What was your best antique/junkshop buy? I once walked by an old house

[applegrove]

that was being torn down. I knew from a history book I had just read (and loved) that it was a former whorehouse amongst many incarnations. I looked through the rubble and found a door to a closet that looked a little dry but was otherwise in good shape. Wanting a bit of history from magical Halifax, I took it and the security guy let me. I then put on 4 coats of varnish....the door was so dry that it sucked up the first three coats like they were nothing. To this day I use it as the table top of my desk. It is long enough that I can fit a computer, printer, stereo on the top with room for a keyboard. Plus it has a story: a whorehouse from a port city town.

[distantearlywarning]

1. Found an old door on Craigslist for $60

It looked like crap, but I brought it home anyway. My husband stripped it and repainted it. After stripping all the nasty old crap off it, it turned out to be a beautiful Queen Anne stained glass door from the Civil War era, with a special kind of old glass in the panes that they haven't made for over 100 years.

The icing on the cake: after stripping the old door knob and plate it turned out to be very fancy antique hardware made by the best locksmiths of the era - under the layer of paint it was in perfect condition and worth about $700!!! :wow: And it even works well, after a trip to a locksmith to have a key made. The seller was sitting on something awesome, and had no idea what a treasure was under all that old peeling paint.

And we now have the most beautiful front door in the neighborhood. :-)

[LynneSin]

2. 1st edition book of Audobon's bird picks

it's a lovely book

[Brother Buzz]

4. Zowie!

[REP]

3. 20ct Siberian amethyst set in 14kt that I bought for $50.00

Or the antique red jade brooch set in an enameled filagree setting for $5.00...

Or the privately printed Victorian book on deviant sex I found in tras heap and later sold for $150.00....

Or the complete set of original Star Trek TV series videos I found in another trash heap I sold for $400.00...

The LC Tiffany glass plate I bought for $12.00 ...

The first edition of Shaw's "Candida" with misprint I traded for 5 modern paperbacks (it's worth quite a bit)...

The list goes on!

[RebelOne]

5. A beautiful crystal decanter and wine glasses

from a little antique shop in Mississippi. It was only $15.

[bif]

6. The second issue of Fortune magazine (1929?) for 50 cents

It was in a pile of used books at our local library. I love looking at the old automotive ads.

[guitar man]

7. Estate sale broker

An estate sale broker had a shop down the street from where I lived back in the late 80s. I used to check quite often for interesting stuff. I walked in one day and the place was stuffed to the walls and he was needing to move some things out. I left with a Sansui SR 929 turntable and a pair of Klipschorns for a $100 bill :evilgrin:

[meegbear]

8. I found a series of "Lynn Directories" ...

these are books that would list all the people in the city of Lynn Massachusetts, their names and occupations, but not phone numbers. There were also a Business section which had addresses, phone numbers, etc. Ads were also throughout the books.

The earliest is 1923 and has ads for ice and coal delivery, morticians, etc. The latest book I have is 1949. The books are worth a couple thousand and I found them in the attic of a place I used to rent and apartment. The owner said take 'em.

[Odin2005]

9. I found a 1942 world atlas at a garage sale for a quarter.

[WinkyDink]

10. First Ed. "Jaws" for $1 at a church bazaar. Five blue crystal wineglasses for $5.

http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/jaws/author/benchley/first-edition/pics/

http://www.crystalacarte.com/marsala-crystal-brandy-snifter-345.htm

[GReedDiamond]

11. An Ed Ruscha book...

...purchased for 25 cents, sold to an art books dealer for 25 dollars, he subsequently had it on his shelf at fifty.

I've gotten some very nice vintage, mid-century modern furniture and lighting for low prices, as well.