This week I did something I usually never do - I stopped into a thrift store on a day and time that I usually never do - on a weekend night. I happened to be running an errand near one of my regularly frequented thrift shops, so I figured I might as well stop in and see what they had to offer. It was busy, as I had thought it would be, but I was surprised to see the shelves pretty well stocked. Check out what I found!
This little cherub vase or planter caught my eye right away. It's definitely Art Nouveau in style (check out the flowing, wavy lines of the base as well as the petals of the yellow flower) and I would guess it to be Edwardian or Victorian era. The bunnies at the bottom are unusual, and made me initially think that this was an Easter piece, but I really don't know. I've seen ones where the planter part is egg-shaped, but this one...I'm not sure. The marking looks to be like two arrows or lines that are imprinted over a letter C...so maybe German?
Well with a little bit more research, it turned out I was able to identify this piece as from the factories of Carl Schneider, Karl Unger, and Hermann Hutschenreuther. Wow! The marking was used between 1879 and 1886 from their factory in Grafenthal, Thuringia, Germany. Cool.
The chipped wing probably brings the value down (I paid.98 cents) but it's still an interesting piece. I have a habit of grabbing anything that is Art Nouveau, Art Deco, or Craftsman/Arts & Crafts style, so this one came home with me. If I knew it had no monetary value, I would possibly use it in a mosaic. For now, it will decorate my workshop.
Next I came across this...
I got excited when I found this piece - the colors and pattern on this medium sized English transferware platter caught my attention right away. I love the fruit motif and the design has a great Old World-verging-on-Nouveau feel to it. Now imagine this platter at a summer picnic, filled with lemon squares. Yup!
I love the fruit motif with the traveling vine, and I think they are peaches.
The background design is beautiful too.
This maker's mark is from around 1927.
This face says, I want to be in the middle of things, but at the same time, I want to take a nap!
Of course, I also have to snap a photo of the most questionable things I see at the thrift store. This week it was this poor molded plastic puppy clutching this giant red-orange Victorian boot.
But wait!...
There's more!
Lesson for the day: I'm not really sure. I guess no matter what day or what time you visit a thrift store, you never know what you are going to find.
Do you have a treasure story to tell?
Please share it with us by leaving a comment below!
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