Yank Azman's Genuine Vintage

Penmans 1920s hang tag

2012-01-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

"Penmans, by its endurance, offers a longitudinal look at the actions the firm made to
survive in changing markets. Founded by entrepreneurs, in 1868, the firm grew from a woolen
knitting mill in Paris, Ontario, to become the largest supplier of cotton and woolen knit goods,
especially hosiery and underwear, in Canada by the 1890s. Penmans continues today as a
company merchandising these goods, and other clothing, as a house brand of Wal-Mart, Canada,
Mississauga. In the intervening century the firm kept its prominence. The governance of Penmans
for the past one hundred and thirty years illustrates Canadian business conditions throughout the
nation’s history." Barbara Austin, Faculty of Business, Brock University.

Spring Clothing Show

2011-12-28T16:59:00.001-05:00

The Toronto Vintage Clothing & Textile Show is only weeks away: Saturday March 3rd, 2012 at the CNIB.
www.torontovintageshow.com

and then a month or so later, April 15, 2012, it's Gadsden's Vintage Clothing Show at the Wychwood Barns.
http://antiqueshowscanada.com/gadsdens-toronto-vintage-clothing-show/

We're doing both, so see you then.

I'm not here

2011-06-28T08:34:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I've been spending all of my time at my tumblr blog. I will update here from time to time, but...

Vintage Clothing Show

2011-04-01T19:28:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Toronto Vintage Clothing and Textile Show last Saturday.

If you had to miss it or it just wasn't enough to satisfy that retail therapy urge, there's a another chance with a brand new show: Gadsden's Toronto Vintage Clothing Show being held at the Wychwood Art Barn coming up on Sunday April 10.

Mark your calendar!

This is a brand new venue. We were there snooping around last week during Gadsden's Old Book & Paper Show and we really like the room. The one drawback is the parking. Be warned, there's practically no on street parking so be wise and either use public transport, or car pool and use the two nearby Green P parking lots.

We'll see you there.

And then a week later is the Spring Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club show at Leaside Gardens, Free Parking & Free Admission!

See you there too!

These boots are made for...

2011-02-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

While doing some extra thrifting this week looking for fresh merch for the upcoming Vintage Clothing Shows picked up this pair of keepers for PZ. It's getting very hard to find stuff still made in the USA but the Lucchese's are.

The two Vintage Clothing shows are:
Saturday, March 26, 2011 the Toronto Vintage Clothing & Textile Show
Sunday April 10, 2011, Gadsden's Toronto Vintage Clothing Show

We'll be doing both shows with a different inventory for each.

Old Original

2010-12-04T12:43:00.001-05:00

Found at a church bazaar, today's Catch o' the Day : (I crack me up) An Old Original Bookbinder's Lobster bib. Linen, I think. Just because you can never have too many lobster bibs just kickin' around.

Vintage Compasses now at Yank Azman on line

2010-10-14T23:28:00.000-04:00

Looking for someplace to go?

Just launched: the Vintage Compass section of our cufflinks website.

The Borg

2010-10-06T15:59:00.001-04:00

Today's Catch o' the Day: a men's winter coat from Winnipeg. Gabardine, double breasted with mouton collar, borg (faux sheepskin) lining and a buttoned half belt in back. Styled "the Stratoliner" presumably to cash in on the name value of the aircraft which went into production at Boeing in 1940.

Stetson also put out a line of hats called the Stratoliner.

90 years ago this fall this was in someone's mailbox

2010-09-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Picked up a ninety year fall winter catalogue today. Almost 600 pages of time travel goodness. The wish books they used to be called. Perhaps they still are.

Happy Birthday Lilly

2010-09-21T08:55:00.000-04:00

So very confused, half the blogosphere is wishing Lilly a big old Happy Birthday yesterday but wiki says her B-day is November 10. Never mind. We thrifted this one on her maybe birthday so file under possible birthday gift to me.

This Lilly will be coming to the CAFTCAD show October 23, 2010. Just in time for, uh, Florida in winter. That's it. Florida in winter.

I know but I just couldn't resist

2010-09-08T15:14:00.000-04:00

File under: I know but I couldn't resist. Today's thrift store purchases.

For your consideration
item#1: 1950 Decca top seller Goodnight Irene with B side Tzena Tzena, by (with top billing) Gordon Jenkins and his Orch

and then the folks that did the actual singing: The Weavers

and item #2 sings for itself.

Professorial digs

2010-08-27T17:33:00.001-04:00

We went to the outskirts of the city today to pick through the estate of a well known and well respected philosophy prof. A lovely mission/arts and crafts style cottage on the the edge of a ravine which made for dank pickings. Much larger inside than the exterior would have you believe, it contained a warren of bedrooms and studies. The attic was crammed full of trunks and tea chests which naturally we managed to liberate.

Not much else. The few bits of antique I picked turned out to be poor choices: a beautiful old cast iron dutch oven and a lovely brass bladed fan. The dutch oven, I should have examined it there but the light was poor, was marked: made in Taiwan.

The fan, which I knew wasn't working, also had a massive crack in the base which I didn't see. Oh well, la de dah. La dee dah.

I did have my my pick though of the clothes though. We're almost the same size but not enough. The jacket including a beautiful but moth eaten Norfolk (which I should have taken just for the fabric), several pair of jodhpur boots, sadly not my size. A Fulbright scholar who taught at a number of institutions before settling in at U of T, he did manage to shop at the local campus shops for some great trad gear.

Raleigh Wheels

2010-08-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

Today's yard sale Catch o' the Day is this Raleigh Bike; the Tourist, I think the model is. Rideable right now, but needs a bit of work, nothing serious, some nuts and bolts, brake work and a proper Brooks saddle. I haven't had a chance to do any real research yet but it's probably from the late 1960s or early '70s.

A very handsome ride indeed.

Just in time for Winter

2010-07-24T13:28:00.001-04:00

Today's Yard Sale Catch O' the Day: with winter just around the corner, we managed to pick up a slew of men's scarves in wool & rayon. Most were the trad patterns: paisleys, pasileys or how about some paisleys; not that I have anything against paisley (unlike Hal Rubenstein, author of Nothing Goes With Paisley) but sometimes we get something different.

Another Opening, Another Show

2010-07-24T12:14:00.001-04:00

We popped in to wish Ian Drummond (the Ian Drummond Collection) felicitations on moving into his new digs out Islington Way. Ian's space is open to film & tv costumers and his incredible collection of vintage clothing is for rent only. He does sell a few times a year: at the CAFTCAD Shows, next one OCT. 23/10; and at the Christie Antique Show, coming up September 11, 2010.

Sharing this space with is Ian, is the lovely Caitlin whose The Wear & Now also rents to film and tv and has found a niche by supplying all kinds of uniforms.

Curbside

2010-07-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

I loved it as soon as I saw it, but it took P to tell me what it was. She determined it to be an artist's bench. The back board serves as the easel with the two strips in front, barely visible, acting as the canvas stop. haven't decided whether to keep it or take it to Christie on Sept 11.

Thimble of Tea

2010-07-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

Found this a.m. at the Flamboro show

Flamboro at Milton

2010-07-17T19:12:00.001-04:00

did a little shopping today the Flamboro Show at the Milton Fairgrounds, next show Oct. 16th.

Beautifully restored tractor

and finally, sorry it's a lttle blurry, a butterbox as a commode.

Lacrosse Pin from Orillia

2010-07-16T09:14:00.000-04:00

Just added this wonderful old souvenir of Orillia Ontario; a cloisonné enamel lacrosse pin. It might even have been a lacrosse club membership pin.

For a better look, jump to the web site vintagecuff.com.

I can see clearly now

2010-07-12T18:17:00.000-04:00

Found this week, a pair of vintage Russian army goggles, should go well with a steampunk look, I think.

Other news on the horizon, we're starting to get ready for the Toronto Vintage Clothing and Textile Show at the CNIB campus on Bayview Ave in Toronto on Sat September 25, 2010

Unfortunately there's another show on that day which has very small vintage component but a large advertising budget so our show may get lost in the shuffle. Their show is all weekend, so visit us first!

Visit on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

From High Sierra

2010-07-07T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today's Thrift Store find is a High Sierra Backpack, rucksac, bookbag, whatever you choose to call it, this is one of the best: canvas and leather and barely broken in.
You can have a look at some of their newer stuff at High Sierra Sport Company.

My last Brooks saddle was stolen right off the bike.

2010-07-05T19:37:00.001-04:00

Let me clarify that title a bit. Some lowlife took mine from my bike (probably ended up at Igor's, who knows.) This one is 1920s '30 vintage I believe. It will be chained down.

A Good Belt

2010-06-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

One of today's yard sale catch o' the days. I cant seem to find enough good aged leather belts. I suppose that if the leather's cracked and gone folks just want to toss 'em in the garbage.

Bit loafers

2010-06-24T16:54:00.000-04:00

I went to a funeral this morning for long time friend and laugh-meister Gerry Salsberg who first gained audience praise with Toronto's first Godspell company (along with Victor Garber, Eugene Levy & Gilda Radner) and then with Toronto's first Second City company.

