Just “Good, Old Stuff”: Hunting for Treasure at Tri-State

This month, the WorthPoint Treasure Hunt circuit continued at the Tri-State Antique Market, and trust me, it was the best way to get a new month started on the right foot. Located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (just minutes from Kentucky and Ohio), Tri-State is Indiana’s largest antique and vintage market, and it happens on the first Sunday of each month in May through October. On this particular August Sunday, the weather was warm and breezy (a welcome relief after the humid Florida temperatures at our last Treasure Hunt). Conditions were great for a few dozen of us to come together and seek out the best treasures that Lawrenceburg had to offer.

The minds behind the Tri-State event have done their best to ensure that only vintage treasures are on display at this particular event. All merchandise must be at least 30 years old and out of print or production so that the market can be a true antique experience. As their website says, Tri-State is only interested in serving up “good, old stuff,” and this month, they certainly fulfilled that goal. Here are just a few of my favorite finds:

Old pharmaceuticals and beauty products. I’ll be honest with you– when I first saw an ancient bottle of Vicks VapoRub and some equally ancient hair curlers at a few different booths, I was truly puzzled. I couldn’t believe that anyone would be interested in buying these items! This is the type of stuff you toss when you’re cleaning out your bathroom cabinets, right? But when I asked one of the vendors, he let me know that these collectibles actually have a significant fan base, particularly with collectors who lust for vintage medicine cabinets. If you have a vintage medicine cabinet, you need to stock it with all the right antique products. So if your mother or grandmother has an ancient bathing cap for frosting and tipping (and it’s still in the original packaging, of course), hang onto it and see what you can get on eBay instead of tossing it.

A doll case for Barbie and Midge! Listen, sometimes your dolls have enough accessories to warrant their own suitcase, and that’s a good thing, people! (Especially if you have a vintage case that’s as cool as this one shown below.) These cases are just plain neat, and they can run anywhere from $20 to $120 on eBay, depending on how many accessories you can include.

A checkbook from 1862. Need I say more?

A cat lamp made of stained glass. These cuties have sold for $40 – $90 on eBay, but honestly, why would you ever let this little guy go?!

If these highlights are giving you a serious case of FOMO, don’t worry! Another WorthPoint Treasure Hunt is coming soon to a market near you! On September 17th, we’ll be hitting up Springfield, Ohio’s antique extravaganza. If you want to hang out with other cool collectors and see what this incredible show has to offer, click this link and come along! Treasure Hunts offer the chance to learn from your fellow antique freaks and soak up the wisdom of collecting queen and eBay all-star, Danna Crawford. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about buying and selling antiques, or if you just want a little company while you’re looking for vintage curlers, be like these happy people and come along on a WorthPoint Treasure Hunt!

In addition to her role as HIP’s curator of photography, Allison Radomski is a writer and filmmaker. She spends her days hunting for analog cameras, scoring her own movies in her laundry closet, and building her collections of Polaroids and handkerchiefs. She has degrees in cinema & media studies and religious studies from the University of Chicago.

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