Fight or Flight, Past Weekends Finds

[diggummup]

Went to an estate sale on Saturday morning. Drove down to Coral Gables in Miami, a 30 minute drive. The estate sale company used to be one of my favorites until all the other pigs found out about her. She doesn't know how to control her crowds so I won't be going back, regardless of her prices. I'll end up punching someone in the face the way they act. Anyway, I spent a measly $20 and ended up with this jewelry and a few other things not pictured. The red stone (don't know what type?) pendant is sterling as well as the spoons and 2 necklaces. The other pieces are unsigned but they are vintage and quality made, except the cameo, it's kind of cheap. I was so disgusted after this sale I just went home.






The next finds came from Sunday garage sales. The Pan Am bag is new with tags it was $5. The Jet National bag came from a different sale and it was $4.





Then at another sale I paid $20 for this box of Vietnam soldier Id'd war photos.







I haven't counted them yet but it's a nice stack. It also included a bunch of photo slides that are also from Vietnam as well as a few from Spain, France and Germany.






The good thing about all the photos is that every one of them has writing on the back identifying what the photo is showing.




The best thing about the sale where I got the photos from is that they are having it again next weekend and he has more stuff he said. This was a warehouse sale where the owner or person renting the warehouse died and his friends/family are selling off the contents. I have another box full of AR15 parts, a Walther PPK 9mm plastic case, a holster or two as well as a few other items that I bought there too, just forgot to take a pic.

 

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[jason4kstate]

Oh wow how were they acting? I hate getting pushed and having to listen to the embellished stories while waiting in line.

Love the bags. I always try to pick those up when I find them.

 

[GibH]

The pendant looks like coral maybe? Finding a Pan-Am bag with tags still on it is amazing.

 

[bdsawyer]

I love the pan am bag, but that collection of photos is quite amazing. Having all the information on the back is key as you said. Nice find.

Also curious how that first sale was, how people were acting.

 

[diggummup]

The people at the estate sale on Saturday were acting like a bunch of half raised heathens. I blame it on the seller, I'll tell you why at the end. The sale listing showed all sorts of vintage jewelry among other things at the sale. The listing stated a 9am start time. We got there at 7am. We were number 17 and 18 on a list created by some buyer that showed up at 4am. By the time the sale started there were at least 30 or more people there. So as soon as the door opens at 8:30 they all rush in like a bunch Walmart shoppers on black friday, screw that list. A real Texas cattle stampede I tell ya. All the while the woman holding the sale is hollering (yes hollering), please be careful, don't break anything, yada, yada, yada (Like an idiot)

Bad Staging- Inside the front door entry room through a small like 4 foot hallway to the living room on the right was the jewelry (it also led to most of the rest of the house come to find out). These animals were on that jewelry like white on rice. It was a free for all, elbows flying, people yelling, I saw one lady grab a couple drawers out of a tall standing jewelry box and run with them. I couldn't even get in the room there was so much pushing and shoving going on. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big guy and I tower over 95% of the population so I could have forced my way in there. But that's just not in my nature, not to mention I don't like most of these people to begin with. So for fear of me doing something that I may regret, I bypass the room and look around the only other 3 rooms that were there. One was the dining room, nothing there except the furniture, next was her bedroom, all furniture, clothes, shoes, purses, hats etc. (not for me) and another bedroom with more of the same.

After perusing through the rooms and failing to find anything worthwhile, I went back to the area that had the jewelry in it. By now (a whole 3-4 minutes later) everything was basically gone. I found the pieces I have by literally picking them up off the floor next to a drawer from the jewelry box that was thrown there, there were even oddball earrings strewn in the track of the sliding glass door for Christ's sake. I mean who acts like this? I'd throw you out on your ass if it was my sale.

I blame the seller because she doesn't know how to control her customers. Instead they are controlling her. All she had to do was hand out numbers prior to opening the doors for jewelry buyers only. You have all your jewelry in one area with a separate sales table. You call one number at a time and then they pay for the jewelry right then and there. Problem solved. Simple. As it was I'm sure there were many pieces that ended up in customers pockets. I don't put thievery past any of these scumbags.

a side note- I started out buying from this lady by being invited to private sales the day before her actual sales through a mutual friend in the business maybe 8 years ago or so. She gradually stopped doing that though for some reason. I've been going to her sales sporadically since then and their behavior has been getting progressively worse at each sale. Literally the same 8-10 Cubanos, 1 white guy and a Haitian. I'm going to give her a call and let her know what I thought of her last sale/s and inform her if she wants my business give me a call the day before or take my advice on her jewelry sales. She's a nice lady but these people are running over her taking advantage. I'll try to explain all of this to her in a nice professional manner, we'll see what happens.

 

[diggummup]

Love the bags. I always try to pick those up when I find them.

Yeah, me too! Now if I would just list some of it I'd be doing alright.

The pendant looks like coral maybe? Finding a Pan-Am bag with tags still on it is amazing.

The pendant also has Indonesia stamped on it. I guess it's red sponge coral. I'm just not used to seeing it on a large round disc. The Pan Am bag is the new one they came out with during the tv series a few years back, not an original one. Funny thing is the new style ones sell for more than the originals.

I love the pan am bag, but that collection of photos is quite amazing. Having all the information on the back is key as you said. Nice find.

Yeah, unfortunately their are no actual combat photos though. There are plenty of helicopter photos and aerial views though, as he was a helicopter pilot.

 

[GibH]

I remember finding a bunch of photographs from Viet Nam back in the 70's. The content was disturbing to say the least.

 

[Tallone]

It was a free for all, elbows flying, people yelling, I saw one lady grab a couple drawers out of a tall standing jewelry box and run with them. I couldn't even get in the room there was so much pushing and shoving going on.

This is why i don't bother with professional estate sales. It looks like you have a bunch of 1960s vintage Kodachrome slides there, dig. I have sold a couple of old Kodachromes recently. Aircraft, trains, and military themes seem to sell pretty well.


The PanAm Grace Airways sold for about $23. The others sold for about $10 each.

 

[cyberdan]

I'm a big guy and I tower over 95% of the population...........are running over her taking advantage. I'll try to explain all of this to her in a nice professional manner, we'll see what happens.

Why don't you offer her your services and experience? What do you get? 1st pick of every sale and work it off in trade.

 

[Paleo_joe]

Nice finds! Love the vietnam stuff.

I make it rule to not get between the precious metals / jewelry buyers and the precious metals/jewelry, lol.

 

[ARC]

sterling red coral pendant.

 

[diggummup]

This is why i don't bother with professional estate sales. It looks like you have a bunch of 1960s vintage Kodachrome slides there, dig. I have sold a couple of old Kodachromes recently. Aircraft, trains, and military themes seem to sell pretty well.

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The PanAm Grace Airways sold for about $23. The others sold for about $10 each.

Nice, I remember when you posted them. I'll be listing these as a lot whenever I do sell them. I have some other slides too from another sale that I found the other day while going through some boxes. The packs say Busch Gardens 1968, Silver Springs Fl., and Six Gun Territory.

Why don't you offer her your services and experience? What do you get? 1st pick of every sale and work it off in trade.

I was actually thinking that when I was typing that earlier.