May 4, 2012
Today is the day! We’re pleased to announce that we are formally opening our new west-side Estate Store in Tualatin. It’s located in the same facility as our donation center at 8380 SW Nyberg Rd. We’ve been taking donations for a few weeks but it’s time to get our lazy-bones up and working so the store will now be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm (Of course the donation section is still open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm as well).
The Heywood Wakefield model 710 lounge chair and ottoman you see above were pretty good incentive to get this started. It is in fair to good condition given that there are some flaws (one hole on each arm and some torn stitching in the seat).
Barring upholstery issues this chair and ottoman is pretty darn comfortable and the wood and metal bits are in good shape. The best part is that it still has the separate head rest piece. Since this is not attached to the rest of the chair it’s usually long gone.
As the store gets up and running we’ll be featuring more stuff from there here at Estatestore.org and eventually we plan to set up a separate page for it, much like the Garage Sale page (which you should take a look at!). Until then maybe we’ll see you there
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Posted in $450-$500, 20th century, AVAILABLE!, Chairs, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Plastic, Vintage, Wood |
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May 4, 2012
Unless you have a bigger fan. This plastic decorative fan is pretty big though. It measures 42 3/4 inches wide and it can be hung in three different positions.
Don’t worry though I won’t go all Annie Wilkes on you . . . which we’re both probably grateful for.
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, AVAILABLE!, Eclectic, knickknack, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage |
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April 26, 2012
We recently had a couple other Couroc trays, including a round one and a similarly shaped rectangular tray. Those came in together but this one has an altogether different history.
You see, I found it in a dumpster. I don’t do as much dumpster diving as I once did (for a while library dumpsters were my specialty) but as I was recently passing one I glanced up and saw a curve of black plastic material peeking over the edge. I said to myself “That looks like the bottom of a Couroc tray.”
Oddly it actually was. When I first found it it was covered in sand and dirt, as though it had been left outside for a few years. It took a bit of cleaning but I think it turned out all right.
This tray features two Road Runners and measures 12 5/8 inches by 9 5/8 inches.
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Plastic, Vintage |
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April 23, 2012
He’s got the time for you.
In John Wayne‘s world* it’s always a minute before high noon, the sun is in your eyes and there is a cheery benevolent looking guy named Marion gazing down from on high. But with the investment of one AA battery it could be anytime you like, even party time, and the fake sun will shine in the face of Marion all through the darkest night.
10 1/4 inches wide, 12 1/4 inches tall.
“*It’s Wayne’s World, Wayne’s World, party time, excellent!
Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Clock, GONE! SOLD!, Kitsch, knickknack, Plastic, Print, Seemed like a good idea . . ., Vintage, Wood |
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April 16, 2012
This one came in with, or at least in close proximity, to the shorebird Couroc tray we advertised yesterday. Materially it is much the same and is also in good condition. It is slightly ovate but mostly rectangular in form and measures 12 5/8 inches by 9 5/8 inches.
It features four dancing frogs and it is in very condition.
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Posted in $21-$25, 20th century, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Kitchenware, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage |
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April 15, 2012
As we’ve noted before the plastic material used to make these classic trays by Couroc of California is impervious to most liquids and fire* sources. This one is 10 3/8 inches in diameter and it is in good condition.
What sort of birds these are (besides sharp dressers) is unclear. I’d guess they’re modeled off California shore birds from Monterey, where Couroc was based. They bear a passing resemblance to the Gingham Plover and Calico Avocet we know so well from the Oregon Coast, but my interpretation is probably more subjective than objective.
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*When referenced in the literature this probably refers to small accidental fires, such as carelessly placed cigarette and candles which are burning too low. I do wonder if one of these might be handy to keep near the cook stove in case of a sudden and too large flare up in the shorebird flambé.
Posted in $11-$15, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Kitchenware, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage |
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April 2, 2012
1970′s vintage Panasonic Toot-A-Loop AM radio. Perfect for hanging off the handle bars of your Schwinn Stingray or Pixie and it’s a great accessory for roller skating too.
Powered by a 9 volt battery, this one works and is in good condition.
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Posted in $21-$25, 20th century, Electronics, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Sculpture, Vintage |
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March 26, 2012
Pee Wee Herman!
His arms and legs flex so he can strike the pose of your choice (within reason).
The doll is about 12 inches tall and in OK condition. This is not one of the talking dolls (thank goodness).
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Contemporary, Eclectic, Fabric / Fiber, GONE! SOLD!, knickknack, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage, White elephant, WTF? |
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March 22, 2012
I really like stuff like this, but as my wall calendar with the page turned to January demonstrates, keeping up on changing the date is just not going to happen.
This little plastic sphere was made in Hong Kong and features a flip-dial day date display with a small turn dial month indicator below. It’s about 3 inches in diameter with a blue back and a pale orange ring around the lens. It works perfectly (providing it gets the right user inputs).
Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, knickknack, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Tools, Vintage |
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March 19, 2012
Three bunnies with gleaming eyes and two silhouette dogs.
They are all Bakelite. As you can see in the pictures we have two butterscotch colored rabbits with green eyes and one green one with red eyes.
The dogs are orange and brown and have profiles similar to the terrier of your choice. I’ve seen them called Airedales and Scotties but they’d work just as well for your favorite Kerry Blue Terrier or Wheaten aficionado too.
The dogs are about 4 inches tall, the bunnies are just a ’hare’ under 2 1/2 inches tall.
We’re asking something in the vicinity of market price for these. The pair of dogs is $30 and we’d like $50 for the rabbits.
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Posted in $26-$30, $41-$50, 20th century, Art Deco, GONE! SOLD!, Kitchenware, knickknack, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage |
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March 18, 2012
This vintage blue pleather (plastic-leather, a.k.a. vinyl) chair is in fantastic shape. Usually by the time we see these the plastic has cracked after someone’s college graduate child moved back home and spent six or eight months (or years) sitting in it eating nacho-chips and playing video games.
Not this one though. The plastic is in perfect condition and there’s no signs of nachos anywhere. Even better there is a pattern molded into the vinyl that mimics what woven leather would look like.
This chair is also surprising in that it is uncommonly comfortable and that the length, width and height make a cube of 29 inches in each dimension.
Pretty neat!
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Posted in $101-$150, 20th century, Chairs, GONE! SOLD!, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Plastic, Vintage, Wood |
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March 10, 2012
Cute!
This nice little drinks cart or tea trolly was made in the mid 1950′s. It stands about 31 1/2 inches long, 16 3/4 inches wide and 28 inches high. It is in good condition with one spot of light damage to the chrome tubing
On the day it was made (May 14, 1956 according to the paper label underneath) Marilyn Monroe graced the cover of Time Magazine, Elvis Presley was number one in the charts with Heartbreak Hotel (his first #1) and he played that night in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. This show reportedly prompted a local newspaper editor to complain the the High King of Squares, J. Edgar Hoover, that he’s heard that Presley’s act consists of ‘sexual gratification on stage’.
It was a Monday and also that day the Cleveland Indians played the New York Yankees and actually won. The win could have been from the home field advantage or that Mickey Mantle* and Yogi Berra couldn’t deliver and break up the tie at the top of the ninth inning. Regardless of the influence of these factors, the reality is that the first batter up for Cleveland in the bottom of the ninth, the great Al Smith, hit a home run to end the game.
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*Mantle did have a home run in the fourth inning however.
Posted in $41-$50, 20th century, Glassware / barware, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Mid-century, Mid-Century Modern, Modern, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Tables, Vintage, Wood |
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February 29, 2012
Thanks to a blog post by one of the awesome reference librarians at the Oregon College Of Arts and Crafts (OCAC) I recently learned about the Northeast Institute For Analog Studies. This is one of a few organizations dedicated to preserving the technology and products of analog processes. They mostly focus on film and slides (image projection technology) but also keep an ear towards sound systems.
In an increasingly digital world it’s important to remember to keep these technologies available, lest the day come when no one can access certain information. Most of the folks reading this will remember big floppy disks and how hard it was to get old info from them 10 years ago. Imagine trying do that today, or to run old film formats or listen to audio tape when the machines are all gone.
Which, if you’re interested in analog recordings is where 8-tracks come in. When first introduced they popular for their portability (cmapred to vinyl) and thanks to the actions of the Ford Motor Company (offering 8 tracks as a relatively cheap upgrade) they soon became hugely popular. Unfortunately they were prone to having sound quality problems and lost market share to the cassette tape. The large commercial production of 8 tracks ended around 1982 although limited numbers were made into the late 19080′s. Soon enough the cassette would be replace by yet another audio technology, the compact disc which oddly enough was introduced to the market around 1982.
We have a collection of 36 different 8-track tapes for which we’re asking the princely sum of $15. They run the range from more-or-less bad (Englebert Humperdink does Christmas) to pretty good (Johnny Cash). If re-trenching to the analog age of the 8-track is out of your grasp the cases would make cool little boxes for a reuse project.
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Tools, Vintage |
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February 19, 2012
Here at the House-Of-Ugly we have standards. Admittedly they’re kind of loose standards since we’re not terribly fond of rules. The practical result is someplace there’s a point where ugly is too ugly, where something isn’t cool even if aesthetically questionable.
Welcome to the border.
I can’t decide which side of that line between ugly/cool and ugly/ugly this lies on. It’s best if you do.
This lamp features an old handbag with some lovely accoutrements attached. It still works OK and stands about 19 inches tall.
