An Auction Junkie in the 1930s

Have you been to auctions? If you're into vintage, I suspect you have. It's the best place to find things you've never seen before. Now I'm being shown an entirely new perspective on auctions: the view of an auction junkie from the 30's and 40's.

She was the mother of the estate heir I'm helping. She had quite an eye. She loved attending auctions held and would often drive for miles to find them. Walking through the long ranch style home in the California hills, I can pick out immediately which pieces were hers.

The large Mexican metal bird swaying in the foyer is signed by famed artist Sergio Bustamante. Inside the main living room, I spot gorgeous antique lamps, cranberry pink couches and a large inlaid coffee table from the 19th century.

Books overflow the shelves, pile on the floor and sit on every table. Rare limited edition publications so popular in the 1940s, all bound in fine leather and gilt pages. Oil paintings hung across the fronts of the bookcases, giving it a Victorian air. English Sterling pieces were tucked around here and there.

The bedroom jewelry boxes were amazing. An early 19th century handpainted Madonna and China pin, an antique solid sterling belt from Thailand, a timeless Zuni Sterling & Turquoise squash blossom necklace, and hundreds of more pieces.

I cherish the brief glimpses my job affords me. I get to walk back in time and enter another persons life. What an experience.

The Face of Vintage

One aspect I enjoy the most about my job is the hidden views I get. If you go to an average sale, it's being held by the grandkids or a dealer. When I go in a week before the sale, I meet the woman who lived a life surrounded by the vintage beauty we all now adore. 

Here's one of my charming clients, Irma. She's 87. She lost her husband a year and a half ago. Now she's moving out of her house to be closer to her children and needs to pare down. She was referred to me via her friend who happens to be one of my clients. It's been so much fun to teach her about the values her items have. To see her face light up in surprise is such a blast. I love this part of my job.

Antique telephone exchange box! Click here to see more photos. 

What I find fascinating is what she has and how it relates to her personally. She has a wicked sense of humor, is very down to earth, I'm selling her memories, her life momentos and the vintage beauty she's always surrounded herself with. The piece above was a memento her husband always kept on his desk to remind him how times change. 

Sift-Chine Sifter, well loved. Click here to see more photos. 

This sifter is from her kitchen when she was first married. She met her husband during the war and they married while he was on a brief leave. She remembers keeping her bedside light on all night long for months, somehow hoping the light was keeping him safe from harm. 


He returned to her in early 1945. Imagine the fun she must have had sifting flour for bread, knowing she was going to be feeding her husband at last! I so admire the grace and patience these war wives had in waiting for their mates to return.

1920s silk crepe de chine Wedding dress. Click here for more photos. 

This was her Mothers wedding dress. Her mother, Dorothy, was married in 1922. What a blast to experience the fashions of the roaring 1920's! Her Mother came from a well to do family, thus this silk layered creation with giant roses on the hems. I'm hoping to find a picture of her Mom wearing this! 

Early 1900's Gibson Girl photograph. Click here for more photos. 

This is her Mother, Dorothy. I love that she's wearing the trendy Gibson girl hairstyle so popular in the early 1900s. In this photo she's 17. Just imagine the life she led. Married in 1922, gave birth to her first daughter in 1924, then twin boys in 1926, then another daughter in 1928. By the time World War II rolled around she was a grandmother living in rural New Jersey. 

1950s Ladies Fascinator Hat with Veil. Click here for more photos. 

Irma remembers this was her favorite hat. She says that when she wore it people would always duck down to look into her eyes. It made her feel mysterious when she wore it. I think hats go a long way to adding mystique & intrique into relationships-let's help Kate Middleton bring them back into fashion! 


Keep in mind that Irma isn't sad to let her items go. She's tickled pink that people think her things are worth having!! 

Vintage Church Sale Time!

I almost missed my favorite church sale! I've been so busy that it just missed my radar completely this year. Fortunately, my aunt couldn't pick up her weekly farm veggie box in the regular spot due to some church sale. That tipped me off. Let's hear it for farm boxes! 

Crowd gathering to get in. We started lining up around 7:30.

Boy am I glad I made it. For kicks I brought my husband along for the first time. He's very much NOT a vintage treasure hunter. He loves old things, but he wants to buy them once they're all repaired, cleaned and looking fabulous. This digging around I do just seems dirty to him. (Which is always great when he asks: where did THAT fantastic piece come from? and I remind him of the original condition that he laughed at.) 

