Since early childhood I have been fascinated by beautiful old things. The first time I went into an antic shop was maybe when I was 12 years old. I had very little money at that time and could only buy a little silver fish pendant for 5,00 Marks, which is about Euro 2,50. I still have it. When I was 18 years old I started to visit flea markets regularly. And nowadays I can say honestly that I couldn’t spend a weekend without a flea market, antic market, thrift shop, garage sale or breaking up of households. I have been on a very special collectors’ antic market some time ago for the first time. As it is located in a very prosperous area of Hamburg, I thought the prices would be rather high and I couldn’t bargain for a snap. I was really overwhelmed by the location and the sublime kind of antics they showed there. It was somehow very different to the other flea markets I visit in general; it was much more stylish and extraordinary. I saw a lot of things I would have liked to have but they were really quite expensive. After looking at all the wonderful articles I finally found a beautiful old silver (935) pocket watch in a very special heart shape which – according to the hallmarks – is from England from Victorian times. It still works perfectly and I really love it. The salesman wanted 55,00 Euro for it, and – believe it or not – I bargained until I got it for 35,00 Euro. Come with me to this collectors’ market and look at the photos from all the crazy and funny things I found.
I think buying old things is some kind of ecological, too because you are re-using things that have been made instead of buying new things. I guess in my household about 90 % are re-used articles and I wear a lot of second-hand fashion. As I read in another blog “one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure”. For me that’s true and I love every single piece I found because every piece has a history and a story to tell, a kitchen table from an auction in Sweden, old frames from antic shops in Denmark, old crystal from thrift shops in Germany, old jewelry from England etc. Do you like flea markets, too? Tell me about something special you found.
WOW
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thank you for your comment and have a nice day, regards Mitza
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I can see that it would be impossible not to buy something from such a market! I admire your bargaining skill. I bought a piece of woodwork at a good price at our local market not so long ago, not that it’s anything I need 🙂 I will post it on my blog one day.
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The Greek blood in me is responsible for bargaining, hehe
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I am impressed 🙂
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thanks, at least I could impress you a little, I think Chinese blood helps a lot, too, hehe
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You’re not wrong there 🙂
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Looks like fun Mitza. I enjoy looking, but not much buying these days.
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Some people say: an apple a day takes the doctor away, and I say : a flea market a week takes the doctor away, hehe. Of course I cannot afford to buy all the things I like, but some little things are okay with me. Have a nice day, Brad, regards Mitza
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lol. That’s a very creative Rx Mitza. 🙂 Whatever works for you. My Rx is nature.
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I have so many likes and hobbies and nature of course is No 1 🙂 By the way, what is Rx? Don’t forget that English is not my mother tongue 🙂
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I’m glad you have many interests. Rx is short for a medical prescription. I was referring to your comment of flea markets to keep the doctor away. In others words, fleas markets are your health prescription. 🙂
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thanks, Brad, my son thought he knew it, but wasn’t sure. I learn a lot by this blog, hehe
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Thanks for reminding me the world doesn’t revolve around me and English. 🙂
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I always try my best to do poems and posts in English because I have a good dictionary in my computer. I was a big fan of Frank Zappa, but never really understood the lyrics because there were so many expressions I didn’t know yet. I bought a special book with translation of all his lyrics. Yes, I liked it, even though or because if was quite ambiguous, hehe
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I admire you and so many others who work at learning multiple languages. While traveling in my 30s I realized how spoiled we are in the US that almost everyone speaks our language. I wish I had learned more languages, but don’t feel inspired to try in my 50s. 🙂
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yes, Brad, that’s a little too late maybe, because it’s easier to learn when you are young, but on the other hand it could be a good exercise for the brain just to learn a little. It’s really true, I didn’t meat many people from US who spoke other languages. Maybe our school system is better than yours. I’m admiring my son who just learns Japanese. That looks very difficult. 🙂
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I’d would really like the horse, please. Could you pick that up and ship it to NH? If only, I would be one happy woman. 🙂
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I will look in May if it is still there. Will be a big parcel, hehe. But I hope you are still a happy woman, hehe, regards Mitza
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Thank you for putting up with my alleged sense of humor, but my pulse did quicken at the sight of that horse. 🙂
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I love crazy humor, that’s true, and I can understand if somebody really loves something, because I’m like that, too. 🙂
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I like the lady in the helmet. What a wistful expression she has. And those lovely sparkly pins in the shapes of butterflies and I think a dragonfly! What a great place you found.
