The Last $10

When I was growing up times were hard and money was harder to get. My mother was given what I call "the gift" to make money to help raise our family. My Dad, well his money went "down the drain" so to speak, but mom always found a way to put food on the table.

Since a young girl I was always interested in going hunting for antiques with my mom. Several, and I mean several years ago we were going to garage sales and late in the afternoon we stopped at our final sale. Money was short, mom had $10 left to spend.

We drove up to this falling down garage with a dirt floor with one table sitting in the center. It didn't look like we should stop, but we did. I went in the garage by myself and looked at the few dishes on the table. There sat this bowl with a price tag of $10. I just had that gut instinct that it was good as it had a name etched in it.

I went back to the car and asked my mom if we could buy the bowl. She took her last $10 and handed it to me surely thinking I was crazy. Ten dollars back then was a lot of money, especially for a bowl we knew nothing about.

Well, we bought the bowl and I was so proud of myself. We came home and I looked it up in my "hand me down" Warman's antique book. Wow, that bowl was worth money!

My mom had a customer that she would call when she had things to sell so she made the call and sold the bowl for $125. (Thanks Kenny!). We once again had money for our next round of food and shopping.

Kenny has remained a very close friend of mine and a few years back we were talking about that bowl. Oh my goodness, he still had it! Matter of fact, he still owned several pieces that he had bought from my mother. He asked me if I would like to buy the bowl back!

YES, YES, YES! It was one of those warm and fuzzy moments that stuck with me for years. When Kenny who lives in South Carolina came up two years ago, he brought the bowl with him. I paid his asking price of $300 for it...inflation you know!

Honestly, the bowl is not pretty but the memories are priceless. I gave it to my daughter as soon as we unpacked it.

Today the bowl that traveled to South Carolina and back home is worth $1200. It is a signed "Rene Lalique" amber and opal 'Volubilis' pattern dish designed in 1921.

Thanks mom for the gift of appreciating antiques and the knowledge of how to make money with doing what you love most.

Thanks for teaching me that a small bit of knowledge and hard work can put food on your table.

She always said God watched over her, she was right.

She always told me that God would watch over me and she was right again.