The outdoor area held everything except vintage & books

At least 350 people were waiting to get in. I enjoy people watching and even more, people listening. I know, I shouldn't, but if they're to talk that loudly in a close crowd, how can I help it? Since I was standing behind all the old time dealers in my area, I got an earful about their sales, their scores and the best things they'd found. Right up my alley! 

Nobody ever thinks of Christmas & Halloween as special at these sales. 

Long yellow ribbons stretch across the parking lot, signalling not to go further. At 9am the ribbons were cut and the crowd started sprinting, running and toddling toward the various areas. The book dealers all ran to the right, into the church Sunday school. Thousands of donated books awaited them. The Moms with tots in strollers sprinted off the left to find clothes & toys. (Mine were home with the very accommodating baby sitter, who arrived at 7:30am) And by far the biggest group, the vintage hunters, aimed for the building straight in front. 

Crowds! I'm not used to this! I get into estates before the crowds, usually.

Long tables greeted us, filled to the brim with all manner of things. Hard to remember that vintage only means 20 years old. I still can't get my 39 year old brain around this fact!  It was everything from working 9-5 mugs from 1984 to 19th century teacups. Kitchen blenders mixed with mid century mats. Silver plate flatware sets next to modern collector dolls. Quite a random mixure. 

Inside the church community building. This is just a tiny portion-it was huge! 

I had fun and my husband did a great job of finding some cool pieces. Here's what we found: mid century mushroom trays, two industrial protractors, a 1950's Christmas tablecloth,  Christmas napkins & mats, a potato chip tin, a hand tooled antique leather purse, a late 19th century celluloid chicken wearing a top hat baby toy, an abacus, a ceramic silver Egyptian cat, a skirt measurer, a mid century decanter & glass set, a California pottery planter, mid century sterling cuff links, 1920's orange glass earrings, a large antique wood box, an old gold & white dish with roses, an old American flag AND a bulls skull! Cause who doesn't need a bovine skull?!!

Where You'd Least Expect It

A good sign that Vintage is near!

Being that I'm an Estate Liquidator I get calls all the time. I've learned that the standard perceptions of nice neighborhood and not so nice neighborhood don't apply to Vintage. 

See that house in the back? That's it!

Take for example this house I was called to earlier this week. Built as a farmers staff cabin with two small rooms, it was enlarged in the 1930's to be a full size house. The exterior is very practical for fire country: it's build of cinder blocks. The yard is filled with junk, trash and overgrown plants. I hesitated for a few minutes before going in-I just wasn't confident about what I'd find.

The front entryway. I was a little nervous...

Wrong! I walked into a vintage home stuffed to the gills. Amidst all the clutter I found Victorian jewelry, gold pocket watches, 1930's enamel soda advertising signs, 1930's deco statues, a 19th century quartersawn oak & bevelled glass phone booth, mid century art by well listed artists and a delightful 75 year old woman who lived amongst it all, Beverly. 

A corner: note the steamer trunk being used as a file cabinet! 

Hard to spot, next to the fireplace.

One corner of the dimly lit living room

I'm going back in 2 weeks to gather all that up and see what else she's unearthed. Apparently she has a full basement filled with her treasures AND a huge barn. Woo hoo! It is so much fun to explore, dig & unearth treasure. I get to be like a vintage Indiana Jones!

Behind the Scenes

While I'd like to show you my antique brick loft filled with vintage, that just ain't my reality. We're bootstrapping a business so the office is actually a big room in the back of my house. There are 4 glass desks from Ikea, a shipping table (that's actually an old flour bin table), a huge 12' long chalkboard, indoor/outdoor carpet, and  a view of the backyard. Not exactly my dream space, but it functions well for now. 

This Haley. She's in charge of our inventory & shipping. She wears about 25 hats around here and helps out with a little bit of everything. 

Several people help make Nachokitty what it is. I've assembled a fantastic team of people to help grow our little business. We're evaluating items, taking inventories of estates, meeting with clients, doing appraisals, listing items on Etsy, and shipping. It's never boring around here, especially when you add the curious 2 year old into the mix. 

My desk is a hodgepoge of little tidbits I find interesting. The silver plate top hat reminds me of Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland. (I really liked him!) The Danish modern witch on her broom and wooden rabbit are neighbors. Along with the wood Nachokitty, these items all sit on top of my giant Mac screen. The owls, hat form I got from tippleandsnack, and grecian goddess scored at the thrift store are all photo props. 

Down in front is a collection of items I need to identify that I also like a lot. A small porcelain jointed doll with silk clothing, a sterling, marcasite & onyx beetle, & a brass bear. (the bear is more for looks-I don't think he'll find his way into my shop.)