On the way back I nipped in to my local thrift for a quick peek and came away with a pretty decent pair of Gucci bit loafers.

Gerry's still looking out for me.

Pressing Matters

2010-06-19T12:05:00.001-04:00

One of today's yard sale finds: 1930s Coleman's gas iron. Not one of the rare ones so will not be expensive but will look great on display in someone's clothing (or custom/bespoke/tailoring/dressmaking/alterations) shop. Or use it a a door stop. Paperweight? Boat anchor?

House Call

2010-06-14T22:41:00.001-04:00

We bought some luggage today from a house call. Not an estate sale because the owners were very much alive, in their nineties and moving from a big house into a condo. They still drive to cottage most weekends.

Husband was a business man, wife a pediatrician, very active, lots of luggage, trunks etc and this flight bag was his from WWII, when he was a naval lieutenant. It's going to take a few trips to get all of what we bought.

I don't think any of the luggage will be for sale, we'll use it for rentals.
www.vintageluggage.com

Cufflinks or Cuff Links

2010-06-11T19:41:00.000-04:00

Just added a whack of new cufflinks to our cuff link site www.vintagecuff.com

Shoe stretcher

2010-06-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

Being the shoe slut that I am, a handy weapon in the arsenal for dealing with thrift store finds is a shoe stretcher which, when judiciously applied, forces the leather to be a tad more accommodating.
The marks (USMC) on this one suggest that it might have seen military service.

Stretchers are often confused with shoe & boot trees which are wooden forms inserted to help keep the shape of the boot.

Hudson's Bay Point Blanket

2010-06-08T08:08:00.000-04:00

Spotted at the St. Lawrence Sunday Antique Market this past Sunday, an old HBC point blanket. Using Harold Tichenor's book The Collector's Guide to Point Blankets, as a reference, the label was used "for a brief period around 1930." The blanket was in very good condition but by the end of the day still remained unsold at an asking price of $95.00.

I was selling a 1920s Trapper Point blanket from Eaton's that I had bought at the market that morning. It sold.

Silver Cuff Links

2010-06-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

Found this weekend and now available on our website www.vintagecuff.com.

LL Bean Bag

2010-06-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

Off The Cuff features the classic L.L. Bean Tote in today's post. We have an old Bean canvas tote in the vintageluggage.com hoard as well. While it's not the same, it is a Bean canvas tote, probably from the 1920s or '30s.

Christie Antique Show

2010-05-31T17:17:00.001-04:00

The ipod alarm went off at 3:00 am so I could finish loading, prep lunch (salmon patties) & mid-afternoon snacks (Niagara prosciutto & melon), and then hit the road to the Christie Conservation area about 45 min outside of town at Hwys 5 & 6.

It's the crossroads, so put on some Robert Johnson.

It was an easy drive at that hour of the morning and we took our place in the dealers' line to wait for the 5:15 a.m. lifting of the gate to allow the dealers access to the field. Fast and easy check in, found our spot and got to work. I didn't get a chance to walk around and look at other people's stuff because it took me the full three hours to get set up for the 8:00 am opening.

PZ walked around and bought a couple of things but no serious shopping.

Jeff and Wendy Gadsden, the show promoters are seasoned pros at this and the rumours were the crowds were the biggest ever, I'm guessing at 20,000-30,000 shoppers.

By 10:00 am the line-up to make the turn off into the park from HWY6 was about 45 minutes long. The crowds were steady all day long.

People seemed to be shopping because we know that the four cash machines ran out of money and had to be refilled (at least once) but they seemed to be cautious shoppers, no panic buying, people thought about stuff and came back for it after looking at the rest of the field.

A lot of customers from the late lamented Harbourfront Market stopped by, people we hadn't seen in years.

The show, for us, was successful in that I moved a lot of merch I needed to move; in other words, not a huge profit day, but a good cash flow/cost recovery day. I don't know if I have enough merch to warrant taking a spot on my own in September and then renting a vehicle to bring it all to the show. The Explorer just doesn't hold enough to justify the expense.

All in all, the weather was great, I'm so glad we had the tent, a good turnout, we brought our own food and drink and an uneventful load-up and drive home.

And then we did the Sunday Market the next day. So a 4:00 am wake up for that and...

White Bucks

2010-05-28T13:20:00.000-04:00

Time to dust off these puppies and hit the bricks with these white bucks with red brick soles. I bought these new from Bass about twenty-five years ago. They're vintage now.

Crate & Bicycle

2010-05-27T09:04:00.000-04:00

I do believe that a Bushmills crate beats a milk crate every time.

Of Boardwalks on the Islands & Judy

2010-05-24T12:26:00.000-04:00

PZ on the Boardwalk on Ward's Island for a celtic slash pagan wedding dressed in stripes with polka dot bag and white brogues.

And today's Catch o' the Day: a Girl Size Judy. We've had lot of Judy's & James' over the years but never a Girls'.

Christie Antique Show

2010-05-22T20:52:00.000-04:00

Doing the Christie Antique Show next Saturday for the very first time. We've shopped the show since it started but have never set up before. It's one of the best field shows ever. So we're bringing field boots.

See you there.

Saturday Yard Sales

2010-05-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

This sign was just so inviting, I had to stop.

And then there was this horse skull that just cried out my name. And you can never have too many English wool tartan blankies or throw rugs.

Save the Date Sept 25

2010-05-21T18:41:00.000-04:00

Save the date:

The Toronto Vintage Clothing & Textile Show, Sat Sept. 25, 2010.

Catch o' the Day

2010-05-21T17:10:00.006-04:00

Thrift Store Catch o' the Day: a fine pair of Church Mocs. I don't think they were ever worn.

Thanks Rob.

2010-01-06T10:52:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Rob Campbell for the shout out on his blog.

...and we're back

2010-01-01T16:18:00.003-05:00

The Toronto Vintage Clothing and Textile Show is the first Saturday of March, the 6^th, about ten weeks from now.

Getting Ready for Fall Vintage Clothing Show

2009-08-08T18:15:00.003-04:00

It's been a while but with winning the audit lottery there hasn't been a whole lot of time. It's still going on but looks like they're about ready to submit a proposal. That makes it sound like it's something I get to approve. No, no, my friend. What I get to do is to appeal it. We'll see what numbers they've come up with. At any rate the (first ever) Fall Toronto Vintage Clothing Show is coming quickly, September 19th, just over a month away and there's lots of prep to do. We've pick up a few choice vintage treats in the last few weeks but very little in the clothing department.

Another item is this JVC television: the Videotron. Very cool indeed.

Laundry Bench

2009-06-24T14:12:00.002-04:00

I was volunteered to clean out our basement today and found something I'd totally forgotten about. We picked up this bench in Kentucky, probably near Corbin, and it was described as a laundry bench. The tub of wet stuff sat on one end, mangle would be clamped down in the center, with the clothes passed through into the dry tub at the other end. Well that was the story anyway.

It's now living, during the summers anyway, as a garden bench.

Tweed

2009-05-19T07:22:00.004-04:00

A 1940s, we think, fitted tweed jacket. No label. Picked up this (holiday) weekend just in time for the CAFTCAD show this coming Saturday.

Cottage

2009-05-15T15:55:00.002-04:00

This coming Sunday May 17th we'll be bringing the traditional whack of cottage-y stuff including the large elm bark basket pictured. And also in elm bark, apparently I have a fondness for this stuff, there's a large picture frame and a number of traditional canoes. Not the put in the water canoes, the hang on the wall souvenir of Muskoka/Kawarthas canoe. And speaking of canoes, do try to visit Peterborough's Canoe Museum if you can.

Also mark your calendar for the CAFTCAD movie wardrobe sale May 23rd. We'll be selling there as well.

Looooocy, you got some 'splainin' to do.

2009-04-09T09:46:00.004-04:00

We just picked this up yesterday and for some reason this 1950s-'60s lounge suit/ jammies reminds me of something I picture Lucy wearing around the apartment. We'll probably be bringing it to the next CAFTCAD Show on May 23rd.

Sculptura Phone

2009-03-28T11:14:00.002-04:00

Today's catch o' the day from a morning of yard sales. This is the 1970s era Sculptura from Western Electric, sometimes called the donut phone, and we'll have it at tomorrow's Sunday Antique Market priced to sell.

We also found a few other things for tomorrow as well as a couple of handy kitchen tools to keep.

Catch o' the Day

2009-03-26T18:20:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's true I am a slut for shoes, so today's 2nd hand store find is a pair of desert boots by Tricker's of Jermyn Street. Beautifully bench made and a great fit with the only caveat being that the crepe soles don't go well wet with tile floors. I nearly went tits up at the library. The tiles were dry, the soles were wet.

Found the shoes after this morning's audition for the Don Cherry bio pic and before a birthday lunch with Rosemary at Not Just Dim Sum. (Which rhymes with yum), on Finch at Yonge. Pretty funny since we live a five minute walk from Chinatown.

1920s Deerskin Condoms

2009-03-25T13:09:00.003-04:00

They're guaranteed five years, but since they're probably from the 1920s, '30s...

