I'm selling my LAST Western Electric 300B - with test results - AS NEW: $1100.00

I am selling my last 300B.

It includes its test results, and it tested "as new".  The tube was tested about 2 months ago and hasn't been used or even touched since then.

It is being auctioned off, but if you are interested in purchasing it direct, you can buy it now.

This is NOT the first 300B I've sold, and all my other customers are very pleased with the tube purchases they have made from me.

Free Priority Mail shipping, plus insurance and Signature Confirmation.

If you ARE interested, you need to act fast.  The listing I have for this tube ends the night of Friday, September 16th, so you'll need to purchase it on or before Thursday night, otherwise I need to let the listing finish to its end!

UPDATE 1: Auction find: FANTASTIC old lightolier wall lamp, Fisher stereo

Man it needs a cleaning.

But I just go this fantastic MCM wall lamp!

It mounts on your wall, and both swings left and right and tilts!  I even got the mounting hardware to attach it to the wall.

I think it might be a Thurston design, or at least influenced by him.  And the mounting hardware (the piece I have in my hand) says "Lightolier" and the plug even has the cool scroll-y Lightolier logo...so it's the REAL THING!!

 I can't wait to get this puppy all nice and cleaned up.

Also go this very cool vintage Fisher 250 TX receiver.  It still works great and all it needed was a little cleaning up (OK, it was filthy, but I have to show this piece some of the respect it deserves).

All those buttons and dials on the right?  Well, this may have been one of the first attempts (if not THE first attempt) to add pre-sets to a stereo receiver.  Each of those buttons has their own little tuning dial.  Just tune in the station you want to assign to that button and when you press the white part of the button, the stereo goes to that station!  The main dial remains wherever it was before.  Pretty cool, eh?

It's up for auction now and already have a lot of activity on it within its first few hours of being posted!
(UPDATE:  It's GONE!!! That was mighty fast!)

Hidden deep in a little shed off the garage, this was hanging.

Is this awesome, or what?

This Santa head is HUGE.  In the pic, it's hanging in front of the fridge, so you can get a pretty good idea of its size!

Nice condition, too.  I thinks it's vinylite.  Rather dirty, but I should be able to carefully clean it up.

I tried to find some markings on it to see who made it, but no luck.

But it does have its original price sticker on the back.  This huge Santa originally cost about 4 bucks!












I have a few more neat-o finds to share...and I'll be updating this post when I can!

9/7/11 Auction Finds: Few Items...but really NICE!

First of all, I need to let you all know that it's around 12:15 AM, and I've been up for quite some time.  But I REALLY want to at least get started letting you all know about the cool things I came across.  Hopefully, some will soon be available...as soon as I'm done cleaning them up, testing them, fixing them, and doing whatever else I need to get them ready for sale.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail right now.  There's plenty for me to share with you, but for starters...




...these lamps are AWESOME!  Big, white, frosted glass lamps.  Wide bases swooping upwards into narrow pillars.  These table lamps not only have the standard light at the top, the bodies also light up, too!  I can't wait to see the wonderful glow of the light radiating from the frosted white glass.  But, boy oh boy, are they dirty.

I have lots more to talk about, but for now, this must do...and I REALLY need to get some sleep.

Auction Finds: Delicate, Sensuous, Beautiful - The works of Eva Zeisel

I have never heard of the name "Eva Zeisel".  It was only last Saturday that I learned about who this remarkable woman was.

Oddly enough, I've seen her work dozens of time.  At estate sales, garage sales, auctions, even the occasional Goodwill.  Little did I know how wonderful, how delicate, how beautiful her works really were, until I acquired some of her pieces shown here.

To try to cover her career and timeline here would be futile, though filled with plenty of impressive name-dropping:  Hall China, Rosenthal, Federal Glass, Red Wing, Heisey.  All of these names ring of strong reputation, gorgeous design, and wonderful mid-century form.  Just having "Heisey" on your resume is (at least to me) impressive enough.


The pieces you see here are from some design work she did for Hall China's Hallcraft line in the "Harlequin" pattern.  From what I gather, she was responsible for the "shape" of the pieces; perhaps Hall did the decorative additions.  But that stunning pink and black star-like pattern just screams mid-century.



If you have any interest at all in retro or mid-century ceramics or dinnerware, or even a faint interest in the design work of that period, you owe it to yourself to spend a few moments to read up on this wonderful, talented woman.






