The Sheer Trash Roadshow: Vintage Dogs

I believe the expression is "bleary-eyed".

Is it just me, or has the world gone fuzzy?

Got to start downing the coffee, I'm babysitting a 2-year-old today. But before she arrives, let me tell you about the junking expedition my sister-in-law and I went on yesterday. 

After a few wrong turns and a bit of backtracking, we found the building where the sale was being held. There was a big sign directing us to the entry door, which we dutifully followed. We opened the door, and--ugh!! Major disappointment! The room was small, dim, and there appeared to be only two vendors, hovering desperately around their dreary displays of mostly cheap, new dollar store trash, with next to no vintage items in sight. 

After about 30 seconds of pretending to look politely (why are we, as women, so ridiculously worried about hurting someone's feelings in a situation such as this?) we gave each other a discreet "What a drag! Let's blow this scene!" signal and were about to depart in high (though temporarily concealed) dudgeon over being rooked into a fake, pathetic excuse for a flea market when one of the sellers asked, "Have you been in the other room?" and pointed to an unmarked door.

Other room? Other room? Oh, joy, there was another room! A great big open room with lots of tables and lots of windows and doors leading right out to the street where the organizers of the event could have so much more advantageously put their entrance signs but didn't. Good grief! I'm still shaking my head over that one. We so nearly left without even suspecting we'd missed the bulk of the sale. Much better. Good humor was restored.

Okay, time to make a long story short and show you the gems. 
It was a mostly "dogs and dolls" sort of haul. 

Today, let me show you the wonderful vintage dogs. We'll go from small to large.

En masse...

All righty! First off, let me admit I didn't actually get this little spaniel brooch at the flea market, but at an antique store down the street. I also paid more for it than I would normally part with, but it's a cute little pooch and I'm very fond of vintage plastic. This guy has no markings, but I'm reasonably sure it's celluloid and dates to the 1940s or 1950s. I forked out $8 for him. 

Next up, I must show you the cutest little rabbit-fur sweetheart!

 
I'm not even sure what this item was meant to be--it's got a little chain fastener like a tie clasp, but I can't imagine any self-respecting manly man of the 1960s era wearing one of these to the office. Personally, I'm going to let this dear dog dangle from a buttonhole in my jacket until I can figure out something more suitable. He's in mint condition with his original box, and was made in Japan. I didn't even realize the best part until I was taking this photograph:  I think it's a pomeranian! Or he could be an Alaskan Eskimo. Cute perky ears mostly obscured with fur, and a high-held plume of a tail. This small treasure was $5.00 and I was very happy to pay it.

Next, we have...

...a most adorable jointed plush pink poodle. I've posed  him (her?) here in the classic "Let's play!" dog language stance. What a cutie! A steal at $3. Or was it $4? Anyway, a steal! 

Someone had brought a stack full of embroidered gingham quilt blocks to sell; each featured a different animal. They wanted $3 apiece for them--outlandish price--but I got the price down to $1 each and came home with a few.

Okay, now for the big guy:

 
And he is big. This hollow hard plastic bassett hound measures a good 15 inches long and stands 9 inches tall. The question is, what is it, exactly? My first thought was that it was a coin bank, but there's no slot anywhere. Yet, underneath, there's a removable plug. My sister-in-law hazarded a guess that this dog is an old lawn ornament, and that the plug was so it could be filled with sand or gravel to weight it down. That answer's as good as any I can think of, but if anyone reading this knows different, I hope you'll leave a comment and explain this unusual vintage item. I'm very hopeful about selling him in Peppy's shop; I paid about $8 for him, but he had originally been priced much higher than that. 

Oops, I nearly forgot the book. This was 20 cent whim. I actually have the hardback which I bought for my kids when they were little. But you can't have too many great picture books and this way I can give it to one of the grown kids to take home. 

We loved his uproariously silly story. It's wonderfully absurd. If you haven't come across The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas you have missed a treat and I encourage you to track down a copy of this 1993 fairy tale parody. How can you go wrong with a villain like this? (Boys especially will groove on this one!)

Illustration by Helen Oxenbury

Tomorrow, I'll show you the dolls. I'm signing off. Got to tune in the ski jumping!