Items of Value Inc

     If you have ever been to France, especially inside a traditional house, when you enter this one you will be in France again.  Nothing could be more French, not just Martha Stewart French, but French French, from the fireplaces to the walls to the objects inside.  For those of you who have not had this enjoyable experience, please come to experience the feeling of a French country house.  It is memorable.  Even the staircase is faux painted to look like stone blocks.  There are French items everywhere -- with a little bit of British thrown in.  This is a THREE-DAY sale because of the enormous quantity of items we have to sell.

     In the living room you will find a pink/white marble fireplace mantle for sale, a variety of chairs, wall mirrors, wall tapestry, statues on pedestals, plus the first of a myriad of French items you will see throughout the house.  If you go into the kitchen next, you will find a large number of ceramics, metal ware, and small signs in French like "Cuisine" (kitchen), also a metal pot rack and hanging tresses of faux vegetables.   We will help you translate the names/words on items, but you might enjoy trying on your own first. 

     Beyond the kitchen is the new addition on the house, complete with French-style "cheminee" (fireplace) adorned with brassware and ceramics.  We have been hard pressed to find places to display all of the ceramics and glass items that have been stored in cabinets, but you will enjoy going through stacks of painted plates.  The country table is accompanied by 4 chairs and filled with an assortment of ceramics.  The tall metal cage-like wine bottle rack is available.  We are giving away one bottle of your choice (selling the bottle, not the contents) to each person purchasing over $100 of items (limit of one bottle per person for the entire sale).  Take time to enjoy looking at all the framed prints and paintings hanging on the walls throughout the house, also the carpets on the floors.

     Climbing half a flight of stairs will make you feel like you are climbing a staircase in a castle.  Upstairs in the front corner bedroom you will discover a large mirrored 2-door armoire (That's a French word.) filled with linens.  We have never had so many fine linens for sale.  In the smallest of the three bedrooms you will find a FINE French "commode" (chest of drawers) with marble top for sale.  In the  back bedroom along with a diminutive oak book stand and a large highboy we have brought in 2 clothes racks to show some of the "petite"- (you know that word) size clothes.  Size 7-1/2 shoes are in the closet.  We have taken the costume jewelry out of the drawers to display in one of 2 showcases we brought in to hold the jewelry plus "smalls".  Look for a "petit objet" (small item) to buy as a souvenir of your visit to this French house, or "quelque chose de plus grand" (something bigger) to take home for that French feeling. 

      Of special appeal are the "ceramiques peintes a la main" (hand-painted pottery), of which there is much to choose from.  This house does not lack for ceramics with "fleurs" (flowers) or "animaux" (animals).  Of course you will find several "coqs" (roosters) here and there.  They seem to have become a traditional symbol of France.  If you wish to learn the different types of "fromages" (cheeses), you will find labeled cheeses on plates as well as linens.  You get one last chance to learn French cooking if you buy one of the French cookbooks -- in English.  You may also decide to purchase one of the small food preparation machines/apparatus.  Don't forget the "huile et vinaigre" (oil and vinegar) cruets or the "sel et poivre" (salt and pepper) shakers. 

     If you remember those two nice cool mornings we had this week, you might buy a small table and outdoor chairs to replicate the outdoor eating experience that the French (and most Europeans) enjoy so much.  Outdoor hanging lanterns are available.  While you are eating outdoors, you might enjoy watching the copper water spinners (4 brand new ones available).  When you walk by the outside bins of round white spheres in mesh bags, they are not "champignons" (mushrooms) but used golf balls which we will be selling by the bag.  One of the outbuildings has more yard tools than we have ever had at one sale.  Another outbuilding has shop equipment and supplies.  Remember to look up in the rafters for the "cannes a peche" (fishing rods).

     Back inside, some of you women may be reenacting the story of "Cendrillon" (Cinderella) trying on shoes.  However, there are plenty of medium-size clothes for you as well as a store's worth of vintage handbags.  If the weather is nice, we will hang as many as possible of the clothes on clothes lines outdoors in order to relieve the pressure on them in the closets and give you an easier opportunity to look at them.  The large screened porch has tables/chairs plus many items for sale that were taken out of the crawl space.  This house is packed with items.  The gazebo has yet more where you can enjoy "digging" for treasures.

     You will be quite surprised when you open the two antique walnut armoire "portes" (doors) in the lower level room.  We are not going to tell you what you will see, but it is a very clever idea.  The 4-door china cabinet in that room has books.  More books are on the mirror-back shelves across the room.  Who will take home the Art Deco-style "gazelle en bronze" (brass gazelle -- that's an easy one) on one shelf?  Take time to look through the photos we have published on "estatesales.net" to see all that we have to offer you in this house and yard.

     Please bring canvas satchels and empty boxes with you if you are going to purchase a lot of items.  We have only paper shopping bags, plastic bags, and newspaper to offer you for wrapping and carrying away our purchases.  Look forward to a particular novel experience being in this house.