My understanding is that this was a white elephant gift at a long ago holiday party. It’s unclear to me how it all went down but apparently there was some sort of big conflict over this lamp that nearly resulted in a fist fight. The ‘proud’ owner of the lamp at the end of the night hasn’t been to a white elephant exchange since and I think that was some 20 years ago.
Now’s your chance to light a dark corner, own a spectacular piece of vernacular assemblage art and/or sew discord amongst your peers.
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Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Artistic wonder, Eclectic, Ed's "House of Ugly", GONE! SOLD!, Lighting, Metal, Other Unnatural Materials, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Vintage, White elephant, WTF? |
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January 30, 2012
So I was showing off this awesome toothpick pecking bird and she said “I’m so glad you don’t bring more of the stuff you find home.”
Foiled again.
This plastic bird is about 4 1/2 inches tall. When you press down on the bird’s head a little drawer slides out and it picks up a toothpick in its beak.
Retro cool!
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Posted in $1 to $5, 20th century, Eclectic, GONE! SOLD!, Kitchenware, knickknack, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Retro |
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January 27, 2012
Rupert knew he was special, not just because his mother told his so, but because the light of the world emanated from his hind-end.
Approximately 20 inches tall by 14 inches wide and features a plastic giraffe 3/4 mounted on a brushed copper plate with savannah scene. The photo doesn’t do it justice as it’s not quite as red as the picture above, yet not as pale as the picture below and the strange effect of the light is best viewed in person.
The Watercloset Gallery will be open from 10 am to 4 pm.
Posted in $11-$15, 20th century, Artistic wonder, Eclectic, GONE! SOLD!, knickknack, Metal, Plastic, Seemed like a good idea . . ., Vintage, White elephant |
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January 4, 2012
Vintage stainless steel carving set in presentation box. The handles are actually Bakelite in the form of antlers. We had another set like this just over two years. That one was by E. Parker & Sons of Sheffield, England.
This set is by Crown Crest, also of Sheffield.
Sheffield was the center of the internationally famous British steel industry especially in the 19th and early 2oth centuries. The roots of metal working in Sheffield extend back to at least the 14th century. As Chaucer wrote of the Miller in The Reeve’s Tale (lines 3933-3936):
A Sheffield thwitel bore he in his hose.
Round was his face, and camus was his nose;
As piled as an ape was his skull.
He was a market-beater at the full.
Thwitel is an archaic word for knife, apparently camus means short, stubby or pug like, not that he had a Nobel Prize winning French author for a nose, though that would be a pretty neat thing to see.
The box is 15 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches by 2 inches tall and features a woodland scene. As shown in the detail pictures there is a crack running across the center of the box. The cutlery is in excellent condition and the knife is the biggest piece at 13 3/4 inches long.
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Posted in $26-$30, 20th century, AVAILABLE!, Kitchenware, Metal, Plastic, Tools, Vintage |
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December 30, 2011
Duh, like totally 1980′s dude.
Problems? As if!
This gnarly, killer, rad ‘fone works sweet, you know what-ever. . .
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Posted in $16-$20, 20th century, Appliances, GONE! SOLD!, Otherwise useful, Plastic, Seemed like a good idea . . ., Tools, Vintage |
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December 30, 2011
One of our volunteers saw this and said, “F-bomb! If I put this in my living room I’d have to sit in the dining room to watch it!”
It’s that big.
This LG 50PX4DR Plasma Television was made in 2005. It is rated for 60,000 viewing hours or roughly 6 years 10 months 4 days 3 hours 29 minute and 18 seconds of use.
Roughly.
Of course this is an average so some will last significantly less time and others much longer.
In any case this particular TV still works properly to the best of our testing ability. The original specs are in the long list below, hopefully it will answer any questions you might have.
Oh yes, we have the remote control for the TV too.
LG 50PX4DR specifications:
General
- Product type Plasma TV
- Diagonal size 50.0 in
- Viewing angle 160 degrees
Video
- Technology Plasma (PDP)
- Resolution 1366 x 768
- Display format 720p
- Image aspect ratio 16:9
- Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling)
- Widescreen Widescreen
- Image contrast ratio 5000:1
- Brightness 1000.0 cd/m2
- Comb filter 3D-Y/C digital
- Color temperature control Yes
- Supported DTV resolutions 720p (via Component sockets) , 480p (via Component sockets) , 480i (via Component sockets) , 1080i (via Component sockets)
TV Tuner
- TV tuner presence Yes
- HDTV Tuner Yes
- Digital TV tuner ATSC , QAM
- Analog TV tuner NTSC
- Secondary audio program (SAP) Yes
Audio
- Speaker(s) 2.0 x Right/left channel speaker – Built-in – 15.0 Watt
- Surround mode Yes
- Sound effects Virtual Surround Mode , SRS TruSurround XT , BBE
- Total output power 30.0 Watt
Convenience Features
- Additional features 3:2 pull down compensation , XD Engine technology , Channel labeling
- Closed captioning Yes
- Parental channel lock Yes
- V-chip control Yes
Connectivity
- Video interface S-Video , Component , HDMI , Composite
- HDMI ports qty 2.0
- PC interface VGA (HD-15)
- Remote Control
- Type Universal remote control – Infrared
Power
- Power device Power supply – Internal
- Dimensions & Weight
- Dimensions (WxDxH) 57.5 in x 4.0 in x 30.7 in
- Weight 110.7 lbs
Posted in $201-$250, 21st century, Electronics, Glass, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Plastic, Seemed like a good idea . . ., WTF? |
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December 27, 2011
You get a dime store hero.
