I have a secret confession to make.
Maybe it’s due to my midwestern roots of growing up in Oklahoma, but one of my favorite things in the world is “treasure” hunting at a thrift store or antique store.
I love the aspect of walking into a store full to the brim (and a light layer of dust just adds to the appeal) and never knowing what cool thing you’ll find and walk out with.
Over the years I’ve found some amazing finds. My 1960’s Rockola Princess Jukebox was a find for the ages for me. When I got it home and downloaded the original owner’s manual in PDF form I was able to take it apart and found original vinyl inside including singles from Elvis, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, Marvin Gaye and Simon and Garfunkel. (My hippy soul overfloweth with joy.)
I’ve found vintage amber glassware including a beautiful pitcher which I later identified on Ebay selling for $300. I paid $5 at a tiny hole in the wall in Columbus, Ohio.
Funny story. I couldn’t figure out how to safely take it on the plane ride back to Alabama with me, so I mailed it. It beat me home.
I’ve found an authentic Gucci purse from the early 2000’s tucked away in a plastic bin. I examined it closely and realized it was real. I paid $8. It sells on Poshmark for $1500.
I’ve found a complete 1971 electric NFL board game. It contained all the pieces and instructions. The lightbulb even still worked, and the cardboard barely showed signs of wear and tear. I paid $10. My son later found it retailing online for $150.
Designer jeans? Oh boy I can’t even begin to list all the $500-$1000 pairs of jeans I’ve found for less than $20.
I think it all started when I was a little girl holding my grandpa’s hand when he’d take me shopping in local stores. He’d be sure to ply me with RC Cola and salted peanuts (which had to be poured into the cola of course) before we’d set out on our treasure hunts.
Thinking back on those memories I had such joy. I remember feeling like I was in a real-life Indiana Jones quest for the Holy Grail. The only difference was I didn’t know what my Holy Grail would be.
Would it be an early edition of Emily Dickinson or George Eliot? Could I find an early collector’s edition of a Breyer horse model? Sometimes it was simply a paper thin almost see-through handkerchief embordered with love by some lady long gone from this world.
One time it was a thin white gold wedding band engraved with initials not my own. I thought about the love the ring represented. Some lady at some point in time cherished that slender little ring. I had no clue of the journey that ring had been on through life and that was invaluable to me.
No matter the prize, I found the mystery of such items absolutely captivating.
I still do. And it’s one of the things I still look forward to doing when I have the time. I’ll load the kids into the car, stop at the gas station for snacks (although they’ll drink RC Cola, pouring peanuts into the bottle is a no-go), and we’ll head out on our treasure hunt to see what we can find. A perfect modern day treasure hunt into the past.
