Bless This House O Lord We Pray

We went to an Estate Sale last week and found something I've never run across before. In the linen closet, stacked together neatly, was a HUGE stack of calendar towels, with dates stretching back through several decades. I thought I had hit the Motherlode!!

But, this wise lady had used her interesting towels after the year passed, and many were too faded to purchase. She knew what only a few apparently know ... that these linen calendar towels are absolutely GREAT for drying dishes, particularly glassware. They don't leave any lint or smears behind. So she not only had a beautiful 2008 calendar on her kitchen wall, but had enjoyed her collection every day, as they were displayed on the towel rack, and as she put her dishes away.

We did find several to buy that were still in very good condition, though, that I will be adding to the ones we already have for sale in our Collectibles Catalog. I always look for these interesting calendar towels when we go on our Friday Date Day, because they are colorful, are easy for me to store, and they don't break in shipment!

And I must not be the only one who enjoys them, because I've lost count of how many we have sold over the years. Some are bought because of the year they show, others for the attractive pictures, and some, such as this one might be, for the sayings that are written on them. But whatever the reason for the purchase, not many of them stay in stock for very long.

McDonald's - King of the Advertising Premiums!!

I don't know that my title is accurate, but it certainly seems so. Premiums have always been a traditional part of advertising on the part of many companies, and we enjoy looking for advertising collectibles when we go on our Date Day, and have several from different companies for sale in our Dirty Butter Collectibles Catalog. But I am always amazed when I do the research on what I think is going to be some obscure item, only to find many similar items for sale on the internet. These free things from the past just LAST!

Such was my surprise when I did the research for the Garfield and Odie glass coffee mugs shown here, which were give-aways from McDonald's in the late 70's. Their quality is extremely high, and it just amazes me that a company that sells such cheap food could give away such a high quality item. But they did, and perhaps still do, so it works for them. Says something about their profit margin, doesn't it??

I know families go to McDonald's because of the playgrounds, but I also know that my dear hubby ate lunch at McDonald's over an extended period of time just to collect all the 101 Dalmatian puppies for our grandson! Obviously, we are not the only ones who eat the burgers to get the toys. LOL!!

So if you like Garfield comics and want some different coffee cups, you might like to take a look at our pair of these 70's premium collectible mugs in our Catalog.

I Love Vintage Tin Containers

Yes, I love old tins.

It's one of my "worst" weaknesses when we go to Estate Sales, because I just don't seem to be able to resist them. It takes some careful picking through those up for sale to be sure that we come home with the ones that are not dented or showing signs of rust, but the time spent being picky is certainly worth it.

I'm particularly fond of the old advertising food tins, which can be cleaned up and used in a display, but can also hold the original food, too. The old Nabisco tin shown here can be used to hold the same number of crackers as the 4 stack box of crackers.

I even keep all my odds and ends of spools of thread and sewing notions in an old tin.

Do you like old storage containers, or do you have a display of vintage tins? Do you give homemade baked goods gifts in old Christmas tins? What other uses can you think of for using these fantastic old containers? I look forward to hearing your ideas, as it may give me an "excuse" to go buy some more! LOL!

Our Dirty Butter Collectibles Shoppe is Now Filling with Interesting Collectibles

I've been busy adding items to almost every category of collectible we have in our DIRTY BUTTER ESTATES Collectibles SHOPPE. This mask is one of my favorites, because of the rich color of the tanned leather, and the fascinating way it is made. When you look at the back you can see that it is molded from one piece of leather.

You'll find vintage linen calendars, souvenir mugs, church commemorative plates, vintage games, tin bowls, Homer Laughlin china, and many other unique items. So please take a few minutes and browse through our catalog. You're sure to find something for yourself or a gift for that special person.

We have lots more to add from all the treasures we have found on our Friday Date Day, when we enjoy going to Estate Sales, yard sales, and thrift stores. So if there's something in particular you are looking for, please contact us. We'll be glad to post your request for help finding it, or for information about some unusual item passed down through your family, or maybe you've lucked up on something at a yard sale and are curious about it. Whatever the reason, we'll be glad to post your request.

Our NEW Dirty Butter Collectibles Shoppe is OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

Well, I've finally done it. Our large selection of vintage collectibles have been orphans now for quite awhile, as we closed our eBay store some time ago, and I had not found the time to put them online in our own catalog. I've been too busy working on our Plush Animal Shoppe Catalog. But I'm glad I took the time to work on the vintage items, since I really enjoy showing off all the old things we've collected over the years.

I've made a small dent in our inventory the last few days as I worked to fill our own Dirty Butter Estates Collectibles Shoppe Catalog. I've started with the Porcelain, Pottery, and Glass items, so now a small number of our items are online.

We give s/h discounts for multiple purchases, and we do welcome International buyers. Please contact us to get a price for International s/h, or the combined s/h charge for multiple purchases.

If we make an error in estimating the s/h charge for an item we do make partial refunds of s/h fees via PayPal or credit toward a future purchase. Light unbreakable items will ship in bubble envelopes, while breakable items will ship via Parcel Post or Priority Mail in boxes. We do ship internationally to countries that PayPal allows. We accept Money Orders and credit or debit card payments through PayPal. You do not have to join PayPal to pay for an item using them.

So, how about the attractive plate I've shown here? This plate is one of 5 in a set of commemorative plates depicting various buildings on the campus of Harding University in Arkansas. The black transfer ware designs are very detailed, and my photography doesn't do them justice.

I hope you enjoy looking through our treasures and reading all about them, and maybe you'll even find something that you just can't live without!!!