The art deco package design is striking, plus more graphic sexual allusions than you can, uh...shake a stick at: from the negative space to the really long horns. Are they deer or gazelle? Ah, who cares?

From the genuinevintage.com collection of packaging & design.

Biggest Diamond Ring Ever!

2009-03-22T20:07:00.004-04:00

Found this today at the Sunday Antique Market...and it's a gem. For the CSI challenged, it's 3" top to bottom. It's probably from a store display but I just couldn't resist my pre April Fools Day joke-ette.

Hudson's Bay Company Blanket Coat

2009-03-21T19:49:00.004-04:00

Now that spring is here, it's time to buy that winter coat at a reduced price. We picked this up in Arizona a few years ago (it gets cold in the desert) and have decided that it's time for it to have a new home. In other words, it used to fit me, now it doesn't.

Very unusual, this blanket coat, in that the stripes are vertical; the factory made coats are all horizontal. Double breasted, fabric covered buttons, and peaked pocket flaps. So, this was either a test production or custom made from an HBC point blanket.

Size is about 38-40. Dates from the 1950s-'60s, I believe.

Vintage Burberrys Trench

2009-03-21T08:48:00.005-04:00

There's so much information on the origins of Burberry on the net that it doesn't bear repeating here. Very simply put, Burberry invented the trench coat.

This Burberrys' trench is a Ladies, size small - medium and about twenty years old but in great shape; just one of the 200 odd items we'll be bringing tomorrow to the Sunday Antique Market. And it's priced to sell.

Crocodile Club Bag

2009-03-14T13:46:00.002-04:00

This week at the Sunday Antique Market, I'll also have this vintage crocodile club bag. Although it's in great condition I wouldn't recommend it for daily use. For more info on club bags have a look at our other site vintageluggage.com

Victorian Smoking Cap

2009-03-13T15:32:00.005-04:00

As you've probably surmised, I have a thing for hats (and shoes and the list goes on...). This week at the Sunday Antique Market, I'll have this wonderful Victorian smoking cap: silk lined, embroidered velvet with a silk tassel. It's in good condition but there is some loss to the plush of the velvet. It's a (dare I say it? Why not?) a hair small on me which would probably make it a size 7. They're becoming very hard to find in wearable shape.

Smoking caps and jackets were, of course, used to prevent the stench of tobacco smoke from migrating to one's clothing and hair. Very sensible indeed.

Ceiling Fixture

2009-03-10T13:05:00.004-04:00

Everything still aches after doing the Vintage Clothing Show, but I'm slowly, very slowly, starting to recover. One of the things that aided in this recovery was finding this great 1920s-'30s ceiling fixture. Cast iron, patinated, decorated and apparently rewired within the last ten years. I'm sure that there's a name for this particular style but have no idea what: almost like a transitional deco, but not really. The kind of fixture one would see in middle, middle class homes in the parlour, perhaps. Picturing dad in his chair, with pipe and paper, junior on the floor playing with his trains. The radio's on with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy bantering and Mom, Mom's in the kitchen doorway wiping a dish gazing at the happy family.

It's movie moment. A Life magazine ad.

I'll have it for sale this Sunday at the Sunday Antique Market.

And the week is still young yet, who knows what else will turn up.

Reworked paisley

2009-03-09T09:14:00.004-04:00

This short cape appears to date from the 1920s-'30 and was made from a much older paisley.

And it came with a matching bag. The bag's zipper was made by Waldes, an American company in Queen's, NY. Zipper dating info was gleaned from the Fedora Lounge Blog

This is one of the pieces that we sold at the Vintage Clothing Show.

Lilli Ann Suit

2009-03-03T11:22:00.003-05:00

One of the great finds we're bringing to this Saturday's Vintage Clothing Show is this classic Lilli Ann suit; circa 1950s fitted wool with rhinestone detailing and with a Lincoln Road, Miami Beach vendor's label.

Vintage Smoking Jacket

2009-02-28T12:14:00.004-05:00

Also for tomorrow at the Sunday Antique Market, this beautiful grey wool smoking jacket with shawl collar and red accented piping. Size 44 approx.

Boot Trees

2009-02-26T09:17:00.007-05:00

I'm just putting stuff together to bring to this week's Sunday Antique Market and one of the items (actually three pairs ) will be these antique boot trees. We often have shoe trees as well as tall boot trees but these shorter one are increasingly difficult to find. Meant for Wellingtons or paddock boots they often end up just being used as pieces of sculpture or retrofitted by interior decorators as book ends or lamp bases.

Nevermind.

If you own shoes and care about them, trees of some sort are a must: they absorb perspiration and help keep your boots in the best condition.

Find o' the Day

2009-02-22T19:41:00.002-05:00

Find o' the day: it's a sterling silver boutonnière. For those gentlemen not satisfied with merely popping a flower through the buttonhole, there is an alternative. Water goes in the well, stem goes in the well, hook goes through the button hole. Wear in front on the lapel or behind the lapel so that just the flower pokes through and shows in front. We've had a few of these before in different configurations but never one quite like this. Very nice indeed.

Bally Crocodile Shoes

2009-02-21T10:22:00.004-05:00

We'll have these wonderful Bally men's shoes for sale tomorrow at the Sunday Antique Market. They're marked "genuine Caiman" model Dino III. Sadly, they're a little edge rubbed, which could be hidden with a generous application of polish, but we've left them just as we found them. The size is 7½. Priced to sell.

Manly Underwear

2009-02-20T10:01:00.002-05:00

From the genuinevintage collection of period packaging.

Stanfield's became famous for supplying warm and comfortable longjohns to the gold miners during the Yukon gold rush of 1898.

This box dates from about 1939 and show strong manly graphics. Two handsome lads, wrestling in their underwear in a manly way. Love the shadows.

Stanfield's, a Canadian icon.

Jane Russell Tie

2009-02-19T17:31:00.007-05:00

While cleaning out the old tie vaults, I came across this gem; I forgot that I had it tucked away.

An homage to Jane Russell? I suppose that it's the kind of thing once found in joke or novelty shops and worn to smokers or stags.

Res ipsa loquitor.

Screen printed on rayon, with fiberglass flocking on an applied high relief flexible rubber form.

Not for sale, back into the vaults it goes.

Ladies Kangol Hats

2009-02-18T13:44:00.005-05:00

In addition to the men's hats, we also picked up a bag-o-kangols ladies hat.

From wikipedia: In the 1960s, designers Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin worked with the company, whose products graced the heads of the rich and famous, including the Beatles and Arnold Palmer, and later Princess Diana.

We'll have them available, priced very, very reasonably, this Sunday at the Sunday Antique Market.

Victorian/Edwardian Vest

2009-02-17T16:06:00.003-05:00

The interest in vests or waistcoasts seems to come and go. Well, it's back again. Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane in The Mentalist and he wears vests.

We just shipped two period vests to Texas but have a few left; have a look at: our online shop.

Top to Bottom Estate Sale Purchases

2009-02-16T13:58:00.007-05:00

And since today's a Holiday, there's an antique show at the Bayview Mall. Didn't buy anything, didn't take any pix, but did have a delish brunch.

However after that, we were invited to preview a couple of Estate Sales. And by preview I mean only a few people had been through to cherry pick these two estates, both in fine neighborhoods, before they're thrown open to the public for a contents' sale. The houses have both been sold and have to be cleared.

We didn't get very much there but there was some vintage clothing we did buy. The vintage I'm talking about is recent vintage, non-designer, but fun and sale-able. A great stack-o-hats which will be sold cheaply, pictured above, and another stack-o-ladies-hats.

I also scored some wearable-for-me clothing, mostly '70s but in great condition.
The best, for me, (and it is always about me, me, me) was a pair of 10 or 20 year old Church's monk strap shoes, never worn. As Rachel Ray would say: Dee-Lish.

Birch Bark Frame

2009-02-15T19:01:00.003-05:00

Today's find: a sweet little birch bark frame with dyed porcupine quill decoration and sweetgrass borders. We're not sure where this is from but they traditionally are made by the Chippewas , an Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) First Nation in Southern Ontario and upper New York State and were often sold in tourist areas, cottage country and the Niagara Falls area.

Collecting Vintage Shoes

2009-02-14T13:24:00.002-05:00

Vintage Shoes: Collecting and Wearing Twentieth-Century Designer Footwear

Just read it and it's great.

Vogue Magazine

2009-02-14T09:36:00.007-05:00

A busy week getting ready for the upcoming Toronto Vintage Clothing & Textile Show and getting ready for tomorrow's Sunday Antique Market. This Sunday I'm doing a Paper/Ephemera Day, no hard goods, just paper: magazines, posters, brochures and who knows what else is in these boxes I haven't seen in a while.

That's the intriguing thing about storage: you never what you have, or if you do, you never know where it is, or, you never know what you'll find. Hello, Prince of Serendip!

Anyway a couple of vintage fashion related items for tomorrow.

