An Austin Estate Sale and Some Rust

I haven't been to an Austin estate sale in a while. Between a toddler at home and having most of the items we need in the house, there hasn't been time or need. But this weekend, I hit a sale in a nearby neighborhood. Let's just say my skills are a bit rusty.

I was lured in by the Enid Collins purse they had pictured on craigslist.

When I got there, I thought it was overpriced. A quick internet search when I got home proved me wrong, but it wasn't worth the drive back to see if it was still there.

But they had some other interesting items, things that I didn't have any use for:

Some mid-century kitchen table chairs

An old-school bike

And a mid-century kitchen light

There was one final item, which we really didn't need, but I thought had a great mid-century design, this mid-century modern fire wood holder

It's a bit rusty so it would need a fresh coat of paint, but I thought it'd look nice in our carport, especially if it was sitting next to a Malm or Condon-King Aztec fireplace, which I hope to have when we make the carport a more livable outdoor area. 

There was no way to tell the maker or age of it, though the rust and age of the other items at the sale had me thinking it was authentic mid-century. The price was right, so I took a gamble. Turns out I could have bought this mid-century modern log holder new and saved myself a weekend of sanding and painting.

So I bought some rust and found out my skills are rusty. But I learned two things:

1.  If you end up with an item you like, it's not a total loss (as long as you didn't pay more than retail, which I didn't). 
2. When in doubt, go back to your car and do a quick internet check on your phone.