Antique/Thrift Store Finds

Timex Marlin. $8. Manual winding and working fine.

When I find the $8 bag of costume jewelry at a thrift store I buy it if it contains a decent watch strap or belt buckle.

One of these bags contained a lapel pin with a Swastika. Horrifying!

Google image search to see who in their right mind would wear this.

Turned out to be stamped Tiffany & Co and predates the Third Reich. It was made over 100 years ago and was a sign of good luck.

Still ruined by the Nazis. There were no obvious gold markings. I took it to my jeweller who confirmed it was 14 k gold. There was a small diamond in the center and according to my jeweller, it was an old turn of the century cut. (Victorian? European? Cannot recall).

“What do you want to do with it?” Asked the jeweller.

“Destroy it” I said.

He gave me the gold value -$150.

Not even sure I should post a photo… but here is the stem.

You can find it in odd places. It's in museums with Native American exhibits, often in basket weaves or patterns in blankets. It can be a bit unnerving.

Good idea looking for straps in bundles.
I've seen nice JB Champion bracelets on cheap watches in auction sites. Might have to start looking myself.

Much like Berlin, Ontario. After Lord Kitchener lost his life in 1916, when the ship HMS Hampshire hit a submerged German mine. There was such a groundswell of hatred for anything German, that Berlin was re-named Kitchener.

My wife tells me that somewhere around the house, she has an artifact from her late grandmother (passed away about 65 years ago). It is an item of jewellery in the shape of a swastika. Prior to the adoption of the swastika by the Nazis, it was an innocent image. I’ll see if she can find it.