Today's score!

[Duer 157099]

I really wasn't going to make a post about today's adventure, but I'm so excited now that I have to.

There was a swap meet in town, they have these every month during the summer, and I always forget to go. The last time I went to one was probably 2 years ago.

And as it was, I didn't even get there until it was noon, and people were already packing up to leave! Plus, I didn't stop at an ATM so I only had a little bit of cash on me (less than $20) so I knew it would be mostly just looking. I was particularly looking for mid-century type stuff (which, interestingly, there wasn't a lot of - not sure how to interpret that, whether it means the stuff is too rare, or people who sell at swaps don't really know how collectible it is?)

Also, this is one of those great swap meets, where only a very small handful of vendors sell new stuff (like less than 5 people) - it's all basically like garage sale stuff, or maybe people who have antique stores, or who just do this for fun, or ? My goal was twofold - to scope it out to see if I should go next month (yes, I'm going) and two, to see if I could find any magazines from the 50s for browsing through (yes, scored big time on that - I got a huge suitcase full of old magazines, Life, etc, for $15 - didn't even look through it, and it's still in the car, lol - I couldn't even lift it, had to drive my car to the stand and the nice man put it in my car)

So after the initial whirlwind trek through the place, I slowed down at the few remaining stands who didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, and looked carefully through their stuff. Almost everything I got (besides the magazines) all came from one vendor who had a HUGE messy stand, dozens of tables just heaped with "stuff" - and nothing with prices, I just filled up my arms with as much as I could carry and said "how much?" and he says "$3" so I do that a couple times until I literally run out of money (even raided my change cup in the car).

I've been running into pepper mills alot lately, and buy them whenever I find them. Although there were too many even for me at this stand, so I just carefully chose one set that looked like it might be teak, and that had the classic hourglass shape. I could see that there was something written on the bottom but could not read it.

So, I just now tried to read it.

"Bob Stocksdale"

:wow:

[Duer 157099]

1. Photos, here they come...

And if that weren't enough, here are a couple of the other items from that same $3 haul (a Danish ?walnut? ice bucket, and a Sascha B ashtray)

[Duer 157099]

2. So here's my lessons from today

1) no, it's not too late to go even if it's already noon and most of the sellers are already packing up and everybody has already sifted through everything

2) even though those tables are loaded with all sorts of "stuff", just piled all over the place, pieces of this here or there, does not mean it's all junk, even when it looks exactly like that.

3) even though the vendor and his helpers are just treating all the stuff like junk, and piling it randomly into boxes, dropping stuff on the ground, basically just manhandling everything, does not mean there isn't something valuable in the contents

4) no, contrary to my assumption, not all vendors even know what they are selling

I am **so** anxious for next month's sale! You bet I will bee-line it to this guy's stand - there were plenty of other wood (teak and walnut) items that I did not examine carefully!

[grasswire]

3. vedddddy interesting!

So you are picking up teak and walnut stuff. Hmm. I guess I will start doing the same.

[Duer 157099]

5. Well, it just sort of happened, you know how that is

Teak and walnut are just the quintessential mid-century woods, and all it takes is one big score for encouragement, and then, y'know, it's kinda all bets off, lol

A funny thing happened though the other day - there was this redwood tray at a thrift store and it was nice and everything, but on the back it said something like "made from trees from California" and suddenly I got very offended! I mean, how bizarre a reaction, but yet, I refused to buy it, even though it was nice, it was cheap (1-2 bucks), it was clearly from the 50s-60s - but it was too much like a trophy, like a big ole stuffed dear head hanging over the fireplace - you know? I took it completely the wrong way from how it was clearly intended (which was pride in California redwoods) - but dammit, redwoods belong in the ground along the California coast, not in my thrift store!

OK, I know it's crazy, but I'm just sayin' that's what happened :D :shrug:

[Duer 157099]

7. And check this out

I didn't know you could do this, but look at this ebay listing (I think you have to log in to view it because it's already ended):

http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-walnut-wood-salad-set-bowls-Bob-Stocksdale_W0QQitemZ270244246829QQihZ017QQcategoryZ37942QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Can you do that? I mean, can you say:

Because these are unmarked (markings likely removed), I must "attribute" this set to Bob Stocksdale. The six matching bowls are identical to the Bob Stocksdale pieces in Wright and Treadway auctions.

Well, clearly you can do whatever you want (not *you* of course -- although *you* also can do whatever you want! lol) and since the item did not sell, maybe it just proves you *can't* do that.

But who just says "I must 'attribute' this" to this artist when it's unsigned, especially when it's something like a wooden bowl?

Maybe I'm really naive about wood still, maybe there are some unmistakable signs, but I just can't quite believe that... :shrug:

Point being, that if you *can* do this, may be worthwhile to be picking up those unmarked wooden things, y'know?