Borsalino Homburg

2009-02-13T08:55:00.005-05:00

The Homburg style hat began as jaunty Austrian casual sporting headwear, the kind of thing one wore, oh, let's say, with a shooting outfit, and made its way to England with the jaunty Prince Berty.

By the middle of the 20th century, sporty no more; now much more formal and what many men might wear with an overcoat covering black tie.

Lately it's been showing up in collections in a greater range of colour and back to its roots as a sporty hat.

This superb example is from the preeminent Italian house of Borsalino and features expensive options: grosgrain brim edging as well as the little elastic & button thingy which on windy days allows for looping to a coat button to keep your hat attached in case of a sudden gust attack.

Nothing so unseemly as having to chase your expensive hat down the street and then having to stand helplessly by, wearing only a shocked and saddened expression, as you witness its demise under the wheels of a bus.

The girdle designed for the youthful figure

2009-02-12T10:35:00.005-05:00

It's kind of sad, really, that when you've been invited to preview an estate sale, all you come away with is a girdle box; not even the girdle, just the box. This is 1950s Playtex Check-Mate girdle box: "This is the girdle designed for the youthful figure." That's what the box says.

Vintage Tartan Smoking Jacket

2009-02-09T08:37:00.003-05:00

A very nice tartan smoking jacket with large grain, ribbed silk shawl collar and cuffs and a double frog closure. Remnants of the interior label state: Heather Brae/ Authentic/Worsted Tartans/ from imported Botany Wool.

Size is about a 40 - 42. In superb condition.

Vintage Leather Jacket

2009-02-07T14:19:00.005-05:00

And we're back. It's been a while, almost a year. And the focus (if there was one) has changed.

Aside from random musings, and as the late George Carlin would call them "Brain Droppings", I'm attempting to feature what we've bought or what we're bringing for this coming Sunday at the Sunday Antique Market at St Lawrence Market.

Today, a vintage leather jacket. Pre-distressed on your behalf. And boy is it distressed. But a great look and a small size, probably a 34 men's, but most likely would look best on a woman.

Sheepskin lined and with a mouton collar, this jacket was probably made in the thirties, by Univer...? From the remnants of the label inside it looks like "University Leathers".
Perhaps Universal?

As I said it's in pretty rough shape, but what a great look.

Res Ipsa Loquitor

2008-05-10T17:35:00.001-04:00

Today's Yard Sale Find O' the Day

#2 What's a Collectible?

2008-03-28T10:25:00.006-04:00

#2 What's a collectible?

Something not old enough to be an antique. But wait there's more.

It also is something to collect. Wait there's more.

Things that were often made as promotions (free Captain Midnight secret decoder badge with five purchases of Ovaltine) or made in limited quantities, either by intent (limited time offer!) or by changes in taste or technology (nobody's buyin' these eight tracks anymore.)

Or not.

Sometimes things became collectible for their sheer nostalgic value -- I always wanted one of these when I was a kid things. And because they weren't produced just to be collected, many ended being tossed after their novelty wore off or they were destroyed through use and abuse because kids played with them.

That reduced the numbers available to collectors. And that made them desirable.

And manufacturers woke up. Collectibles became things that were made for the sole purpose of collecting. And they were produced in "limited editions." At midnight of March 31st we will stop accepting orders and the molds will be broken! Hurry! Get yours now. Before it's too late! In other words, they're only going to make as many as people will buy. Duh. That's a pretty good business model.

In the publishing and art worlds, limited editions have a pretty specific meaning: only a set number were produced and each piece is numbered out of that total quantity: #42/350 for example. You know that there are only 350 of these things in the world and that you own number forty-two. With Disney or Franklin Mint or any of the multitude of others in the collectibles business, there's no clue as to how many were produced. Could be millions. Probably are.

So again, if you want it, buy it. Just go into it with your eyes open.

#1 What's an antique?

2008-03-27T16:46:00.009-04:00

I get letters. Usually it's just people wanting to know stuff, and since I'm the expert, I must have the answers.

So question #1.

What's an antique? Inquiring minds want to know. The answer is...who cares?

If you're a dedicated collector, if you're just acquiring, if you're decorating, it really doesn't matter what the definition is, you're finding this stuff because you like it, because it's pleasing to have around.

The only people who really need a definition are bureaucrats: tax collectors, insurance agents, customs officers and so on. They live by rules, their jobs depend on them.

So, bearing that in mind...

The most commonly accepted definition of an antique is: something at least one hundred years old.

There, feel better now? But the real question is why. Why this magic "100 years?"

The story goes like this.

In the 1930s, the US Customs and excise people were reviewing tariff rates and needed a definition for "antique." So they polled the leading dealers of the day, museums, galleries, scholars and the like and the overwhelming response was, drumroll, please, an antique was something that was made prior to the industrial revolution.

Made sense.

And since the industrial revolution had begun making a huge impact roughly about the 1830s, a hundred years prior, that was the number that got picked.

I'm not sure just how true this story is but it could have happened, it's just as likely a story as anything else.

I don't believe that people refuse to buy something because it falls a year short of an "antiques" definition. They may refuse to buy things that are a year short of their own collecting parameters and that makes sense. It's their collection, they get get to decide how they want to collect.

Collectibles used to be things that were collected but weren't old enough to be considered antiques. That's changed too but I'll save that for the next post.

Rozaneh Vintage Clothing

2008-03-18T16:34:00.003-04:00

...and while we're plugging friends' shops... Rozaneh is a treasure. Marilyn's shop Rozaneh has found a home on Dufferin Street just steps north of the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto's Gallery District. Have a look, it's worth the trip.

Cheap Chic

2008-03-12T10:02:00.006-04:00

our set up

The Toronto Vintage Clothing and Textile Show took place on March 1st in a new venue: The CNIB Conference Centre, a large, open, well lighted space but unfortunately no Cash Machine on the premises. And there was a major snow snow snow storm, stop me if you've heard this story before...

The show's promoter June Troy explained that she tried to get a date later in the month but there wasn't one available that would allow for the dealers to do their set-up the night before. All the Fridays were booked. Still, I'm encouraging her to seek a date later in the year, perhaps late April early May, a date that will take us out of the snow storm season.

We had a fairly decent show but a still a sharp drop from previous years.

shop shop shop

---

While cataloging my library (yes, I have way too much time on my hands, but I found a great program to do it for me, it scans the bar codes and enters all the data...), I found a book on my shelf. This is the book that started it all for me. Published in 1975 by Caterine Milinaire and Carol Troy (no relation,) it is, on rereading, both so dated and so very current, kinda what vintage itself is. Although I'm really not so sure what vintage means anymore, and I don't care. As long it's an appreciation of yesterday, I'm happy with that; whether yesterday is 10 year old designer, 1980s haute, 1950s western or 1890s Victorian. I'm just happy that it's being found, sold, collected, worn, mixed and matched with Gap or Chanel and that it's not ending up in the landfill.

You can still find this long out of print book around if you keep your eyes open, I've seen prices anywhere from the $20.00 to $200.00 range. I'd stick closer to the twenty, It's CHEAP chic we're talking about here, after all.

And a big Thank You to Mailie Raef for her kind words and link on her blog: www.vintageshoppingguide.com

http://www.vintageshoppingguide.com/article.aspx?id=34

Art Deco Weekend 2008

2008-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Art Deco Weekend, the annual celebration of all things deco in the home of America's largest deco architecture preserve, kicked off last night with the traditional vintage car parade along Ocean Drive, Miami Beach. Cruising is a big thing on Ocean Drive, so much so that some nights the "No Cruising Signs" flash and cars are forbidden. But on this night everyone came out, and the weather, which had been chilly and threatening rain, cooperated.

Doris Eaton Travis, 104, and the last surviving Zeigfeld Girl, sat in the first car, a Cadillac, of course, as The Parade Marshal. Cars of all vintages, many from the South Florida Car Club took part and bringing up the rear were the hunks from the Miami Beach Fire Department.

Vendors set up on Ocean as well and sadly very few of them had anything either vintage or deco. In years past there was quite a bit but what I think is generally reflective of the antique business as a whole, folks just ain't buying' it.

for more info:
http://www.mdpl.org/ADW/2008/doriseaton.html

Lost and Found, Baby

2007-12-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

I think we're all thrilled when we find something, whether it's something we lost or that someone else did.

This week I found a pin: a little gold filled Victorian pin with patent dates of 1910 and 1913. Okay, so technically it's not Victorian.

I'm calling it a bib pin. These little decorative pins are worn today as lapel pins, either singly or or in groups, but I've always known them as bib pins: used to hold an infant's bib in place. The first one I ever bought was at auction. It was silver and had the word "BABY" in high relief.

The thrill of finding the thing often outweighs the thing's value. It proves that some things are free, although they came at a cost to someone else, and that from time to time we get lucky!

While on Facebook, I made another find. The daughter of a friend, another antique dealer. She's finished school and is traveling through Australia.

The daughter of another friend is teaching English in Japan. And I'm following her progress as well.

It was lucky to find the pin, and I was lucky to reconnect with these kids, and that's what Facebook is supposed to be about, I think.

You can find me snooping around on Facebook.

