Local Treasure

First of all, holy typo Batman!  Yesterdays post had an obnoxious typo in the title!  Embarrassing!

Moving on.  I was in the process of finishing my route at my favorite thrift store when I spied this for $2.99.

Looks like a blah plain black vase right?  Well it is, but it is keeping a little secret.  It is a piece (not authenticated, but I'm pretty sure) of Van Briggle pottery.  Now I'm not sure if this stuff is known outside of Colorado, but here where I live, most people know what it is and to me it is a part of local history.

Artus Van Briggle moved here in the late 1800's because he had Tuberculous.  Back in the day, TB patients came to Colorado Springs for the crisp, thin, clean air which helped to ease pained breathing.  His company became the longest running art pottery in the United States, but sadly I believe this era has come to an end.  The most recent owner who tried to bring the company back to its roots has passed away, so right now the fate of the company is up in the air.  I took my find to the shop they downsized to years ago, but it looked like it hadn't seen a person in a long long time.  Most Van Briggle pottery has a bright colored matte glaze, but there was a period when they played around with a glossy finish.  The stamp looks right and though the "original" on the bottom screamed fake to me but a lot of their pieces have that.  No series has the same stamp, which makes it hard to date and authenticate.
My pot is cracked so it really isn't worth anything but that doesn't bother me, it is a piece of my town, and I love it!

I also found this Verde cinderella bowl for a great price and in such great shape!  It will go in the new booth as a single piece.  I think someone is bound to need it to complete their set.

How cool is this little alphabetical organizer?!  The Mom said my Grandpa had one like it.  When it is closed you can slide the arrow thing up and down to the letter you want, then pop it open and boom, there is your letter.  I'm not sure why I am so fascinated with this thing, but I think it is pretty neat.  I'm using it to store all my passwords, important stuff and numbers for the blog and my booth.  The Husband always gives me crap because I don't have some number or password memorized.   I have to remind him that I don't have a big brain like he does, and that my memory space is limited!  I don't want to waste it with number nonsense!

What local treasures do you guys have?  Has anyone ever heard of Van Briggle Pottery?

I'm going share my finds at Thriftosaurus Thrift Haul link up at Sir Thrift A Lot.  Have a great day!

Update:  So after some thought, it has been decided that I will be changing my blog name from I Love Vintage to Andromeda Vintage.  This is what my booth name will be, and I believe in continuity.  I also think that this will help me grow my name locally.  Over the next few weeks I will begin to change the look of the blog and today I will change the address.  I have no idea how this will work, so please be patient with me!