My girl and I like to go to the antique stores, used book stores and garage sales to have a look around. We can spend a whole afternoon doing this and often times we do. There is one about a mile down the road that showcases over 100 booths in over 25,000 square feet of space. You never know what is going to show up at some of these antique shops. Sometimes I stop and think about where all the items came from. There are often huge collections that look like they all came from one place. There are sometimes framed pictures of folks from years gone by. It is as if these items came from an estate sale of a deceased former owner. Still, there are all sorts of items I remember from my youth like a Stretch Armstrong toy or old school kitchen utensils like those metal ice cube trays my grandma had with the lever you had to pull up to release the ice cubes when they were ready. These things often bring back happy memories and they make me smile.
Every once in a while, in these collections I find some things I simply must possess. Things that make me move aside my desire to live a minimalist lifestyle and reach for my money clip.
It is no secret I am a big James Bond fan. It is also no secret I have a story in my head I plan to put on paper and pitch to the James Bond folks over at EON Productions.
One day, while wandering through one of my favorite antique stores, I made an amazing discovery. I spied a large collection of James Bond paperback novels. This was one of those times when I knew I had to have them. Worried this was going to cost me a small fortune I looked at the price tags and they were all more or less a dollar. Then I found one in a protective plastic sleeve. That one worried me. It turned out to be “The Diamond Smugglers” by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. Upon closer inspection I discovered it was a first printing and marked at $10. A first printing? Cool! All the others were 6th or some such thing.
One day I found a hard cover of one of my favorite James Bond movies, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Two dollars? Oh yes please.
So I snatched them all up and hustled on home with my loot from the antique store. Upon closer examination I discovered I also scored a first printing of “You Only Live Twice” by Ian Fleming. Sweet!
Awesome finds at the antique store always makes me smile. What have you found at the antique store or used book store that made you smile? What would you like to find?
Have you ever found something super cool at the antique store? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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