Thrift store SCORE!!

There's a thrift store near us that holds monthly silent auctions, and once in a while they have some real primo stuff. Usually it's the vintage kitchenware or a dazzling piece of costume jewlery I'm after, but the most exciting thing ever was finding this lot o' Ghostbusters toys in the glass case.

The bidding started at $15, and everytime I had a chance to stop by and check my book-bid, the same guy had bid me up by a lousy dollar. This carried on all month. Determined to win, I hightailed it to the store on the last day to put a final bid in minutes before auction closing, and came away with the box for $52.00. WIN!!!

As if that wasn't a great enough haul, this treasure was on the open stock shelf for two bucks; a 1964 battery operated coin bank in decent working condition. To be honest, the box is way cooler than the bank, which is an undetailed black box with a teeny blue plastic arm that pops up to grab the coin.

                                   

So, who wants to come over to play?! :D

Vulture Culture

Hubby took these pics on his Saturday morning hike. Wish he'd bagged a birdie and brought it home for me to adopt, but no such luck. Guess I'll have to settle for rebuilding Vera this year- if time permits, knock on wood.

Vera was my first ever made prop (she just had her 10th birthday- carion cake for everyone!), but looking back it's shocking to see the rudimentary mache/sculpt skills I was limited to. Even the paste was wrong, and she's detiorated badly for it. However, she's definetly served her time and has been enjoying early retirement in her laundry room roost. The water meter reader guys think I'm nuts, no doubt. And so, I'm going to start laying plans for her successor and see how far we get. Stay tuned! 



 

WANT!!

 John D. Sewell
Toronto Star reporter.
May 21, 2011

(A reader asks)
Q: This unusual bat fixture hung in the front hall of my grandparent's home in Peterborough.
The house dates back to 1870, but I am not sure if the fixture was original to the house. The fixture is brass-plated and has no identifying marks. The bat measures 53cm (21inches) wing tip  to wing tip, and 56cm (22inches) from top to bottom. When the light is on, it casts a long winged shadow on the ceiling. No one in the family wants to sue the fixture in their homes nor does anyone want to part with it.
We would appreciate any information about it age, place of manufacture and current price.
Betty, Peterborough Ontario.

A: Because so many have a bat phobia, it is easy to understand why your relatives do not want this ceiling fixture. But any enthusiast of the rare and wondrous would be thrilled to have this piece.
Your fixture could have been made by German manufacturer Franz Stubgen, a specialist in metal items including lamps. His company logo is a Fledermaus (German for bat) and was registered in 1892. But I suspect it's more likely this piece was made in the U.S. in the early 1900's.
Your lamp would have a shade covering the light bulb and a suitable one from the period could be found easily . The fact your bat light is the original, functioning and a delightful conversation piece adds up to a sure value of $1,000 plus.