April 26, 2014

My vintage finds from the 25th annual Vernon Antiques and Collectibles Show

It would be charming, in something a bit akin to a "cute meet" kind of way (at least to me), if I could say that I had intentionally timed our return to B.C. after a week in Calgary to line up perfectly with ensuring that we'd be in Vernon for the first evening of last year's 25th annual Vernon Collectors Club Antiques & Collectibles Show, but I really can't - especially when you consider that while in Calgary we decided to add an extra day to our stay, thus returning home on September 20th, instead of the 19th as originally planned.

Yet, as I was aware of the show (though I'd never been before), I did make a point of discussing the possibility of hitting it on the way home that day with Tony and we timed our day to make it happen. As our vehicle was full of our luggage, camera equipment, and new vintage purchases however, he didn't want to leave it unattended in the parking lot, so he - bless his darling heart - very sweetly stayed in the car while I worked my way at near breakneck speed around the many tables set up inside of the Vernon Rec Centre where this show was being held.

There was a small admission (I think $3.00) to get in, which included a hand stamp that would allow you to get back in for free the next day, if so desired, but after a very busy trip and with precious little in my budget left for the year (let alone the month!) after shopping in Calgary, I knew that this was going to my only time there that weekend.

The show was divided between two rooms, with a few vendors also set up in a small hallway between the two. I didn't count, but I would estimate that was probably somewhere in the range of 70 to 100 different sellers there in total. I didn't want to make poor Tony wait in the car all evening (especially after having just driven several hours straight with 1.5 hours more to go that night before we got home), so I really did buzz around at lightning speed, scanning the tables quickly, but still relatively thoroughly, for pieces that caught my eye.

Despite the large number (for this part of the country) of sellers, I did not see anyone selling vintage clothing (save for men’s military uniform pieces) or hats. There were a few pairs of gloves here and there, but they were all vastly overpriced in my opinion. Happily though, there was no shortage of jewelry, some of which was scarily expensive, plenty in the mid-range, and some pieces that were true bargains. It was the last two categories that I gravitated towards, though I certainly enjoyed seeing everything.

I can't claim that I saw every last table, but I would say that I made it a good 75% or more, and made sure to quickly eyeball the others, just in case they had any clothing, hats, or other items that I was looking for (none did). There was a good mix of items, the main categories of which included vintage and antique jewelry, coins (and stamps), military items, small petroliana items, signs, housewares, china, ceramics, kitschy decor pieces, toys, postcards and other paper ephemera pieces, tools, jars and tins, fruit crate labels, license plates, and some small household items, such as lamps.

Most of the vendors were friendly and happy to chat, as well as being quite energetic still, as the weekend was just getting started. A good sized crowd swirled around the tables with me, many of whom seemed to be a warpath with certain items in mind, though there was also many others like myself who were happy to simply explore and buy an assortment of yesteryear pieces.

Though I have no problem paying reasonable retail rates for vintage items, I do love to bargain hunt at these kinds of events and wherever I go in my travels (or when I'm close to home), and the items I bought that evening in Vernon were no exception. I didn't record the prices that I paid for these pieces at the time (I'll try to remember to do so if I go again - as I hope I will - this year), but I remember nearly all of them, and at most, I wouldn't be off by more than a dollar or two in either direction on the couple that I'm not 100% certain of.

So without any further ado, may I present my selection of vintage finds from the 25th annual Vernon Antiques and Collectibles Show.




