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.

Part 2: When bad things happen to good Danish Modern

Oh...the horror.

I knew that these beautiful Lane Danish Modern tables were up for auction.  Took a long, boring, horrible, boring (oh, and long!) drive down south, hoping I could get them (and get them cheap).

Well, there was no doubt that I would be able to get them for a song.  Look at 'em.  So sad..

Let's run down it all, shall we?

The coffee table:  Structurally, in excellent condition.  The top, though, looked like someone used it as a dish rack.  Water stains all over the place.  The guy I was with knows wood and assured me that it would have taken a complete restrip/refinishing to get the table back.  What's worse is that a serious piece of the veneer was missing.

The end table (square):  Sound structurally as well.  Water damage, but not as bad.  This table I grabbed, and it's currently sitting in the back of my truck until I can find room somewhere in this mess warehouse apartment of mine.

The end table (triangle):  This is the one I really wanted.  Beautiful table...or at least it was at one point.  Water damage beyond basic repair.  The top also looked like someone used it for a bit of knife-throwing practice.

In the end, nobody got them except for the middle table I have.  I hate to think what's going to happen to these beautiful DM pieces.

For Sale: Mondrian Style Folding Footrest Ottoman Bench - SOLD

What a great mid-century modern era ottoman!

This ottoman/footstool is done in wonderful corduroy material. The edges are done in a chocolate brown cloth, with the top done in a Mondrian-inspired patchwork of white, sky blue, orange, red, green and lime.

Auction ends August 29th.

For Sale: Antique Cast Iron Book Press - SOLD

Here is a beautiful old antique book press!

This press is done in battleship grey and is in great working condition. I really love the black ironwork caps on either side.

Auction ends August 29th.

UPDATE 2! Dig this auction find! Encircled nudes

I know I should know the difference between deco and nouveau but I don't.  But check out this beautiful circling nudes piece.

UPDATE:

Well, I did a bit of research on this piece, and it's indeed a Haeger piece.  I managed to find several of them on the web.  But...this one seems to be rather unique.  I've found pink ones, red ones, aqua ones, even black ones.  But this black one is different.

The black ones I've found have been done in a regular, plain black.  This one, though, has some kind of applied iridescent finish, with bits of gold-colored flecks throughout the glaze.  It's quite stunning, and makes the plain black glazed ones look...well...plain.



UPDATE 2:

The statue has been cleaned up and looks gorgeous!!!  I was able to get a look at the glaze...WOW.  No plain black glaze on this piece...just beautiful swirls and ebbs of blacks and coppery golds.  Outstanding.

It will be available for auction the night of August 24th!!

gotta LOVE driving on the turnpike