A Rainy Day in San Diego

Today is a rare rainy day in San Diego and a welcome one for us as we have been way behind on rainfall this year and that can cause a lot of problems here later on.

Among other things I decided that the rain was a perfect opportunity for me to do my inventory. After about a half an hour I gave up the effort as impossible. Fortunately I keep a location code in all of my listings that tells me where the items are. The problem with this is that things do get moved around and this can cause a problem when someone bids on an item that isn't where it is supposed to be. It usually results in a time consuming and tedious search until the item is found. The bottom line is that taking the inventory is a bigger time hog than searching for the occasional lost item. Thus I give up for now.

This has been a slow week for my swap meet searches. Saturday I picked up 6 small oval platters that are Buffalo Restaurant ware. I'm not sure what they are for. They are a little small for under plates (7" x 4 3/4") so for now I'm just calling them side dishes. Sunday brought me a couple of limited edition collector plates. Normally I steer clear of these, but the price was right.

thanks for listening... Bill aka the old guy

Updated for content (06/09)

New Treasure Found

Well I better update here before I get too far behind again. First of all the latest glitch on Yahoo has been fixed and things are about as back to normal as it ever gets. Kudos to the techs at Yahoo. fixed on Tuesday morning. I call that pretty good response. I know they are undermanned for a major site like Yahoo Auctions.

I also want to let you know about a couple of new found treasures that I will be listing soon, probably on Blujay for now. I picked up an absolutely stunning Vernon Kilns May Flower 14" Platter last weekend. This pattern was issued between 1942 and 1953. It is a fantastic example from the heyday of California Pottery. A great piece to add to your home decor or collection.

Wednesday I came across an item that I think is a real piece of Southern California history. It is a perfect Flintridge Flowering Cactus 14" round platter that was Issued in 1957 as a special order for the Jewelry Research Group convention in Palm Desert, Ca. I have placed a picture of this at the top of this entry. Taped to the back is a note from the owner asking that the plate go to Joseph Jessop Jr. (a famed California Jewelry family). I am assuming that this was in the nature of an estate guideline. I will list this soon either on Yahoo or Blujay.

Enough for now.. thanks for listening.. the old guy

Swap Meet Wednesday

I guess I never mentioned this before, but one of my favorite haunts is a local swap meet that is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. It is usually about the only exercise that I get each week and I try hard to make it every week. I used to sell there about 20 years ago and I know many of the sellers, so it is as much a social outing for me as it is a business activity.

I do find many treasures there and I hope it continues in business as long as I do. I don't just buy things there to resell I also buy pottery that I want to research and learn from. I am in a business where knowledge is money and I try to learn something every day.

Today I spent a few bucks. I won't tell you how many as that is a trade secret. I only made three purchases but they were all good buys. Some nice Furstenburg coasters, a wonderful Furnival Platter (I had never heard of them, but it turns out to be Staffordshire of some age), and a beautiful vintage Lefton 50th Wedding Anniversary pitcher in excellent condition.

thanks for listening, the old guy