The addiction: Transferware

It's no secret, I loves me some transferware. Love, love, love it. If you missed them, you can see some flea market posts where I scored some of my transferware here and here.
This past week we were fooled by the interwebs (what?  fooled by the interwebs?  yes, yes we were).  What was listed as a flea market turned out to be something like Goodwill, except that they had a little wine shop in one corner (I love Europeans!).  We were disappointed but decided to have a look around anyway and James Bond came upon a huge amount of transferware at a ridiculously low price.  He also spotted a red transferware coffee pot and some brown transferware cups and saucers.  Since I first told him I ♥ transferware he's become intent upon finding it.  He's got a really good eye and can spot it from a mile away.
Anyhoo, for the price, we had to have it.  Had.  We put it all in a big carton and hauled it up to the cash register.  The 3 brown cups and 4 brown plates had no price on them and the guy at the register (who also happened to be the owner) told us not to worry about it and didn't charge us for it!  We only paid for the blue pieces and the red coffee pot.  I won't even tell you how little we paid for it.  It's kind of embarrassing.  When we got home and unpacked the box there were 40 (FORTY) pieces in total-7 brown, 1 red and 32 blue.  Craziness!
We washed everything and then had to find a place to put it.  As I was shoving things out of the way praying we'd have room for it all I realized we might have an addiction.   I took photos of most of what we own so you could see how insane it's gotten.  I've sold several pieces on my etsy shop Tres Magnifique.  Each one I sold took a tiny piece of my heart with it. 

Here are our coffee pots and some of the sugar and creamers and a water jug we have.  The blue and red at the far right with the round lids are the same pattern.  The teal coffee pot and water jug (second row, left) are my favorite pattern.  Of course we have the fewest pieces of it.  One of the coffee pots is missing its lid (back row, center), but it makes a fantastic vase, especially for tulips.  I'd really like to have more tea pots (they are shorter and squatter than the coffee pots) but the coffee pots seem to be the most popular.  These aren't all relegated to a cabinet.  I have several of  them scattered around the house as part of the decor.  It would be a shame if they were never seen.

Okay, on to the cabinets.  These are our dinner plates and stacks of cups and saucers, bowls with handles (I adore those!) and random sugar and creamers.

You'll notice that there are multiple patterns. I'm not picky about pattern unless it's one that I find particularly unappealing.

Here's a close up of some of the cups, saucers and bowls.  Seriously, are those bowls not the cutest things you've ever seen?

Dinner plates!  I think there are 37 here and I have about 25 more not shown (yikes).  FTR, we actually use these as our dishes, which is why the patterns are all mixed up.  While there are several patterns, we do actually have enough of one pattern (same color) for a 12 piece service of dinner plates, salad plates and bowls and 8 cups and saucers.  We don't match them for our every day use.  It makes for a pretty and colorful table to have them all mixed up.

Cabinet number 2 holds small plates (salad size), bowls, serving pieces and more cups and saucers and more random sugar and creamers.  The small salad plates (24) are on the left on the bottom shelf and bowls (19)  are on the right.  The bowls are shallow, but we've found we like them.

Closer view of the upper shelves with some lovely serving pieces.

Covered dish and gravy boat.

Close up of some of the cups and saucers and sugar and creamers.  Notice the stacks and stacks of saucers and dessert plates in the back.

I think we might need an intervention! 

We find these at flea markets all over Europe and honestly pick them up for a song.  James Bond and I both take pleasure in spotting these treasures among the other flotsam and jetsam sitting on tables or piled in boxes and James bond takes extreme pleasure in getting me to haggle on the price.  If he would learn his numbers in German he could do the haggling, but he says it's easier to stand there looking like he's unhappy with the price while I try to talk them down.  Whatever.

Oh, I should also mention that after I took these photos, I discovered that I had another cabinet below the counter containing 19 plates, 17 bowls and 18 salad plates.  Yikes!

