Unexpected Bonus Of Visiting Local Charity Shop
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
March 10, 2013 8:32pm CST
This isn't the Cat's Paws shop that my Dad bought his £3.99 clock from, it's the Hospice shop near Talbot Salesrooms, where Mum had already been to pick her lapis lazuli carpet lol.
She told me on the phone that there are 'bargains to be had in there sometimes' and, sure enough she spotted a picture that caught her eye. Even moreso that it was an L S Lowry, framed print.
Price?
£15!
The shop assistant said, 'I don't really know why it's being sold at that price..but it's not an original.'
Haha!
Mum thought to herself, 'It wouldn't have been brought in the shop if it was an original, it would be on Antiques Roadshow.'
Mum had her bike with her so she told the shop assistant to keep hold of the print and she'll come back later on foot to pick it up.
This she did, only to be told, 'We only take cash' when she flashed her Switch card at the shop assistant.
Mum was tired by this time (choosing the carpet earlier on had really taken its toll) so what she's going to do is - basically - let the charity shop know she's sending Thomas on Monday, in order to pay for the print with Mum's cash and carry it back 'in a big plastic, black bag so no-one can see it.'
'He's also stronger than me,' was Mum's reasoning for Tom to go in her place.
It sounds like it's a bigger picture than ones she'd normally go for (apart from the odd big ones she has hung up..not Lowries) so, besides her new stair carpet I can look at when I'm next there, she'll also have her Lowry hung up. Where, I don't know!
Have you heard of L S Lowrie? His artwork is very distinctive and originals can be sold for thousands of pounds.
Mum had her bike with her so she told the shop assistant to keep hold of the print and she'll come back later on foot to pick it up.
This she did, only to be told, 'We only take cash' when she flashed her Switch card at the shop assistant.
Mum was tired by this time (choosing the carpet earlier on had really taken its toll) so what she's going to do is - basically - let the charity shop know she's sending Thomas on Monday, in order to pay for the print with Mum's cash and carry it back 'in a big plastic, black bag so no-one can see it.'
'He's also stronger than me,' was Mum's reasoning for Tom to go in her place.
It sounds like it's a bigger picture than ones she'd normally go for (apart from the odd big ones she has hung up..not Lowries) so, besides her new stair carpet I can look at when I'm next there, she'll also have her Lowry hung up. Where, I don't know!
Have you heard of L S Lowrie? His artwork is very distinctive and originals can be sold for thousands of pounds.3 people like this
8 responses
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Mar 13
hi yes so metimes you can r eally pick up some good things in a charity shop. l found some plates that were originals and only paid ten dollars for the three Limoges porcelain and I think my son now has them inn his apartment.I only used them as decoration and used them very carefully too.,.i shudder to think of having them here as the collection drives them nuts and know what I do not give a fly ing damn. this is my room and thats my hobby so suc it up
housekeepers as you do not have to dust them I will do that..just do not tuch them is all I Ask.
s all I Ask.1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
11 Mar 13
I have to admit my friend when it comes to Art I am a complete Philistine! Art bores me to tears, I had a friend once who was well into Art he lived in Wales and when he came to visit wanted me to take him to the Art galleries in London. BORING! But I didn't want to be a bad host and inhospitable so I dragged around the numerous Art galleries London has to offer, honestly I have never been so bored in all my life, I think even a 90 minute Football match would have been preferable, at least I could have sat down for the duration. The only picture I have up on my wall is a wonderful pencil drawing of Matt Smith the current Doctor, I am glad she bagged herself a bargain. My mum loves going into the charity shops with her friend and the stuff she brings back, but never a framed print or painting she loves a bargain does my mum, bless her.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Mar 13
Mum does have framed photographs that I have taken in Cumbria (cows and the like) and I reckon even YOU would like THEM lol.
@BarBaraPrz (51839)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
11 Mar 13
I've not heard of him before, so I looked him up. Interesting.
http://lslowry.com/
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Mar 13
His mother once told him none of his works would sell lol.
