Forget luck — it’s persistence that leads you to treasure

Nov 04, 2023

By Staff | on June 08, 2023

This petite Heisey Greek Key pattern ice tub measures about 6 3/8 inches at its widest point. SCOTT SIMMONS / FLORIDA WEEKLY

"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration," Thomas Edison once said.

I can apply the same logic to antiques and treasure hunting, only in my case, it's 1% luck and 99% looking.

My mother contends I’m lucky.

That may be true.

But it doesn't take a genius to understand that I find a lot because I am constantly looking — persistence pays off.

I never have a specific goal in mind, either.

That would lead to disappointment; however, it often leads to surprise.

I was chuckling about that a few weeks ago as my mother and I stopped in the Fort Myers Salvation Army store (15418 S. Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers).

Neither of us had found anything in there in quite some time.

But you never know, I said.

She nodded in agreement, and we wandered the store.

There, on the back of a shelf in the housewares section, I spotted treasure — a small Heisey Glass Greek Key pattern ice tub. The price? $3.99.

Heisey, a Newark, Ohio, company made its Greek Key pattern between 1912 and 1938, meaning this piece is anywhere from 85 to 111 years old.

This tub is the smaller ice pail — it measures about 6 3/8 inches at its widest point, but it packs a lot of great graphic appeal with that bold Greek key motif on the thick, light-grabbing glassware. It's marked with Heisey's distinctive diamond-H in the bottom. I’d expect it to have a retail value of $50 to $75, so it was a comparative bargain.

On a trip across the state, I found Baccarat in Belle Glade.

It's hard to time visits to the First Choice Thrift (189 W. Ave. A) for when it's open because the store doesn't always keep regular hours.

And you truly need to have a love of the hunt to shop here. This store is packed — heaped, even — with all manner of household and decorative items, ranging from what some might consider trash to really attractive treasure.

Dwight, the owner, always is affable and encourages you to dig in, which is how I discovered a Baccarat decanter.

A center-handled tray by Heisey was marketed for serving sandwiches. It dates from the 1930s.

I knew this decanter had to be something nice and probably something from France — the etched design on its sides is quite elaborate and it had a beautifully finished base and stopper.

I turned it over to see if there was a mark, wiped away a smudge and found the acid-etched Baccarat mark. I wondered if the stopper was its original. It was etched with a "37." After I got home, I looked at the bottom of the decanter and found an identical mark — it likely was a model or inventory number. The decanter originally came with a set of glasses for serving liqueur.

While navigating the maze, I spotted a piece of pink Depression glass that looked like Heisey.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a center-handled sandwich tray in the company's Octagon pattern. It's unmarked, but I recognized the shape and the color — Flamingo, which seems perfect for something found at the edge of the Everglades.

A Baccarat decanter probably dates from the 20th century and bears the company mark (at right) on the bottom.

I paid $8 for the two pieces, proving once again that you never know where or when you’ll unearth treasure. ¦

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