December 13th, 2011
The beginning…
I love the way it hangs around the neck! So balanced! So... acrobatic!
So… yesterday I was talking to our shop manager, Kalli, about an amazing piece she had. It’s an amazing acrobat themed necklace – probably from the 1930′s – done in silver tone chain with 3 limber acrobats in balls at intervals around the neck.
I'm still kind of amazed that the little arm never got broken off....
It struck me as such a wonderful novelty item – and also as very inspired by Da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”. But maybe that’s just the whole man-in-a-circle thing. It has such grace… such an Art Nouveau influence… and a lot of humanity thrown in, too. It makes me ache just looking at it – so I can well imagine what drew Kalli to it.
It almost appears as if, by sheer force, that little figure can make the whole circle spin around & around...
It got me thinking about at what point so many of us go from opportunists who’ll buy vintage that crosses our paths, but only when it’s cheap (like the now-rare finds at yard sales, flea markets, etc) to when we’re willing to plop down grown-up money for an item we know is worth it and somehow can’t imagine living without. Even if it’s just going to sit on a shelf.
For Kalli, that moment came when she was all of 12 years old. She saved up the monumental amount of $75 and (with the generous discount given to her by the shop owners with a soft spot for the next generation of vintage lovers). Apparently, this amazing piece of art history was originally priced at $145, but the original owners of A&P Antiques, right here in Old Towne Orange, took pity on this blossoming collector & cut her the deal of a lifetime and sold it to her for a mere pittance.
But – this got me thinking. So many people would look at this necklace and think “Why on earth would ANYONE pay $75, much less $145 for this hunk of metal?”. After all, it’s not gold. It might be sterling – but really, that’s not important. But those of us in the know KNOW it doesn’t take precious metals to make something valuable. The value lies in the understanding that you’ll never find another one and if you pass this up, you’ll never lay eyes on this amazingness again. And, for the record, that also means the SELLER probably won’t lay eyes on it again, either. I’ve long said that there are many items that come through the shop that someone has to pay me significantly just to cover the separation pangs. And, talking to other dealers – we ALL have this inclination. If we’re going to let this fantastic item in our right hand go, someone’s gonna have to put something REALLY shiny, pretty and/or GREEN in our left hand to distract us.
Why? Because we LOVE these items. And we only want them to go to other people who will love them just as much. How much would it cost for YOU to give up something you loved that you know you’ll never find again?
As I continued this journey of contemplation – I sprained my brain trying to recall when I’d made that leap of collecting… from “opportunistic” to “dedicated”. Was it a novelty print item? Novelty prints have held my love for the last several years – my closet is filled with novelty print blouses & dresses from the 1930′s, 40′s & 50′s. Scarves, too – though I have a hard time wearing them with comfort. Indeed, I’m often outbid on novelty print items online – and I almost NEVER see them in other vintage shops. Sadly, many of my more unfortunate eBay purchases end up in my shop because they don’t fit as intended (and almost always for considerably less than I paid) after spending a dutiful number of lonely nights in my closet being stared at longingly each morning during my dressing rituals.
Before that, my obsession was for unusual purses from the 40′s – 60′s. I also obsess over 1930′s & 40′s knit items . Today I will regularly put down good money for a 1930′s knit top. And if it’s got a novelty theme too? I might as well hand over my ATM card. I’m done for.
From here, it just looks like an abstract pink & white print...
Ahhh yes. I remember now. My first “major” purchase was, in fact, a novelty print. A 1940′s cotton peasant top with what appears to be a haphazard splotchy pink print on white… but when you look closely, those pink splotches are actually bushes.. and swirling around them are the crosshatched shapes of old wooden roller coasters!! Unless you’re paying attention, you’d miss them. I purchased this wonderful top from a Vintage Fashion Guild seller, online – for something like $120. I went back to the web page again & again – obsessing over it. Memorizing everything about it. One day I was thinking about it and suddenly realized that really, just ANYONE could stumble onto this blouse online — and they might BUY it!! I mean… it was RIGHT THERE! In plain sight! On the internet!! It’d be gone forever, and I’d NEVER SEE IT AGAIN! Oh… the horror! The agony!
So I counted up my pennies – and made her mine. And she still lives in my closet, to this day.
Look at the little roller coasters!
Look at the little blue & green stick-men! Waving their hands in the air and screaming their little stick-men heads off while racing down the roller coaster drop!
How about you? What was the first (or biggest?) vintage purchase you made? The one that surprised you? The one that you just couldn’t let get away – no matter the price?