Do You Know What This Is?????????????????

One of our readers has been trying to figure out what this unusual vintage item is.

I found your blog and noticed that it mentioned that if someone was looking for a 'particular vintage collectible' to contact you. I'm kind of working in reverse... I'm wondering if you would know what this item is...

Its total length is no more than 6 inches. I'm really at a loss, and would appreciate any help you can offer. Or if you can direct me to someone that could help, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
Sheila

The first thing that popped into my mind was that this is part of a desk set from the quill pen era. They used fine sand in a container to pour on the paper, so the ink would dry without smearing.

The other thing that came to mind is some kind of unusual open salt, back when people didn't use salt shakers at the dinner table.

I did suggest that Shelia email Kovel's Komments, on the chance they would choose her object to identify for their free newsletter. If you know another place that might be able to help, please let us know.


OK, I put out my guesses.... now it's YOUR TURN.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS????

Reader Needs HELP Finding Mother's Carnival Glass Bowl

Carnival Glass collecting involves a lot of reading, research, and spending time studying examples of the original pieces, in order to tell the reproductions from the originals. With that said, we received this email recently from someone who was looking at our Dirty Butter Estates items on eBay, but I'm just not knowledgeable enough to be able to answer our reader, who is also named Rosemary. If you could help her out, I'm sure she would really appreciate any information or suggestions for resources she might use to find a picture for her mother to see.

In the late 1920's early 30's my mother won a carnival glass dish/bowl by tossing a coin in the dish. She had the dish for many years but it got broken. My sister and I have been looking for one for years. My mother said it was about 6-8 inches across and plain. She describes it something like a console bowl. She said it had lines underneath and rounded down at the top. I saw something on e-bay that might be it, but not sure. It is a salad bowl. Do you know of anything like this?

Rosemary

If you or a friend is knowledgeable in this area of collecting, I'd appreciate it if you would post a comment, or send this post to your friend.

Do You Remember Premiums??

Every once in a while when we find something unusual at an Estate Sale, we buy it, even though we don't have a clue what it might be worth, just for the education it can give us when we do the research.

This glass oven ware pan was just such a find last week, that I couldn't resist. What intrigued me was the big logo in the bottom with the cursive name of Mary Dunbar in it. I had never heard of that name before, but when I did the research on her, I found some very interesting information. I even found a forum where her grand daughter was chatting about what her grandmother had accomplished!

It seems that Mary Dunbar was the name given to the Jewel Tea Co.'s spokesperson in the 1920's. The lady who went by that company name was the head of the company's test kitchen, and wrote a series of cookbooks and a monthly newsletter. She is credited with the invention of the 7 minute icing recipe. There was even a Mary Dunbar seal of approval, much like the Good Housekeeping seal of today.

It seems that the Jewel Tea Co. put coupons in with their various spices and tea products, and those coupons could be redeemed for various household goods. The most well known of these was the Hall China Co. Autumn Leaf pattern china and related items. This pattern in highly collectible today. Our loaf pan was probably one of those premium items.

We have this Mary Dunbar pan listed on eBay now, if you're interested.

Premium items used to be so common. Banks gave you clocks and toasters for joining, and Service Stations gave out knives with fill-ups. I'm sure you can think of a lot more such give-aways. The customer was KING in those days. Now you're lucky if you get a pen with the company name on it, or a refrigerator magnet!!

Hmmmmmm .... something's changed over the years, hasn't it?? Now, it seems as if the mentality of most businesses and clerks is that they are doing us a favor by deigning to do business with us. I liked it better the way it used to be, thank you very much!!

Great Fun on our Date Day Yesterday

We had one of the best Date Days, as far as finding bargains is concerned, that we've had in a long time. We actually found an Estate Sale where the daughter wanted to SELL, not price everything so high that people just looked and left. We had handfuls of things, and ended up paying for one batch and taking it to the car, and then coming back for more!! We were like kids in a candy store, except it was future $$$$ signs that we were seeing.

We also went to one sale where they advertised that there was a lot of "old stuff." I would hate to be that fellow's neighbors, as his property, front and back, was one huge junk yard. We bought one nasty shaving mug for a dollar, but it will clean up into something I can add to my own collection of shaving and mustache mugs, strops, and razors. That one won't be going up for sale. Luckily, I've chosen to collect something that you don't find much of any more, so I'm not forever adding to it. I have no idea what possessed me to get interested in this particular type of item, but I find them fascinating.

This man's yard really made us both stop and laugh about what someone would think if they saw all the STUFF we've accumulated over the last few years from our forays at the yard and estate sales. Our poor children!! Well, as we've told them over and over, we have long since made our profit out of all of it, so they can just bag it all up and donate it to the local Thrift Store!

As hobbies go, ours is really not so bad, because it at least pays for itself! But it does take a lot of time to inventory it all, take pictures, and write the descriptions for eBay and for selling on our own website. I'm so far behind now that I can't possibly get everything listed, no matter how hard I might try. We kept buying, as an outlet to get away from our care giving responsibilities, even though I didn't have time to list anything, and it went on that way for almost 2 years! Now we have bags and storage boxes just packed to the overflowing with who knows how many stuffed animals destined for our Plush Animal Shoppe and vintage breakables waiting to be listed in our Dirty Butter Estates store.

Hmmmm... maybe I'd better stop blogging and get busy listing, eh??

1000th POSITIVE Feedback!!

Our eBay site, Dirty Butter Estates, has just received its 1000th feedback - 100% POSITIVE!

I feel like celebrating!!