Score at The Special Store

By Elizabeth Prata

Last night I had a baked salmon filet, baked potato, and roasted carrot N peppers for dinner. I'm exhausted, so thank goodness for Monday's food prep. All I had to do is heat it up. Mmm, it was so good.

After school I had to get gas for the car, and while I was out, I decided to mosey up to The Special Store. They're open on Thursdays now. It is a resale store about 5 miles from school. They buy estates and resell them in their store for great, low prices. Since inventory changes often, and since the items in the store are lovely and wonderful to look at, as well as being functional, I enjoy window shopping. Though truth be told, if I go up there it's because I need something and they have the best prices.

The "I need" items I sought were a small clock for the classroom and a large wall clock for my other classroom, and some fridge memo pads. I looked at Amazon yesterday for fridge memo pads, you know, the kind you make grocery lists on, and I was astounded at the prices. I have gotten stationery and pads at The Special Store for $1 for so long that I was taken aback at how much they cost now. So I abandoned Amazon for the fridge pads and headed up to my favorite store.

I'm also always on the hunt for books. I have found many an interesting or classic book there for $1.

It was a rainy, dark, and cold day so I knew the store would not be crowded. In fact, aside from a customer chatting with the owner, I was the only person in the place for most of the time. The owner has gorgeous furniture, most of it antiques- marble topped dressers, old farmer's tables, mid-century bureaus, beautiful dining sets and so on- handmade quilts, delicate china, art...it's a feast for the eyes.

They have expanded now and all the books, music, CDs, DVD, clothes, and art are in the adjacent building. More feasty stuff to look at.

Anyway, I found the following items:

A small battery operated Linden clock. It's about 4" high with a rounded top and a faux marble front rimmed in brass. I put a fresh battery in it at the store to see if it worked. It did. I forgot to test it long enough to determine if it keeps time. It doesn't. Oh well!

Carved Aztec Mayan-looking Stone bookends. I think they are carved from agate. I found similar ones on ebay and Amazon, it seems that agate is the usual stone these type of bookends are carved from, though it could be a type of onyx or marble or alabaster. Some of the ebay descriptions claimed a date of 'mid-century', others said 70s, still others simply said "classic". They all sold for upwards of $30 or more, Amazon had them for $57.00. I got them for $7. Mine are more elaborate than any I'd seen on ebay or Amazon, too. I think they're beautiful, with a milky striation on the back, a hint of brown hue here and there in the front, a pleasing weight and heft to them, and the triple decker base.

An unopened set of 24 Hallmark 'Thank you' cards with envelopes. Good. I needed some. $1.50.

A magnetic white board calendar with expo marker, still in wrapping. It's a gift for someone. $1.50.

A bundle of a fridge memo pad with a smaller memo pad, for $1. Another gift.

A pretty mug with flowers on it and an inspirational quote. Price unknown, she packed it while I was in the other building looking at books. Another gift for someone else.

Book, $1. "The University Library" by John Finley, 1926. I haven't been able to discover too much about this series. The store had three of the series, I think there are 25 in all. Description from ebay:

These vintage books are part of the 25 volume "The University Library" by John Huston Finley, LL.D. They were published for The University Guild of Atlanta, Georgia by Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc. of Garden City, New York in 1931. These books were originally chosen by Dr. John Huston Finley and first published in 1897.

The book has lots of short stories in it. Thomas Hardy, John Greenleaf Whittier, Bret Harte, Sir Walter Raleigh, and the like.

I love unexpected vintage books like this, but even more unexpected was this inside:

By National Museum of American History - Image by Godot13, Public Domain

OK, well this is an unusual something. The bill was crisp and undamaged. I left it in the book and bought the book because it has several stories by Thomas Hardy and I love Thomas Hardy.

Looking up the money, it seems that it's known as Japan Invasion Money, or JIM.

Common among most issues of Japanese invasion money, the Oceania notes depict the title "The Japanese Government" rather than the name or region they were intended for. This is due to many of these currencies having been printed ahead of time and intended to circulate in more than one country in a given region intended to be absorbed into the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. (Source)

Apparently Japan thought they were going to win the war. They had promoted the Prosperity Sphere as a way for the Oceanic nations to come out from under "Western Oppression" AKA colonization. Initially, the receiving parties were excited at this prospect, but the excitement palled as they began to realize they were making a bad trade, Japan always will consider herself on top, and prosperity wasn't just around the corner. Japan lost the war anyway, and the bills were never circulated.

The bills were rendered worthless and literally thrown into the streets. Even today they are not worth anything. The one-shilling bill I hold can be sold on ebay for 41 cents, lol. It's more valuable as the bookmark it it had been used for in the book I bought than anything collectible. The interest for me is the surprise of finding it and the excitement of learning about its history.

My cat is snuggled in his kitty bed next to me, the gas fire is hissing and emitting a warm fiery glow, and the day is ending. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.