Here is Kaelle, researching a cool blue & white porcelain vase. Lately she's been the queen of dollhouse furniture. We all have to be really flexible, because we never know what's going to come in from an estate.

The view outside our office is fabulous. Chickens wander by occasionally, the dog takes in some rays, and my children frolic. Right now we're photographing old quilts on the closeline. 

And here's a cartoon that pretty much sums things up. A happy zoo around here, filled with vintage goodies, laughter & good music. 

Mommy Vintage

Plans. The best laid plans. 

Today was to be a big estate sale day. Head out to sales, score items, come home and photograph and generally just get ahead. 

Then my sweet 8 year old looked rather green early this morning. She wandered in around 6:30am and whispered, "Mommy, I don't feel very good." Uh oh. 

What often happens when my children are sick is they don't want to lie down. They want to sit on my lap at my computer. They want to make Treasuries on Etsy. They want to be glued to me. I do wish I had the healing powers their bodies seem to expect from that closeness. 

So today was a day of surfing the web, kid style. We looked at lions on the National Geographic site, goggled openly at a rare old Snoopy ornament that sold for $331, saw those new images of hidden pyramids & overall had a very relaxed, cozy, educational time. 

What Kind of Household Used This?

I just came across the most wonderful estate. Imagine a little white turn of the century house deep in the forest. Inside were the most fabulous antique & vintage items: furniture from the mid 19th century, beautiful childrens books, chinese antiques & more.

Who lived here? 

It got me to thinking; who originally used these things? What were their lifestyles? Where did they work? Were they just middle class or upper class? Did they really use these items or just put them on display like we do today?

Take this teapot for example. Silver plate & bone. It's massive. I believe this must have been in a well to do household with servents, for who would want to lift this over and over to fill guests cups? (the bottom disconnects from the pot through a series of pins)

I just found this hilarious 1969 cookie jar at my local Hospice store. It made me laugh so I had to have it. I so wonder what the kitchen looked like that used this. I almost see the avocado green melamine counters. (In case you're confused, this is a dog with a butterfly on his head. It took us a minute too)

And then there is this series of Hedgehog ashtrays. Now that would be a LOT of smokers in one room! Created in the 1950's, I almost see the swanky flat these were used in. Breakfast at Tiffany's anyone?

As I look around my house, I wonder what pieces will be iconic must haves long in the future. To me it's just the salad spinner out of stainless steel. But to that vintage collector in 2050, it'll be a stand out kitchen display!

New Vintage Directions

This last week two things happened to cause Nachokitty to branch out into new directions. First, Suuzi, my fellow Nachokitty seller, found an amazing collection of vintage mid century fashions. Second, a local baker who buys organic eggs from us (thanks chickens!) remembered that I am an estate liquidator and gave me a call.

The fashion items Suuzi found ranged from dresses to coats to purses. The pieces were iconic ones-fabrics you can find in photos of Studio 54 next to Andy Warhol or in London shots of Twiggy's fashion shoots. I was hooked. We've never really done fashion. It's in every estate but I've never felt that knowledgeable about it, until now. Suuzi has an amazing eye and can spot a piece of 1940's silk from across the room. Very handy when out hunting! She's teaching me and I'm learning fast.

After this I remembered a large collection of high end 1960's & 70's Italian shoes I had squirreled away a decade ago and avoided ever since. (That ignorance about fashion strikes again) Once we decided to embrace fashion, I brought out the shoes. Wow. Platform disco shoes in alligator!? We've been having fun. The leathers smell amazing and every shoe is handmade in Italy or Spain. So Nachokitty is going to be expanding the Vintage Fashion Section in a big way!

Middle of the week, my phone buzzed. The baker (who whips up amazing delicacies that I can only dream of creating) needs items for a wedding she's staging. She's also catering it. She got the clever idea to bypass the party rental stores with all their common everyday items and go vintage. She remembered me and found my shop on Etsy.

Yesterday we worked and set out a bunch of sterling, crystal and silver plate items. We used my kitchen island since the space is so large. Using a late 19th century lace tablecloth set the tone nicely and dressed it up. I didn't quite realize we had quite this much sterling!

She ended up renting several pieces for the back of the buffet for the wedding, as well as my large vintage trays. It's going to give the wedding a wonderful one of a kind flair that will wow guests. I can't wait to see photos! I'll do my best to share them here. It's in May.

So Nachokitty is helping out with cool vintage weddings & getting hip with Fashion. Being open minded and flexible sure has brought us some neat opportunities!