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Yes, I would have liked to have that, too, because it is pure art nouveau and I love it. The pins are probably much cheaper. I will go there as soon as the season starts again. Can’t wait.. regards Mitza
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I’ll be interested to hear about it. There is such a lot to see in our world and this is sort of like manmade scenery, a flea market is, I mean, with everything spread out and arranged and so enticing!
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that’s right, and you can find collections of things that normally are not standing side by side, very weird, crazy or beautiful things, always a surprise.
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Lovely!
About once a month a girlfriend and I spend a day poking around antique and second-hand shops in Portland. She’s a champ at finding treasures among the clutter, having grown up with a mother who was obsessed with the hunt for collectibles. I love Mid-century and Scandinavian Modern design and have been collecting pieces for my Midcentury house since before it became super trendy. There’s just something about the craftsmanship and style of bygone eras that puts much of our modern, mass produced objects to shame. I like to sit in my 1964 Folke Ohlsson lounge chair and imagine all it has witnessed. ( :
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you are completely right, old things have a history and are really well made and you can ponder about it. Fortunately, everybody has a different taste. I’m very much in love with art nouveau things and you with mid-century, so there’s something for everybody. Wish you good luck for finding some nice pieces again. Regards Mitza
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Lovely photographs of all the things you couldn’t buy!
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yes, sigh, but the pocket watch was enough for me to be happy. 🙂
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What fun!
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yes, my favorite hobby. Have a nice day, regards Mitza
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goodness, all those markets and you collected some very lovely treasures Mitza!! the RCA record dog made me smile 🙂 loved those pretty silver pots too, very nice indeed.
Sadly, I never have time to go to markets, it just takes too much time on my weekend, by the time I drive there and back. But many years ago, a friends elderly aunt had a moving sale and I got a massive antique mahogany wardrobe 🙂
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Just imagine, that in summertime I get up every Sunday morning at 05.00 h to be one of the first on the flea markets. I love this atmosphere, looking at all the things, because I’m a very visual person and can estimate quickly if there’s something valuable or not and the Greek blood inside of me has a little talent for bargaining. Our home is like a little museum, but it’s so much work to polish all the millions of things I collected. Great that you found a massive antique mahogany wardrobe. That sounds wonderful 🙂
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wow, it would be fantastic to see more snapshots of your Museum! Are you Greek?? or German? I’m kind of a blend of Scots/Norwegian/Celt and Native American with a dash of French tossed in. lol.
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My husband is sometimes a bit “p….ed” about living in a museum, but I love it to be the museum attendant and clean all the things permanently which is a lot of work. Just imagine I have collected 170 old frames etc.
I’m a mixture of Greek and German from Prussia, if you know what that means: Discipline first and then the fun…
Your mixture sounds great, too. Do you have sometimes a fight inside of yourself like I have between the Greek and the German?
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wow – that would take ALOT of Time Mitza!! The German side, I can see quite ‘focused’ hehe. What a pairing! my only argument is about what I want to do… and what my health allows. Thats the ongoing fight. I’ve always been a Early to rise, get those chores done by 9am and have the whole day to play. 🙂 kinda hard to do that these days, but I still wake up before the roosters even think about it.
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then we have something more in common, I’m an early bird, too, and do my work earliest possible to have time for my hobbies. I never ask myself what I want to do, I know what I have to do, that’s the Prussian way of life, hehe. On Sundays when I get up at 05.00h for flea markets, I love to drive through still sleeping Hamburg “fast and furious”, hehe. That’s not allowed, but up to now I only had one ticket, maybe I was quicker than the police, hehe.
But like you say, I feel that things are harder getting old. One day I will fall dead from my bike, hehe
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my mom instilled that regime. morning work! afternoon…. fun IT is a good attitude, one the young people need. I don’t adhere so much now, as my RA in the morning can stop me for 3-4 hours. 😦
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I think it’s good to have discipline. That’s a real bad thing to have RA. Is there any homeopathic remedy against it? Or some Traditional Chinese Medicine-man with accupuncture? Maybe even a special diet. Stay healthy, Debi, kind regards Mitza
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thanks Mitza! I take the meds, eat Prussian STRICT diet, take herbs, yoga/pilates/massage/exercise/ medititation. just about everything I Try it. Foods DO, make a difference.
if I eat red meat, wheat products, bread, pasta, cakes, deserts or treats – it will get way worse. So i eat None of those. ever.
