Book Board Chat

Good morning, all.

Ran acroos an interesting article about pricing goods and consumer perception:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906144036.htm

Yesterday's flea market was interesting in terms of vendors and what sellers were buying. It is a real, old fashioned flea market, BTW. Bicycles! One would have thought those would be selling during the summer, but yesterday they were rolling off the site in droves. Maybe because kids would ride them to school? Old tools, again, were selling, as were new bundles of t-shirts, undies and socks. Ditto skinny-leg jeans. More vendors were selling what looked like garage-sale stuff than I had seen earlier in the season: pens were going fast. Household supplies and personal care things (new) in large sizes were also selling. No large scale postcard vendors were around, but there was the odd leaf or two of real photo postcards. Saw a set of 3 from maybe 1908 or so with a big fire in a grain elevator. Unfortunately no identifying info., but from the associated material, may have been Quincy, IL. I'll look the event up and maybe if I can ID it, will buy next week (if there).

This week, people were buying. I found 2 great bargains: a late 19th c. ceramic opium pillow in perfect condition decorated with lotus flowers and leaves (almost identical to one on internet auction site not eBay) for $2, and a Dagestan village rug from the 1960s for $25. The accompanying sand was free. The story surrounding it is kind of neat. I bargained for the rug (it's 3 x4) and was carrying it around under my arm. One vendor asked if it flew. Haha, I replied, I wish. He then told me he had sold oriental carpets for 50 years, and hadn't found one that flew yet. I told him I bought this one because it was one of the tough weave ones from the 60s and would use it at my side door. He, then told me it was a Dagestan village rug, instead of the Hamadan I had thought, and we ended up chatting about carpets. So, I learned something and realized you never know who you'll meet at a flea market or their area of expertise.

And that's my flea market report.