The suitcases: A story

Anyone who's ever been to my house knows I love old trunks and hard leather suitcases. You know, the kind you see in old movies. Currently I have 2 trunks and 10 suitcases of varying size. I'm not sure exactly what the lure of suitcases is, but I like to imagine where they've been and what adventures they might have seen.
When we lived in Heidelberg, there was a flea market held once or twice a month within walking distance of our house and we went as often as possible. To my joy there were always suitcases, but I didn't buy them unless they "spoke" to me (that's right, I'm the Suitcase Whisperer). One little old man, Joseph (mid-late 70's), usually had 1 or 2 great suitcases that I would snap up. He often priced them too low and I would pay him more, just because. Silly, I know to argue with a bargain, but I couldn't just walk away paying so little. It got to where he started calling me the Frau Koffer (Mrs. Suitcase) every time he saw me. One weekend there was a 2 day flea market and I went both days. The first day he had a small brown suitcase (12"x21"x6") that appealed to me. I bought it for €8 (he wanted €5). He told me to come back the next day, because he had something special for me.
The next day, I wandered over to see what he had, and he pulled 2 small suitcases from under his table (12"x21"x6" and 10"x17"x5") that I had to have the moment I saw them.  I had usually passed by all black suitcases, preferring brown, but there was something about these that made me want them.  He offered them to me for €10 together.  I told him that was too low and paid him €15, when he flat out refused to take the €20 I offered.  I took the suitcases to my car (we had errands to run later, so we drove) and went back to look around more.  When I passed by his little space again, he waved me over.   He said he had a story his wife (who was always there) said he had to "tells" me, but didn't want to tell me unless I bought the suitcases so it wouldn't seem like he was just trying to sell them.
He proceeded with his story and I simply couldn't believe I was understanding correctly as his English was broken, my German wasn't much better and there was loads of gesturing involved.  I had to know if I was hearing what I thought I was hearing and told him to wait a moment while I went to get a lady from another stall I was familiar with, and who I knew spoke both languages (don't worry, her husband was there to watch the stall so I wasn't taking her away from business).  She happily came (probably because I'd spent so much money over the months at her stall) and translated the story he told and the questions I asked.
The suitcases had belonged to his wife's parents.  His wife was Jewish.  She had not been born when World War II happened, but her parents were a young couple, married in the mid-1930's.  Her father was a tailor in a small town near Mannheim.  We all know how safe it was to be Jewish during the years leading up to and during the war.  In mid-1938, just a few months before Kristallnacht, her parents packed everything they could in those 2 suitcases and one other that he no longer had, and decided to flee to the Netherlands.  They then went on to Denmark and finally to Sweden where they stayed until the end of the war.  When they came back to Germany they found everything they owned had been confiscated by the Nazi party (and likely scavenging citizens) and the small tailor shop, with their apartment above, destroyed.   With the exception of what they had packed in those very small suitcases they had nothing.  With the help of the friends who returned, and Allied troops they rebuilt their lives, bought a small house outside of town (where Joseph and his wife live today) and the suitcases were  put in the attic and forgotten until they were pulled out a few months back and hauled to the flea market.  They were toted back and forth several times, before he decided they likely weren't going to sell.  Until he got to know me that is.
I asked him if he was certain he wanted to sell them, thinking surely someone in the family would want to keep them.  He said none of their children or grandchildren wanted them and he'd rather they be sold to someone who did, rather than toss them in the rubbish.
I thanked him for telling me their history and promised I would appreciate them and their brush with history. When I got home with my historical treasures  I pondered what I would pack if forced to flee my home with only a few small suitcases.  While there are wars raging across the world I feel confident knowing that there is an infinitesimally small chance that the choice this young couple made will ever be one I have to make and I'm grateful for it.  The suitcases now sit stacked with a few other in my home where they remind me every day to be thankful for what I have and the relative safety and security I enjoy.

More flea market goodness!!!

