Polite Estate Sale Etiquette

Patience has paid off for today's estate sale hunting. I had gone to a pre-sale on Thursday but the seller was so unorganized and stressed that she didn't have everything unpacked. She would grab things out of the buyer's hands and tell them that it wasn't for sale. Everything was chaotic but she said that the sale would continue throughout the weekend so please come back.

Today I went back and am so glad I did. I found several boxes marked "Christmas" hidden under a table and asked if I may look inside. The seller was still unorganized but I was polite and she sat down next to me while I carefully opened and unpacked the boxes. This is what I found in one box:

I love vintage bottlebrush Christmas trees but have never found any at a price that I wanted to pay until today. There is also a wreath in the middle. The largest tree is 14.5" tall. The smaller trees are stamped "Japan" on the bottom. The plastic reindeers will be used for another craft project I have planned.

Digging further into the boxes I found a few vintage ornaments and an odd batch of vintage glass balls on floral picks.

I plan to use the glass ball picks for a future project.

Buried in one box was this Napco figurine. Very sweet. I don't collect figurines but she looked so sweet and Christmas-y.

I also found a collection of Fenton or Hocking Moonstone Hobnail glassware pieces (I love the description of Moonstone). I just wanted a couple of pieces but the seller gave me such a good price on everything that I took the entire lot.

I also found this very tall, green, glass vase. I don't know anything about colored glass so this could either be vintage or something that a recent florist gave away with their arrangement. I just liked it for its height.

And as a final bit of whimsy, I found a vintage washboard, a tin toy tool chest (empty) and a glass jar that is supposed to be part of an electric mixer but I will use it to hold my art pencils.

The day started off slowly but I had such a great time at this last estate sale. Patience and politeness paid off today. But I still wonder what was hidden in the other boxes that the seller had not yet opened. (Click here to find out what was in those boxes.)

Here's an idea to store your glass Christmas ornaments, use the plastic container that apples come in from Costco. The shape is perfectly designed to hold round objects as well as to protect the contents. You can add a little tissue paper or shredded paper around each ornament and stack these neatly away. Plus it gives a little hug to the planet by not throwing more plastic into the landfills.

Linked to: Apron Thrift Girl, Bargain Shopping Paradise, Brambleberry Cottage, Chic on a Shoestring, Coastal Charm, Colorado Lady, Common Ground, Finding Fabulous, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Paisley Passions, Tales From Bloggeritaville, The Thrifty Home and Hey What's For Dinner Mom?

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