What did she know?
Haha!
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
11 Mar 13
I must admit to not being familiar with Lowry's work. I think, though, that I may have heard of him in passing.
The images of his work that I see online are nice. I've yet to own a house, though, so I have yet to really establish my "style" when it comes to choosing artwork. I dream of a day when I actually have a space where I feel comfortable hanging prints and such. However, that will require us actually owning a house.
Thrift shops can yield some really nice finds, though. I've found some very nice stuff; however, most of it has been clothing.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Mar 13
There are definitely great bargains to be found at the consignment stores. I like visiting the Salvation Army Thrift store here in town and that is where the vast majority of my children's clothing comes from. This is something that saves us a ton of money.
Not only has this happened for us, there have also been times that I've bought an item of clothing at the thrift store only to later learn that there was money inside the pockets.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
20 Mar 13
Oh my, I take it you were allowed to keep the money? I've not heard of that before, do you reckon the money is left there on purpose? I'd like to think so!
The standard of clothing in Charity shops has also gone up. Mum has a really good quality thick, duffle-type coat for the very cold weather and she only paid £6 for it from her local Cat's Paws. No way could she (or I) afford a brand new one and, to be honest, on the High Street good quality coats are hard to come by anyway.
@mrswhitfield (2044)
• Indonesia
13 Mar 13
I don't know anything about LS Lowry, but if his original artwork is valued with thousand pounds he must be a great artist. Now I wonder, what if the artwork that your mom purchased is the original one and someone sold it by mistake because he/she could not recognize which one is real?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
13 Mar 13
That's a nice thought but untrue, unfortunately. The reason I know this is there's a written bit on the back about the original being loaned from the Birmingham Art Gallery..in order for the print to be done. Whoever printed it had the original painting loaned to them, by the looks of it. It's a much bigger print than the original too, which is the whole point of printing I suppose..you can have different sizes.
When I'm at Mum's in April I shall make sure I take a photograph of it.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17245)
• China
11 Mar 13
£3.99 clock makes me laugh once again,your Dad kidded your Mum he bought it for £30.Did you mean your Mum bought the carpet with L.S Lowry's drawing on it ,human figures in his drawings were referred to as matchstick men ?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Mar 13
Mum has chosen a carpet but won't have paid for it yet as fitters have come round today measuring up. The picture was a seperate thing altogether. She just so happened to be in the area where the charity shop was lol.
I shall ask her more about it Tuesday night.
@francesca5 (1344)
•
11 Mar 13
That's a nice story, your mother must have really liked the picture to go back for it, and then when they wouldn't cash to still want it, even if she is sending tom, its still a lot of effort to get it, she must have really liked it.
Maybe you doing things with your home is inspiring her too, which is nice.
For some reason this heartwarming story has cheered me up, its nice to think that with all those stories in the press about the x factor and celebrities that your mum places such a high value on a nice piece of art.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
12 Mar 13
Many thanks for those kind words. Mum does have good taste in art. She has no original artworks (I think some of the frames are worth more than the prints lol) but she does have framed photographs that I've taken in Cumbria, that type of thing. Mixes it up a bit, which is nice.
She's never bought a Lowry though, until now so I shall ask her all about it when I ring up on Tuesday night.
I do like to think I've inspired her but it's a two-way thing in many ways.
As for the carpet, I think it's brilliant that she's gone for a nice colour for a change. The one that's gone a bit threadbare is TOO light and the colour was a nondescript yellow/beige. She used to have lilac in the kitchen/extension at one time and I loved it. So serene and calming. Mind you, she now has a gorgeous browny shade of real wool carpet in the back which is awesome, so that goes with the painted wallpaper that is darker at the bottom than the top (dado rail in the middle).
It will be interesting to see what type of furniture she has in the extension next. Her leather suite has been scratched to bits by the cats and her chair has sank to such an extent she cannot sit on it for long periods of time.
I've suggested good quality rattan or cane furniture.
We shall see!