{Two WW2 Canadian ration books (with some coupons still inside) | $5.00 for the pair | I've long been fascinated by ration books (you may recall this post on them back in 2011), but did not, prior to this buy, own any. These two, which are series six (the last ration books issued in Canada) are in very decent shape and I feel privileged to be able to give them a new home after what I'm sure has been a very interesting lifetime.}




{Three vintage photo postcards from the Rocky Mountains | $0.50 each | While in Calgary, I'd been keeping my eyes peeled for vintage items pertaining to the city and province as a whole, but didn't run into too many things, so when I spotted these postcards (on the way home from our travels, to boot), I really felt like they were meant to be mine - and for that price, how could I even contemplate saying no?}




{Vintage Twink laundry dye and soap box (with original contents) | $2.00 | This is one of those charming little vintage pieces that one sees, has no actual use (or even space sometimes) for, but loves and just can't seem to pass up. It's the first vintage laundry related collectible I think I've ever purchased (the dye flakes inside are blue, in case, like me, you were curious).}




{Vintage Coats 6 Cord box (with two spools of c. 1950s/60s thread inside) | $1.50 | Much as with the Twink dye, I just loved the packaging on this mid-century Coats thread box. It's now on display in my craft room, still housing the two spools of thread that it came with when I bought it.}




{Vintage Oxo Cube tin | $5.00 | I have a super tiny (less than ten so far) collection of vintage spice and food tins, which I suspect will continue to grow over time. I'd not yet encountered a vintage Oxo Cube tin like this before in person, and since I had fond memories of my mom cooking with this brand when I was little (though the cubes came in a paper box by then), I decided to add it to said collection.}




{Vintage Aryton Heart Shape Indigestion Tablets tin | $2.00 | A wee vintage tin that once housed heart shaped vintage medicine for just two bucks? Naturally there was no way I was going to leave that behind.}



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{Circa 1910s/1920s empty Riker's Peroxzone Cream glass jar/pot | $5.00 | This small, but very sturdy milk glass bottle for a product that my online research turned up exceedingly little for is just beautiful. I adore the art nouveau style graphics and fonts on the label, the somewhat eyebrow raising word "peroxzone", and the fact that it has held up so very, very wonderfully over the course of around a century.}




{Two circa 1940s/50s pink and gold decorative pine cone dishes | $4.00 for the pair | These lovely little dishes look beautiful as part of a pink/pastel Christmas display in December, then get put to work the rest of the year as handy catchalls and ring holders in our en suite bathroom.}




{Beautiful c. 1950s pink decorative swan figurine | $3.00 | Speaking of things to hold rings in, this sweet-as-can be pink swan would work great on that front, too. For the moment though it's just enjoying life as a display piece. I was especially drawn to it not only because I love swans, but because Vernon itself has traditionally been one of the few places in the Okanagan where, if you're lucky, you might be able to see real live swans, thus adding another layer to its importance to me.}




{Pair of c. 1950s ceramic girls in old-fashioned attire | $5.00 for both | These ladies have a few tiny paint chips and scuffs here and there, but are still in very respectable shape over all, and were too cute for that price to pass up.}




{1950s cream and gold ceramic spaghetti angel figurine | $4.00 | I was so surprised by the super great price ($4.00) that the seller quoted me for this lovely spaghetti angel when I asked, that I didn't (rather uncharacteristically for me) even try to bargain further. I'd pay that for here any day of the week! Christmassy though she may be, her gentle cream and gold colour palette easily enable her to remain out on display the whole year through.}




{Cute 1940s/1940s souvenir girl on skills doll from Banff, Alberta | $4.00 | This slightly quirky, completely charming vintage souvenir doll was the other great Alberta related find that day. Though the ends of her ski poles have long broken off, she's in excellent shape otherwise and is now skiing across a stack of hardcovers on my bookshelf.}




{1950s/early 60s copper ballerina charm bracelet | $5.00 | Usually, because of my pesky nickel allergy, I have to stay clear of most metal costume jewelry that comes in direct contact with my skin, but copper is a fair safe bet (ditto for brass), especially if its pure, so for a fiver, I took a gamble on this sweetly lovely charm bracelet. I haven't worn it yet - I really should soon - to road test if it's safe, but I suspect it will be.}



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{Pair of 1930s/40s plastic dog brooches | $20.00 for the large brooch, $5.00 for the small | Despite being easy to come by and very popular, and the fact that I completely adore them, prior to this purchase, I didn't own any vintage Scottie/terrier dog brooches. These two came from the same seller, who offered the smaller one to me for $5.00 (instead of $10, which was its sticker price) after I bought larger one. How could I not nab it? These two seem like they were meant to spend their days together as best puppy friends forever.}




