Antiquing

Over the past few weekends, we have been visiting nearby towns and their 'antique' stores, or more accurately, their old stuff stores. Believe it or not, I enjoy these shops (in moderate doses), and in general, the older/junkier the better. Nominally we were searching for a pair of lamps, but you know the old saying about trash/treasure, so I really do go at it as a treasure hunt.

The character of these shops is very nearly as varied as their offerings. Sometimes the building styles are more interesting than the merchandise. Many shops are in barns or similar buildings, but in some cases they are just open sheds or outdoor tables. Apparently rust is not considered a defect in old stuff! Another strange, but typical characteristic is that we have yet to find a level floor in any of them. Most have been almost clean, but we've visited a couple where the accumulated dust nearly obliterates the printing on the labels.

So far we have limited our purchases of these treasures to trinkets. One purchase, however,is too funny not to relate. We have been searching for a pair of table lamps. Pat has spent hours, to no avail, on the internet trying to find (at first) just the right pair, and then just any pair that would work without a price like a big screen TV. In one barn shop, we saw a pair of milk-glass and wood lamps with a diamond - relief pattern in the glass globes. What made them intriguing, , was that the indented pattern in the glass were highlighted with a dark lines, creating a strong cross-hatched pattern. At first, we didn't buy them, but later Pat and a visiting friend went back and bought them. At half of the sale price, they seemed to be quite a deal.

After getting home and inspecting these beauties, they decided to clean them with water and a brush. To their shock, the dark lines (remember - this is their signature feature) began to smear and then come off in flakes. On closer examination (and a good light), they discovered it was dirt! We are still guessing at how it got into the grooves so neatly and without being all over the lamp. Most probably, someone tried to clean them with a towel rather than a brush. Despite the drastic change in appearance, they still look pretty good. However, their unique feature, not to mention their chance at being on Antique Road Show, has been lost forever!!!