It looked like the day was going to be a bust

[Tallone]

So the prime target for last Saturday's picking excursion was an estate/barn sale. The place was a ways out in the country so I had hopes of low competition. I was very disappointed to discover that the address didn't exist. I drove for miles up and down the road hoping it was just a typo but couldn't find anything that looked remotely like an estate sale anywhere. After 45 minutes of searching, I gave up thinking that my treasure hunting day was probably ruined.

Fortunately, the estate sale was scheduled to start at 7 AM so, even though I was getting a late start, it might be worth browsing our favorite neighborhood and hope to get lucky. On the way back to town, I spotted a garage sale sign pointing into a small subdivision of modest homes. The guy was still bringing stuff out but we stopped to take a look and found some pretty good stuff.


This is a 5 gallon, glass jug that was part of a wine-making kit. I probably would not have been interested in it except that I saw two of these sell for over $30 each at an auction last weekend. I grabbed it for $3. It is destined for Craigslist.


At the bottom of a box, my wife found a whole bunch of brand new hats. She bought a about dozen of them for $5. The three above are probably the best of the lot. The Harley/Ford hat might bring as much as $30, the Deere hat should bring about $20. Couldn't find anything similar to the Gator Nationals hat but I'm guessing it will also bring in the $20 - $30 range.

I also found a brand new leather wallet that I got for $2. My old one is falling apart so I'm keeping this one.

We then headed over to our favorite neighborhood and came across a family run estate sale. Things were pretty well picked over but we still came up with some pretty good scores.


My wife picked up this figurine for $3. I would have passed on it because it is made in China but my wife pointed out that there are a bunch of people big into fantasy world stuff like dragons and unicorns. She was right on. This identical piece sells for around $40 on eBay (more if you have the box).


The house apparently belonged to a physician and I found an old mortar & pestle. This had been marked "bowl". I paid $6 for it. It would probably sell for $20 to $30 but I will probably give it to my daughter as a gift for completing her first year of med school this month. She is collecting old medical stuff for her future office.


I grabbed these cocktail glasses for $0.25 each. I just thought they were cute and the price was right. Besides, skull stuff is wildly popular. I couldn't find these particular glasses on eBay but a search on "skull poison glasses" turned up some similar items and... WOW! I'm debating on whether to list them individually or as a set. I'd like to hear opinions on this.


At a different sale, I spotted this Miller beer box and thought it contained a beer sign. When I looked inside, I found these old 78 rpm records recorded in the teens and 20s. I saw a couple of blues records and they still had the paper sleeves. I paid $15 for about 20 records. The sleeves are in terrible condition but the records are in pretty good shape give their age. I haven't done much research on these yet but I did find a similar record to the one below that sold on eBay for $25. There are several different labels, primarily from Columbia. I have no idea if the others have much value.

 

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[diggummup]

I love those cocktail glasses. If someone has a worthpoint subscription they could tell you what this full (tall) set sold for last year- Vintage Colorful What's Your Pleasure (POISON) Bar G (04/07/2013)...

Yours appear to be less common than the ones selling on ebay. Too bad you can't find the missing glass so you'd have a full set.

 

[Tallone]

I really like the cocktail glasses too. I figured they were originally a set of 8. The estate sale had several boxes of miscellaneous glassware. These 7 were all together in one box. I looked all through the other boxes hoping to find the missing glass but no luck. It looks like I'm missing the dark blue one (based on the set you found on Worthpoint). I suppose it got broken at some point in the past.

I was surprised to see what many of those other individual cocktail "poison" glasses sold for on eBay. There were a bunch in the $40 - $50 range. I am seriously considering selling them individually for a couple of reasons. For one thing I don't have a full set. Maybe more importantly, they may be other folks out there that have an incomplete set and just need one of two glasses to complete the set. Do you think this is a good strategy or do you think I would do better putting them up for sale as a group?

 

[nathan104]

Hats are always a great itemt o grab and resell. Most people sell them at yard sales for almost nothing, and even used hats with no damage sell for decent prices. Hats with any agricultural brand name are always an easy sell. If you even come across a Ralph Lauren Polo hat or a Rolex hat, but them as they sell for ridiculous money. Great buys!

