CSO
Recently, my 14-year old some and I were watching 'Antiques Road show' . Many of the curios that were valued in the thousands were described as 'white elephants' or from a 'white elephant's sale! Besides salivating at the nice large dollar figures, Jake also wondered what the term 'white elephant' meant.It's certainly a phrase that harks back to another time! For me it conjures up images of school sales and church bazaars. It was a time before mass marketing had hit its zenith. Many people made items from what we now call recyclables (bread bad door mats, IBM card wreaths, jelly jar pencil holders...) And consequently, 'store-bought' items were of greater value and far less were made of each item.
So a 'white elephant' sale was a sale of unique or odd items. In a herd, the white elephant occurs, but is unusual. These items can now be found in second-hand stores, garage sales, estate sales and antique stores. I personally love these types of items.
Here is my favorite white elephant of all: Lamps. Lamps are a necessity. They can be refurbished, rewired or even remodeled if necessary. They make excellent gifts and are often a great buy! If you research the tastes of those on your gift list, you can watch throughout the year for novel pieces to add to their (or your) collection!
I love to explore second hand shops for unique lamp shades and bases! I love the tall, pillar lamps, small table lamps, so many choices! And I never buy two matching lamps. I like to create defined individual spaces. Lamp bases can be designed in almost any style imaginable!
Lamps, like many items can trace a time line. They reflect periods. Estate sales are a great source of the useful and decorative white elephants lamps! I've found beautifully carved horse head bases, lovely glass globe lamp bases, and table candelabra style with multi-bulbed branches.
Senior relatives often save relics of bygone days and I've found some nifty lamps there. Many were lamps I'd seen in their homes for years. From my grandparents home I rescued a set (yes, my one set) of oft-repaired white ceramic lamp bases in the design of what we called a Chinese man and lady.
|
|