Halloween Monster Fun Find

It's always fun to find something extra in the items I buy at garage and estate sales.  Usually, I find them in in books, entrapped for years in the dark of the pages.  It might be a pressed flower, a four-leaf clover, lost love notes or even hidden tardy slips.  Over the summer I even found two $2 bills tucked inside a CB jargon book.

I was at an estate sale a couple of weeks back and found a few Halloween records.  One was "Sounds to Make You Shiver" by Pickwick Records published in 1974.

I'm Cuckoo for Thermo-Serv!

I went to the annual Gramond subdivision garage sale this past week.  It was pretty much a bust.  Participation seems to be dropping in neighborhood sales as was evidenced by this and the Canterleigh Estates sale a few weeks back.  But I didn't come away empty-handed.  I did find this Sonny the Cuckoo Cocoa Puffs Thermo-serv mug for one thin dime.

I'm pretty sure it's vintage and features Sonny in his original striped shirt.

Essentially, these mugs are simply clear plastic, watertight (usually) mugs with a paper insert.  Be warned, they sometimes leak, so take care when washing.  Considering their proliferation, there's remarkably little information about Thermo-serv on the internet.  I think most people have had a Thermo-serv mug in their homes at one time or another.  Those featuring beer labels are probably the most common.  In fact, I have a standing order from a friend to grab any beer-themed Thermo-serv mugs I come across.  Even the Farrah cup I found a few weeks back was a Thermo-serv.  Searching the internet, I found no other examples of the Cocoa Puffs mug or any other cereal-themed Thermo-serv mugs.  Anyone seen one of these before?

Yet Another Coffee Table

I know what you're thinking.  How many coffee tables does this guy need?  Let's just say I drink a lot of coffee.  Plus I can't pass up a steal on a midcentury piece like this.  I found this table at an estate sale about a month ago.  I paid $4 for it.  Unlike most of my finds, it didn't require a full restoration. 

The feet were fairly corroded.

A Major(s) Find

I found this Thermo-serv mug featuring Farrah Fawcett Majors from 1977 for 50 cents at an estate sale this past weekend.

Midcentury Coffee Table

Earlier this Summer, my wife and I attended the garage sale of a friend of hers.  One of her sisters was selling yet another Mid-century coffee table in less than ideal condition.  It was topped by a matching glass top that was cracked.  We ended up buying the piece for $7.  I brought it home and began restoration.

The first to go was the glass top.  There was nothing I could do with it and I think even if hadn't been cracked, I would have gotten rid of it since I liked the look of the table better without it.

After disassembling the piece, I taped off the white tile inlays (sorry, apparently, I failed to get a picture of the top prior to disassembly!)

A Very Cool Midcentury Estate Sale

Today was the annual Canterbury Place Subdivision sale in Affton.  It's been a tradition to attend it for at least the past 10 years.  While it isn't a grandiose as it once once, it still delivers great finds and today was no exception.  Now to be fair, this estate sale was actually in the subdivision next to Canterbury Place, Saxon Manor.  At one time, Saxon Manor also held it's subdivision-wide sale on the same day and you could spend the entire day roaming the joined neighborhoods.

At one time, garage sales were a good source for midcentury items, but as that generation ages, sadly the best source has become estate sales.  This sale was private, so the prices were reasonable and the crowd was low.  Here are a few of the finds I made (and a few I had to let go).

First up is this fun Danish Modern barware set. Labeled E60 St Park Ave, it features a mixing spoon, a garnish fork, bottle opener and ice tongs.  Oh, and a fine gentleman complete with top hat and cane dru...ahem...sleeping in a rubbish basket.  He was priced at $1.

A New Vista

I went to an estate sale in Affton with a specific piece in mind.  I've been looking for a Midcentury Modern piece which I could convert into an audio/video component cabinet.  I saw this picture on estatesales.net