You guys know by now how much I love a good flea market, right? Of course you do! I had wanted to go back to Metz, France this past weekend for their big flea market, but Indy had a soccer game, so I had to put in the mom duty. A few weeks ago we had another glorious Saturday here in Heidelberg and James Bond, Indy and I went to the local flea market (they hold them once or twice a month). We slept in quite late, so by the time we got there, many of the vendors were packing up. This is great though, because you can score super deals. They'd rather make some money than pack it all up and take it home.  I found a guy with a few pieces of my favorite pattern.  He sold me 2 cups and saucers and 2 salad plates for 3 Euro:

We came across a lady with a van FULL of transferware.  Heaven!  She had been a collector for years and was now selling if off.  She had beautiful stuff.  Beautiful and expensive.  She had entire sets of Villeroy and Boch dinnerware, complete with all the serving pieces.  I wanted them, but 105 pieces costs a whole lot of Euro, and she wasn't willing to break up the sets.  She had already started packing them up, but let me peek around inside her van and I found a set that I loved!  She let me pull it out and I knew I had to have it.  I love green plates and these were beautiful.  It had 6 plates, 6 bowls (2 different, but patterns), a serving platter, 2 serving bowls, sugar, creamer and 1 small plate.

She wanted 40 Euro for the whole set, but we didn't have that much and wouldn't have paid it anyway.  I had 20 Euros and some change, and she said, that would be fine!  Huzzah!  Then, she threw in a coffee pot, sugar and creamer for free! 

For 23 Euro and some change, we came home with this:

I have to say, I'm not a big fan of the coffee pot, sugar and creamer, but James Bond likes it, and it was free, so who am I to gripe?  I did look it up on Replacements, Ltd, and it's pretty expensive.  I feel bad that she just threw it in, being that it's worth so much, but I certainly couldn't turn it down.

I can't WAIT for the next flea market!

Flea Market Fun and the box of mystery!

Saturday was a glorious day here in Heidelberg, and happily there was a flea market at the Messeplatz. Huzzah! There is usually a flea market twice a month and if there's good weather, the vendors are out in full force and bargains abound. Oh, yes, this is my idea of fun. I've shown you flea market photos before so I didn't bother to take my camera.  I was shopping!  There was so much stuff!  One of the things I love about this flea market is that some vendors are there every month rain or shine (which is handy if you've done business with them and like them) , but most vendors are new every time with a hodge podge of stuff.  Oh, the possibilities!   I was on the lookout for some tansferware (because I love it, and it's crazy expensive in the States, but over here, it's everywhere) and boy did I find it.
My favorite kinds of vendors are not those who are professional flea marketers.  You know the kind, they have big wagons or RV's and display their goods in an organized manner.  They also price their stuff pretty high and are less willing to really bargain.  Yes, they make it easy to find things and everything is all pretty and clean, but they're not a lot of fun if you're looking for bargains.  One vendor was loaded with transferware and had full sets.  Oh, how I drooled.  A lot.  He had an entire set of Villeroy and Bosch transferware that was gorgeous and included place settings for 6, about 8 serving pieces, a complete coffee and complete tea service set, all in the same pattern.  Believe me, I wanted it.  He, however wanted 250 Euro for the set.  I have to say this is actually a great deal (one 5 piece place setting retails on Replacements Ltd. for $119), but not what I was willing to spend at a flea market, especially since I've picked up pieces for as little as 2-3 Euro each.  Still, I walked past his booth about 10 times and stopped to admire his transferware so many times it was almost embarrassing. This was also a HUGE mistake if you are looking for a bargain.  If you show too much interest, they're not as willing to bargain.  I knew he wasn't willing to come down, so I didn't care. It was pretty and I wanted to look at it.  Looking is free.
Now the people who just have stuff randomly set up on tables and boxes and boxes of stuff haphazardly placed, these are my people.  They generally don't make a living off flea markets and are just out there selling boxes of  extra stuff they've picked up, inherited or  purchased at other flea markets.  They're out to make a few Euro and are really willing to haggle.  They'd rather sell their stuff than lug it back home and will take what they can get.  Oh, yes, these are my people!
I ran across one vendor who had many random boxes, so unopened that held goodness knows what.  He had a box of transferware that I thought had potential.  He wasn't very busy, which is good because that means they're usually more willing to bargain.  I wasn't really interested in all the pieces but did like the cups and saucers.  I picked up a piece or two to check their condition (near perfect!) and then walked away.   It was pretty, but if I don't absolutely love it, I like to keep looking.  If I don't find something I like even better, I'll go back and if the item is still available, I'll give it another thought.  I wandered around for about an hour and didn't find anything else in my price range (cheap) that I loved so I went back to box man.  Happily the box was still available and I asked how much for the whole box.  I didn't really want them all, but I figured, why not?  Box man gave me a price that was reasonable, but this wasn't my first picnic (or flea market as the case may be) and I know better than to agree to the first price.  I stood there with my best P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-poker face (thanks to Lady Gaga I can never hear or say that phrase without thinking of the song) looking like I was thinking about it, hoping he'd come down a few Euro.  Before I could say anything though he gave me another price that was less than HALF the original price.  I sputtered for a second and repeated the price.  The sun was beating down pretty hard and I could have been having a heat stroke and become delirious all of a sudden (plus there's the whole language thing-German numbers are weird).  Surely I had heard him wrong.  He repeated the price back to me (apparently I wasn't delirious) and THEN he offered me a second box that was closed for an additional few Euro.  He pulled a few pieces out to show me and said the rest was all similar.  I asked him if he was sure (maybe he was having a heat stroke) and he agreed.  I practically threw the money at him, scooped up the first box (I couldn't carry them both), assured him I'd be right back for the second and ran for my car.  I cam back as quickly as possible to scoop up the second box before he changed his mind.  He had a vintage apron in his hand that he offered to me as a Geschenk (free gift).  He packed it on top of the box of mystery and handed it to me.  I felt people staring at me as I ran for my car again, but that could have been because I might have been giggling like a crazy person.  I can't be sure of this though.  I won't tell you what I paid because it's almost embarrassingly low.
I hopped in my car and drove home wondering what was in my box of mystery.  I convinced James Bond to go downstairs and lug the heavy boxes up for me, so we could see what was inside.
Here is a photo of the box I wanted originally:

