Thrill of the Hunt #46 (One Man's Trash and Fear of....Clowns?)

April 25, 2017


Hello friends! Welcome to Thrill of the Hunt #46! I'm continuing to share some finds from my recent thrifting adventures. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. First up is a funky blast from the past. Do you remember these?


 


The ad campaign was" "7Up: the Uncola." From what I can tell, these "uncola" glasses were manufactured from 1967 through the 1990's. I honestly can't remember when we had them but I do know that at some point growing up we had these glasses. I found them at Goodwill for 99 cents each.



I guess Coca-Cola was a tough act to follow and they thought this would get 7Up some attention. I think they were right! I've now seen them selling on ebay, etc. for somewhere in the range of $3-$5 each.



Here's a Goodwill score from a few weeks back. As I've mentioned before, I just can't seem to get away from these awesome vintage Christmas finds. I thought it might be a collectible so I turned it upside to read the bottom. 


It appears to have been made in 1991. That would make it 26 years old. After some research I learned that The Gifted Line from John Grossman, Inc. and the Enesco Corporation Santa Claus figurines are quite the collectibles. 


I searched and searched online for my exact Santa to no avail. I found many Enesco Santas, and some of them were even carrying toys on their backs like mine was. But I could not find any Enesco Santas with a woven basket of toys on his back. I think that makes it unique. My Enesco Santa is AVAILABLE HERE.



This particular Santa is a replica of one from the 1920's.

The rest of the finds for today are not exactly indicative of my taste in collectibles or decor. But you know what they say......one man's trash is another man's treasure. And don't get me wrong. They are certainly not trash .... just things better off in someone else's home. But suffice it to say that after a bit of googling while standing in the aisles of Goodwill I determined that these porcelain figurines were indeed worth bringing home with me from a resale standpoint.


First up is a set of three porcelain delft blue cats for $1.99. At first I thought they were playing with balls of yarn but upon closer inspection it appears that they are actually soccer balls!







I had trouble finding the set for sale anywhere, but I did find them individually priced from $10-$20 each. Unfortunately I don't know the manufacturer or the year they were made. All I know is that they were made in China. The porcelain delft cat trio set is AVAILABLE


This must be my month for porcelain as I also scored this set of three vintage "Snow Bells" porcelain bell ornaments AVAILABLE HERE. SOLD. While I've been an avid vintage Christmas ornament collector over the years I have to say that these are not my style. But I can smell a collectible a mile away so in the cart they went.
  

I'm not sure what type of creatures they're supposed to be (bears? squirrels?) but they are at least cute.


And they each have their original maker's mark tags. They were made in Taiwan by Giftco, Inc. I've been unable to find a year they were made, but I'm thinking the 1970's or 1980's? 

Now for the warning: my last vintage find might be upsetting and/or offensive to some people. What people, you ask? Well, people who are afraid of clowns, that's who! More specifically, people who suffer from coulrophobia. Didn't know it had its own name, did you? 


Yes, some people are afraid of clowns. And understandably so. I also googled this item while still in the store and found that my Fine Ceramic by Artmark of Chicago porcelain Clown With Barrel Savings Bank was indeed a collectible.


Based on the picture on the box I was less than enamored with this fellow. Honestly, I thought he looked pretty creepy. However, once I got him out of the box he did not look as bad as I thought.



I actually thought he was kind of cute and could see him as making a nice vintage decoration in a baby's room.
  


Some of the other vintage clown banks that I found really were creepy. In comparison, this one's a real doll! I mean, look at that tush! Fine Ceramic by Artmark of Chicago porcelain Clown With Barrel Savings Bank is AVAILABLE.


What do you think? Clowns: yay or nay? 
Let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Well, that's it for now. I still have quite a few finds to share in upcoming posts and I'm happy about that. But you'll have to meet me at Thrill of the Hunt #47 to see what I mean.

Well that's it for today, friends!
I hope you enjoyed reading 
Thrill of the Hunt #46
and that I've inspired you in some way.  

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Leave a Comment!

Cecilia said...

Hm, interesting finds. I'm not afraid of clowns but most look creepy...at least the one you found is cute! The kittens eith soccer balls - rather strange in a cute sort of way. I always wonder where some of those things in the thrift store came from - where they loved by someone, a gift someone didn't like, etc.? Thanks for sharing. I like seeing what you come across.

Cecilia

The Speckled Hen Cottage said...

I remember those 7-up glasses, we even had some...how fun to see them again. Boy...it was your week for porcelain, you found some nice pieces and all of them in thier original boxes!

rush said...

If I remember correctly, the Coca-Cola glasses of the time were the inverted ones of this shape. So, Uncola and upside down glasses were the opposite of what Coke was putting out. I remember that campaign from so long ago.

My thrift store addiction said...

Your clown is cute and non-creepy ;) I vaguely remember the 7 up glasses. Great find on the Santa!

https://www.vintagesouthernpicks.com said...

I liked the kittens best, but playing with soccer balls? Weird. And those other things look like squirrels to me b/c of their fat little cheeks, but I guess it would depend on what kind of tail they have. I'm not familiar with any of those other collectible pieces you got. I'm not sure I even remember the 7-up glasses. Do you have a booth, or do you sell on Etsy/Ebay? Just curious....

Sharon @ Blue Willow House said...

Great finds especially the Santa. I don't remember the 7-Up glasses but I remember the Uncola campaign well.

Diana said...

Some very fun finds, Kathleen :) I do remember the 7-UP campaign and those glasses. We didn't have any, but friends of ours did. Sounds like you're getting closer and closer to setting up shop somewhere...

Unknown said...

Most definitely a Nay on clowns, but yours is pretty cute. Love the colors of the kittens. Thanks for sharing your finds! Cynthia