~~Looking to get lucky.~~
PZ made me strike that, but I thought it was a good line.

Vintage Cufflinks & Studs

2007-11-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

Okay since 'tis the season for much merriment and dressing up and shopping, it's time for a little shameless self promotion. Our new domain is up and although the site's been up for awhile under a subdomain name, our antique and vintage Cufflink and Stud-set site finally gets a real name of its own: www.vintagecuff.com.

Now go shop.

My Dogs Are Barkin' and the Day Is Gettin' Dark

2007-10-29T12:14:00.000-04:00

it's always about territory

Funny thing about territory, or maybe it's called a comfort zone, once you've established it, you're reluctant to venture outside its borders.

For the first time a Toronto vintage paper show was held outside of Toronto.

A little back story first.

Marlene Cook creator/promoter of the Sunday Antique Market, the Old Clothing Show, Woofstock, a Festival for Dogs, also created and ran the Old Paper Show, a Toronto tradition since its inception in the late '70s, I think.

Always held downtown, the venues changed over the years but never north of let's say Queen St.

And always an anticipated and well attended show. Marlene then got involved with the creation and running of Woofstock and couldn't devote the time required to produce the Old Paper Show as well.

So a couple of seasons went by without one. And her dealers became antsy.

Jeff and Wendy Gadsden, promoters of the terrific Christie Classic Antique Show, stepped in to fill a need. Calling theirs the Vintage Paper Show, it was also held downtown.

Until now.

With the unavailability of the show's past venues, they decided to make the Vintage Paper Show a part of their successful Vintage Style Show held at the International Centre, out near the airport.

One admission fee got you two shows. Benefits for everyone I think. Attendees for one got the other as a bonus, and dealers who don't normally have paper brought along a few bits to mix in with their regular stock.

I saw many of the downtown people but not all of the usual suspects. On the other hand, we did see a number of faces that don't normally venture into the city. Unless they absolutely have to. Under subpoena for example.

The show seemed well attended, lots of bodies milling around, many with packages, but I don't have any real numbers.

So here's the comfort zone question. How many sales were lost because there's no easy non-car transport to the International Centre? How many sales were gained by accessing a customer base that really hates going into the city?

I dunno, I'm way out of my comfort zone just thinking about it.

As usual, Alan Davis has topically and graphically exciting historical posters

Too Cute For Words

2007-10-19T08:20:00.000-04:00

Time for another road trip out to view the fall colors. We picked a great day, all cloudy and foggy, and probably still a little too early in the season.

Oh well.

We started with a trip to Southworks Antique Mall in Cambridge. The usual assortment of stuff, always a well varied selection, including dealers with seasonal spooky Hallowe'en treasures.

While still in Cambridge though, we found another shop: Greenspot Antiques which is chock full. Of stuff. Of all descriptions but their strong point, indeed, specialty, is miniatures. Now usually, when I see miniatures or so called salesman's samples, my gag reflex kicks in. Usually they're godawful and cheesy. But these at Greenspot Antiques in Cambridge, truly are wonderful.

I even managed to buy something: a great old silver, crested, Dunhill lighter. Working! Not a miniature, but one to fit my manly hand.

And off to St. Jacobs. This is tourist/Mennonite country and this is definitely where cute comes to die.

First the Waterloo County Antique Warehouse, located just on the edge of town. This I think should be the model of group shops: large, well lighted, lots of helpful friendly staff. (With one caveat, I'll get back to this. Just watch for the steam coming out of my ears. It's not pretty.)

Bought a couple of things and now, food!

We stopped at the Farmers Market (only open Thursdays and Saturdays I think), for quick snoop and had an Oktoberfest (naturally) sausage while P had the apple fritters.

They also had the largest supply of Crocs I've ever seen in one location, so I bought bright yellow ones. Had to. Couldn't help it. May have to go back for more.

And now into downtown bustling St. Jacobs.

Okay it usually is bustling, but today it was raining. No too much bustle.

It really is quaint in that demeaning way that city people have of phrasing things and they have lots of visitors and tourists taking snaps of all things adorable so I suppose the St Jacobs Antique Mall has a reason for their attitude.

And it's not just an isolated experience, I've noticed it before on previous trips: no dealer discounts, no public washrooms, staff that seems bothered by you. I just kinda get the feeling that they'd be much happier not having to deal with the public at all. Where the attitude seems to be: "This would be a great place to work except for the customers always bothering us and wrecking the displays. Just send us your money and stay home."

Or maybe it's just me.

I used say that I wasn't in the antiques business, I was in the tourist souvenir business. So If you're going to run a business that's in an environment that depends on tourism for its livelihood, put in a damn toilet that's open to public.

I know people can be pigs and there'll be work to keep it clean. Get over it.

When I was set up at the Toronto Antique Centre I intentionally picked the spot next to the toilets as my location. It was good for business: people had to get by me twice, coming and going; I had two extra chances at showing the merch.

And it worked. People who perhaps had come to see one dealer in particular and hadn't planned on looking through the building, still ended up at my shop.

Nick Graham founded Joe Boxer on this philosophy: The Brand is the amusement park, the product is the souvenir.

And the more fun a tourist/visitor/potential customer has, the more likely they are to take a souvenir home with them, whether it's a piece of antique jewellery or a two old crows garden decoration.

And it's no fun having to find a washroom. A few other shops have a "no washroom" policy as well. I can understand it if you're a little mom and pop shop, but if you've got multiple staff, you should have a toilet open to the public.

The city should have something available. It may have been but I just didn't see any signs.

And another thing while I'm ranting. I'd picked up a pamphlet at the Antiques Warehouse showing their two other locations: one in Elora, another in Stratford.

Elora is sorta close and kinda on the way back to Toronto so, armed with the map on the pamplet, off we go.

I may be directionally challenged, cartologically challenged, numerically challenged, but folks when I have an address, I can usually get there.

An hour later we're still driving in circles. And we start channeling the Bickersons.

When I got home and checked the website, it seems that there's only two locations now. We were driving around, going nuts, having a marital discord moment, looking for something that wasn't there.

Antique Warehouse people, listen up! Print new pamphlets! Or put stickers on your old ones. Have signs on your pamphlet rack or on your damn doors or something.

Okay I feel better now.

My, aren't the leaves pretty.

Naked in the Library

2007-10-15T06:52:00.000-04:00

So there I am leafing through my November issue of Toronto Life and there's this full page ad for Maus Park Antiques. Placed opposite a headline for a Linda Griffiths interview with the headline "Suffragette City", I was amused by the juxtaposition.

I'm easily amused.

You've come a long way, baby.

What a fool I've been. I totally forgot that nudes have been used to sell ~~motor oil~~ antiques for years.

The more I looked at this woman artfully draped (that means the naughty bits are cleverly hidden so we can concentrate on the beauty of the female form without being overly stimulated), where was I, oh yeah, she's draped over these 19th century library steps, the more I thought to myself: "Geez, that looks uncomfortable".

Not to mention painful.

Now, I haven't seen a rate card lately, but I'm guessing a full page ad in Toronto Life is the $12,000 plus range. And I'm guessing Maus Park is no slouch in the antique business, being CADA members and all, so I just have to stare at this ad and wonder: naked in the library, leatherbound books, distressed leather club chairs... I better stop before I do myself an injury.

Personally, naked women have lured me into many shops, but I don't think I'm taking the drive to Paris this time. I'm over it. No more library steps for me.

Once There Was a Time...

2007-10-07T22:16:00.000-04:00

You see kids, once there was a time when plastic bags didn't carry a label that warned: Danger! This Bag Is Not A Toy! Do Not Play With This Bag!

Bags encouraged you to play with them and put them over your heads: They had eye holes cut out and happy smiley faces printed right on them.

Kids do not try this at home! We are trained professionals.

Danger. Keep Off Roof.

2007-09-29T13:13:00.001-04:00

Up at the crack of dawn and off to the penultimate Flamboro of the season and bloody cold it was too. And at the field we added damp to the mix with a very nice fog hovering. I was dressed very sensibly, suitably layered and toasty and all, while quite a few hardy Canadians were comfortably strolling around in sweaters, shorts and sandals. Pioneer material I am not.

But the fog burned off and by 9:00am a lovely fall day.

Here's what I saw:

a great soapbox racer, sold very, very early in the day

art needs no explanation, it stands or falls on its own
or sometimes it just leans

a beautifully alligatored hutch from Ed Locke

file under: terminally cute

file under: little red shovels, box of

file under: spools, box of

and the crew from TreasureHD was there

wanted to get this WPA kit, but didn't

Elaine was shopping along with her dog, Hanna, and Hanna's dog, ChiChi

Always good advice; wanted to get this and did.

So, all in all, a good time time was had by all. Except certain wives who didn't get any jewelry.

There's always next time.

As long as we remember: Danger. Keep Off Roof.

'Shrooms and a Hat

2007-09-21T10:25:00.000-04:00

With the weather being so great, and the dollar being so equal, it was time for another road trip. We'd been wanting to visit the Ontario Antique Mall, just outside of Rochester NY so off we went. They boast of a thousand dealers, and are in Farmington, NY. Just get off at New York State Thruway exit 44, drive three miles, and you're there.