It contains 12 cups and saucers a sugar and creamer (all of the same pattern), plus 5 plates and 2 bowls (the blue) of varying patterns (including a matching plate to a few other pieces I've picked up along the way) and a few extra saucers of a different pink pattern.  Isn't that awesome???  But wait, there's more.

The box of mystery:

James Bond really liked the little...thing on the side.  I don't know why.  What he's saying roughly translates to "Your moving specialists" or something like that.

When we opened the box, we were stunned.  STUNNED!  I could NOT believe what was in there.  Can you believe this????

And they're all the same pattern!!!! There are 6 dinner plates, 5 soup/salad bowls, 2 serving bowls, a gravy boat with attached plate, a covered serving bowl and a 12" oval platter!  James Bond and I stared at each other for a few minutes before he congratulated me on my super score.  I actually felt guilty.  I wanted to go back and give Box Man more money, but the flea market was over by then.  This is a closeup of the platter:

It is made by Wedgewood (!!!) and the pattern is called Woodland.  One dinner plate costs more than what I paid for both boxes.  I love flea markets!!! 

Oh, wait, and here's the Geschenk:

Isn't that cute?  It's black and cream and he just threw it in the box!  For FREE! 

What a Metz!

ETA: I'm adding this to Nester's yard sale post in June 2011. Technically, this isn't a yard sale, but they don't really do those in Europe, so flea marketing it is!  There are a lot of photos of Metz before the flea market itself, but they're worth a look.


What a Metz!!!! Hahaha! I crack myself up. After the debacle of arriving in a timely fashion, I was so grateful to get to my hotel. I forgot to take a photo of the exterior, but it looked pretty much like any other building in a city in France. All smooshed together. I checked in and got Ulrika to her parking spot (you know, the one I had to go 12 blocks out of the way to get to, even though it could be seen from the hotel entrance) and hauled myself and my bags upstairs. This is a view up the old, winding, crooked stairwell. The banisters have been painted purple for some reason.



Here's a view down from my floor to the reception level. Reception was on the first floor, though the first floor in Europe is actually the second floor, or the first floor above the ground floor. Very confusing. My room was on the 2nd floor, which is really the 3rd floor, but whatever.


