Flea Markets Archives - Driving for Deco

The summer weekends were filled with Chase ‘n Fiesta. I tend to go driving-for-deco more frequently alone during the week and weekends. Our inside joke is that when we hunt together, we find some good pieces. However, not necessarily what we collect. Alone, I tend to find pretty good items to add to our collections.

…

So, what have I found on my hunts?

Vendor’s collection for sale

My weekends usually start at the Golden Nugget Flea Market. Since reopening post-pandemic, Saturdays are generally less populated. Both by vendors and patrons. On this day, one seller had a small sampling of Chase. He knew what he had but his prices were on the much lower side of fair.

Chase chrome bar caddy

I did not pick up the bar caddy from this vendor as we found one the week before.

Chase conical shaker

And so, adding to our Chase collection is this Conical Sugar Shaker (1936 – 1938). It is a difficult to find item. And when you do, they have scratches and dents. It has some light wear, but is a pretty good example.

Chase nut cracker

Chase mark on bottom of nut cracker

This is an unusual nut cracker from Chase. We have seen examples without the base, or with a chrome or copper bowl between the base and the cracker. Is the bowl missing? We don’t think so.

…

There are “pick holes” on the shaft on the ones manufactured with the bowl component. However, the shafts are smooth on the ones that are free-standing. This has no pick holes but has a base. It could be a marriage of pieces, or an alternate version unknown to us.

…

More research is needed on this one.

…

Also found there, are these very hard-to-find individual ashtrays in copper. These are from a different vendor and he had no idea what they were. Nor they were made by Chase. And they were inexpensive. Cha-ching!

: Chase Individual Ashtrays in copper. From the collection of the author.

: The underside of the Individual Ashtray showing (a badly worn) Chase logo. From the collection of the author.

There is a regular vendor who deals in art deco with a heavy emphasis on Chase giftware. We don’t tend to buy from him because, a) his prices are on the really high end of fair. And b) he refuses to bargain.

,,,

Flash forward a few Saturdays. To my surprise I found him selling a piece of Chase that I have been looking for.

Chase Chrome Pretzel Man

If you read about the Pretzel Man in an earlier post, you know this piece is already hard to find in copper. And it is nearly impossible to find in chrome. I dreaded asking him the price for the chrome example. To my surprise, he was asking $75.00. These generally go for well over $120.00.

Fiesta Cup – forest green

And as for the Fiesta, it started at my next stop. A vintage Fiesta cup in forest green glaze from Good Stuff. Cost? $1.00.

…

The next morning, can you guess where I went? If you said the Golden Nugget, pat yourself on the back.

…

First, I found a pair of Post ‘86 Fiesta turquoise bulb candle holders for $8.00. Although we tend to look for vintage, we are not above picking up “newer” pieces. That is, if you can call something almost 40 years old “newer”.

Fiesta Post ’86 bulb candleholder

The exceptional find of the day was a complete Fiesta relish set, heavy on the Ivory. One of the inserts is damaged. The vendor was honest about it and priced it accordingly. This is an item that is not the easiest to find. And when you do, it will be over $200.00.

Fiesta relish tray

Because of the damage, the asking price was well below that. Even lower than it should be. I know this vendor. He knows his stuff and he does not usually deal in Fiesta. Still, I did a little bit of haggling (which Anthony hates when I do) and got a bit more knocked off. Final cost, $65.00.

…

As a side note, when we were in Madison, Wisconsin antiquing, we found a replacement insert. Woo-hoo!

Fiesta divided plate

Best of all, he threw in a vintage Fiesta 10 1/2 inch light green divided plate for free.

…

These were produced 1937 – 1959 in the original 10 colors. But, unfortunately they proved too heavy for practical use. When you find them now, the raised ridges are often scuffed or chipped.

…

This one is in mint condition, and I like free!

: Individual Creamer – Mauve Blue

: Basket weave nut dish circa 1938 – Mauve Blue

But wait, there is more. Elsewhere, what did my wandering eye see? Well, not Fiesta but some pieces associated with Homer Laughlin’s Heniquin line. I picked up a mauve-blue individual creamer and a mauve-blue nut dish for $1.00 each.