 

[diggummup]

I really like the cocktail glasses too. I figured they were originally a set of 8. The estate sale had several boxes of miscellaneous glassware. These 7 were all together in one box. I looked all through the other boxes hoping to find the missing glass but no luck. It looks like I'm missing the dark blue one (based on the set you found on Worthpoint). I suppose it got broken at some point in the past.

I was surprised to see what many of those other individual cocktail "poison" glasses sold for on eBay. There were a bunch in the $40 - $50 range. I am seriously considering selling them individually for a couple of reasons. For one thing I don't have a full set. Maybe more importantly, they may be other folks out there that have an incomplete set and just need one of two glasses to complete the set. Do you think this is a good strategy or do you think I would do better putting them up for sale as a group?

If I could not locate the missing glass online somewhere in the next few weeks or so then I would part them out, yes. But I would try to find the missing one first, search for a couple, few weeks anyways. Have you found any at all that are exactly like the ones you have, I didn't check too well?

 

[Tallone]

I have done a lot of looking on eBay for similar glasses. Searching the phrase "poison glasses" in the Barware category brings up a list of items similar to mine. Many of them are similar to the glass shown below which is made by Georges Briard. The one shown below sold for $40. A set of 8 of these sold for $400! This would suggest that a set will bring more than the sum of individual sales.



Mine do not have a maker identified. I cannot find my glasses on eBay or anywhere else. The ones you found on Worthpoint are the only others I have seen. That would seem to imply that my glasses are uncommon which might make it difficult to sell them all as singles. It seems to me more people would be interested in them as a set (even with one missing) than as individual glasses. I am a little concerned that there aren't enough people who own an incomplete set and are looking to replace one or two glasses. It could take a long time to sell them all as singles but, the more I think about it, the more I believe they would sell better (at least more quickly) as a set.

 

[Rodbuster209]

Great finds even though you did not find the estate/barn sale you were originally looking for.Do you think it was done intentionally to get the competition away from the sales in town?

 

[Tallone]

Great finds even though you did not find the estate/barn sale you were originally looking for.Do you think it was done intentionally to get the competition away from the sales in town?

No way to know, obviously. Anything is possible I suppose. I see a strategy like that sort of like trick plays in football. You might fool people once or twice but sooner or later they will catch on and not fall for the trick anymore.

 

[diggummup]

I have done a lot of looking on eBay for similar glasses. Searching the phrase "poison glasses" in the Barware category brings up a list of items similar to mine. Many of them are similar to the glass shown below which is made by Georges Briard. The one shown below sold for $40. A set of 8 of these sold for $400! This would suggest that a set will bring more than the sum of individual sales.

View attachment 1006748

Mine do not have a maker identified. I cannot find my glasses on eBay or anywhere else. The ones you found on Worthpoint are the only others I have seen. That would seem to imply that my glasses are uncommon which might make it difficult to sell them all as singles. It seems to me more people would be interested in them as a set (even with one missing) than as individual glasses. I am a little concerned that there aren't enough people who own an incomplete set and are looking to replace one or two glasses. It could take a long time to sell them all as singles but, the more I think about it, the more I believe they would sell better (at least more quickly) as a set.

That's another way to look at it. They do appear to be a very rare pattern. I can only find a couple examples of the tall ones. They made shot glasses in the same design also. Your glasses were made by Starlyte inc., which was owned by Libbey Glass. They are a popular name in vintage/retro glassware. Looks like you are missing the iodine glass. Here is a boxed set of the tall ones http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-high-ball-bar-glasses-starlyte-set-of-

Great finds even though you did not find the estate/barn sale you were originally looking for.Do you think it was done intentionally to get the competition away from the sales in town?

I've seen (been the victim of) that kind of thing down here before too.

 

[jerseyben]

I've seen (been the victim of) that kind of thing down here before too.

Yep, happened to me several times. One time it brought me out to a bunch of farm fields and the address was an abandoned farmhouse with not a person in sight.

 

[Tallone]

Your glasses were made by Starlyte inc., which was owned by Libbey Glass. They are a popular name in vintage/retro glassware. Looks like you are missing the iodine glass.

Thanks, dig. That is great information. Much appreciated.