Thursday, September 13, 2012

Less is Best Motto

In my last post I mentioned that I recently sold off most of my antiques to a dealer.  While it was disappointing to get a lot less than I wanted in price, it was a relief to have the items gone in one full swoop.  I am still marveling at my ability to take the dealer around the house and say "What about this, are you interested in it?" and let the items go.... whoosh.... it's no longer mine.

I have tried selling on Craigslist several times over the past few years and some items sold through this method, but generally I have found that people don't seem to cherish antiques the way they used to.  And the "mid-century" craze, I'm sorry those aren't real, genuine antiques in my book.

Letting go of things from the past is always in interesting and somewhat upsetting experience for me.  Do you go through this too?

I find that letting go has a lot wound up in it.  Memories, emotional attachment, reminiscing, holding on to things that meant something in another part of my life.  I suppose it also brings home the aging factor - that the majority of my life is over.  Now that sounds maudlin and melodramatic doesn't it?  But really, I'm so much older now than when I found the items and bought them to love and cherish forever. And you can't just drag a Hoosier cabinet around to any house you know?  You have to find a special kitchen wall for it!  I don't want to have to select my next home based on the Hoosier anymore!  So gone it is.

But in loving memory I thought I'd pay homage to my old friends who recently left me and memorialize them on the internet!  Here's a smattering of what I recently sold off, much of it to the antiques dealer and some to other collectors.
A hand painted lampshade and brass lamp.  

This was my second antique, purchased in 1976.  An old Hygienic brand ice box.  It served over the years as a liquor cabinet, a stereo cabinet, a junk cabinet and a beach towel cabinet.  They guy who bought this collects ice boxes.  Now tell me, how many of these can you have around the house?  They take up a lot of room!

A beautiful oak mirror.

A beautiful oak side table.  The legs are hand carved but you can't see the detail in this picture.

A commode stand.  

A fun old trunk.  this was my very first antique purchase in 1976.  I was 23 years old when I began collecting.  

My prized antique possession.  My Hoosier cabinet.  I think this is the cutest Hoosier I've ever seen. I thought I'd cry buckets when it was disassembled and went out the door, but I found I had no emotional attachment whatsoever as it left us.

A Larkin hall tree.  This one was a smaller size hall tree with the original delivery labels on it.
This type of furniture was purchased by collecting Larkin coupons which came in bar soap and cigarette packages. 

Two rough hewn, hand carved Canadian geese collected in New Hampshire and  Massachusetts.
They were so fun together as a pair.
So now besides my rugs, you see a little of my eccentricity in other parts of my life.  But this part is now refreshed, a clean slate and gone!!!  I suppose it gives you a bit more insight as to why I love OLD looking rugs, huh?!  Oh my, does that mean my rugs will now become contemporary in style since I'm giving up all my very old stuff?
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