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Well, the only thing I don’t do is Prussian diet, hehe. But I’m glad that with all these things you feel a bit better. Gosh, I don’t know how long I could live without bread, pasta, cakes deserts and treats. I would die like a flower without water. sigh
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yes, if I try to cheat just tiny bit; it sets me back for many weeks. Not worth that 2 minutes of eating pleasure! I eat tons of fresh fruit! yum. and seafood. yum.
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sounds very healthy. I should do that, too, but I’m unfortunately a chocoholic, sigh. The best way to die for me would be to suffocate on a champaign chocolate truffle, hehe
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the way i eat, you’d think I’d be super woman …. champagne chocolates 🙂
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Yes, I thought you look like a model 🙂
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Of geritol or hair dyes! hehehehe
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better than for toiletpaper, hehe
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now my face is sore from laughing so hard Mitza! you’re a riot! ie funny 🙂
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thanks, I have this kind of weird black humor, that you seem to like. I’m happy about it. 🙂
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of course! 🙂
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thanks
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🙂
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hi Mitza,
just checked all my files. junk and inbox. nothing from you. It could be this new Outlook system or my mac, ? won’t allow the email to enter in for some reason. Dont worry about it, I guess. thank you for resending though.
I can Google rose jam recipes.
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Awesome treasures! 🙂 We love watching American Pickers, a show about two guys who drive around the country finding old treasures and offering them for sale in their stores. I have a very nice collection of 3D holograms (which they don’t make anymore) and fossils. I haven’t been collecting as much lately, but realize how fun and educational it can be!
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I have seen it lately in tv, the American Pickers. Was really interesting. I collect fossils, too, when I’m in Greece, that’s a wonderful hobby, too. I’m sure your collection is great. Greets to Tweetie, Mitza
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I used to collect fossils locally a lot… from the Silurian and Pennsylvanian periods, but they no longer allow people into the quarries anymore due to fears over lawsuits. When that happened, I began just buying them!
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that’s a real pity, because I can imagine that these quarries are very interesting, but of course, if something falls down on you, could be dangerous. I usually find my fossils on the beach or on a field.
By the way, just saw American Pickers yesterday, was interesting to see how much antics differ from Europe to America. Have a nice weekend, greets to Tweetie, Mitza
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A lovely collection Mitza, it sure is a lovely pastime. Great to hear you were even able to bring down the price of the lovely watch, how much fun! A lovely collection great to share it with us 🙂
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I’m happy you liked it, too, dear Agnes. You probably have some nice old things, too. How’s your weather? We hope for spring, kind regards Mitza
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Yes I enjoyed it very much. Old things? Yes I have two heirlooms, one is an old oil lamp and the other is a tall stoneware jenever (probably gin) jug in grey and blue, it is Flemish and came down through my grandfather and mum. Have a lovely evening my friend.
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that sounds nice, dear Agnes. All these things have a story to tell and good memories. thanks for your good wishes which I would like to return, Mitza
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The flea market can be viewed as one of the many advantages for the people living in a city. In the country hundreds of km away from the urban centres it is very hard to find any good antiques. When there is the odd flea market on the occasion of a moving away sale, there is mostly junk that people have to offer. So you can imagine Mitza, how delighted I was looking at all the treasures you found. That is for you truly a wonderful life-long habit.
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I remember when I was in Canada I looked into an antic shop and thrift shop and it was a bit different to our antics. I have an old bible from 1750, that’s before Canada was “born”. Our flat looks like a little museum and I really have to stop collecting now, it’s getting too much. But flea markets will always be my favorite hobby, thanks for your comment, Peter. Hope you already have a little spring feeling, regards Mitza
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I like antique furniture and have a few pieces that belonged to my Grandmother and Mom and one lovely rocking chair I bought years ago. I do enjoy buying clothes at consignment shops and have an outfit that was my Grandmothers.
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great when you can inherit things from your ancestors. To have a nice old rocking chair is something really special. Our garbage collection from Hamburg has a shop where people can bring everything they don’t want anymore. There you can buy a lot of things for a very cheap price and I go there once a week. It’s fun. Thanks for commenting, regards Mitza
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Lovely photos! And oh yes, I love flea markets and rummage sales. I have found some great vintage jewelry, including a jewelled Cartier pin from 1939 that had been tossed in a baggie with a lot of junky trinkets and cost all of $1.00!
