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    Home » Thrift Store Finds

    Weekend Garage Sale & Auction Finds

    Published by Pam Kessler | 448 words. · About 3 minutes to read this article. - 13 Comments

    I only had two good finds at the garage sales this weekend. I went to a housing development not far from my house which was having a neighborhood sale. They had a ridiculous number of houses participating in the sale, but a lot of baby stuff and not a lot of stuff for us who are past the baby buying years (old???). But these two urns/planters caught my eye. They were only $4.00 each and heavy weight.

    This one needs a coat of spray paint because the brown finish is bleached out on some parts, but I liked the detail on it.

    This one is in perfectly good shape. Not a darn thing wrong with it.

    And when I flipped the planters over they both had price tags from JoAnn Fabrics on the bottom and they were originally priced at (drum roll please) $99.99 each. Now we all know that no one ever pays full price for anything at JoAnn's so I would say even if they were bought at ½ price I still got $100.00 worth of urns for $8.00 which isn't a bad deal.

    On Saturday my husband, son and I went to our very first auction. The way that I got my husband to attend was that they had listed an old motorcycle in the auction ad and he was interested in seeing what it was. Turned out it was way too beat up to be a good restoration project for him, but it got us to the auction.

    The auction was in this great old farmhouse.

    They had stools which I think might be piano stools.

    Old metal motel chairs.

    Old chippy picture frames. They sold for $5.00 each.

    This child's wooden cart was what I was coveting, but it sold for well over $100.00 and I wasn't going to go that high.

    I loved this cart and I know I've seen them made into coffee tables somewhere.

    This was a weird item. It's an old rocket ship ride from an amusement park.

    Now, you're going to ask me what I bought. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (insert tears and a pouting session here)!!!!!

    Since it was my first auction I wasn't quite getting the hang of the bidding. I bid on things that I really wanted and all the sudden they were much more than I thought they were going to go for, so I freaked out and stopped bidding and then lo and behold the next bidder would win it.

    It was sort of frustrating and I had nightmares last night about all the really neat things I missed out on buying, but I'm looking at it as a learning experience.

    There's always next week.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Debbie

      June 20, 2010 at 8:13 pm

      Hi Pam! Thanks for joining in on the party!!~ Don't feel bad for not buying anything...actually I think that was smart. YOu really have to check out the scene and get a feel for auctions. I do not know too much about them....I do know they plant Shills ( I think that is the term) Bidders who really are not real bidders....only to drive everyone else to go higher....you really need to be educated on what things are worth too. There was some cool stuff there though, and it looked fun! Thanks for joining in on the party. I hope you enjoy a few others....I am sure if you visit you will get the same in return. Have a great weekend. Debbie

      Reply
    2. [email protected]

      June 20, 2010 at 9:32 pm

      Great deal on the urns! I am picturing the one that needs paint as a bird bath. Just add a large shallow dish, like those under pots, to the top.

      I went to a couple of auctions. Yes, they are hard to follow sometimes! It goes so fast. I hope to go to more of them soon. You can find some pretty neat stuff. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I cleaned up the yellow stool the other day and gave it a clear coat.

      Reply
    3. Allison

      June 20, 2010 at 10:17 pm

      Those urns are great!
      Thanks for the comment on my blog!

      Reply
    4. Lori

      June 21, 2010 at 5:50 am

      The auction thing would scare me too. But what a great deal on the urns. That was great find! They will look great filled and overflowing. Put styrofoam peanuts in the bottom to take up space or an upside down pot. Won't take as much potting soil and will be lighter in weight.

      Reply
    5. Sailing Simply

      June 21, 2010 at 6:32 am

      Hi! Thanks for the sweet comments! Love your urns! That was a a crazy good deal on those! I know what you mean about auctions. I think they are fun but don't have the guts to participate. Many moons ago, I have bid and won something I wish I didn't spend the money on but got caught up in it. You really have to know not only what something is worth but what it is worth to you and be able to stick to that thought. Sounds like you made the right decisions at the right time to me!

      Reply
    6. Vintage Sassy

      June 21, 2010 at 7:45 am

      Major score on the urns! I bought a big urn at an estate sale a few years ago for only $12.00 and I thought that was good:)

      I've never done auctions, they scare me too much....LOL! I might find myself bidding way too much and not even know I'm bidding (because I scratched my nose or something).

      xo
      LeAnn

      Reply
    7. Bounty Huntress

      June 21, 2010 at 8:29 am

      Thanks for visiting! How exciting to attend such a cool auction! I wish I could have gone with you. Did the auctioneer talk super fast? 🙂

      Reply
    8. raggygirlvintage

      June 21, 2010 at 10:18 am

      That looks like a fun sale! I'm sure with a bit of practice you'll be bidding up there with the rest of them - and winning!
      Tracey

      Reply
    9. shannon i olson

      June 21, 2010 at 3:44 pm

      Oh great stuff!!!! I too am afraid to even go to an auction....I wouldn't know what to do and would end up buying a blow torch for $400 when I was aiming for a pot for $1.
      They really had some good lookin' junk!!

      Reply
    10. Mary

      June 21, 2010 at 4:07 pm

      Great deal on those expensive urns. Sorry you missed out on getting anything at the auction. Better luck next time 🙂

      Reply
    11. Sandra

      June 21, 2010 at 5:37 pm

      I have never been to real auction either...I would probably get nervous and overbid on everything. It would be fun though. Love the urns...and they are a great buy!

      Reply
    12. ~~Carol~~

      June 21, 2010 at 7:18 pm

      I love those planters, and what an amazing deal you got on them! And that auction sure had alot of great things. I've never ever been to one, but I keep reading about all the great things other bloggers find. I'll have to check one out one of these days, and I'll probably have to trick my husband into going, just like you did!
      Happy First Day of Summer!
      Carol

      Reply
    13. Inspired by you

      June 22, 2010 at 9:04 pm

      Thanks for stopping by my blog. It feels great to get a comment. I love auctions! I go to one locally all the time. Your heart does race a little when you are bidding. I have been guilty of bidding against myself due to my confusion. Good thing the auctioneer was so nice and jovial about it. If you frequent the same auction house, you get to know who are vendors that are buying for their businesses. I have a couple of vendors that always give me advice on what I'm buying. It's great!

      Reply

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