Brimfield Antiques Show

I love old things – in particular, the ordinary, household type stuff. My eyes light up over old typewriters, fans, phones, shelves, tableware, books, tools - and the cheaper the better. Prior to eBay, you could find this stuff for a song – but alas, in the days before eBay my budget was even tighter than it is now – and now it seems that every person wants to get big bucks for any “vintage” item over twenty years old.

After trooping through the Brimfield fairgrounds for hours and discovering that the best deal to be had was lunch (a delicious turkey sandwich and some homemade french-fries) I was heading back to the car when I decide to revisit the very first vendor I had visited. This stand had a box full of porcelain glove maker’s hands. And at $10 a piece they weren’t a steal, but I didn’t want to walk away empty handed so I decide to get one. That was when I say the fan – an Emerson, probably 1930s –with a new cord and in working condition. All the other fans I had spied had been priced well over $50, but this one was $35 so I bought it. Now it’s reasonably cleaned up and sitting in my front room near the TV and sofa. The hand is in the nearby window, waving to everyone outside.