He may not be Neo but he can act as well and he won’t offer you the choice of two pills. The painful truth of reality is all he offers (unless it’s actually the blissful ignorance of illusion in disguise). Truth and fiction are mirages contained within illusions and only he knows the difference; but he’s not saying.
Maybe the machines will tell you instead or maybe he’s one of the machines or maybe . . .
Two cubic inches of lucite or similar clear plastic resin containing 10 pennies dated 1972.
Posted in $1 to $5, 20th century, Crafter's delight, GONE! SOLD!, knickknack, Metal, Plastic |
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December 26, 2011
Vintage brown plastic wall phone that’s a lot like the one we had in my house when I was a kid, except ours was black. It was made by ITT, it works well and has adjustable ringer volume. and imported from area code 218, the northern part of Minnesota.
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Posted in $16-$20, 20th century, Electronics, GONE! SOLD!, Metal, Plastic, Tools, Vintage |
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December 23, 2011
And it’s playing both kinds of music, Country and Western. The Country Music Instant Fiddle plays a variety of classic country tunes by artists including Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, and Willie Nelson.
I believe the songs it plays include:
1. Hey, Good Lookin’
2. Crazy
3. All My Exes Live in Texas
4. Oh Susanna
5. Jambalaya
6. Beautiful Dreamer
7. Abilene
8. Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
The duration of the notes seems to be linked to how fast you play. So, you could perform “Mamas…” as a dirge, or “Hey, Good Lookin’” as the next post-punk speed-metal hit.
it stands about 11 inches tall and works, although the volume level is not impressive. If your crafty it would be a good candidate for modification! Just add a microphone and an arena size speaker stack.
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Posted in $1 to $5, 21st century, GONE! SOLD!, Plastic, Toy!, White elephant |
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December 23, 2011
Suppose you’re looking for something for a relative we’ll call ‘Uncle George’.
George lives out of town and you won’t have to face him when he gets his present.
You’re also running out of time.
We’ve got your back.
Just get this inflatable fruitcake.
If you send it airmail it should get to Uncle George in Hoboken in plenty of time. Unless they notice that the return address city and zip code don’t match, in which case you’ll be sending next years present from Guantanamo.
Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo. Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo.
It’s like a mantra for modern America: Air mail, inflatable fruitcake, Hoboken, Guantanamo, Om.
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Posted in $1 to $5, 20th century, 21st century, Contemporary, GONE! SOLD!, Kitsch, knickknack, Otherwise useful, Paper, Plastic, Toy!, White elephant, WTF? |
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December 22, 2011
An interesting little table top tree which is made out of ceramic and was decorated by Margie. It is 12 1/2 inches tall and lit from the inside by a single night-light bulb. The light is transmitted through little holes with plastic bulb shaped pieces. It is in good shape except for one chipped branch (see picture below).
This tree is carbon neutral (mostly) and you don’t have to pick up errant needles for the next six months.
Even the Grinch would be proud of you. Then he’d steal it just because.
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Posted in $16-$20, 20th century, Artistic wonder, Ceramic, Crafter's delight, Eclectic, GONE! SOLD!, Kitsch, knickknack, Lighting, Plastic, Vintage |
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December 17, 2011
Two kings and a shepherd walk into a Deversorium VI* , there is a bored night-clerk behind the counter.
The first king looks around with incredulity, “When I made my reservation on-line it didn’t look like this!” “You’re not kidding, what a dump!” the second king said. “I demand to see the manger!”
The clerk looks at them with the practiced disdain of the service industry professional, “What are you two? A couple of wiseguys?”
“See you later guys, I’m gettin’ the flock outta’ here . . .” said the shepherd as he ducked out the door, “and don’t call me for bail when the centurions come.”
Stray nativity scene figures, at the Estate Store for a limited time.
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*Deversorium VI -We’ll leave the star of Bethlehem on for ya
Posted in $1 to $5, 20th century, GONE! SOLD!, knickknack, Other Unnatural Materials, Plastic |
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