{1930s/1940s plastic deer brooch | $12.00 | Though it looks the part, I've run every test on it, and this darling brooch isn't Bakelite. I didn't particularly think it would be when I bought it, though that would have been a cool bonus. I just love its shape and sweet little face - and the price wasn't too shabby for such a pin these days either.}




{1930s/1940s celluloid flower basket brooch | $8.00 | This design of flower basket brooch was quite popular back in the 30s and early 40s, and I've seen many over the years, but hadn't yet added one to collection (much as with the terrier) pins, so when I saw this one that’s in great shape for its age, I knew it was time to do just that at long last.}




{c. 1950s reverse carved clear lucite floral brooch | $7.00 | I love reversed carved jewelry and was looking for pins like this in Calgary, but didn't spot any, so when I saw this one I jumped on it immediately. It's now one of three reversed carved vintage brooches that I have, and I suspect more will be added to that little collection over the years.}




{Vintage stylized gold toned maple leaf brooch | $4.99 | This good sized, solid, elegant maple leaf brooch really caught my eye, not only because I adore maple leaf pins, but because we were just about to start fall at the time of the show, and it seemed like such an immensely fitting pin to start the new season of autumn themed accessorizing off with.}




{Vintage rotary phone novelty brooch | $8.00 | This brooch is not only darling, but it boasts an actual rotating dial! I'm old enough to remember using rotary phones (both sets of my grandparents had one when I was little, plus many public pay phones were rotary still into the 80s and early 90s), and the memory of doing just was more than enough to spur on the immediate purchase of this wonderfully fun brooch.}




{c. 1950s plastic floral hair barrette | $2.00 | I love vintage barrettes, but don't own many, so when I spotted this tiny (it's maybe an inch long) one on the table of a seller who was mostly focusing her offerings on china and ceramics, it seemed to call out "Take me home, Jess", and who was I to argue with it.}




{Vintage carved plastic orange tortoise shell style bangle bracelet | $4.00 | Neither Bakelite nor celluloid, but definitely old feeling, I'd estimate this carved bangle to be from the 30s or 40s, though it could be newer. It's has a little bit of wear to it, but is still in great shape and really works well with autumn hued garments, which makes me adore it all the more.}



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{c. 1930s carved celluloid bangle bracelets | $18.00 for the cream, $20.00 for the mint green | These bangles were amongst priciest single items I bought that day, but they were still well within the range of a good deal for such celluloid bracelets in today's retail market, and were something I'd really been hunting for, so I was pleased as punch to find them at this delightful show.}



(All photographs taken by me)


♥ ♥ ♥



I love everything that I bought (I wouldn't have purchased these items if I didn't), but I can confidently say that my very favourite pieces are the two darling puppy brooches, the rotary phone novelty brooch, and the pair of floral celluloid bangles (which you may recall, were on my vintage shopping wish list last year).

This show was a blast, with no shortage of tables, items, or interesting things (and sellers!) to see. I'm delighted that I finally got a chance to attend and eagerly look forward to making the 1.5 hour long trek up to Vernon again in the future to do so again. It will be fun to see how many familiar faces I can spot next time, and to see if anyone just happened to have some vintage clothing they opted to bring along with them to sell.

As there's quite a shortage of that in the Okanagan these days, I won't hold my breath, but you just never know. Far more likely is a great selection of old jewelry, household items, cute little kitsch pieces, and a respectable assortment of decades old items that have all made their way, much like me, to the Vernon Rec Centre for an evening of fun, good conversation, and plenty of enjoyable vintage shopping.