[grasswire]

11. I nearly choked when I looked at that listing.

$2500 for a salad bowl and individual bowls? Unmarked? Is that person dreaming?

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12. Here's a very interesting link (it's a PDF)

Shows a variety of woods and the bowls that Stocksdale had made from them:

http://jimnevins.net/woodworking/Fine%20Woodworking/contents/1976/110004028.PDF

So now I'm wondering: he's clearly known for his bowls. So, does that make the salt & pepper mill more or less valuable? I haven't yet seen another one like this, only his bowls (and I swear, there were some of those at that stand today, I just know it).

When an artist is primarily known for one thing, how do their exceptions play in the market?

[grasswire]

14. so he's in the Pennsylvania area?

Do you know the date of that article?

[Duer 157099]

15. I didn't even read it, just looked through the pics

No, he's from these here parts (bay area CA) and he died in 2003 - don't know the date of that article. Just a couple months ago apparently there was an exhibit of his and his wife's work (she's still living) in either Berkeley or Oakland, called "Loom & Lathe" which I wish I had known about then (course I never even heard of him until yesterday)

edit to clarify: he was born in the midwest, but post-war came to bay area where

[Duer 157099]

16. Well whaddaya know, his daughter is also an artist, and lives nearby

http://www.joystocksdale.com/

I'm thinking I will contact her and ask about the s&p - who knows, maybe they came from one of her garage sales! (lol... but really, who knows?)

But isn't this funny, you have to look at this (from the daughter's resume page:

WORK IN PUBLIC PLACES
Kaiser Medical Centers, San Rafael and Redwood City, CA
Salvation Army, headquarters, Washington, DC

I'm sure there are plenty of artists who can claim that their work is seen at the Salvation Army! LOL (I kid, but yet, it's funny)

:rofl:

Oh, and btw, she lives in Sebastopol, which has to be *the* most liberal section of our very liberal county (Sonoma) - it's an amazing place, rural, artist colony type place, expensive (of course) but just oh so ... full of the most liberal people on the planet! :thumbsup: I wish I lived there

[Longhorn]

4. I love reading about your adventures!

Thanks for sharing and congrats! :hi:

[Duer 157099]

6. Oh good! I'm glad you enjoy it

I love telling the stories! :hi:

[Duer 157099]

8. ...and look what's still sitting in my car

I don't think I can take this much in one day. Am I insane? Is this how it feels to be insane? I'm really wondering, because surely normal people don't get excited like this about a suitcase full of old magazines! Right? :scared:

There are even issues from 1939 called "Breeder's Gazette" !! OMG, I can't stand this. They are all across the spectrum, from the 30s to current.

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9. But wait! There's more!

Oh my. I didn't even *wan't* the suitcase that all these magazines were in but took it because it was the easiest way to get them all in my car.

It's actually a very well made vintage trunk in really good condition, and I was just finally emptying it out and took it out of my car to examine, and lookie here what I found:

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13. This ad dates it to circa 1933

http://shop.vendio.com/vintageads4u/item/955335084/index.html

(I'm just posting it here so I can find it later if I need it)

[Duer 157099]

10. ...and a 1942 magazine called "GM Folks"

Wow, what a trip - a big article with lots of photos, about how they are making machine guns in their GM plant... so different from today's wars eh?

A bunch of train ephemera... boy it just keeps going!

And I found 2 real treasures, exactly the sort of thing I was hoping to find in this bunch, a couple of Better Homes and Gardens from the 50s!

Oh I know I can buy these on ebay, and I was getting ready to, but so much better to score them locally (so, no shipping).

There are mostly Life magazines, but also some Look, Esquire, New Yorker, Saturday Evening Post, and a dozen other random ones I can't remember now. I had thought that maybe the good stuff was on top and the case was actually filled with recent stuff, but it's not, they are all vintage, just a few 90s.

[Vinca]

17. Sascha B is Sascha Brastoff. Mid-century modern, California artist.

Nice find! You made some great buys!

[Duer 157099]

18. What I've read is that if it's signed "Sascha B" then it was a studio artist

and if it has his full last name, usually it's his own work. But I don't know for sure if that's the case.

From what I've seen of his work on ebay, I like his designs, and some of his pieces go for barely anything at all on ebay. Kind of surprising to me.

[sufrommich]

19. Sasha B. stuff is all over the map,pricewise.

His "Eskimo" stuff seems to be the most sought after on ebay.

[Duer 157099]

20. Ho-lee ... here's an auction ending in 2 hours

current bid is $1400. Gulp. For a bowl. Granted, a nice bowl. But still.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300234092795&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020

Yesterday I watched one of those "Ebay Live" auctions - oh boy that was fun, topic for another thread - and there were 2 lots of Stocksdale plates - one had 2 plates (sold for $1600) the other had 3 plates (sold for $2700).

It was a Wright auction. So I sent them photos of the S&P - there's an auction in October, we'll see if they're interested.