Jeff Dobson Auction

Stopped by the Jeff Dobson Auction Saturday morning. Had enough fun that I actually bought some things.

Primitive Antiques on Ebay

The auction sits just south of Highway 108 on old Highway 5 between Ballground and Jasper, GA. Traveling north on I-575 / Hwy 515 from Canton, 108 will be the first red light. Take a right. Go about two miles to the stop sign at old Highway 5. Turn right again. The auction will be on the right just over the hill.

Compared to most of the auctions I have been to in North Georgia this auction house is large. It is well attended so get there early to find a good seat and preview the offerings. It is a fast moving auction so take a look around and note the lot numbers you are interested in.

On the morning I was there I came away with an antique spyglass, a bottle capper, a broad ax and a couple of iron kettles. There was furniture, tools, home decor, knives and box lots.

The Jeff Dobson Auction is worth going out of your way for. You can preview his inventory online at Auctiozip.com.

Fire and Ice Festival in Blue Ridge Georgia

Chili Pepper Decor on Ebay

Rooster Ice Sculpture

The Fire and Ice Festival in Blue Ridge, Georgia is a Chili cook off and Ice Sculpture festival. For a $10.00 (for 2018) entrance fee you can sample all the different kinds of chili. My favorite was from The Blue Ridge Brewery closely followed by the Grilling Gangsters BBQ offering. There was other food and also beer inside the festival area.

Penguin Ice Sculpture

The Chili Cook Off starts at the Blue Ridge Train Depot and runs behind the shops on East Main Street. The event was well attended this year (2013). I had to park near the court house and walk through the park which was okay. There was a live band in the park along with an artist working on ice sculptures. Several of the stores were sporting ice sculptures along East Main Street.

Fire And Ice Festival 2013

Apple Ice Sculpture

The Fire and Ice Festival in Blue Ridge is a great destination in February. There are all sorts of antique stores and artist galleries and a flea market in the town. Go. Have fun. Vote for your favorite chili.
Chili Pepper Decor on Ebay

Book Review: Official Price Guide To Collecting Books, Sixth Edition

Collecting Books has forever been a habit of mine. I tend towards accumulating titles of my current interests and keeping a few of my favorites as I move on to other pursuits. Recently my interest in flea marketing and antiquing has led me into buying and selling books. After a while this led me to look for a book on the topic. The "Official Price Guide  To Collecting Books, Sixth Edition," by Marie Tedford and Pat Goudey has become my guide to the topic.

"Collecting Books" has been useful and informative guide into this foray. It uses a question and answer format with interviews with people actively engaged in the industry. Besides a good listing of authors and valuable titles there are chapters on:

• Market Review
• A closer Look at the Book Trade
• Collecting in Genres
• Bibles
• Care and Repair of Books

There is also an excellent glossary of terms relating to the Book Trade and an index. While Price Guide is not comprehensive it is a good reference for authors and titles you are more likely to come across and is easy to tote along. If I was to voice a complaint about the book it would be that the authors spend too much time bemoaning the affects of the internet on the market for collectible books. But at the same time they provide a cornucopia of information on how to use the internet for the buying, selling, collecting and research on the value of antique and vintage books.

The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books, 6th Edition is a good reference and easy to tote along on book buying expeditions.

Landers, Frary and Clark Universal

 Landers, Frary and Clark of New Britain, Connecticut was a manufacturer of housewares and appliances as well as many other items.  Their company was formed in 1865.  In 1965 they were bought out by General Electric.

I first became aware of the company a few weeks ago when my sister called with a question about an old military first aid kit with L F & C stamped into it.  As it turned out the kit was from the Korean War. A collector was able to determine the age from the dates on the medicines in the kit. Depending on condition and which war the kit was manufactured for the value for an antique military first aid kit may go as high as $200.  Sis sold hers for about $65.

One of the common kitchen brands associated with this company is Universal. I have found a sausage grinder with this brand on the body and L F & C on the crank. On the other side of the handle are patent numbers dating back to 1897. Another of their brands from the 1940's is Climax.

Antique Universal E-9410 Sweetheart Electric Toaster On Ebay

They made hundreds of different items over their century of existence.  Most were for the home and kitchen.

Here is a list some of the more common Landers Frary & Clark items. The links will take you to current examples of items for sale on Ebay:

• Aetna Knives
• Mother of Pearl Flatware
• Landers Frary Clark Coffee Pot
• Universal Percolator
• Landers Frary & Clark Coffee Grinder
• Universal Thermos
• Landers Frary Clark Military Items

Your clues will be an L F & G stamped on the item, New Britain Connecticut or Aetna Works. Also look for the Universal and Climax brand names which were used by Landers Frary and Clark. This manufacturer disappeared in 1965 so anything you find will probably be more than fifty years old.

Talking Rock Flea Market

This flea market near Talking Rock, Georgia is one of a kind.  Full of antiques, it is a place you can not walk through without seeing some item that draws a memory out from your past.  Even the market itself is an antique, located in an old school.

As you wonder through the old school you will find rooms packed with old iron ware, tools, antique furniture, books, lamps, cooking utensils, radios, glassware and much more.  The hallways are filled also. Think of what a hundred estate sales would look like crammed into a 1960's elementary school.

Behind the school are two flea market sheds crammed with stuff that wasn't quite good enough to be put inside.  Old typewriters, baby beds and other assortments of bric-a-brac.

Look for the exit for Hwy 136 on your left if you are heading North out of Jasper on Hwy 515 (I-575 below Ballground.) At the end of the exit turn left on to Hwy 136.  Look for the old school on the left as soon as you cross under 515.  If you are on Hwy 136 coming from Amicalola Falls the Talking Rock Flea Market will be on your right as you come up toy Hwy 515.

The Eton Flea Market

8:56 AM 11/20/2010

Most folks call it the Eton Flea Market or the Eton Market.  The proper name for the market in the North Georgia town of Eton is Pleasant Valley Orchards Flea Market. A couple of weekends ago on Saturday, November 20th I set up there.

The Eton Market is new, having only opened for business last summer.    There are a lot of different vendors offering everything from antique radios to new items.  You will find estate dealers, folks with yard sale items, tools as well as lots of novelty stuff.

Local churches sometimes raise money for different projects by selling baked goods.  Other food vendors offer pork rinds, boiled peanuts and pop corn.  There is a pretty good Mexican restaurant out in front of the market also.

I plan on returning to the Eton Flea Market this Saturday on the first weekend in December.  Along with the hats, pins (Great stocking stuffers!) and the usual stuff I carry I will have gift sets for women and more tools.  Hope to see you there.

Update from visit in March, 2011
Pictures of antique sewing machine and tools:

The market is actively managed and clean. Spots for vendors are $12 for a three table spot under a shed. Outside tables are $5 a day and there are inside spots available for monthly fees.There is an area specifically for livestock. For more information give the market manager, Greg Vander, a call.

Here is the contact info:

Pleasant Valley Orchards Flea Market

706-581-5051

4564 Hwy. 411 N
Eton, GA 30724