Oh, and if you think her work is solely relegated to the past, fear not.  Not only is she still with us today, her work is still being offered at such sites as Crate and Barrel, Design Within Reach, as well as her own site.  Please...take a look.






In my opinion, her designs are as beautiful and timeless as the Nelson Ball Clock or the Eames Lounge Chair...high praise indeed.

For Sale: GORGEOUS Danish Modern Wood/Ceramic Table Lamps - SOLD

Well, I am finally able to start letting all of you know about the great things I recently got!

For starters, how about these fantastic lamps!

Wood base, ceramic body, wood top, creamy white glaze...gorgeous.  Tall, thin, impressive.

Auction starts Monday, September 5th.

For Sale: Vintage Christmas Blowmold "Santa's Mail" Wall Display: $199.99

Questions about this item?

Want to make an offer?

E-mail us at parkersiesel@gmail.com.

For Sale: Vintage Set LIBBEY Glass 12 Jigger Barware Shotglasses: SOLD

Here's another great addition to your vintage barware! This is a complete box of vintage jigger shot glasses.

The glasses were made by Libbey Glass and the 12 jiggers come complete with their original box. The box has nice retro graphics on it. The glasses each have Libbey "L" molded in the base and have a nice, unusual and eye-catching conical shape to them.

Condition

The glasses are a bit dirty from being stored for all these years but are in otherwise excellent condition. The box is also a bit dusty, but still suitable for storing the glasses, as well as being a display item.


Free shipping.

For Sale: Merry Mushroom Latch Hook Rug - Framed: SOLD

There is no way you lived through the seventies without knowing or at least seeing some Merry Mushroom piece in someone's kitchen.

I think the word "ubiquitous" is in order.

Pretty much every household had some piece somewhere:  a coffee pot, clock, canister set, cookware, post holders, glassware, placemats, cheese platter, silverware, towel rack, planters, perhaps even curtains (although curtains were more of a "finishing touch" to the MM look).




I imagine if you really wanted to, you could do your entire kitchen in Merry Mushroom, save for the appliances and furniture pieces.

Yep...we got it too...right over our kitchen door!

This was probably one of the most shining moments in Sears history.

They made and sold the Merry Mushroom line from 1970 to 1985 when the line was finally discontinued...a long, profitable reign whose line seemed to expand and extend from year to year.






Well...one more piece of the MM design that you occasionally see cropping up (no pun intended) is the Merry Mushroom latch hook rug kit.

Once completed, you could have your MM decorating your floor, right in front of your sink or oven.

Or...how about your wall?

Here's a MM latch hook rug that someone loved enough to frame.  It's currently available for $25.99, with free shipping!

This is a completed latchhook rug kit featuring a beautiful Merry Mushroom design. The rug has been framed in a solid wood frame, and it's all ready to hang on your wall. The entire piece measures about 26 inches tall and 20 inches wide. It's in very good vintage condition.

Free shipping.

 

UPDATED 2! Auction Finds: odd little table

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this table was "What would the set of 'Star Trek' look like in Danish Modern?"

Personally, I LOVE this table.  Very architectural.  The legs remind me of what I'd imagine the metal frame of an airplane would look like:  thin, arched for stength, perforated for lighter weight.

I was lucky when I got it home (oh, yeah...I got the table after a rather heated bidding war) and found out that it was in really great condition.  It needs a bit of touch-up, but nothing major at all.



I have no idea where the table came from.  I also can't tell if the table was hand-made or a factory item.  I'm like going 60/40 that it's a handmade table. 

The entire piece is made out of 3 pieces of plywood.

The holes were not straight-through cuts, but rather graduated to add a bit of depth as well as to to show off the different levels of plywood used.  The edges were treated and stained the same way.

Pretty neat little added bit of design, especially if it is indeed a handmade piece.





What do YOU think?  Think this might be a great plant stand for Captain Kirk?

OK, this table is UP FOR AUCTION!!  Auction starts Monday night, September 5th!

What's More Retro Than...Fine Dining 60's Style!

Maybe it was the new-found post-war prosperity.  Maybe it was the new-found tastes of soldiers returning home.  Maybe it was Julia Child.  But for some reason, the "fine dining restaurant" catapulted in both number and popularity from the mid-50's right through the 60's.

I wonder if she would have liked the dish we'll soon be talking about.

"Fine dining" was basically America's first-time, shotgun-blast exposure to foods and culinary creations not typically heard of in the US.  And such establishments, well, established many dishes we take for granted today. 