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great, that’s a real beautiful and expensive find. You really had luck this day. Fantastic. Have a nice day, regards Mitza
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Nice photos and enjoyable magic objects, Mitza. Cheers. Riccardo
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thank you, Riccardo, have a nice day, regards Mitza
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I LOVE flea markets and we do have here a few that are really good Mitza! We would just have a blast, I can spend hours and hours looking for that something “special”, my husband is not really patient and I can’t over do it time and money wise but I could do it every day!!! MY FAVORITE things to hunt for are jewelry and I mean “old” from an old lady, I have tones of stuff, drawers and boxes of rings, bangles, necklaces, watches, beads, broaches you name it. Flea markets are magic for me, it’s like traveling back in time when everything was good quality handcrafting and beautiful details.
I really like all your flea market photos but my pick is the butterfly broaches they look so pretty I would probably get them all! Thanks for sharing you experience with the flea market it was a lot of fun!
Wish you good hunting on your next trip to the flea market! 🙂
Much love and hugs~Eva
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That’s something more we have in common, dear Eva, fleamarkets and old jewellery etc. I could get lost, too on flea markets but due to the same experience I visit them by myself. And I tell you for this I’m getting up every Sunday morning at 05.00 h!! Because the early bird gets the worm, as we say here. Much love and hugs, too, Mitza
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Are they open to business sooo early?
I couldn’t do that, I never liked to get up that early, I guess I would miss all the good stuff, hehe…
Hugs~Eva
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I’m always up very early, around 06.00 to 07.00h, so it doesn’t matter if I get up one hour earlier. The best time to look for finds is when people are just unpacking their things. But maybe you aren’t such a maniac like I am, hehe
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I love flea (or collectors’) markets! You never know what treasure you’ll find and they are always interesting. Sometimes you can find items from your childhood which can bring back memories. They’re so much fun! Thanks for this beautiful gallery of shots. 🙂
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you are completely right. I sometimes find things from my youth, too, i.e. from the fifties, but I disliked the things already when I was small, hehe. Thanks for your nice comment, regards Mitza
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Beautiful, you got great shots.
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Thank you so much, I sometimes wonder myself, that this little cheap camera (Sony Cybershot) has a really good quality. Have a nice day, regards Mitza
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Beautiful pictures. I adore antiques and collectibles. Some of my favorite finds are old, but still usable, garden tools made in England.
Blessings ~ Wendy
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Thanks for your comment, Wendy. Always interesting to know what people are collecting. Garden tools from England are really superb, have a fantastic quality. so you probably have a garden, too. Have a nice day, regards Mitza
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Thank you, Mitza. Yes, I do have a garden. The snowdrops and crocuses are blooming right now. 🙂 Enjoy your weekend.
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Ours, too, we have different kinds and a lot of different heleborus. Same to you, Mitza
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Oh Mitza, thank you so much for this insight into your world of collecting and hunting out treasure. It is always interesting to see how early the collecting begins. Your story could be my own, for I bought my first piece of china when I was 12. It was a soap dish painted with soft pink roses belonging to a jug and bowl set. I do think we must have been born with an innate sense and appreciation of beauty. And for both of us, beuaty does not always appear in the expensive items. It can be found in the stuff which others throw away.
I loved your photos dear Mitza, especially the dog in the box and the sparkly brooches….you are a little Magpie, collecting treasure and taking it back to your nest 🙂 x x
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Thanks a lot for looking at this post, dear Karen. I was so sure you would like it, too. Great that we have something more in common. And I love magpies, too. My nest is quite crowded right now, I must take care not to end as a messie, hehe. Hope you and Josef are fine and he gave you a little mouse for Valentine’s Day, hehe. xxx Mitza
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Beautiful photos – what an abundance of sketching opportunities… I will be checking out my local flea market this weekend!!
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have fun there
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Beautiful pictures.! Beautiful shot Mitza.! 🍁
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thank you, Riccardo, I’m glad you liked them, regards Mitza
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You’re welcome Mitza.! My pleasure.! Regards, Francisco 🍁
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Looks like the things we find here at what is called a “flea” market.
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I suppose you live in Europe? Things vary sometimes from country to country and of course on other continents, but it’s always interesting. Thanks for commenting, have a nice day, regards Mitza
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