Now on to my finds for the week.
I'm sure you all know that I love all things Scandi... well here is the latest haul. I found a lone Arabia cup in the Anemone pattern, a JIE Gantofta figurine designed by Elsi Bourelius a vintage Dansk teak stopper that goes with this glass decanter by Gunnar Cyren, a Lundtofte server piece, and a vintage Dansk teak cheese tray by Vivianna Torun. I love the rich blue hues in the ceramic pieces and my heart goes pitter patter for teak!
I have to say that the thrift gods were definitely on my side this weekend. I went by a thrift that I had not been to in about a month. I saw this teapot and thought it was quite nice. It had been marked down from $60 to $40 but it was still a bit rich for my blood especially for a thrift.
I caressed all of the curves on the handle, the lid and the body but I still wasn't convinced.
I was intrigued enough to take a picture of it to research it when I got home.
I turned it over and saw that it was designed by Russel Wright. I had never heard of this line of his and was skeptical when I read Designed in Japan. I figured it was a manufacturer similar to Oneida and that it was not a vintage piece because the condition was just too good.
Boy was I wrong! This is where the thrift gods come in. I walked away from the piece and continued on my merry way for the day. When I got home I decided to do some research on the piece and my heart sank. This is what I found along with this. I tried to convince myself that the piece would still be there the following day since it had obviously been sitting on the shelf due to the markdowns. I was there first thing in the morning. I went to the display case where it sat the day before and it was gone! Ahh crud, serves me right! I decided to search high and low before leaving the store and I am glad I did. They moved it to a different display case and to top it off it was 50% off. Thank you thrift gods!
Note: An iphone is in my near future (merry christmas to me!) which will hopefully prevent these occurrences in the future.
What did you find? Did you share at Selena's?
Wow! What a thrill! Congrats on all the finds, especially the RW! ~ Jenny
ReplyDeleteWhoa the tea pot was a STEAL! Yes, an iphone and the #ThriftBreak twitter group is great for vintage information on the go. Usually I would have thought $40 (or even $20!) would be steep for a tea pot at the thrift but the designer makes all the difference.
ReplyDeletehi i'm visiting from apron thrift girl. i've learned a couple things about thrifting too: #1 buy it when you see it cuz it won't be there later #2 buy it when you see it cuz it won't be there later and #3 with few exceptions, the thrift price is always better than the new price (esp if the proceeds go to a church).
ReplyDeletei'm so happy you were able to find it!
that pot is just beautiful! the curves and shape are just magical!
ReplyDeleteare ya kiddin' me w/the teapot?!?!? o happy day.
ReplyDeleteOMG - and then 50% off? The thrift gods were smiling upon you.
ReplyDeleteGreat story that goes with a great Russell Wright teapot. ♥
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure. It's so lovely, I think, I would have paid the $40! Is there a service too?
ReplyDeleteWow, the Yamato is quite a find, I would've had a heart attack if I came across it in the thrift! RW collectors are gonna be totally jealous... I recognized it from the backstamp, but only b/c I remembered it in the book I looked thru a little while ago.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. So gorgeous - glad you got it and that it was marked down even further. I always fear that people pick things up at the thrift that are actually super valuable, and just treat them casually because they can't ID them.
ReplyDeleteHope your Hits of the Year gives us an update on that photograph you found a few months back!
@Jenny- Thanks! It was quite exciting and nerve-racking at the same time!
ReplyDelete@TheThriftaholic- I originally thought the price was steep too but a bit of research proved me incredibly wrong!
@PammyPam- I know, I know, but if I used that justification I would bring so many more things home than I need to. The boy wouldn't be so thrilled.
@Leah, @friesinacone, @Jil Casey- o happy day indeed!
@Paulette- Glad you enjoyed it and glad you stopped by!
@MisterTrue- All there was was the lone teapot but rest assured I'm going to go back more frequently to see if anything else pops up!
@AlaModern- I nearly had a heart attack when I got home and researched it! I should start buying some more books to stay informed!
@Sixballoons- There is the fear that people pick up things that are really valuable without knowing but I think that as long as they have a use for it then that's all you can really ask for. What scares me the most is when things that have been cared for for decades are mishandled at the thrift ... that's a real shame!
My goodness, the thrifting gods were certainly shining on you this particular excursion! I was doing research on the RW Formal line when your pic came up on the web and I have to be honest with you that I was GREEN with envy. Particularly as this line was never produced and what is out in the wild are only the initial samples that were displayed at the various department stores at the time. You are so lucky. I had to read the rest of your blog entries and again, I was green with envy for your discovery of 32 pieces of Zeisel dinnerware. I collect both Zeisel and Wright and have never found the pieces (quality and quantity) in the thrifts! Congratulations. I hope to be able to score such fantastic finds someday. I am no a regular reader and have bookmarked your blog. Keep up the great work. If you ever decide to sell the teapot, I have first dibs! :) Best of luck in all your endeavors!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Allan, I have definitely been lucky and I have learned so much as a result too. I didn't know that the line wasn't mass produced, I thought it was but that it wasn't well received. As for the Zeisel, I love her pieces and was beside myself when I found them. Good luck to you on your hunts!
DeleteHi, just to clarify my last message. RW Formal (and Informal) wasn't produced in the sense that they had a whole warehouse available once department stores started placing their orders. The line(s) were distributed to the stores in very small quantities to get a feel for the marketplace but unfortunately, there wasnt huge interest so whatever was sold were the initial run of the lines that were sent to the stores with no plan for additional runs to be made, hence their rarities in the RW market and for people who collect dishware. Again, great find and Im still green with envy! :)
ReplyDelete