Oh, look, I'm in the Tanners room. Great, I hope it doesn't smell like leather and sweat. Just kidding. Each room is named for a historical event, place or person in Metz's history. Apparently tanning was a very important industry.


From the door.

Looking back at the door. I'm not sure why the second door with is there. The wall framing it doesn't go all the way to the ceiling.


Looking toward the bathroom.


I found this really interesting. It was an exposed beam. The lady at the desk told me the existing building dated from the late 1600's. How cool is that?


Oh, hey! Who's that?


The fireplace was marble and non-working.

The buildings across the street looks green because there is an optical shop with a green light up sign at street level.





The next morning I got up bright and early (far earlier than I intended thanks to the singing deliver guy), ate a quick breakfast, checked out and headed over to the Expo Hall. Oh, what wonders my eyes beheld! Row after row after ROW of sheer awesomeness!


COULD. YOU. DIE???



I loved this little stove! He wanted 200 Euro for it.

An antique crib.


These old prams (or pram wheels as the case may be) really wanted to come home with me, but where would I have put them?


Look at that blue ceramic heater!


China and transfer ware galore!


There were a lot of old doors and windows, but they were way overpriced. I thought these were beautiful.


So many things to look at!!!!


I discovered at the end of the day (the flea market shut down at noon!) you could score some really, really, really great deals. A bird in the hand and all that jazz. Have a look at what I brought home with me!!!


The binoculars are from the late 1800's. I love old cameras and binoculars. I paid 10 Euro for the accordion camera, 10 for the binoculars and 7 for the other camera. Score!


Silver! REAL silver. Lots of it!


These spoons caught my eye. They were unique. I wished they'd had more of them.


This bowl is silver and super heavy! I got it and most of the silverware for 10 Euro (end of the day bargain!). I wish I knew more about silver because there is a silversmith mark on the bottom. I'd love to know more about it.


This mandolin caught my eye and since Mr. HH has decided he wanted to start collecting old instruments, I thought, why not? It cost me 10 Euro!


And here is the big score of the day (according to Mr. HH). They originally wanted 25 Euro, but I talked them down to 15. Haha! Yay for end of the day! It needs a lot of work to be playable, but Mr. HH says it's doable and he's up for the challenge. If it were up to me, I'd just take it down to Herr Jonas at the music shop where we bought Indy's violin and have him fix it.


What I really liked about it was the case. It's made of wood and looks like a little coffin.


Here's a close up of one of the latches. Isn't it beautiful?


There was so much more I wanted to buy while I was there, but I had to hold myself back. I saw a ton of antique linens, but couldn't find any grain sacks. One lady told me that she'd had several, but they were all snapped up within 30 minutes of opening.
I discovered how abysmal my French is and was so grateful that most of the vendors spoke German. I can barter in German! Funny little story about the violin. I even learned a valuable lesson. I bought the violin from a vendor and on my way out I stopped by another booth to look at something. I set the violin down between feet and browsed for a moment, picked it up and walked further down the table. I was just glancing, so I put the violin on the table in front of me, keeping my hand on it at all times. The vendor babbled something at me in French, which I told her I didn't understand, and she switched to German. She was trying to charge me for the violin. She thought it was from her booth. She wanted 40 Euro (I originally paid 15). I explained to her that I had purchased it from another vendor and she argued with me. WHAT? I had to go get the other vendor, who thankfully was only a few booths away, and get him to come down and tell her that I had indeed purchased it from him, and did not owe her any money. They argued in French (I love how the French argue!) and he finally convinced her (vehemently!) that she was crazy (at least I assume that's what he said to her) and told me (in a mixture of German and English) that I could go. I hauled out of there before a) a fight broke out, b) I had to pay again for a violin I'd already purchased and/or c) the French police showed and I ended up thrown in jail for stealing a violin. So, the lesson from this? Never, ever, EVER put your purchases on another vendors table because they have so much junk stuff on their tables they don't know what's theirs and what's not.

I hope you enjoyed taking this little trip with me!