March 2010 – Burton, Ohio – Part III

 

 

 

OTHER EYE-CATCHERS

Overall it was a fine flea market with lots of variety and good prices. There were fewer toys than usual, most from 1970 or after. We were surprised that vintage clothing was scarce, but women’s hats were plentiful. Several dealers had booths filled with guns and military gear. Pressed glass was low-priced and selling quickly. Children’s feeding dishes decorated with nursery figures were priced $18 to $65.

Bookends were scarce. Good bronze or marked metal pairs were $55 to $68; ordinary painted metal pairs, $25 or so. A Russel Wright American Modern set of dishes for eight was marked $75, less than $2 a dish.

A Black Forest-type bottle cork with a lever that made the carved wooden man tip his hat was $39. For a joke gift, I wanted to spend $6 on a Health and Strength magazine with a picture of a muscular man on the cover. It was in a pile of magazines from the 1950s-70s featuring men in trunks posing during athletic activities.

A top-quality Lotus Ware creamer with gold decoration was offered for $250. A 4-inch milk glass bust of Uncle Sam was $175; our price book shows one at $350. A Meredith’s Diamond Club Whiskey jug, made of whiteware with green printing and marked “KT&K,” was $165. That price is high—it’s listed in our price guide for $75. Liberty Blue dishes are hot; one dealer was offering a hard-to-find covered dish for $95. The cereal bowls were $12 each. Useable iron kitchen utensils were clean and seasoned, ready to use for cooking. Buyers planned to use them, they told me, because they consider iron utensils “healthy.” An Andresen waffle iron was $110; a toy stove, $125; and a Griswold 7-inch pan, $50.

BARGAINS

The biggest bargain still available when I left was a four-piece Hartmann luggage set for only $39. A sign said one suitcase from the set was offered on eBay for $100. But apparently no one here or online wanted luggage. The best buy of the day I heard about: A dealer paid next to nothing for an ugly print in a Roycroft Arts and Crafts hand-carved wooden frame. The seller priced the print without considering the value of the frame. The lucky dealer said he expects to get at least $250 for the frame—he threw the print away.