56 comments:

  1. Oooh that little phone brooch is darling!

    Sounds like a fun...if rather rushed shopping trip : )

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  2. These are all wonderful finds! I especially love the brooches and other adornments. I haven't spent much time in vintage markets but I'd like to do it more because I know there are a lot of great things in our local ones too. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I love these types of posts I liked quite a few of your items including all of your brooch finds especially the telephone! The coats thread and box and the xoxo cube tin, so cute. I find I have the exact opposite luck when I go to vintage fairs/shows I save my money but then turn cheap and don't buy anything. I tend to like the thrill of thrifting, if I didn't have such good thrift options where I lived I would probably buy more from vintage shows, but I do really enjoy going to look at what there is. Looks like you had a great trip:)

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  4. Everything is amazing! I have a rations book as well. I adore all the pins and bracelets! Lovely!!!

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    1. That's awesome, Kim. They are truly such special, important slices of our-not-too-distant history. I'd love to eventually amass a collection of them from other countries as well (very much including the US).

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  5. oh my gosh, what wonderful finds! thank you for sharing, they were such a delight to see. i think my favorite is the hello pin. that is just so cute, i cannot get over that!
    still so excited about your top secret plans, cannot wait :)
    ~Abigail

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  6. That is a more than respectable haul! I could chat to you about each and every piece, but since there are quite a few, I will try to limit my comments! Firstly, do you think the peroxzone cream was a skin whitening or some kind of lightening product as the name sounds a bit like peroxide? Secondly, I love your skiing girl and she reminds me of Rochelle! Finally, the jewellery is all gorgeous. I would love some of these pieces myself - especially the dogs, flower basket and carved bangles, and think they would look really good with modern or vintage designs. So much so, I'm going to start looking out for some of those items myself! We have a lot more vintage home wear and jewellery available in the UK than we do clothes (furniture too - these items are all quite common even in our very small market town), so I hope I have a good chance of finding them. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and enjoy your lovely vintage finds!

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  7. Your angel is so lovely, I'd have her out all year too! I have a couple of snowmen I keep out all year because I love them so much.

    Goodness me the brooches and bangles!!!!! What a fabulous haul I am positively green with jealousy, GREEN I tell you.

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  8. so much cute little things :-)
    a big fair like that sounds great, to have much more time to explore would be gorgeous. even if not wallet friendly ;-)
    my favorite is the ski doll - of course!
    xxxx

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  9. Jessica:

    You have an exquisite eye for the smallest detailed items I have come across besides myself!!! I must be losing my touch! That ballerina charm bracelet (I collect vintage charm bracelets) and that rotary phone brooch just blew me away. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. That is a touching wonderful comment, dear Lamar, thank you so very much!

      I will think of you know whenever I see vintage charm bracelets.

      ♥ Jessica

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  10. Love the skiing doll and the plastic deer! So cute!!!

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  11. I love each item shown here, but those cute plastic dogs brooches from 1930s/40s hit my heart hard and I melted! :) Cuuuuuuuuuute!

    What an adventure dear friend but you came home with cute treasures. Hopefully next time you can find clothes too! Thank you to share these treasures, they are so pretty! :-)

    Miss Beta

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  12. I absolutely love all your finds, you did so well. It would be hard to choose a favourite but those celluloid bangles are absolutely beautiful and I love the hair barrettes. Looking forward to seeing what you pick up next time. xxx

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  13. I love the tins and jars you bought! And the ration books - so neat! I'd love to have something like that. I would put them in a frame and hang them on the wall.

    Lisa.

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    1. That's a really terrific idea! I'm thinking that a shadow box, perhaps with other WW2 era ephemera would be such a great way to display them. The wheels are turning! :)

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. So much eye candy! Let me say I am a bit jealous of those old product finds. I love vintage advertising. I have a small ad collection (along with my yearbooks I suppose that makes me an ephemera collector!) but I pass up packages and tins for just the reason you mentioned- space. I'll need to start scanning my ads to share on my blog.
    Cheers,
    L A
    .Ravishing-Ruby.blogspot.com.

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  15. I'd bet that Peroxzone cream was a hydrogen peroxide formula meant to fade spots/freckles and lighten the skin. Basically, the Edwardian version of Porcelana.

