Auctions seem to be a mainstay in my life right now. Not only do I have my entire "Summer Vogue" collection up for auction on e-bay, but I recently spent the morning at a real estate and personals auction here in town. I love the excitement of the bidding process: spying great items, positioning myself (in this case, #113) whereas to be within sight of the auctioneer but not in full view of my competing bidders, the musical sound of the auctioneer's song taunting onlookers to "go higher," and just the overall fun of the whole experience. When an auction sign showed up in my neighborhood a few weeks ago, I marked it on my calendar in big red letters. Life's just crazy and busy enough, if I don't put it on the calendar--it may not happen. RED means I'm not missing it for the world (my upcoming trip to Portland is totally in RED by the way...but oh how I wax tangential). Anyway, my real estate agent even dropped by my house a few days before the auction to make sure I was planning to come--she said she'd been through the house and knew that there would be plenty of the vintage goodies that are right up my alley. Boy was she right.
Look at some of my winnings--this amazing silver pitcher, butter dish and tea set, a vintage aqua jewelry case (lined in pink no less) and the most darling petty cash compact were my favorite of the day's booty.
I find myself mesmerized by the age group of auction hounds--they
ranged from 18-80 that day. I love communal experiences like
this--the ones when the love of something from the past and the drive to find a
good bargain build a conversational bridge between young and old. An
older gentleman raises this sweet painting high above his head for all
the crowd to see and
the bidding begins...
Look how cute this petty cash compact case is. I've been treasure hunting for years in countless antique stores, flea markets, and auctions and this is the first compact like this I've ever seen. I just love it. As I'm writing this I realize I should have taken a picture of the inside--it's so darling. Maybe I'll fill it up with some change and post a picture in a future post. I have to say...this compact got me thinking about petty cash--ohhhhhhhhhhh how times have changed since this little accessory was made. Petty cash used to be made of metal and jingle in your pocket.
These days it all folds. I try to keep some $5's, $10's, and $20's stored around in various places like my desk and the glove box just in case--
I suppose nickels, dimes and quarters just don't cut it anymore, do they!?
Ps. You can find these pieces of my "Summer Vogue" collection by clicking on the picture below.