Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Whos the Luckiest of Them All?

SDIceMan

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Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Luckiest of Them All?

My town's antique mall is 12,500 sq. ft. and is full of different vendor booths. I have traditionally steered clear of antique malls because I figure vendors know their stuff inside and out, but I have noticed on this forum that members have been having success at these malls. So, fueled by TNet success stories and the knowledge that nobody can be an expert on everything, I spent this afternoon wandering the mall's aisles. In a glass showcase in a booth I spotted a sterling silver hand mirror marked as such:
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1456792346.827277.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1456792532.491610.jpg
The price wasn't in my typical comfort zone for buying things to flip, but I loved the dolphin embellishment and the art deco handle. I made the journey to the front of the store to ask the clerk to open the case. Once I handled the mirror, I had to mask my excitement - I recognized the Georg Jensen hallmark on the top edge!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1456792594.178154.jpg
I'm not ashamed to admit that I still tried to have the clerk call the vendor with a slightly lower offer than their asking price, but the clerk wouldn't make the call. He said the item wasn't priced high enough to warrant taking a lower offer. At any rate, I'd still recommend trying this tactic if you shop these malls.
Long story short, I'm thrilled with my purchase. $59 and change out the door. I think I'll do quite well. I found one online from a UK antique store that sold, and I politely messaged them to see if they'd share their sale price. If they do, I'll update this post.
Thanks for reading. Happy hunting!
 

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kali_is_my_copilot

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Antique malls are great. I like that the turnover isn't as high as most thrift stores so once you've been over everything pretty thoroughly you don't have to worry about making it back as frequently to find good stuff. And most places around here have a pretty hands-off attitude towards vendors and their pricing. I recognized the stylized dolphin before I even got to the big reveal, nice score!
 

trdhrdr007

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Nov 1, 2009
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If I was a vendor at that mall I'd be pretty cheesed off that they didn't call. Relaying offers to vendors is a big part of their job.
 

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SDIceMan

SDIceMan

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I completely agree trdhrdr007. Even though I am very pleased with my purchase, I am still a little bothered by the way the clerk reacted. To make matters worse, my mom said she has been in there when the clerk has called a vendor to inquire about accepting a lower price from a customer on a $20 Cabbage Patch doll. So, his excuse about the price not being high enough to warrant making the phone call doesn't hold water. The only scenario that makes sense is that I spent so much time in there yesterday and was so specific about what I requested to see that he may have figured me for a dealer or something?
In other, better news, I think I may have found a sold price on my mirror - 750 GBP or $1045 USD!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1456852619.922808.jpg
The seller described the condition as 'very very light surface scratches'. I don't think I would rate the condition of my mirror quite so high , but I'd certainly be happy with any dollar amount in that ballpark!
 

bill from lachine

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That's quite the deal you made...you should net out at least 10 times what you paid.

Regards + HH

Bill
 

captain flintlock

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Polish that piece up a bit and you should do very well with selling. Nice score!!
 

JimDon

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Knowledge is definitely the key. If you know more than the other guy you can do very well. And you definitely proved he knew more than the other guy. Congrats
 

BFR

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Oct 7, 2014
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I check out all the antique malls in my area. kali is my copilot is right. Turn over is low so it does not take long to go over the store again next time.

Plus there is usually a brewery in the area to wash the antique dust off!!!

BFR
 

FriscoT06

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Wow. If you had to pick a random silver mirror, you sure picked the right one!
 

tamrock

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I missed this one also. That was a heck of a find.
 

SCpicker

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Was this the same mirror that sold on eBay for less than $100?
 

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SDIceMan

SDIceMan

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Was this the same mirror that sold on eBay for less than $100?

Lol, yes, sadly, it was. I had it listed at a high BIN price OBO for awhile but a personal situation arose where I needed some extra money in a short period of time, so I tried an auction starting at $99.95. It never got past the starting bid if I remember correctly. Obviously I would do things differently if I could go back.
 

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