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    1. I'm leaning in that direction as well. I'm really intrigued by this vintage beauty product now and hope that somewhere, sometime I'll unearth more info (or an add) on it.

      ♥ Jessica

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  16. OMG that telephone brooch! sometimes I feel like the quickest shopping trips are the best because you just buy what you want without mulling over it to much. I tend to think about it too much and then leave the item behind and then it usually ends up being sold to someone else. I also love those tins. so cute :)

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  17. Goodness, you sure got a lot of lovely gems by just having to make a run for it lol. I love your little scottie brooch and the two ceramic ladies, so cute! I'll be so interested to see how you accessorize some of your lovely gems in upcoming posts. Thanks for sharing and hope you had a marvelous trip!!!

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  18. Wow, what a great haul! That rotary phone brooch is amazing, as are all the bangles you picked up.

    I've also found myself drawn to vintage post cards recently, mostly ones that have some local relevance. I haven't bought any yet, but I keep going through them at all the shops and shows I've been to. I might pick up some sometimes soon; I love the Rocky Mountains cards you picked up!

    Cheers,
    Jenny

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  19. Fabulous finds! I adore the packaging on the Coats box and that little deer brooch is darling!

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet Teresa. I love that brooch, too! It's so sweet and really makes me think of the scads (upon scads!) of deer that live in our area and wander around the streets and roads often here (they even walk through our yard sometimes).

      ♥ Jessica

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  20. That telephone brooch is the bees kness!

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  21. Oh goodness I am having a hard time picking a favorite! So many great finds! I love the ration books-those are a treasure! And the ballerina bracelet and the last bracelets-just everything is lovely! So happy for you! xox

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  22. What an amazing haul! I nearly died when I saw that rotary telephone brooch. How darling!

    My mother collects vintage tins, and I can't wait to show her your finds. I reckon she'll flip out over that gorgeous Oxo tin.

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet dear! Your mom would adore the shows around these parts then, as there are always multiple sellers with tins. They tend to either go for a song or cost a small fortunate, many times being priced far above what I'd consider to be the reasonable online retail rate. There definitely are deals though and its those that I gravitate towards. If there's ever anything I might be able to help your mom find for her collection here, please don't hesitate to let me know.

      ♥ Jessica

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  23. Wonderful finds, I especially love the celluloid bangle bracelets!

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  24. Replies
    1. Thank you very much, honey. They are really cute, I agree! I've always been drawn to adorableness, so it's fun to see that point shine through in a lot of these fun find. :)

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  25. This is such a great haul! I I don't know where to start pick favourites!

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  26. great finds my dear! i love all the brooches, especially the scotties and the Hello-phone are totally adorable ...

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  27. You made some very fine purchases, and fast too considering Tony was waiting in the car! Hopefully he got a tiny nap.

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet lady. If memory serves me right he did some work from his phone (we're both total workaholics), but also grabbed a few moments of rest, just shutting his eyes for a little while before continuing on for the last 1.5 hour long leg of our journey home.

      ♥ Jessica

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  28. Vintage shows always deserve to have a glance at! There are so many little hidden treasures , which are waiting to be discovered...all your picks are beautiful, and some of them are special indeed! I especially love the brooches!
    If I should name a number one...for me it is the 1950 s reverse carved clear lucite floral brooch!

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  29. You found some lovely treasures! The little girl figurines remind me of my grandmother. She had some in a niche in her bedroom and she used to let me play with them. She passed on a few years ago and I am not sure what happened to them. But it made me smile to see them on your post today.

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    1. How splendidly lovely that this post brought back a treasured childhood memory for you, Anastasia, as well as a smile. I'm such a die hard nostalgist myself and usually very much enjoy when things jog my memory in that way, taking me back to my youth, too.