…

The creamers are not listed as part of the Harlequin line. However, as they are glazed in the Harlequin colors, they are often referred to as: Harlequin Individual Creamer.

…

The in-between weekends were spent in Detroit. Follow us along on that adventure.

…

The next weekend after Detroit, I bargained and bought a Homer Laughlin 1939 Artist Decorating a Vase World’s Fair plate. Though fairly (no pun intended) easy to find, this sample is trimmed in gold. This makes it a harder-to-find example.

1939 Fiesta Worlds Fair Artist Decorating a Vase

And finally – for that day – a mint condition #6 Mixing bowl in light green.

: #6 Mixing Bowl – Light Green

: Impression mark

Since I mentioned the 1939-1940 World’s Fair, a vendor that weekend had quite a selection of memorabilia – but that is for a different post.

…

A few weekends have passed and back to, you-know-where? And what did I spy but another individual creamer in red, and two nut dishes, red and yellow.

Individual Creamer – Red

Basket weave nut dish 1938 – 1943

It is a bit ironic finding more of these. The Creamers can go for between $20 – $30 each. Light green and Rose are hard-to-find and can cost over $100 each.

Individual Creamer – Light Green

This past weekend I picked up a light green creamer for $5.00. Antiquing Karma is smiling down upon me.

…

Here’s my current collection. I need one dipped in the 40’s rose glaze for a complete set.

Homer Laughlin Individual Creamer

The nut dishes are also fairly easy to find. These generally sell for around $20.00. And like the individual creamer, light green and rose are the more difficult to locate and command a higher price.

…

My purchase price for this last group? A grand total of $7.00.

…

Ready for more irony? I found another, albeit without the gold trim, 1939 World’s Fair Artist Decorating a Vase plate. It was a good price and so it came home with me.

Fiesta Artist 1939 Worlds Fair Artist Decorating a Vase

So that is some of my summer adventures Chase ‘n Fiesta. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

…

Don’t forget to check out our next Detroit post: Tabernacles, Tables and Trays. More sightseeing and more driving-for-deco antiquing!

…

Chris & Anthony (the Freakin’ ‘tiquen Guys)

Every year, there is a point where outdoor flea-marketing for our weekend finds is just not comfortable. So as a close to 2022 antiquing, at least outside, I present our collection of recent treasures. Outside and in.

…

The Golden Nugget Flea-market Finds:

…

The first of our first weekend finds? A Rebajes Ubangi Woman pin at the Golden Nugget Flea Market. It needs to have the pin replaced, but it was a bargain at $3.00.

Rebajes African Woman Pin – circa 1940

On an unusual outing to the Golden Nugget on a Wednesday, (ok, not the weekend but…) this dealer sure had a bunch of pretty items. I would have bought up the lot of it. But through prudence, and discussion with Anthony, I managed to relieve the vendor of only a few items.

: A Wednesday Vendor

: A bought enough but wanted more!

One of our finds? This is a copper letter holder made by Revere. We haven’t found anything about it – yet! And no, I didn’t pay $25.00,

Vintage letter holder by Revere

Here’s a chrome Art Deco Samson Egg cooker. Ironically, it was made in Rochester, NY – where Anthony lives.

: Art Deco Egg Cooker

: An interior view

This unusual weekend find is a car flashlight. It plugs into a car’s cigarette lighter. I did try it but the plug is just a tad big for the modern plug. And I didn’t want to force it in.

Art Deco Plug-in Car Flashlight

An inside look – the cord is about 3′ long.

A nice little glass and chrome powder box. It’s unmarked but in mint condition.

Chrome glass and bakelite powder / trinket box

A different vendor had a section dedicated to 1939-1940’s World’s Fair memorabilia. I sent Anthony this picture. And, while there were pieces he liked, he decided to pass.

1939-1940’s World’s Fair collection

I also passed on this lovely Whiting & Davis handbag. Our friend Nancy liked it, but it was not the right time for her. I should have gotten it. But at $100.00, I wasn’t sure it was worth the money. It is, and more. I kick myself over this one.

