Trying a new feature here where I preview estate sales in New York and Los Angeles before the weekend. I apologize for the elitist geographical distribution. I don’t feel like sharing the site where I am getting these listings from. I might next issue? If you are really into that, I can share it with you off-line, but honestly, I am sure you can find it yourself, it’s super not difficult. Reminder that Snake is a monthly newsletter about vintage clothing and housewares and issues can be read on GQ.com.
All my stuff is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-JLRt0Ec6gZBm50hATYCYmLctnF9GhVijoEbam50JSw/edit
New York
Low-Mid: Ben Hersh Estate: 92 Tenby Chase Voorhees, NJ 08043, Friday and Saturday, 10-4
Not much good here except for what is I think a delftware teapot with a dowager on it (see above).
Should you drive to New Jersey for decorative China? Obviously, if you have a car. But some of us are working on the great American novel (an insurance salesman finds Crossfit and puts on 70 pounds of muscle, only to destroy his knee lining and turn to a life of crime, but the good kind of crime, where companies pay him to hack into their online stores. While doing that he buys himself art supplies and begins a long and fruitful career as a painter. He still works out, but not as often. Luckily because of muscle memory he doesn’t have to.) and have better things to do. The house is valued at $520K.
Rating: Honestly, I would go if I was close by
Mid: Jacob Epstein estate sale: 5 Horizon Way Kings Point, NY 11024, Friday and Saturday, 9-4
Finally, some fine China. And a handful of designer Louis and Gucci and Chanel bags from … I think … like 10-15 years ago. The photos are OK and there’s no way to look at the tags, locks, etc. so caveat emptor (that’s Spanish for read the labels). Some high heels too but I can’t tell what they are. More importantly, there is some real good Royal Derby China (one set at least), and Richard Ginori and a couple other sets, hard to tell what they are, Spode, RD, Tiffany’s, something else, better or worse. A couple of sets are super full and look great. I would kill to have fine China at the crib but I don’t have a hutch in my place and so can’t get any. It’s called manners. I can’t date the bags because I don’t own purses and also can’t see inside of them or see the locks. The sale starts today so the good stuff is probably gone. It’s in King’s Point, the closest part of Long Island to the city I think and really close to Tony’s Beechhurst Deli. If you live on Long Island and have your days free you are a sinner? The estate is also selling a gravy swan. I’m not too good on silverware so I can’t comment, it is neither modern nor Duhrer enough to be interesting. That mid-space of design is called grandma furniture. A framed photo of Yogi Berra with Baltimore native Babe Ruth, both of whom are 5’7, is also for sale. And also one of those helmets that Timothée Chalamet wears in that bowl cut movie (see my review in Monday’s newsletter). My hope is in a year my tableware knowledge grows to such a grotesque degree that I disavow not only my statement made today (10/25/19) about the gravy swan but also all parts of myself that have led to me making this opinion. The house is valued at $18 million.
Rating: Would go right now
Mid: West Milford estate sale: 120 Bearfort Rd West Milford, NJ 07480, Friday, 2am-6pm and Saturday, 9am-2pm
True early bird auction. There are records here and a Mastercraft-type chest (that are great, and hard to find now), so worth going for that, the chest is older than Mastercraft going off the logo. I am sure the records are like, disco cutouts in VG- condition with favorite songs circled with newspapers inside. The house is appraised at $190K. Not bad! It is pretty far from the city, though, and also near a forest. “Ya I live near the forest, pull up, we’ll listen to this Frederick 7” and then go hiking.”
Sounds like a good day to me. There is also framed money for sale, three bills, denomination unknown, which, if you buy for $2.99 or less, is pure profit.
Rating: Might go?
Semi-post-mid: Pitman Auction: 169 Esplanade Ave Pitman, NJ 08071, Fri and Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 9am-4pm
Finally, an estate sale that starts at 8 am. The only real estate sales are the ones that say “no early birds!” and when you get there at 5:45 AM the line is a dozen people, eyeing each other with derision, competing for a Lane dresser. People in Tristate don’t have as good furniture as like, near Detroit or southern California. In New York people drive to Long Island early for Lane dressers. In Belleville, Michigan, you can roll up to a Centopiedi daybed at noon for two bits and then hit the Lions game. Oh well. This sale is the worst sale yet, a house full of brass accessories and compact discs, Woodbury clothing (a team, not the outlet) and like, a collection of Henry VIII beer steins, the combination of which is an insane disgrace—honestly, give it to charity. One of these auctions had a violin for sale that was so new and shiny you could see the camera reflection in it. Scrolling through the photo list here, there is also a 1970s Nike tee, with a blue tag. I didn’t gasp—I’m not a child—but I said “huh.” More where that came from? Don’t doubt it. I would go for the tee. The house is valued at $160K. It is near Philadelphia.
Rating: Go for the shirt, even odds that it’s not gone
LOS ANGELES:
Mid: South Bay LA 3-Day Old Town Torrance Estate Sale: 1732 Andreo Ave Torrance, CA 90501, Thursday 8am-2pm, Friday 9am-1pm, Sat 9am-12pm
Another day, another deed, another house full of weird Crate and Barrel furniture that isn’t even cheap or durable. This house is mostly grandfather clocks but there is a Craftsman tool chest like in New Jersey. This owner has a component stereo sitting on it in the photo so that’s something. It’s taller than the Snap-on chest in New Jersey and is therefore better. The artist Peter Shire has a giant Snap-On or Craftsman but he painted it pastel colors. Scott Sternberg the Band of Outsiders guy has a red Craftsman. Which is a better decision. Something to think about. There is also a pinboard with tools on it, like Julia Child used to have. The other Snap-On seller had that too. Child just hung her pots on the wall. Pinboards are more discussed than seen. Though I think if they are handled starkly enough, they are great. A new pinboard is a little too desperate. Child was in the OSS and her favorite Vietnamese restaurant is in the Tenderloin in San Fransisco. I always think she’s British, but she’s not. The house is appraised at $722K.
Rating: Call about the Craftsman
Severe Sub-Mid: “Music Collectors” estate sale: 5763 S. Bowesfield Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90016, Thurs 10am-4p, Fri 10am-3pm, Sat 8:30am-1:30pm
Another “music collectors” who loves compact discs. This person also owns Playboy Magazines and an old Buick, two sure signs of preversion. And a couple record players. It would be cool if one of them was a Mitchell Transcriptor, but it isn’t. I would go and check out the needle, maybe the needle is worth more than the player. I think they have a reel-to-reel machine? They have a couple of good analog tape players and two plaid sports coats, so I can see us getting along. Also the ‘60s TV. I should also mention that someone who lives either above or next to 40 Knots, the pool hall on Columbia Street, threw out every issue of Vogue Magazine from between like 2011 and 2016 on Wednesday night. I didn’t take them because I was going to play pool. This was around midnight. I think Natalia Vodianova was on the cover of the magazine at the top of the pile? I don’t know. It was a very neat pile. I am not sure if they’re still there. I wanted to get them. I think it would be funny if a business magazine had a column about the transportation industry called Train of Consequences and the writer devolved it into Megadeth lyrics every time. Any criticism of the column—Mortimer stops talking about railway bond yields halfway through to Greek Chorus a 25-year-old song that is just pretty good—would ideally be muted by the actual information that comes through in the first couple of paragraphs. Does it matter if the writer (Mortimer) keeps up a narrative throughout? There is really only a worthwhile sentence in most stories anyways, especially monthly bond yields columns. The house is appraised at $974K. It is by Apple Pan.
Rating: Skip
Thanks for reading.
Snake