Estate Sale Built-Ins

[rp2813]

I hit an estate sale around the corner from us today.   Prices seemed on the high side for things of moderate interest, but I didn't leave empty-handed.  The kitchen has all built-in cooking appliances vintage +/- 1960 so I snapped some pictures with my phone of those as well as a couple of other things.

 

First, a little French door Frigidaire oven.  To the left of the oven is an L-shaped configuration of two stainless twin-burner Hotpoint cooktops.  They are buried under merchandise.

 

 

[rp2813]

Cooktop Controls

I was able to get a shot of the cooktop control panels.  One for each twin-burner unit.

 

[rp2813]

The Hotpoint oven on the opposite end of the kitchen.  Color is a sort of pale pea green.

[this post was last edited: 5/13/2012-01:39]

 

[rp2813]

An Electrolux with lots of attachments sitting on top of the dryer.  There was another one outside, which might explain the two power heads or whatever you call them.  I'm not much of a vacuum person but am willing to snag something like this and hang onto it for anyone who is interested.

 

[rp2813]

Storage box for Royal attachments.  Comes without Royal or attachments.

 

[rp2813]

My Purchase

Made in USA by Royal China.  Apparently originally service for 12, but now only cups and saucers meet those numbers.  Practically, it's now service for 8.  There are only two relish bowls, but I never seem to use relish bowls.  I like the platter.  I think it was all worth $20 even if it's not "fine" china.  This will be great to use as "nicer" stuff instead of the frilly flowery 1936 stuff from Sears that I ended up with from Mom, up until now the only china we had with a pattern and rarely used.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks for the pictures!

What a house! I love the dishes. They remind me of the Franciscan pattern with the celestial objects. Our neighbors who had the 1958 GE rollout had the set and it stood up to the dishwasher and daily use very well.

It must have taken some dedication to use that Frigidaire French Door wall oven. It looks like you would either have to kneel in front of it or do a fart-releasing squat to get food in and out of it. I can't imagine aging knees putting up with too much of that. Both wall ovens look to be from the late 50s, 1958 for the Frigidaire judging by the thermostat and timer knobs matching the knobs on the WCI & DCI 58. The Hotpoint is an unusual color.

Great reporting & photo journalism; worthy of nomination for a pullet surprise.[this post was last edited: 5/13/2012-11:11]

 

[bugsyjones]

I love that china pattern. I believe it's called "StarGlow". I would like to have a set, but locally, I haven't been able to find too much. An Antiques Store near me has some cups, saucers, and drinking glasses, but that's it. All I would really be interested in would be dinner plates, bread plates and maybe a few serving pieces. Those I haven't been able to find.

~Tim J.

 

[circlew]

The Hotpoint oven color is "Meadow Green". I'd say it's from between '55 & '58.

The Frigidaire oven is placed in a very awkward location. It must have been added later, especially since it's Turquoise. Stainless or Yellow would have looked better.

I like the countertop and backsplash material; is it Formica or linoleum?

 

[moparguy]

Wow, cool stuff! And I agree with Tom, yikes, doesn't the location of the Frigidaire wall oven 'un-do' the benefit of a wall oven, that is accessibility and visibility without crouching down?

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the nice comments about the china and my always-iffy photo documentation via phone cam. I had to send the pictures to a friend and ask him to e-mail them back to me.  Such is my phone's capability or plan's limitations, it's anyone's guess.  I like my 50's Western Electrics on my land line.

 

I knew this family and hung out with one of the sons when I was a kid.  However, they were one of those households where the neighbor kids were never allowed inside, so after almost 50 years, this was my first tour.  The mom wasn't all that tall so the Frigidaire oven's placement might not have been much of an issue for her.  It's interesting that the counter top height drops down for the cook top area and it looks like it was originally designed that way rather than an afterthought, but I don't know why they went with turquoise.

 

The counter tops are definitely Formica or something similar.  The house is going to be sold.  I don't think there's any question that the kitchen is going to be gutted.  Perhaps these items will appear on the local Craigslist sometime in the near future.

 

The dad was a scientist and worked for IBM.  He was a prolific inventor and is credited with like 100 IBM patents.  He got kind of out there with his later work and was probably considered a kook by many.  Anybody into science would probably be interested in many of the books that are for sale.   The link is a long read and the material gets fairly deep, but provides an idea of this guy's influence at IBM.