We'd been warned to expect delays crossing the border at Lewiston NY but the delay was all of three long minutes.

An hour later we were parked at the mall and ready to go. It's a lovely mall, but mostly comprised of dealer showcases. Not much for me, mostly collectibles, glass and china, but enough jewelry and accessories to keep P occupied while I sat in the car and read.

We bought nothing.

On the way back we stopped at Clarence, NY. Hadn't been there in five years or more and what a difference.

A little back story first. The first time we went, almost thirty years ago, the busiest field was Hickey's. Truly a field, with a bunch of rickety dealer tables set out every Sunday and one small shack of building for those few dealers who didn't want to unpack and repack every week. Clarence Antique World was just a mile or so away and with better facilities eventually took most of the dealers away.

Hickey's closed.

Antique World expanded. Then there were partner squabbles, buyouts, non-competition agreements, then competing fields. This is all over a twenty year span or so. And all during the heyday of antiques mania.

There were two huge Extravaganza Expos a year in addition to the weekly Sunday offerings. It was fun then to be there shopping with flashlights in the misty, biting-bug ridden pre-dawn hours, and there were treasures to be found. Some dealers even packed up by 11:00 am not wanting to be around for the tire-kickers who'd show up after church let out.

During the Expos we'd sit with twice-a-year friends, play catch-up and feast on the chicken BBQ set up by Chiavettas. (We still buy their Italian salad dressing by the case).

And all good things must come to an end.

With the dollar then at at 1.50 or more and the creeping price of gasoline and 9/11 and the ease of ebay, we, along with a lot of other Canadians, just stopped going.

We still don't know how it is on Sundays, but during the week there are a number of building/group shops open and that's what we saw this trip. A lot of the same old, same old: some interesting things, some not so, but worth a look if you're in the neighbourhood.

And we were.

One thing we didn't do while we were in the 'hood back in the Rochester/Avon area was have lunch at Tom Wahl's.

That alone would have been worth the drive. Especially the mushrooms. And the rootbeer.

So in the end what did we buy (and this includes a final stop at the Outlet Mall)?

Two Mighty Tacos (actually not too bad and pretty big) and a hat.

A very nice hat. And worth the trip.

But I'm sorry we didn't make it to Tom Wahl's.

If You Can Read This, You're Probably Not a Woman in Lowland Nepal

2007-09-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

It seemed like a good idea: we'd been going to yard sales all summer, so let's have a sale of our own and get rid of some of our mistakes, and then it became a neighbourhood sale with a number of families participating.

And it was a good idea, except that the weather didn't cooperate. It was bloody cold.

Oh well. But all in a good cause. My good cause was clearing a path in my hallway.

The real good cause was halfway around the world.

My neighbour's sales' profits are being donated to WELNEPAL a wonderful organization which supports Womens' Education and Literacy in Nepal. And they had some great stuff all donated by volunteers and fund raisers.

Here's what you missed.

Just beginning to set it all up around 7:00 am

C'mon who doesn't love Nancy Sinatra?
Vinyl is a hot item; almost all of it went.

Did I mention there was Wedgwood? SOLD! (and not to me.)

Good to the last bite.

Hand knit Aran sweaters. A best seller considering the cold morning we had.

And what's a yard sale without a box of plush toys?

And the left overs...? All yours. Come and get 'em

So six hours later, I asked my neighbour how he thought the sale went. His reply: too much work; he'd rather write WELNEPAL a cheque.

This from a guy who spends almost all of his free time volunteering for WELNEPAL.

You can write a cheque too, if you want.

Or just go to Nepal and drop it off in person. Henry! Gas up the jet! Wheels up at Oh-eight-hundred hours.

Here's that website again: www.welnepal.org

A Change in the Forecast

2007-09-08T18:51:00.000-04:00

If the antiques business is in a slump, don't tell anyone at the Gadsden's Christie Show. I don't know any official numbers but it seemed that there was fairly sizable crowd anxiously checking their watches waiting for the 8:00 am opening.

No early admission here, and there are signs posted admonishing dealers: "No sales before opening".

The weather (forecasters) had been threatening rain, but nope, it was beautiful. Perfect shopping weather and it sure looked as though people were buying. I saw money changing hands and packages being carried and carted.

While I was chatting with show promoters Wendy and Jeff Gadsden, a number of people stopped by to say thanks and compliment them on a terrific show; these were customers: some regulars, some first-timers. How often does that happen?

A lovely end to the summer shopping season.

And an assortment of random shots:
Salvation Army Camp that-a-way

Bull's eye mouldings
Tin Ceiling Squares
Frames
Cedar canoes.
I didn't buy any of these.

Hudson's Bay Point Blankets.
I did buy one of these.

All in all, it was just a bee hive of activity.

Yep. I bought that too.

Nostalgic for Nostalgia

2007-08-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

We hadn't been out to the Barrie Antique Centre in while, so we went. By this I mean, I wanted to sit home reading & eating bon bons and P said we should go to Barrie. So we went.

I'd forgotten what a great collection of nostalgia they've got. We get used to seeing so much glass and china and shiny sparkly bits, it's refreshing to see such a good hoard of nostalgia and country store items spread over two large floors. And (most of) it's for sale.

Talk about being packed to the rafters. I love old signage and this place is just full of it. In a good way. Not only are the walls totally covered, there are signs and notices and ads hanging from the ceilings and lintels.

Wind-up toys, old tins? They've got 'em. Dry goods boxes? Yep. 1920s toilet paper? Don't ask.

Little stuff like matchbooks and milk bottle caps, to bigger things; I saw a treadle powered lathe while I was there.

There are a few reproductions mixed in, so if you're unsure of what you're looking at, ASK!

It's an easy drive from Toronto, under an hour if the traffic's good, and situated on Innisfill St., just minutes from the highway off ramp.

They don't have a website, but the email addy is barrieantiquecentre@bellnet.ca.

The address is: 272 Innisfil St. Barrie, Ontario. Call 705-726-1663.

So what did we get? P bought some shiny sparkly bits.

But strangely enough on the way home we happened to pass Vaughn Mills Mall where there just happens to be a Purdy's store and strangely enough again they seemed to have Purdy's English Toffee in stock.

Now I am sitting around reading and eating bon bons.

All's well that ends with jewelry and candy.

Props for my Peeps

2007-08-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

This is a follow-up to my previous post. Recently I was asked to define a "prop".

Prop is short for "property" as in property of the production.

Here's the poop. If an actor handles it or it's mentioned specifically in the script, it's a prop .

If it's just sitting around looking pretty, it's set dressing or set dec(oration).

Sometimes there's cross-over.

We specialize in hand props, the smaller stuff. The stuff we hope you'll never notice. If a prop is not key (important) or not a hero (very loosely, one that's important enough for a close-up shot and/or to require multiples in case something goes wrong), we hope you'll be so absorbed in the story that you won't notice the stuff, unless of course, it's a key prop or a hero.

It's the job of the prop master and/or prop buyer to find this stuff and take care of it while it's on set.

Here's a scene:

The MAYOR rushes down the steps of City Hall into a throng of reporters. He trips and drops his briefcase which flies open spilling its contents. Flashbulbs go off. Mayhem ensues as he tries to retrieve the contents.

So what are the props needed? The only ones specifically mentioned in this set-up are: (1) briefcase, (2) contents of briefcase and (3) Flashbulbs.

(1) The briefcase has to be right for the period of the film, and right for the character of the MAYOR. Is it bright shiny new, or old and worn? Was it expensive or the economy model? Did he buy it for himself, was it a gift? (Remember: there are no small decisions in making a movie.) It needs to be a briefcase that will (or be rigged to) spill its contents when dropped.

(2) And what are these contents? Are they important to the story, have they been established in a previous scene, what do they reveal about the mayor? Brown bag lunch, kid's rubber ball, porn? Or is it just a bunch of papers that will look good when the wind blows them away?

(3) Are they really flash bulbs? If so, how many? Or modern electronic flashes? Presumably they're attached to cameras. How many of those? What kind? Do they actually have to flash, or will the flashes be an effect added in post-production?

What about the other stuff not mentioned in the script? Reporters with tape recorders, pads and pencils. Are there passers-by on the street? A woman carrying groceries perhaps? A man with a newspaper in one hand, umbrella in the other? A kid on a bike.

And that's without the set dressing: stuff like a newspaper box (empty or with papers (can we read headlines?) the garbage can, the signage and all the other stuff that's always there.

Let's stop now because my head hurts.

Pick your favorite movie, have another look at a favorite scene, ignore the story and have a look at the objects that the actors handle or are in the scene to dress it up.

An example:

In the photo above, a scene from Little Mosque on the Prairie, set in a pawn shop, there are only three props. The rest is set decoration or costume. Those three circles indicate the only things I handled in this scene. (Actually there is one more, but it's off camera.)

By the way, I didn't supply any of the props or set dec in that scene; they came from a competitor.

