilson scarf. It's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteYes it is an eclectic mix and was soooo much fun! Thanks for your comment!
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