Grandmas and Crackers

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OsiaBoyce

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We had us here one of those down the highway yardsales yesterday, as usual the first Saturday in June. Last year I had my truck roll down the mountain I call a front yard and I did not make it. There's a story about it here someplace.

I figured I could have more luck aquiring bottles buy trying to sell some and putting out a sign that 'I buy bottles' than riding up and down the road looking for something I don't have.

I was doing good early selling a few porcelain and enamel early on. A license plate collector
http://www.scplates.com/
from a 100+ miles away happened to stumble upon me, and I sold him a few. I knew the guy, and he just happened to be in town working the peach crop this year. I found that to be quiet serendipitious.

Anyhow sometimes during the moring two little kids about 8 or 9 showed up and started looking at my bottles. He pulled out this really nice ss Coke from Columbia. It was marked on the bottom $35, he did not see it and ask "How much?". I ask him he liked it and he let me know he did. I said "Two dollars." He reached his hand in his pocket and pulled out a zip lock pag full of change and a few dollar bills. Now of course I took it. He and his brother ran off happy.

Well a few minuets later grandma showed up and I heard her tell the kids they paid two much for the bottle. I went on to explain to her that it was a $40.00 bottle and was at least 100 years old. She moved on and the kids stayed behind looking at bottles. I went on to show them how to date them w/ the Laurens Glass Works marks..........................something simple, no need to confuse them w/ OI dating.

By the time those kids left, they had, 2 ss Cokes, 2 1913 Pepsis from S.C.. 8 painted lables from the S.C. and Georgia. A dozen Nat. Geos. from 1918-1924. I got to tell ya I love kids, we have 13 grandkids, so it's required.

Besides I'd rather make them happy than to do business w/ someone who thinks they can make a profit off of me or some damn Shiek from Qatar.

Then Cracker Bubba shows up w/ his wife who has less teeth than I do.

First off he pisces me off by the way he greats me by telling me he has been waiting while I had been braging to my wife.................I had been talking to Paula who had brought me my meds and I was telling her how good I was doing.

Anyway I had three crates of bottles w/ some midgrade bottles in them..........Hornet, Heep Good, Jet, Beau Regards, Lee, McFuddy, Old Stand Buy................yall get the idea. He's says "How much for a full crate?" I tell him give me a second......................... "$300.00" I tell him...........ya would have thought I shot his dog or wife....................not much difference. Then he goes on to tell me he's a bottle collector. Funny,he lives 10 miles from me and I had never seen or heard of him. So then he pulls out the Hornet,Old Time Root Beer,3 Centa and an embossed Jacksons Root Beer [ the one that looks like a tree w/ chains on it ]. Again "How much?"................"$75.00" was my reply. He goes "NO WAY.", then his wife wants to know the book I get my prices from. WTF? I tell her I've been doing bottles for over 40 years. They stormed of in a huff................I should have told them "You can leave in a huff. Or you can leave in a minute and a huff." Love that Groucho.

Anyway, that's my story about Grandmas and Crackers, now let me go bother someone.
 

bottlingco

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Osiaboyce,
I admire you greatly for this post more than any other one. I, too, love children, and have devoted my life to teaching them. Recently, at a bottle show, I had a jar of about 150 caps marked for $20. A girl of about 10 came up and opened it up, pulled out an Orange Crush unused cap, and wanted to know how much. Like you said, I guess she didn't see the price on the top of the jar. About that time, dad intervened and told her to look on the top of the jar, the whole jar was $20. and "you don't have that much money." I told dad with his permission, she could have it. He said it wasn't right, but after talking to them for awhile and learning that I was a teacher, he agreed to let her have the cap for free. It turned out she collected things that were orange, and loved Orange Crush. There is no better feeling in the world, or no amount of money in the world better than seeing a child's face light up, and to hear them say "thank you."
By the way, remember back in the day, when an Orange Crush was a pop worth drinking, and you could make a freezer of orange sherbet with it? Those were the days! ~bottlingco
 

bubbas dad

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great story pat. they always say do something nice and maybe it will be paid foward. there was a guy that use to come to the columbia show and sell insulators. my son always looked for him. the first year he did something simlar to what you did for my son. bubba always made sure he had some money to spend at that guys table. it's the small things that make the big differences sometimes.
 

T D

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Amen, amen, and amen. It's not always about that goose with the gołden egg. It's a shame the delight that is taken in the money made in the hobby instead of the hobby itself.
 

Headhunter2

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Those who treat children in an honorable way are blessed beyond measure
 

epackage

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I juat saw an Ebay sale for...

"2 ss Cokes, 2 1913 Pepsis from S.C.. 8 painted lables from the S.C. and Georgia. A dozen Nat. Geos. from 1918-1924." $4.500.00, we will ship to Qatar for free!![;)]

Nice job Pat
 

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