A Steal

You know...if you ever inherit stuff from someone, be careful what you get rid of. At a time when you are feeling grief or pain or are simply overwhelmed you might find yourself impulsively getting rid of things you will later regret chunking/donating/giving away to neighbors.

When I was in my early 20's, I found myself the owner of the set of vintage Adams CalyxWare in the Regent pattern pictured above. And I have to be honest... I didn't appreciate it. I thought it was ugly and I just didn't get it. The color combination of the pale green with the hand painted purple and gold flowers was unappealing. Most of the pieces had crazing and the whole set was generally "uncool" to me. I had a lot of growing up to do.

Fortunately, I didn't sell the set at a garage sale.

I now see pieces in antique stores for about $10 a piece (the price of these bowls on eBay). However, I just came home with 6 dinners and 6 salads I found locally for $25 for the lot. THAT'S ABOUT $2 A PIECE... a huge bargain!

(Sidebar: There are a lot of antique malls here in the Franklin area and many of the booth operators don't know what they have. Many are uneducated about antiques and vintage pieces and they misprice their stuff. A 10 x 10 booth is fairly cheap to rent and housewives and wannabes often jump in as small business owners. A lot of the stuff is junk, but sometimes they get lucky. If you ever come to Middle Tennessee, e- mail me. I can tell you where to find a bargain. I can also show you where the good stuff from the trained collectors is.)

In any case, when sifting through your grandmother's belongings or your great aunt's hope chest, be very careful what you dispose of. You never know when you might wise up and treasure some of the things she held on to. Even if it's something that doesn't have a lot of commercial value or is something you don't think you'll ever like. New things are great and I love a lot of contemporary stuff, but not only does old stuff have more character, your guests will love hearing about how your Aunt Monte lugged that china back from Europe in the 1920's.

The moral: save it if you can. Legacies can't be replaced. I'm glad I held on.