Customer Reviews

Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Killer Stuff and Tons of Money is a highly informative AND entertaining read - a book that I could not seem to put down as I was always excited to discover which "next" flea market experience I would be reading about.

Author Maureen Stanton tags along with the highly knowledgeable Curt Avery on a variety of "antique" shows and describes the experiences in detail. Because the author has been able to actually get up and personal with the action, this book reads like a novel (although it is not) complete with fun characters, interesting dialogue and, of course, a wealth of information about antiques (i.e. what to look for and what NOT to look for).

I found myself completely mesmerized by the myriad of details that you need to remember in order to figure out which antiques are fake and, of course, more importantly, I found myself being completely blown away by the dollar amounts paid (and made) for antiques.

It seems I would make a pretty bad antique seeker as everytime I thought I had figure oud that a purchase was "a find", it turned out NOT to be.

Fortunately, while this book has a ton of details and descriptives, the author has managed to weave it into a story, making the entire book a fun, fun read that I hated to see end. Frankly, I could have kept reading more and more.

The only negative, for me, was the horrible cover of the book, which I worry might deter some people from purchasing this book. Everything else was perfect and valuable!

The author brings us on a trip through the fascinating world of flea markets and antique shows. I didn't want to come back! What a great journey through the antiquing subculture. Nice to meet all the characters! This is cleverly written and entertaining. A great read, even for those who typically don't read non-fiction.

I have always loved yard sales, estate sales, and flea markets, but didn't really care that much about "real" or not. A good find for me was something pretty good for very cheap. That is, not until I started to clean out my Grandparents' cellar and my Mom's collections of "real" things, and am now trying to find the right "homes" for them. Stanton's book is a great read, and has me a bit worried about trying to be like Curt Avery... and do this full time. Well, maybe not, but her book has me thinking more seriously about how to find the right homes for "good old stuff", and maybe even get some of the real value they hold in return. I felt like I was up at the crack of dawn with Maureen and Curt - doing the prep work and hitting those shows and auctions myself - and WHAT FUN (despite early rising, long hours, painful weather and sleeping etc.). I'm DEFINITELY going to Brimfield one of these days, and hitting estate sales with a different attitude. Thanks for the great info, and even better, the great tale spun around this interesting world.

What a great book! Well written and often funny. I loved Curt Avery, the main character. I'd like to meet him some day and pick his brain. What a wealth of knowledge by both Stanton and Avery. I learned so much about the antiques world and our own history here in America. This book is hard to put down as you want to keep up with the fast-paced Avery at every flea market, auction and antiques show. Stanton does an outstanding job researching not only this antiques arena, but the history behind the objects, which is most fascinating. READ THIS BOOK...you'll love it!

This book is about collecting and the world of antiques, but even if you think you aren't particularly interested in these topics, you will find yourself immersed in the world of the antique dealer and engaged with the fascinating characters in this book. They could be characters in a work of fiction, but are indeed real people. Bits of history are woven into the story in an interesting way along with the author's personal experience as she travels the antique show circuit with Curt Avery, an antiques dealer. You will learn about the history of collecting, of some of the antiques themselves, what's involved in becoming a top dealer of antiques, the trials and tribulations of making a living doing this, all written in a humorous, entertaining way. It reads more like a story than a work of nonfiction. I found myself wanting to find out what happens next. The author has a knack for describing the detail of a situation so one can clearly picture it and put oneself in the scene. The lengthy notes at the end give evidence of the extensive research the author did for a wide variety of topics. This book will appeal to a wide variety of readers.

What's marvelous about Maureen Stanton's Killer Stuff and Tons of Money is the way she sets - like a jeweler - insightful gems about antiques, collectors and the antique market into a deeply compelling narrative. She creates a captivating story that makes it easy to follow her and her brilliant guide "Curt Avery" from flea market to auction to high-end antique show, all along providing a litany of hard-won specific wisdom about marbles and old bottles, butter churns and six-board blanket chests, Shaker furniture and forgeries of Windsor chairs, and much much more.

Stanton is as much a guide for us as Curt is for her; as he collects, wheels and deals the objects of our collective memory, she collects stories about those objects, about American history, even about the psychology of collectors, and then helps us understand the shifts in the way American culture values and devalues the past. Curt Avery is a funny, garrulous, intelligent and encyclopedic guide, and we learn throughout the book that Stanton is too.

I highly recommend this book not just for what it teaches us about the behind-the-scenes world of antiques, but also for its great writing.

Short & Sweet: Incredible book, barely put it down over the two days it took me to read! I did however grab my "knowledge" notebook and took around ten pages of notes. There are many little things "Curt" will teach you about what to look for in antiques and collectibles: what not to buy and what is considered a find of a lifetime. For example: a gentle wear or uneven pattern on a spout is usually real; a doll with an open mouth is better than closed; buy any Boston crock with a fish incision. Just a few of the awesome tid-bits you will learn.

Buy this book, you will be very glad you did.

I never knew that antiques and flea markets could be so interesting...makes me want to stop at every yard sale and flea market looking for that killer item. The writing was so fluent and interesting that I couldn't put the book down. I finished it in a couple of days! Now, I'm hot on the trail for tons of money. Curt Avery sure put his heart and soul and energy into his life of antiquing and I hope his success is abundant for his whole family. Best of luck to all!

My son is in the antique business so I bought this book for him but I decided to read it first myself

and I couldn't put it down-just like many readers have already said. Yesterday was my son's birthday

and I gave the book to him. Can't wait to hear what he has to say but I know he's gonna love it.

I am not a flea market or garage sale person and the only reason I read this book was because I received a postcard about it. What a pleasant surprise! This book was well written and I totally enjoyed it. Maureen writes this non fiction in such a way that you are right there with them. Full of interesting information, good humor, and am so glad I read this book. I ordered it for our library and it hasn't been on the shelf yet (it keeps getting checked out). Keep on writing Maureen and congratulations I always knew you would be published one day.