Some of the things we got called for this week, and didn't have, were:
angel's wings (costume)
trapper pelts
torpedo shells
giant martini glass
a spaceship
giant scales of justice
wagon wheels & tumbleweed,
electric chair,
airplane seats
and a pink limousine.

For a look at some of what we do have go to;

torontoprops.com
and
vintageprops.com

And if you know anyone with an electric chair they're not using any more, you'll let me know, won't you?

Everybody's an Expert

2007-08-22T06:34:00.000-04:00

Everybody's an expert. Especially me.

This week I had a job as the antique consultant for a tv-movie being shot here by the Hallmark people. One of the key props is an antique box purchased by our heroine and given to a key character.

There are lots of keys in movie making.

In Making Movies, Sidney Lumet wrote that: "there are no small decisions in film making".

This is key. Movies don't just happen, they get made. And this mean decisions. Lots of decisions. Maybe even millions of decisions. And in spite of what many critics, both professional and armchair, seem to think, the people involved are a pretty bright bunch.

The basics of movie making, in no particular order, are these:

A movie begins with an idea.

The writer takes this idea, this fleeting notion of a concept, and puts it on paper. It ain't that easy. You try coming up with a hundred and twenty pages of pure gold. The writer has to make up a story, create a bunch of people, put words in their mouths, ideas in their heads and then has them do stuff. All of this is to make you want to know what happens next. And if you care about the people it's all happening to, even better. And if the words coming out of their mouths move you to tears, to laughter, to dark thoughts, there's the gold.

The producer finds the money to make this happen; puts together a team to make this happen. In other words, the producer finds a way to make all of this happen. In spite of all the producer credits you might see in a movie's credits, there's usually only one real PRODUCER.

The director is entrusted with the vision. The director has already seen this entire movie. In his head. Shot by shot.

The production designer's job is to make sure you can look at this thing for two hours; that nothing you see jars you back to reality and that everything you see on screen just looks right.

Everything in the movie must propel the story forward. We must want to know how the story ends and not get bogged down with nit picking: "Look, there's a watch on the chariot driver's wrist in ancient Rome."

And that was my job on this project.

Was this antique box (remember the box from the first paragraph) right for the story. They weren't going to use an actual antique box. The movie box was being built by the props department, so the colour, shape, size and so on needed to be accurate. Because out in audience-land everybody's an expert, and these experts love to write letters. Sure, there are mistakes, glitches, anachronisms in almost every picture. There are even websites that point these things out. They're fun to spot, but movie makers work hard to avoid them; they do do the due diligence.

For my presentation for the producer, director, production designer, props department and the builder, I'd done my homework. I'd photographed and photocopied lots of reference boxes and brought in a stack of books, all laid out on the conference table, opened to an appropriate page. With more pages ready underneath; lots of little yellow post-it's peeking out.

The props department, the people who had actually hired me to spout my expertise, had provided a number of antique boxes for people to handle, examine, pick up, smell, heft, turn over.

And they did.

In movie land, as in kindergarten, this is called "show & tell".

I showed and telled and I was grilled. This was a pretty astute group and the questions were the right kinds of questions to ask. Will the actress have trouble handling the size of the box? Which colors and designs would be historically accurate? What shapes are there to work with? What if we did this...? Could we do this instead...? Would it be wrong to...?

I was asked to justify my answers.

And since the box is discovered overpainted and will have to be stripped to its original state during the picture, the builder will have to make at least four identical boxes, three of them then painted and partially stripped, to correspond to the various stripping stages. And to allow for takes, mistakes and reshoots on one key scene, there should be at least four identical lids for box number two.

My prep for this meeting took about five hours. The meeting took another two. All for a box that's not the most important thing in the story.

No small decisions in movie making. I should know, I'm the expert.

Busman's Holiday

2007-08-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

Usually we sell at the Sunday Market every...Sunday? But not today. We have a family function this afternoon, so took the day off. Instead, we went to the Sunday Market. Shopping. While I'd like to think that these are the crowds of paparazzi who follow me everywhere, they're not. The tour bus drivers like to stop in front of the Market for a photo op. Not of us but of the Gooderham Building aka the Flat Iron. We do get some benefit out of it, though, some of these people actually come in and shop.

And had they come in, early this am they might have seen:

Yes folks, you too can pick up a little money after school with this great fifteen foot banner: STRIPPERAMA 6 American beauties.

I would have bought it but I couldn't scrounge up fifteen feet of wall space at home.

Also seen were the Courage My Love gang, with Stewart, once again, wearing many hats and Cece, once again, thinking perhaps it's time her dad went to the farm for while.

And how often do two dealers show up wearing the same jewelry?

And what did I buy? I bought a license to sell opium. Cool. Everyone should have one. Cost me more than a buck, though.

It's Fall, It's Hot Potato Time

2007-08-18T20:26:00.000-04:00

Another Saturday, another antique show.

This time it was up and at 'em early for the dawn opening of the Flamboro Antique Show held at the Aberfoyle Antique Market field.

A lovely day, with just a hint of autumn in the air, the dealers were set up and ready to sell, ready to deal, but I sensed that, like many of us, they were also there to move their dogs: things they'd been carting around a while. Sure it's the end of the season, but perhaps the end of an era as well. It's hot potato time, flip that piece as soon as possible; no more sitting on an item to try to get the best possible price.

Many long time dealers have a new perspective: fast turnover. So if you're shopping folks, now's the time to strike that deal.

Hard core collectors were out filling in gaps in their collections, and others were just picking up the odd knick knack or piece of furniture, making a day of it.

But there were also faces I didn't see: people that used to show up regularly at every single show, rain or shine.

Sad to say, but this show seems to be getting smaller every time, with quite a few empty dealer spots. The public turnout seemed to be strong enough, cars were still steadily arriving when we left around 10:30, but I couldn't get a sense of what, if anything, was selling. A big change from what it once was, perhaps reflective of the overall state of the industry.

The only thing I bought was another suitcase; I don't sell them, but they do get rented out to photographers and the movies. This one was well be-stickered, and it'll earn its keep.

Good thing I'm out of the potato business.

Toronto Vintage Clothing and Textile Show

2007-08-14T19:07:00.000-04:00

A while back I mentioned the new date and location for the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show. Well things didn't quite work out with the date: it's still early March. In fact, can't get any earlier in March.

Date is: Saturday, March 1^st, 2008.

Location is: the Conference Ballroom at the CNIB Centre on Bayview. Lots of parking and the bus stops right there.

More info as it becomes available.

The Hundred Dollar Hamburger.

2007-08-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

We're going to have to rethink this whole Odessa thing. The Odessa Antique Show opens for early admission at 2:00pm Saturday. That means we pay $20.00 each, rather than seven bucks a day later, so we can get in there and scoop all the good stuff. With gas and food and admission for two people we're looking at about $100 in the hole before we've spent penny one on antiques.

The show itself was okay but nothing outstanding, nothing worth driving and $100 for, other than a day in the country. That hundred bucks would have made the difference in a number of ebay purchases, so again I'm thinkin' why bother?

Then there's the attitude. Since many dealers were running around trying to shop at the other dealers, they didn't get their own set-ups open for the early admission shoppers. If you asked them when they were going to be open, the response was mañana, they'll be ready for Sunday's opening.

So why am I paying early admission?

A little background here. When we first started doing this about thirty years ago, there was no real early admission. A few collectors caught on to the notion that they could rent a space at a show, not bother putting anything in it, and then spend the whole time shopping before the general admission gates opened. Four people in one car could split the cost. It might even work out to be cheaper than general admission.

The show managers twigged to this and started selling early admission tickets for about the same price as a booth rental. This appealed to both collectors who were willing to pay the premium to get first pick, and to promoters willing to take in the extra money without booking potential no-shows: a lot of empty dealer spaces on the field look bad for everybody.

Dealers gained by having motivated shoppers in right off the top, but lost the early picking edge for themselves. It's always been a delicate balance this buying/selling thing: most dealers start as collectors.

Nobody at age six said: I wanna be a dealer when I grow up. Okay, maybe the Keno Brothers did. But somewhere along the line the little cartoon light bulb went off over her head and the collector said: hey, I've got two of these apple peelers, I'll sell the yucky one at twice what I paid for it and that'll pay for the good one I'm keeping.

Thus is born the dealer.

But where do you serve your customers in all this? Are you keeping the best stuff for yourself? Are you doing all this running around for them or for you?

Again, I'm thinkin' why pay early admission if a third of the dealers aren't there to sell?

As for the stuff that was there, not great. Many dealers though seem to be living in the mid 1990s when pricing was top dollar. Let's just say that the pricing on the field was, at best, optimistic. Maybe they are getting that kind of money for the merch, I don't know, but a couple of American ~~shoppers~~ visitors were overheard on a cell phone telling friends not to bother coming: too high prices, too low value.

I know I didn't buy anything except a hamburger, and not a particularly good burger at that.

But the sun was out and it was a lovely day in the country.

Welcome To The Monkey House

2007-08-12T20:56:00.000-04:00

There's just something about a small town all coming together in the late summer, other than for a lynching, I mean.

