JSpinner
Jr. Member
- Feb 16, 2013
- 83
- 39
- Detector(s) used
- Bounty Hunter - Fast Tracker
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
RARE ANTIQUE PURSES - don't know what sub-forum this fits...
Hello. I don't know where to post this, so I just started a new thread.
Anyway, I accidentally found a very lucrative niche with antique purse restoration and collecting.
About 10-12 yrs. ago I found my 1st antique mesh purse in a box, as a tangled up mess, at a local 2nd hand shop. The owner of the shop didn't know what it was, but accepted my offer of $2 since it had been there for over several years.
Honestly, I have no idea why I felt I had to have that box of metal mesh. (I am an artist and maybe I thought I could use it to texture paint, or something. I really don't remember.) Anyway, I took it home, soaked it in a brine of baking soda & vinegar, to clean it. I lathered it up with a squirt of liquid dish soap, rinsed in vinegar and water, then laid it out on a towel to dry. I tried to figure the pieces together in my head, but had no idea what the bell-thing, or the thin brass stick-thing, was used for. After it all dried it was nice and shiny...a bit too shiny for brass. The tiny little dangles & bell-thing really looked like gold, so I decided to have it tested. It tested as a 12K wash, or a thin plate of gold. COOL! Five days later, I still could not figure out what this mess of mesh was.
So, I just sat down and started hooking things together as I thought they were supposed to go.....then, I saw it. I spotted the teeny-tiny gold tag with the Whiting&Davis logo. I quickly 'Googled' the name and found that this chainmail mess was some kind of purse. From that point on, I was able to figure out how this thing was supposed to look. Amazingly, every tiny piece to this purse was all there. It was really intriguing to see finished.
Now, I 'Googled' again, to see what this thing was worth. Nothing like it was on the internet. I submitted it to several antique services to research it, but none could find much information about its style, either. So, we all decided it had to be an early W&D which probably none have survived the decades. The estimates on value ranged from around $1800 to 'priceless.'
In summary...for $2 bucks, on a whim, I struck a treasure worth as much as real 'GOLD!' That is what started my treasure quest for things other than gems and precious metals. Today, I have been rather successful in this tiny, but lucrative niche, of antique purses. I can't afford to buy them at retail, but by learning how to restore them, I can pick up the broken and nasty ones for pennies on the dollar. It is really hard to find them in stores because they are so rare, but with persistence and a lot of luck, you can find them in long forgotten trunks, overlooked pockets, and sunless corners of an attic or cellar. They are worth the hunt for real treasure.
Here is the finished Rare W&D purse, after I had finished it.
If you know anything about this style of antique purse, please let me know.
Prosper in 2013! - JSpinner
PS - if you'd like to see more of these treasures, I have an albumn started. You could check it out if you are so inclined.
Hello. I don't know where to post this, so I just started a new thread.
Anyway, I accidentally found a very lucrative niche with antique purse restoration and collecting.
About 10-12 yrs. ago I found my 1st antique mesh purse in a box, as a tangled up mess, at a local 2nd hand shop. The owner of the shop didn't know what it was, but accepted my offer of $2 since it had been there for over several years.
Honestly, I have no idea why I felt I had to have that box of metal mesh. (I am an artist and maybe I thought I could use it to texture paint, or something. I really don't remember.) Anyway, I took it home, soaked it in a brine of baking soda & vinegar, to clean it. I lathered it up with a squirt of liquid dish soap, rinsed in vinegar and water, then laid it out on a towel to dry. I tried to figure the pieces together in my head, but had no idea what the bell-thing, or the thin brass stick-thing, was used for. After it all dried it was nice and shiny...a bit too shiny for brass. The tiny little dangles & bell-thing really looked like gold, so I decided to have it tested. It tested as a 12K wash, or a thin plate of gold. COOL! Five days later, I still could not figure out what this mess of mesh was.
So, I just sat down and started hooking things together as I thought they were supposed to go.....then, I saw it. I spotted the teeny-tiny gold tag with the Whiting&Davis logo. I quickly 'Googled' the name and found that this chainmail mess was some kind of purse. From that point on, I was able to figure out how this thing was supposed to look. Amazingly, every tiny piece to this purse was all there. It was really intriguing to see finished.
Now, I 'Googled' again, to see what this thing was worth. Nothing like it was on the internet. I submitted it to several antique services to research it, but none could find much information about its style, either. So, we all decided it had to be an early W&D which probably none have survived the decades. The estimates on value ranged from around $1800 to 'priceless.'
In summary...for $2 bucks, on a whim, I struck a treasure worth as much as real 'GOLD!' That is what started my treasure quest for things other than gems and precious metals. Today, I have been rather successful in this tiny, but lucrative niche, of antique purses. I can't afford to buy them at retail, but by learning how to restore them, I can pick up the broken and nasty ones for pennies on the dollar. It is really hard to find them in stores because they are so rare, but with persistence and a lot of luck, you can find them in long forgotten trunks, overlooked pockets, and sunless corners of an attic or cellar. They are worth the hunt for real treasure.
Here is the finished Rare W&D purse, after I had finished it.
If you know anything about this style of antique purse, please let me know.
Prosper in 2013! - JSpinner
PS - if you'd like to see more of these treasures, I have an albumn started. You could check it out if you are so inclined.
Amazon Forum Fav 👍
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