      Many thanks for your sweet comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  30. Shame about no real vintage clothing dealers. But oh my! The jewelry! Such adorable finds! But I think my favorite is the Alberta skiing girl! She's so adorable!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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  31. Everything you bought is absolutely gorgeous! I have a very similar cream celluloid bangle. I particularly love the brooches you picked and the little skiing figure

    retro rover

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  32. Jessica, glad you found some beautiful goodies! I love the celluloid bracelets!! But what exactly is celluloid? I've heard the term before but never really knew. I'm off to
    google it! :)

    Sarah

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    1. Thank you very much, lovely lady. Those bracelets really stand out for me from event as well. They're so sweet, pretty and feminine, just as I frequently prefer my jewelry to be.

      Great question! Celluloid was an early form of plastic - the first thermoplastic, to be exact (according to most sources - and has been around since the Victorian area. One of its first uses was as a replacement for ivory (and is sometimes called French ivory when it was used as such) on things like hand mirror handles and combs, but it was used widely for tons of mold based items for decades, waning in popularity around the 40s, as other (often safer - celluloid is quite flammable) plastics like lucite (and previously Bakelite, which itself fell out of widespread use come the 50s) gained traction amongst manufactures. Much like Bakelite, it has a special charm all its own and quite highly collected today, though is often more affordable still than Bakelite, especially when it comes to smaller pieces like novelty brooches.

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Thanks, Jessica! After I posted my comment I did go and google it and saw that celluloid is flammable. I can see why it's not used as much now. I can only imagine with how prevalent smoking was that celluloid could be really dangerous!

      Enjoy your goodies!

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    3. You're very welcome. One of these days I should do a post or post series about some of the early jewelry materials, as I do periodically get questions such as yours on them.

      Very true! I sincerely hope no vintage ladies ever set their ensembles alight when a stray cigarette ash hit a celluloid accessory.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  33. Glad you found some treasures, your well trained eye a help indeed. The bracelets are specially lovely, a favourite of mine.

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  34. Sounds like a great spot for a bit of treasure hunting. I love all the brooches that you found, if I had to have favourites it would be the Scottie dogs and the deer -so cute! The blue floral hair slide is also gorgeous. I would have snapped up the Coats cottons box too!

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  35. Oh my goodness, such beautiful finds! I absolutely love that telephone brooch. xo

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  36. Hello pearl, how are you?
    I've changed my url blog. Please, give follow and follow again to get the feed. Sorry for the inconvenience. Great post as always <3

    Have a great week!

    xoxo

    http://vintagepri.blogspot.com/

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  37. Holy cow, did you ever clean up! I think my favorites are the brooches. Those doggies and the basket of flowers... SWOON!

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  38. Your husband is the sweetest ! how darling of him to wait for you Jessica !
    I have to say that even though you were quite limited in time, you did your way and shopped quite a lot- my favourite pieces were the Scottish terrier pins and the Ryker's cream.

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  39. Definitely love all the items you chose, but the last few ones you showcased were definitely lovelies! And I totally want that Scottie with the hat. Looks like a German folk hat. :D

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  40. Great finds!! I love the doggie brooches and I am dying over the telephone!
    ~xoxo, CoriLynn

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  41. The phone brooch - with the ROTATING dial?! I would have had a racing heartbeat and flutterings all over if I'd come across that!! What a find!! P x

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  42. How I envy you that rotary phone brooch, so special and darling. :) And it is so fun to see that you also buy strange things without any meaning. I do too, some things just call my name. Yesterday, I bought a mermaid Barbie for about one dollars, and son laughed at me saying "mum, I don't understand you". I have an idea of making her a green and blue blouse of seed beads. Let's see. And hold tight to Tony, he's the best man you can ever dream of, I'm sure. :)

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  43. Beautiful finds!!! I can't decide if my favourite is the ballerina brooch, the doggy duet brooches or the celluloid bracelets. I too find myself buying lonely, useless items that offer nothing but whimsy and charm...sometimes that is reason enough to buy them. Thanks for sharing them with us. xx Shauna

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  44. Wow! These are fabulous finds! The scottie dogs and the phone are simply adorable!!! And the ration books...what history!

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