Back in my first post of the season, I mentioned I'd found a grail this year that I'd been on the hunt for for years. I went to a sale last spring that promised vintage Halloween. I showed up maybe an hour after the sale had opened and found the Halloween in the basement. It had already been gone through, but there were still a few good items I picked up including some Gurley candles (stay tuned for a later post). My daughter and I were both at the sale and thought we had looked through everything before finally checking out and leaving.
I went back the next day thinking I might pick up a few other remaining items at 50% off. I went back down in the basement where the Halloween items had been and found this guy sitting on the shelf, plain as day.
I don't know how we missed it or how it was possible no one else had bought him. He's a Rosbro hard plastic candy holder from the 1950's. He was priced at $2. I know, because I still haven't taken the tag off.
Being it was 50% off day, I got him for $1.
I mentioned he was a grail of mine, but I could have easily bought him online or at an antique mall, they're not that rare. But my goal was to find one in the wild for a good price and I did. They typically sell in the $50 to $60 range.
I've written about Rosbro in the past and their collectability continues to increase, particularly in the past few years.
Wow! Congratulations on the great "in the wild" find. This is definitely a tale of why people should consider going back on Day 2 and looking with fresh eyes. ... Is there any personal connection in particular that made this gorgeous piece a "holy grail" for you?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, no. I never had these Rosbro plastics as a kid. But as I began to find them in my early days of garage saling, I began to appreciate them like other vintage Halloween. I guess the fact that he's a scarecrow gives him some points with me as well. The only Halloween decoration we had in our house as a kid was a scarecrow my mom would put on the porch each year. Now THAT is my holy grail. As it turns out, it was a Harold Gale Scarecrow and is extremely rare.
DeleteI wonder if someone hid him the first day intending to come back? It is odd that you would miss him.
ReplyDeleteThat did cross my mind and people do do it for sure. Although, I would have snatched him up at $2 and certainly wouldn't have risked him being there the next day for a measly $1 savings.
Deleteit's always such a great feeling to get a grail item in the wild, especially for an eye-popping deal. Like Chris mentioned, I'd like to know what made this a grail item for you, too.
ReplyDeleteMy most recent one fell into my lap -- the Hamilton Beach 1950s DrinkMaster, which you know about. I never thought i'd find one in the wild, let alone for a price i'd want to pay. But then a friend casually pointed one out to me at an as-is thrift, saying "Hey, want a blender? haha" and it was something like $5. i immediately said "OMG YES!" -- she thought i was joking! That was months ago now, and i'm still coasting on the high from that score.
Congrats on the DrinkMaster. We have a newer one and it makes great malts.
DeleteAs for why that was my grail, as I explained to Chris, my love of Rosbro plastics just grew as I came across them. I love both their Halloween and Christmas pieces. They're just so kitschy. And also as I explained, I have a thing for Scarecrows ever since I was a kid. They just always screamed "Halloween". Well, not literally, that would be horrifying.
Thanks. Not sure if i updated you on it at the time, but i replaced the brushes on the motor and took it apart to clean it and found it very clean. it was either well taken-care of, or rarely used. I also removed the condenser inside, which i guess is prone to causing a nasty shock, and is no longer needed. I didn't get it for making malts -- that's a side benefit, i guess. It's the go-to for flash-mixing tiki drinks and other cocktails. I'll keep an eye out for scarecrows for you. : )
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