Every year at this time we take a trip through what is amusingly referred to as "the country" by us city folk. We make our destination the Annual Odessa Antique Show. It's normally a two hour highway drive from the city but we leave Toronto six hours early so that we can hit all the small town yard sales especially the annual town sale at Cramagh.

It's not that there are any great treasures to be found here. Now that everyone's a dealer, those finds are few and far between; but you can find some useful second-hand stuff, which you can later sell at your own yard sale after you discover that it's not really as useful as you'd hoped it might be.

It's just seems reassuring somehow to see townsfolk join in a greater community effort and it pays homage to the city held belief that small communities are the heart of this country; all coming together to help Jimmy Stewart in his hour of need.

I pause to wipe the tear from my cheek.

As I said, it's a common myth; country folk are just as human and miserable as the rest of us, but with better air and more grass to cut.

Aside from the large town sale in the park, there are many many others all along the highway: the legion hall; the library selling its discards; the big sale at the funeral home...hmm; the guy that lives in a church who has to move (the guy, not the church.)

I think that most small towns across North America have this kind of sale at this time of year, along with the Firehall BBQs, and Fall Fairs and all manner of harvest festivals.

I enjoy going, eating local foods, like Maple Leaf brand hot dogs and Maple Leaf brand bacon-on-a-bun and funnel cakes and Nanaimo bars.

I think a lot of city people go, some to dream of retiring to a small close knit community, others to remind themselves why they escaped rural life in the first place and that they're absolutely city folk.

I'm not sure what brings us, what draws us to these green acres and the life bucolic, but here we are just the same; on the outside looking in.

My best find was not something that's not terribly valuable, but there's a very important Fall Harvest Festival just around the corner. I'm sure I'll find a use for it.

Welcome to the monkey house.

Mock Turtle

2007-08-08T08:15:00.000-04:00

And speaking of rummage sales...

There's a news story out of Elmira New York:

It seems that Anita Lewis had a large rummage sale and some of the items were mostly the turtle collection of her husband's previous (late) wife.

Well, one of the turtles held the late wife's ashes.

Oops.

A woman comes along and buys a large ceramic turtle from Lewis; what a lovely cookie jar this'll make, she thinks to herself, and pays the fifty cents.

Hubby Lewis wakes up, sees what's happened and all turtle-hell breaks loose.

They contact the local newspaper, the Star-Gazette of Elmira who then receives an anonymous tip and all's well that ends well at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in the town of Horseheads, N.Y.

I can imagine the conversation that led up to that anonymous call:

Honeybunny, look what I bought at the rummage sale for fifty cents; ewww there's ashes in it! The lady said it came from a smoke free home, now I can't put it on ebay.

I don't think those are cigarette ashes, pumpkin.

Huh? OMG what do I do now?

Get rid of it.

But, I paid fifty cents for it.

Well lemme put the ol' thinking cap on. Okay, here's what we do. Donate it to the Sally Ann, take the tax write off, and call the paper anonymously to let them know where it is.

Are you sure?

Actually the seal was never broken so they didn't know what was inside, they just heard what happened and left a voice mail with the reporter.

You can get the whole story, with pix, straight from the turtle's mouth at Star-Gazette of Elmira.

I know Elmira, it's a lovely little town and we haven't been there in a while so maybe, we should take little trip. Who knows what might be found; gotta love those rummage sales.

Slowly, I Turned

2007-08-04T12:05:00.001-04:00

It's Saturday, so naturally we were out a-sale-ing. It's also a holiday weekend with not a whole lot going on, so...slim pickings.

But one of the things we did find was a little Niagara Falls souvenir ashtray. Okay, but not great. But there are plenty of NF collectors around. Tourists have been gawking at the Falls since forever; and dealers have been hawking the Falls for just as long.

When PZ and I got married in 1969 we couldn't make it to Woodstock, so naturally we did the next best thing: we waited 'til the middle of November and went to Niagara Falls. It was beautiful; the ho'frost was all frozen in the trees looking very winter wonderland and all, and oh yeah, the Falls was shut off. Did I mention that?

I know you saw that 1950s film about the kid who accidentally shuts off the Falls, (SPOILER: IT WAS A DREAM!) but this is the emmis.

To retard erosion, the US Corps of Engineers stopped the flow over American Falls for a little behind the scenes work and they remained dry until November 25, 1969.

Kew-el.

(But this happens to us a lot: we go places, oh let's say... the Trevi Fountain, and... closed for maintenance.) Okay, back the blog...

Anyway, this ashtray is pretty early, late 19th century, I'm thinkin'.

How do I know?

Sorry, how do I think I know. I get asked this a lot during my lectures, so here's THE PROCESS:

Look at it.

What do we see?

If we look closely we can see that the image is transferware: this is a process out of mid 19th century England. A copper plate is engraved with the scene then used to print said scene on a piece of tissue which transfers the wet ink to your piece of china. Pop 'er into the kiln and you're done.

Okay so now we know it's no earlier than mid 19th century.

Next we look at the illustration again and in the corner, I spy with my little eye, a little boat.

And, Indiana Jones like, I make a leap of faith and guess that it's the Maid of the Mist which has, in all its various incarnations, been getting tourists all wet down there since as early as 1846, but due to money troubles and the War of Northern Aggression, really did not get going until around 1893.

And that's when tourism is really getting off the ground, and into the water, so to speak. What a coincidence.

Next, flip the thing over.
What do we see?
A whole lot of nothing; at least no trade or maker's marks or country of origin. Why is this important?

Because in 1890-'91 the McKinley Tariff Act required goods coming into the US to be marked with their country of origin.

(On Sept. 5, 1901, President McKinley addressed the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, N.Y., advocating commercial reciprocity among nations. The next day he was shot down by an anarchist and died. This is in Buffalo, just steps from Niagara Falls....Coincidence, I think not.)

Okay but what if it was made in USA? would it still need a mark? Nope.

So what do we know?

We know, maybe, it's pre 1891. Maybe not.

But probably somewhere in the 1890s. Maybe.

That's a whole lotta maybe's. Nothin' for sure, just a lot of ~~educated~~ guessing. And that's the process, kids, that's how we do it.

Do not look behind the screen.

Oh, as for today's blog title, there was once an old vaudeville routine which involved the trigger phrase "NIAGARA FALLS."

Niagara Falls? Slowly I turned...

Hannibal and Honey

2007-08-02T18:59:00.000-04:00

After watching Hannibal about sixty two times -- I didn't like it at first, but it's, ahh, grown on me, and really liking Mason Verger's little pied à terre, we decided to take a small detour off the interstate and head for Asheville NC and the film's location site: the Biltmore Estate. And I don't know why, but watching Hannibal always makes me hungry. Curious.

But the house! It's big. Really, really, BIG! Picture the biggest house you would build if you won the $500,000,000 Powerball lottery. Okay, got that image in your mind? It's bigger!

I'd be happy with the driver's apartment over the garage.

And still in Vanderbilt Family private hands. In fact, I believe it's the largest house still in private hands in America. There's a hefty admission price (from about $30-60 depending on day & season), even with my senior's discount. I love America: in Canada, I have to wait years before claiming any sort of senior's discount; In America, I just flash that AARP card (which you can get at fifty) and away we go. But it is magnificent.

And there's a shuttle bus that takes you from the various parking lots up to the house. I love saying that: there's a shuttle bus that takes you up to the house.

Anyway, after the tour, we drove into Asheville for breakfast.

Now, I'd read Holley Bishop's book Robbing the Bees about the art of well, robbing the bees. A biography of honey, she says. This book was right up my alley, and believe you me, it's a very tight alley (I have issues). I love social histories. I've read the various histories of Cod, Salt and Sushi. What fun. Much of Bishop's research was spent at the Smiley Apiaries in Northern Florida and they have a specialty: Tupelo Honey.

Smiley's is also the setting for Peter Fonda's film Ulee's Gold. He got an Oscar® nod for that one and Van Morrison sings "Tupelo Honey" over the closing credits.

But Smiley's in the Florida panhandle is just a wee bit out of our way, but right here, in downtown Asheville, is our destination: (insert fanfare here)The Tupelo Honey Cafe, where they serve (and sell) Smiley's Tupelo Honey.

Go figure. What a coincidence.

So we had brunch: Petunia's Pain Perdu, a chalah french toast with almonds and edible flowers; and the sweet potato pancakes.

In France (and Asheville) they don't call it French toast, they call it ~~a Burger Royale~~ pain perdu.

And naturally we drizzled Tupelo honey over everything.

And so I bought a case of the stuff.

Not just for us you understand, but we have poor, sickly, needy friends who are diabetic and are forbidden honey; but now some doctors for some patients will allow them to have Tupelo Honey because of its low sucrose levels.

What lucky friends!

It also doesn't solidify, so you never have to do the whole double boiler thing. And oh joy of joys, you can order this stuff by mail from Smiley's or try Amazon.com for another brand: Savannah Bee Company's Tupelo Honey.

But that was all a while ago, and now we're down to the last half bottle. Hmm...

Road trip!