 

 

http://www.vogelcrystals.net/legacy_of_marcel_vogel.htm

 

[gansky1]

Neat house - it almost looks like the Frigidaire oven may have been added to the plan after the house was built, it would explain the different color and brand choice. The oven knobs look to be from '58, the Hotpoints are a bit earlier. I love that green Formica!

 

[rp2813]

The house pre-dates the kitchen appliances, so this was a late 50's remodel.  The Frigidaire oven is definitely a puzzler though.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=819+M...e+St,+San+Jose,+California+95126&t=h&z=17&pan

 

[appnut]

No dishwasher or was it a replacement that was "modern" to the rest of the kitchen.

 

[northwesty]

I tried to send an email but it didn't go through. Don't know how much they were asking for the electrolux and it is late now, but send me an email if you are interested as I need a power nozzle for mine, etc.

Northwesty

 

[rp2813]

Brian & Bob

Brian, did you use the "@" in my e-mail address instead of "at" as shown in my profile?  I do that for anti-spam purposes.

 

The sale ended today.  I went back and got a 32-cup Universal coffee urn for $2.50 and several old sprinkler heads for a dollar.

 

I heard that whatever didn't sell was going to be donated.  I'll see if anyone is over there tomorrow and if so will inquire about the Electrolux items.  Email me again with specific needs.

 

Bob, there was no dishwasher.  Either there never was one, or they had a portable which had already sold.

 

Ralph

[this post was last edited: 5/13/2012-22:44]

 

[turquoisedude]

Those dishes are gorgeous!    Even as a set for 8, they will do your table proud!! 

 

Were the Hotpoint range units the green colour, too??

 

[rp2813]

The Hotpoint surface units are stainless steel.  The L-shaped configuration seemed a little strange and the control panels couldn't be positioned to match, so the user had to learn which panel controlled which pair of burners.

 

After doing some on-line research on the "Star Glow" china, it appears I got a great deal on it.  I'm surprised it was still there on Saturday afternoon when the sale had begun on Friday and was mobbed by dealers.

 

I'll snap a shot of the Universal urn and post here in a bit.

 

[rp2813]

The Universal

It's not like I need to make coffee for 32 very often but should the need arise, for $2.50 I won't have to borrow a machine. 

 

I'm not sure about how to clean it up.  The exterior seems to have a somewhat greasy/sticky layer on it but since it's aluminum I know there are certain cleaners that should be avoided.  The interior is stained from use as one might expect.  I've not had any success running a cycle with powdered dishwasher detergent in metal percolators (although that method works wonders on Corning perks).  I've seen cream of tartar suggested for interior cleaning but haven't tried it.  Any suggestions would be most welcome.

 

[tomturbomatic]

DipIt, if you can find it might work.

 

[rp2813]

Dip-It -- And a Question About The Urn's Design

Tom, yes -- I was thinking about Dip-It or other similar cleaner for the interior.  I think that's the easiest way to approach it.

 

It's been suggested that I make a paste of baking soda and water for the exterior.  Seems like a good non-abrasive mixture so I will give that a try.

 

Does anyone know if the percolation stem assembly that sits in the bottom of the urn is removable?  The stem twirls around on the base and can be moved from side to side, but the base itself seems to be fused into its well.  I don't want to attempt to pry it loose if it's supposed to be stuck there, but I have never seen a percolator where the stem wasn't removable.

 

 

 

[westingman123]

All things Universal...

My suggestion is to get in contact with Crevicetool. He's a master at restoration, and Universal (anything) is his specialty.

My two cent's worth is for Dip-it. We still carry it at Shop N Save, should you encounter difficulty finding it.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the lead. 

 

I think I figured it out, though.  I tugged the stem upward and it released from the base.  I think the base is not removable.  The stem has a small shoulder at the bottom that fits into the hole in the base.

 

[rp2813]

Universal Update

I ran the urn to test it, and then ran it again with 2 tblsp cream of tartar in 32 cups worth of water.  The interior is probably as de-stained as it's going to get, and it looks decent.

 

I used the baking soda & water paste and it took the greasy film off the exterior with almost no effort.  The results were so impressive that I felt there was no need to go further with polish.  Most coffee urns from this period didn't have a high-gloss finish anyway.  I think it's ready to roll for the next big party that requires large quantities.

 

Here's a picture: