Estate Sale Friday

I thought I'd start a post called "Estate Sale Friday" and share some of my adventures of searching for antiques at estate sales.

Going to estate sales is not as glamorous as one may think. In fact, it's quite exhausting as many of you know. Getting up at the crack of dawn to stand in line, rain or shine. Some camp out overnight in their cars to be first in line in the morning. I don't know about other cities, but the antique dealers here in San Francisco (yes, you guys) can be pretty competitive, ie; pushing and shoving people out of the way, ripping up sign-up sheets that we added our names to hours earlier, and more horrific stories.

I have been doing this for many years and have some "whopper" estate sale stories. I look forward to sharing them on this blog!

Thanks heavens today was a mellow day with a 10:00 am sale in the pretty city of Burlingame, 20 miles south of San Francisco. My friend Renee and I showed up about 1/2 early to be pleasantly surprised that there were only about 30 of us in line. Is that a bad sign?

What's this in the backyard? A preview of what's inside? Eeks!

Can anyone tell me what this is?

Nothing much to speak of in the kitchen...

A nice pair of brass sconces, but not quite early enough for me...

Love the piano...no room for it in the van...

Renee is checking out a vintage clock...

Nice silver set, but I think I'll pass...

Lovely crystal chandelier, but unfortunately it stays with the house...

This vintage inlaid chair is nice, but not quite my style...

An inlaid box...

Aha! Love this pair of Victorian chairs near the piano. They have carved musical instruments on the back...unique...perfect for a music room...okay, they're mine!

So there it is. A total of 45 minutes spent to wait in line, peruse the house, and buy a pair of chairs. But, not so fast...they need to go to the upholsterer to be glued and tightened. That's just part of the business. There were no "pushers and shovers" today. Just a mellow day.

Stay tuned for future Friday estate sales and join me in my hunt for treasures! Hope you enjoyed the sale. Hopefully next sale will be more successful!