My New Thrift Store Finds: More Than Meets the Eye!

A close up view of my new thrift store finds including this variety of ceramic vintage vessels. There are colorful pitchers, vases,and planters in aquas, greens and yellows.

It’s incredible to me what I can find at my favorite thrift store! I can always find a variety of useful household items, but what I’m really on the hunt for is VINTAGE! It’s not always easy to sift through the piles just to unbury one treasure. It can be challenging at times, but OH… it is worth it! Some of my discoveries have been simply amazing! It’s always thrilling to search for my new thrift store finds! And, sometimes I discover that there’s more than meets the eye!

An Audubon print with yellow birds and floral branches, with white vintage bowls and vases in the background.

I do like searching for vintage goodies and sometimes I can find amazing deals without thrift store digging. For example, I found this post-World War II made-in-Japan tea set at an antique store and bought it for only $15… what a GREAT price!! It’s worth over $50. But if I want even better deals, hunting at a thrift store is the BEST! If you want more bang for your buck, you gotta dig through the junk.

A beautiful ceramic vintage tea pot with pears and plums with matching creamer, jam jar, and salt and pepper shakers.

Finding vintage items for my own home or resale is a passion of mine, to say the least! My number one rule when I’m scavenging is to buy what I like. I have to enjoy what I’m buying and selling. My second rule is to research the history of every item I purchase. I love doing the research and am often thrilled at the details I uncover.

A pink floral Spode plate with a yellow McCoy vase, and two other vases in the background. The Spode plate is one of my new thrift store finds.

Figurines

Well, believe it or not, even broken and repaired vintage items can be worth something! This pretty pair of ceramic ballerinas and a girl with bonnet were found at the thrift store for $1.99 each. And, although one of the ballerinas had a broken neck I was able to still sell them quickly for $35 for the pair. These figurines are called shelf sitters and were made by Ceramic Arts Studio between the 1940s and 50s. This company was located in Madison Wisconsin and was known for its decorative ceramic pieces such as salt and pepper sets, figurines, head vases, and wall plaques.

Two decorative ceramic vintage ballerinas in green, and a ceramic lady with a bonnet in green, sitting in flower pots with green daffodil leaves.

Two pretty ceramic ballerinas with black hair in green tutus. They were made by Ceramic Arts Studio between the 1940s and 1950s.

globe bank with key

I found this mini globe at a St. Vincent dePaul Thrift Store, in an aisle crammed full of bric-a- brac. And, at $2.99 I certainly wasn’t going to pass it up! I have always loved globes, and this one is a bank as well! That makes it extra special! It’s a World Bank, made by the Ohio Art Company. This was a little company from Bryan Ohio, that has a long history in metal lithography (i.e. printing on metal). They made a lot of metal toys and became very popular during WWII. And lest I forget, was the maker of the Etch-A-Sketch. This globe is circa 1950’s. I especially love the tiny metal KEY which was included to access the bottom of the bank and your life savings. It’s a real beauty. And these can retail up to $75…so a nice find indeed!

A vintage World Bank mini globe made of metal with vintage books in the background. It's one of my new thrift store finds.

kitchen timer

Mirro kitchen timers are truly iconic and beautiful! They were branded Mirro by the Mirro Aluminum Company from Manitowoc Wisconsin. The timer I found was only $.99 and is called the Mirro-matic. It is made with a full aluminum body and a plastic face and is from the 1960s. The timer was made by Robertshaw Controls (from Lebanon Tennessee) in collaboration with Mirro. This little guy is over 60 years old and looks great and still keeps perfect time! Wouldn’t it be nice if everything was made this well? There is no way I could part with this thrift store find. It goes perfectly with my retro kitchen!

Roseville Bookend

Sometimes having good fortune at thrift stores means looking in unusual places. A few weeks ago, walking down an aisle of office supplies, I found this bookend. I immediately picked it up and recognized it as a piece of Roseville art pottery, which I LOVE! What was it doing there? Somehow it was misshelved and I was the lucky duck to find it! Roseville Pottery came out of Roseville Ohio. This area became a real epicenter for art pottery and was the home of McCoy, Weller, and RRP as well. This piece is part of the 1937 art deco Thornapple collection. A pair of these can be sold for over $150. So, imagine what an exciting day it was to discover this lost solo bookend in a thrift store for only $2.99!!

A Roseville pottery ceamic bookend of a blossom with leaves holding up a row of vintage books. It's one of my new thrift store finds.

THE THRILL OF IT ALL

It’s no secret that I find thrift stores thrilling! I never know how the trip is going to go, some days are exciting and glorious and some days are slim pickings. But, it’s still one of my favorite things to do! It’s so FUN to rescue these lost items and give them a chance at a new life. I love my new thrift store finds and learning more about them! Where did they come from, and how much are they worth? I am always surprised that I can find wonderful items from the 30s, 40s, and 50s almost every time I go. I really encourage you all to take a second look at your local thrift stores and see what gems you might find! So let’s get thrifty, let’s get adventurous, and let’s get excited! But most of all let’s get HOMEY!

Amazon is a great source for books to learn more about vintage items, like Roseville Pottery, the Ohio Art Company, and this book on Vintage Living.
If you enjoyed this post, see my article “McCoy Pottery So Cheerful and So Special: I Love It!“