Source: HiBid/ Western Michigan Online Auctions (Scottville, MI)
Source: Etta’s Etceteras, December 2024.
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: http://www.CalendarCompany.com, employees run the printing press at Calendar Company in Greeneville, Tennessee (photo undated). Founded in 1876, Calendar Company is known for the original Ramon’s Brownie almanac. The business is still in operation today.
Source: HiBid/ Foster Auction & Appraisal Service (Mt. Vernon, MO)
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Lot #220, vintage Art Deco metal reverse painted “Jazz” cocktail serving tray
Every auction teaches me something.
While researching for a sale to feature as Etta’s Etceteras Auction of the Weekend, I discovered Gurley candles.
Turns out that these vintage candles were first produced in 1939 by candle maker Franklin Gurley. His Buffalo, New York, business was commissioned by Socony-Vacuum Oil Company (predecessor of ExxonMobil) to make use of the excess paraffin from the oil refinery process.
Kudos to Mr. Gurley for turning gunk into lovely home decor!
Sales of the candles peaked in the late ’60s and were in serious trouble by the 1970s.
Lot #460 in this weekend’s sale by Gehman Auctions (Ephrata, PA) is a sweet collection of vintage Easter and spring candles by Gurley.
It’s one of the total 509 lots available on Sunday, March 1. The auction begins closing at 3:00 pm EST, and the broker’s premium is 18%.
This one is a fun “variety auction” with a wide range of collectibles, including Art Deco, toys, fly fishing lures, Christopher Radko Christmas ornaments, World’s Fair souvenirs and, yes, an antique perfume holder in the shape of a monkey – complete with detachable head.
Enjoy exploring and best wishes if you bid!
Lot #460, vintage Gurley Easter and spring candles
Lot #471, antique Schuco monkey perfume bottle holder
Lot #471, antique Schuco monkey perfume bottle holder
Lot #473, Wham-O Dudley Doright toy figures (4-pack in box)
Lot #31, costume jewelry
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: Library of Congress, “Ten-arm Owens automatic bottle machine,” photo by Lewis Hine, c. 1913. On Feb. 26, 1895, Michael Joseph Owens, who had dropped out of school at the age of 10 to start a glassware apprenticeship, filed a patent for an automated bottle machine.
Source: http://www.Invent.org, National Inventors Hall of Fame photo of Michael Joseph Owens.
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: Getty Images, George Clinton and members of Parliament Funkadelic perform (undated photo).
Source: http://www.MartinPopoff.com, “KISS ’76: Twelve Months That Defined the Hottest Band in the Land,” hardcover coffee table book released Feb. 24, 2026.
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Lot #2, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Princess Leia action figure (not shampoo)
Lot #17, Star Trek 1976 prototype 14K gold insignia with two correspondence letters
Lot #58, Crash Dummies action figures (6)
Lot #124, Star Wars Record (45 RPM) Tote from 1982
Lot #137, 1959 Barbie Teenage Fashion doll with box
Lot #249, The Karate Kid Sato’s Cannery from 1987
Lot #408, Lost in Space autographed cast photos (7)
Lot #427, Batman Batcave 1984 toy MISB (Mint In Sealed Box)
Lot #522, Star Wars soaps (5 singles and 2 boxed sets of 4)
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: Library of Congress, stationery section of Sosnick-Thalheimer, a department store in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Photographed by Raymond Loewy Associates on Feb. 2, 1950.
Source: http://www.BestClassicBands.com, The Box Tops (pictured) released “The Letter” in 1967. Joe Cocker’s 1970 cover version was his first Top 10 single.
Source: Etsy/ PrettyPaperPicnic
Source: HiBid/ American Auctions and Estate Sales LLC (West Des Moines, IA)
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: http://www.WorthPoint.com, letter from George Washington to Thomas Jefferson, Sept. 18, 1787, one day after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. The framed 8 1/2″ × 7 1/8″ document sold for $2,389,500 on Nov. 15, 2022. (Definitely not written with invisible ink.)
Source: Etsy/ MosswellMarket
Source: Etsy/ nicolewatsonart
Source: HiBid/ Bostwick Auctions (Candor, NY)
Source: HiBid/ Bostwick Auctions (Candor, NY)
Source: HiBid/ Hradil Auction Company (Sealy, TX)
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
Source: http://www.WorthPoint.com, Amanda Swimmer (1921-2018), member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, was a self-taught potter who crafted by hand rather than using a potter’s wheel. She was born in and died in Big Cove, North Carolina.
Source: HiBid/ B. Langston (Jacksonville, FL)
Source: HiBid/ B. Langston (Jacksonville, FL)
Source: Etsy/ CsherylsCloset
Source: Etsy/ NativeLadyz
Source: Etsy/ NativeLadyz
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
While researching the auction of the weekend, I was drawn to this happy-looking guy. Turns out it’s Buddy Lee, a marketing/ advertising doll for Lee Jeans. I don’t know the age of this one, but the Buddy Lee character dolls were manufactured 1920-1963.
According to http://www.BargainJohn.com, the first dolls were made of plaster. They were plastic after the late 1940s. I found resale prices ranging $300-$700.
HINT: Look for his hat band. Buddy Lee dolls with the original hat band fetch more.
As of press time, the high bid on this one is $16 with the next bid at $18.
Buddy Lee is one of 266 lots offered for sale by Wagenson Auction Service LLC in Mauston, WI. The auction starts closing Sunday, Feb. 22, at 4:00 pm. Broker’s premium is 15%.
All photos in this post are from HiBid/ Wagenson Auction Service LLC.
Good luck if you decide to bid!
Lot #71, vintage “Buddy Lee” advertising doll for Lee Jeans
Lot #130, vintage Shawnee Puss ‘n’ Boots salt and pepper shaker set (close-up, part of multi-item lot)
Lot #130, multi-item lot including vintage Shawnee Puss ‘n’ Boots salt and pepper shaker set
NOTE: Sellers/ businesses mentioned here are selected by me. They have something that interests me and, hopefully, interests my readers. Etta’s Etceteras does not accept requests to be featured and does not accept revenue from advertising, affiliate links, etc.
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