A good last week

[tamrock]

These are some of the treasures I found between an antique mall and a small thrift store this last week. The Waltham 0 Sz is a bit of a project, but it has a nice not very worn out 20 yr. hunter case and a dirty, but damage free dial. It was $8.95. In the same vendor booth I found this Italian hand painted miniature portrait, set in .800 silver covered in glass, not plastic.Cost on it was also $8.95 At least my research leads me to believe it came from Italy and I did find two online that had this same portrait, but with only slight differences, as I believe each is a OOAK. This portrait may be a notable woman of the renaissance era, but I'm not finding any info to confirm that idea.

In a small thrift shop I made a super score. The spiral looking brooch is all 14K gold with a real pearl. I took it to the pawn shop and ask they rub the heck out of it in order to see if only the marked pin was gold. The acid held firm on 14K gold acid on the spiral part. Believe it or not, but that was only 3 bucks. In the same tray was also this amateur looking made stickpin mounted with a real gold nugget with a blue gemstone wedged into it. I didn't have that tested but under the loop I can see tiny grains of sand stuck within it along with some iron oxide staining from all the time it spent tumbling in a river. I'm not BS'n, as it was priced at only 2 bucks. I just can't believe what I got away with at that place. They have all the sterling and gold jewelry all on the other end of the case and all priced with what would be a bit over spot gold and silver prices. Sometimes I'll buy that stuff if the design is nice or they where made by key name jewelry designer. These two pieces were put in a tray with a bunch of small label pins that were all priced in the 2 to 3 dollar range. This is maybe the 3rd time I got away big in this little secret place of mine.

 

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[Tpmetal]

That watch is great, nice score!

 

[toddbbq]

Great haul and love the gold.

 

[Drmad7]

Great score and nice pieces!

 

[tamrock]

That watch is great, nice score!

Good for parts I was thinking. It's got a busted balance staff, but it could be brought back to working order. I almost didn't buy it, but thought if anything I'd add it to the gold-fill scrap I've been accumulating. Who knows what the case alone would sell for, as I was thinking I'd sell just it and hope someone looking for a nice unworn gold layer case for a replacement might just pay good on it. As you can see the bow stands firm and tight and not sloppy. That is a sign of little abuse. I think it fell in to water or was left in the rain at some time in it's life.

 

[Tpmetal]

Good for parts I was thinking. It's got a busted balance staff, but it could be brought back to working order. I almost didn't buy it, but thought if anything I'd add it to the gold-fill scrap I've been accumulating. Who knows what the case alone would sell for, as I was thinking I'd sell just it and hope someone looking for a nice unworn gold layer case for a replacement might just pay good on it. As you can see the bow stands firm and tight and not sloppy. That is a sign of little abuse. I think it fell in to water or was left in the rain at some time in it's life.

I've seen parts watches like that still go for 40-100 bucks on ebay

 

[old digger]

Nice!

There was a jeweler up here that would have been able to restore that watch, but he passed away a couple of years ago. I went to his estate sale and they had a lot of his watch repair parts for sale. You might want to get it restored, maybe?

 

[tamrock]

I've seen parts watches like that still go for 40-100 bucks on ebay

Yeah I might sell as is, but I've had some end up as Zonkers imo in doing that. Meaning I believe I could have gotten more by parting them out. I have a small junk yard of watches. To me they're like the land of misfit toys and someday they'll again be brought back to life and put once again a smile on someones face , but the odds of that ever happening are pretty slime if it involves me to take up the task. It's worth more then I payed I'm sure.

 

[Tpmetal]

Yeah I might sell as is, but I've had some end up as Zonkers imo in doing that. Meaning I believe I could have gotten more by parting them out. I have a small junk yard of watches. To me they're like the land of misfit toys and someday they'll again be brought back to life and put once again a smile on someones face , but the odds of that ever happening are pretty slime if it involves me to take up the task. It's worth more then I payed I'm sure.

got a couple myself I'm waiting on that magical day that I have enough money to restore them.

 

[tamrock]

Nice!

There was a jeweler up here that would have been able to restore that watch, but he passed away a couple of years ago. I went to his estate sale and they had a lot of his watch repair parts for sale. You might want to get it restored, maybe?

Hey OD. I've got a good guy here in Boulder Colo, but he had to raise the prices to a level I can't feasibly agree to anymore. What do you think of my nugget stickpin? I have a hunch it came from Montana, because I might have me a Montana Yogo in the center. It sure looks like it?? My hunch is an old Montana prospector found this nice picker and took it to the local jeweler around the first quarter of the 20th century and had him mount a pin to it and top it off with a genuine Montana sapphire. They did things like that in the goldfield regions of the past. The pin looks like a goldfilled one that was broke off another stickpin and then soldered to this nugget.

 

[old digger]

Yes, that is a nice stickpin, and it does look like it could be a Yogo. You need to find a gemologist and get it authenicated.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome finds, congratulations!

 

[tamrock]

Yes, that is a nice stickpin, and it does look like it could be a Yogo. You need to find a gemologist and get it authenicated.

Indeed that would be sweet if I can get a confirmation that stone is a genuine untreated cornflower blue sapphire, but that could just me and my wishful thinking.

 

[ARC]

Nice scores.

Well done.

Wish the thrifts here did not pre screen everything here... only time you catch stuff like that here is if they slipped.

 

[tamrock]

Nice scores.

Well done.

Wish the thrifts here did not pre screen everything here... only time you catch stuff like that here is if they slipped.

Your in Florida right? The stuff I see two others from Florida post makes me believe there's all kinds of stuff in the thrift stores down there. The big chain stores here are pretty much all done setting out the gold and silver, but they do miss other things that have more value than their asking. I live in an area where there are a few smaller charity shops and those can produce some real goodies at times. Ya gotta check all your treasure spots. Flea markets, pawn shops, antique shops & malls. I found even some of these coin shops and precious metals buyers who have a lot of numismatic knowledge, don't have so much when it comes to silver and gold jewelry pieces. To them it's value is all in weight. They can care less about who made it or what kind of stones are set in it.

 

[ARC]

I stop by the Salvation army... twice a week... it is stocked via a main hub...

All donations at any of their stores are trucked to the main "hub"... where items are sorted picked then sent BACK out to stores AFTER anything they feel is not worth putting online has been removed.

Even Levi's jeans / shorts are bleak now.

 

[ARC]

I can safely say... THRIFT STORES SERIOUSLY SUCK HERE ! ! !

And I can also say... I cannot blame em for "maximizing" profits...

What makes me kinda pissed is... THEY GET THE CRAP FOR FREE... pay the employees like crap... AND CHARGE AN ARM AND A LEG FOR CRAPOLA.

There I feel much better now.

Damn Bass turds is what they are now.

... :P

 

[Trezurehunter]

Looks like you made a nice haul. I like that pocket watch.