The TV Lamp Collectors Blog

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The wife and I decided to spend Saturday hitting area antique shops in the never-ending quest for vintage pottery. We found some cool stuff, but only after sifting through a lot of “junk”. Sound familiar? I suppose the thing that really bugs me on such outings is the incredible number of “antique malls/shops” that don’t sell antiques. Actually, in theory at least, the term “antiques” refers to items at least 100 years old, furniture more often than not. But that’s not usually what I’m after, and it’s the word “collectibles” that more closely describes the things I seek, smaller things, things not quite so old. (I believe mid-century lamps fall nicely into that category) A great number of folk are searching for just such collectibles when they go antiquing, and most places cater to just such shoppers. Then there’s the ones that don’t have antiques, that don’t have collectibles. They’re all about catering to this sort of faux-nostalgic junk that I have an array of creative names for: country-chic, granny-chic, and a few that I won’t repeat here. One can recognize these places the moment you enter the door, as the pungent smell of potpourri is positively lethal. A quick scan of the establishment will reveal all sorts of rustic/victorian-era things, most crafted less than five years ago and painted in pastel shades of blue, pink, or green. Plenty of decorative things made from tin will be in evidence (hand-painted watering pails and the like) as well as sand-sculptures of dogs and children. Did I mention the eye-watering stench of potpourri?
Now I have no objection to such places, as long as I don’t have to shop there. They aren’t antique shops and they don’t place any emphasis on genuinely vintage items at all, but instead cater to those whose taste in interior decoration leans in the direction of “Little House”, Hee-Haw or Green Acres. Getting duped into entering such establishments, whose signs or adverts prominently declare themselves to be antique shops, is a real disappointment. I suppose that any great quest has its hazards along the way, even the search for antiques and collectibles!
Whew, I’ve wanted to get that off my chest for a long time. I’m usually easy-going, and anything but opinionated… but that’s only because I allow myself to vent once in a while! So what did we come home with? Above all we found wall pockets, a peripheral collectible that my wife has been gathering for a few years. One of them is from a pottery in Morton, Ill., but as is usually the case with wall pockets, most are of unknown origin. Scherrie had a productive day. I saw quite a few interesting things, but was in an unusually selective mood, yet I did find a Kron table lamp that I hadn’t seen before… $10. I also added yet another Bug-a-roo to my collection for a mere $15. (you know, Bug-a-roo, The Miracle Lamp) But the real catch of the day was a great vintage palm tree table lamp. (shown at top) Very Polynesian, very “Tiki”. Unmarked, the glaze is vaguely Phil-Mar like, but who knows? Anyhow, it’s in fantastic shape. Even the shade, which could be the original, is good, with all the lacing intact. I paid the princely sum of $50, but I wasn’t going home without it. So, ’till next time, be safe and watch out for the potpourri!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am and is filed under Miscellaneous Ramblings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.