: Whiting & Davis evening bag with compact

: Plenty of room for necessaries,

: Always needing to look her best.

I wish we had a place for this beauty. But we don’t. And so it stayed.

Brass and polychrome chandelier I wish we had room for it

This collection of Chase is a real and reasonably priced find. The Sparta pitcher, designed by Walter Von Nessen and a sugar & creamer set with matching tray was originally priced at over $95.00. The dealer didn’t want to take it home and offered it all to me for $30.00. Cha-ching!

Chase chrome collection

This Manning Bowman Thermos and Tray has issues. We always caution you NOT to purchase a rattling thermos unless it is just for display. This thermos rattled. And the stopper is badly chipped. However, the tray is an extremely difficult piece to find so after a little bargaining, both home it came for $25.00.

1930’s Manning Bowman thermos and tray

A bit of déjà vu and another of our finds? This is another Manning Bowman thermos, sans tray. It doesn’t rattle and is in good condition. This was from another dealer who just wanted everything gone. And for $10.00 I was happy to take it off her hands.

Manning Bowman thermos – this one doesn’t rattle!

I loved these ceramic puppy extension cords. But at $125.00 each, with damaged cords imbedded into the ceramic bodies, I couldn’t justify the price. Had the cords not been imbedded or at least accessible for repair, I may have been persuaded.

Art Deco extension cord

Can you guess what it is? The dealer didn’t know. I didn’t know either. But with some intuitive thinking, I figured it out. I think.

Deco Optical instrument

See how well you do with these clues:

Bakelite handle

Non-prescription glass

Total length about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide

Marked Bausch and Lomb on the handle

…

Good Stuff Thrift Store Finds:

We’ve had good luck at the Good Stuff Thrift Store. No brand silver-plate cocktail shaker purchased for $4.50. This unusual item dates to the 1930s. The cork stopper both in the lid and also in the pour spout cap are more common features at that time. It’s amazing what a little elbow grease (and a good polish compound) can do.

: 1930’s Cocktail shaker

: Unusual cork stopper

: And a good polish later…

Although missing the chrome lid, I picked up this cute divided dish for $3.99. It is by Farber Brothers / Krome Kraft.

Farber Bros. divided dish – circa 1930

This 1930s Hall ball jug in the Crocus pattern is in mint condition. It is also the only time I got into an argument with another customer. The short version; I put it down in front of me to look at another pitcher. A woman walks up, asks me if I was buying it to which I responded, “Yes”. She proceeds to pick it up and walk away!??? I again told her I was buying it and she responded, “Well, you didn’t have your hand on it. It’s mine now.” Details are so messy. Let’s just say – I won!

1930s Hall ball jug – Crocus

…

2nd Avenue Thrift Store:

This pair of silver-plate candle holders is designed by Carl Deffner, They could be anywhere from the 1930 to the 1960s. And they have a no-polish finish. The pair cost $2.50.

Carl Deffner candle holders

Savers:

…

Here is a Chase bon-bon / nut dish. Chase appears to be getting harder to find in the wild. Anthony picked this up at Savers for $3.99.

Chase dish – perfect for serving afterdinner mints or nuts

GoodWill Finds:

…

I love the GoodWill! This little fellow is an example of ceramics Made in Occupied Japan. While we don’t know a great deal about this category, I do know items like this were massed produced between 1945 through 1951. Though difficult to find, these are not generally worth a great deal. This would be a good collection for someone on a budget.

…

I wasn’t able to find an exact match to this in my research. I did find that the more and better the details, the better quality. And therefore more desirable. Compared to the one found online, this is a better-quality piece. Why? The hand by the hat is separated from the hat and is well defined. Cost – $3.99.

Occupied Japan Statue

This little lady is another example of Made in Occupied Japan. She’s a cutie and cost 2.99.

Miniature Occupied Japan Statue

It’s time to say goodbye 2022 and our weekend finds. But I can hardly wait to see what we’ll find in 2023!

…

So, did you figure out the mystery item? It’s a Pince-nez sizer. It is used to measure the width of the bridge of the nose to assure your armless glasses stayed put! I think!

…