Thrift Haul - Part 1

I was cruising the thrift stores again. This time looking for something "penguin." Fabric or buttons or charms or embroidery transfers or ... whatever. I was looking for inspiration. I saw a few penguins, but none that would work for my purpose at a price I was willing to pay.

Instead, I found three other gems that totaled less than $20.00: a 1,000 piece puzzle; a box of fancy stationery, and a box of buttons. Let's talk about the first two finds today.

The Puzzle:

It's called "Birds Puzzle" from the company talking tables. It's made in The Netherlands. I've never heard of this company before, but the packaging in reminiscent of some of my higher-quality puzzles. I was so taken with the illustration! It sells for between $20 - $26. I bought it for $3.99 minus the senior discount.

It appears to have the original seals on the box, so there's a good chance all the pieces will be there. You're always taking your chances with puzzles from a thrift store. I like that on the back of the box, there's a key to tell you what each kind of bird is in the illustration. Inside, there ought to be a trivia sheet and full-size poster.

The Stationery:

This is a full box of Hallmark blank notecards that dates back to 1976. It's very nice quality. All eight cards are still in the box. Retail price on the box is $12.50. I bought it for $2.99 minus the senior discount. Comparable boxes on auction sites range from $6 to $30.

That is real nylon lace covering a silver foil cardstock on the front! It's not paper lace. I've never seen such a thing. 

The envelopes are lined in a similar silver foil.

One of the cards is used. The message appears to be a bit of family history, written by the great-grandchild of Coffman and Dow. It says:

Information given me on De. 28, 2007, by mom.

1. Great-Grandparents Coffman were members of 4 Square Church in Portland, ran by Amy McPherson.

2. Great-Grandparents Dow are thought to attend Methodist.

The note makes me wonder if this stationery was part of an estate. When my folks died, I inherited an unusually large amount of stationery. That's coming up on 25 years ago, and I'm still using it up! 

Tomorrow - the bigger find!