But I'm not here to discuss dishes from the 50's and 60's we all know and love.

I'm here to discuss one that may not ring any culinary bells.

So many good sounding dishes.  But I'm not too sure about this one...

I love this book.  It's from 1964 and features so many "new" recipes for dishes we take for granted today.

And yes, that Bananas Foster that guy's prepping on the cover looks mighty delicious, don't it?

But before dessert, how about a nice appetizer?

Say...broiled grapefruit...with a yummy chicken liver on top!!

BTW...this is still on their menu.

From Chalet Suzanne in Lake Wales, Florida, comes this delectable little dish.

I am not a chicken liver fan, nor a fan of liver in general.  The combination of grapefruit (yummy), topped with broiled, melted cinnamon sugar (good, too) and then a cooked chicken liver just sounds like an awkward combination.  Oh, and the liver gets more cinnamon sugar on top of it, too!  But I guess it's still quite the big seller, since it's still on the restaurant's current menu.

But to be honest, the picture above of the grapefruit kind of reminds me of the little pig cross sections we had to study in high school Biology class.  So perhaps that 60's photo doesn't do the dish justice.

But if any of you are brave enough (or perhaps this just sounds like a yummy combo to you) then here's the recipe. 

Bon Appetit!!

If you DO try it, PLEASE let me know how it was.  Perhaps I can find a few more interesting recipes for you to try.

(photo of Julia child from ABC News)

For Sale: Pair Mid-Century Modern Green Ceramic Table Lamps - $149.99

Shipping Option:

Standard Delivery $179.99 Local Pick-up (Cleveland Area) $149.99

Questions about this item?

Want to make an offer? E-mail us at parkersiesel@gmail.com.

Auction finds: THE DOOM PUSSY: books that make you go "hmmmm..."

This may be one of the WEIRDEST book titles I have ever seen. And it's a book about Vietnam!

You can read more about The Doom Pussy here.  Its a rather interesting bit of history.

Part 3: When bad things happen to good Danish Modern

First of all, I want to go on record as saying that I love this chair.  Low, wide, clean lines.  It's wonderful, design-wise.

I just wish it was in better condition.  It's not so much a chair you sit on, rather than in.  The seating area has lost a lot of its support, so your butt brushes uncomfortably close to the ground when you sit in it.  It felt sturdy enough to support an elephant, but it would have needed a lot of work.  No labels or markings to indicate origin of birth.  My guess is it's domestic, based on the rather beefy, needs-to-support-the-larger-US-population construction.  The condition of the upholstery was really decent!

Someone got it for a few bucks.  If they can re-do the seat (or know someone who can do it cheap) and they are willing to work a bit on the feet (which need more than a little bit of lovin') they got themselves a nice little chair!

Auction finds: old MASTERCARD metal store sign

Is this freaking cool or what!?!?

For the few of you out there who have never heard of BankAmericard, I can safely say "yes...you have".

You probably know BankAmericard more by their current name:  VISA.

Yes, good old Visa used to be BankAmericard way back in (hold on to your hats!) 1958!!!  That's when Bank of America decided to pull out all the stops and try to get the US population hooked...er...interested in a real, honest-to-goodness credit card!


BoA created two enduring American traditions when it did a mass credit card mailing in the late 50's (and by "mailings" I mean mailing an actual uncolicited credit card to homes across America, not just an application for one!).  Those two traditions were:

• the US population started buying on credit using a single source for financing, rather than using multiple credit cards for individual stores
• credit card fraud.

Yep, we can thank BoA for ushering in the dawn of unauthorized charges to your card (I don't blame them personally, it was bound to happen no matter who wound up issuing these cards first).

But it wasn't until 1976 that BankAmericard officially became Visa.

Oh, and MasterCard?  They used to be known as...

Auction finds: Panasonic bicycles: Betcha didn't know...

...Panasonic made 10 speed bikes!

Panasonic actually had a serious reputation for decent bikes long before these cycles hit our shores, with the company making it first bike frames in the early 50's.

But it wasn't until 1971 that Panasonic bicycles were available here in the states.  They weren't exactly high-end, but they had good construction, very reliable components, and in general were seen as "high quality for the money" bikes.  Hmmm...sounds like a lot of other Japanese companies I know of.

The yen-to-greenback ratio, though, spelled doom for the line, and by the late 80's they were no longer being imported.

If you really need to get more info on these bikes, you really should take a few moments to visit the Panasonic Bicycle Virtual Museum, from which I was able to get some of this info.