My mistakes lie much more in the direction of what I didn't buy....like the 19th century pine step back cupboard....that I let go for $25....because I couldn't figure how to get it home....or the eastlake walnut cupboard....again $25, because i didn't know how to get it home.....etc etc....

Oh Lindac that must have hurt!!

I'm with Linda...I regret the things I didn't buy. Or garbage pick. ;) I have had a few close calls with stuff that I was super excited about, was literally about to hand cash over for, and then one last look at it revealed it to be a repro or otherwise not what I thought it was.

I did make a HUGE mistake once, but it had to do with accidentally donating something to the Salvation Army during a cleaning blitz. I accidentally got rid of a edition, non-book club copy of "To Kill A Mockingbird". I didn't realize my mistake until I saw it on "Antiques Roadshow" and realized that was exactly what I had bought for $1 at some estate sale a long time ago. I literally tore the house (and barn, and basement) apart looking for it until I realized where it had gone months earlier. I don't even want to tell how much money I lost out on. Talk about painful. OUCH.

I walked by a second-hand furniture store up my street and saw a small pedestal covered in metal patchwork. I said "That looks like Paul Evans" and thought: stop by on the way back.

Of course it was a few minutes later when I was on the return trip and it was already gone. Even the small pieces sell for thousands of dollars.

In early 70's, went to grandfather's sister's house in Roxborough (Philly area). She gave me a drop-leaf diningroom table... still in diningroom. And a "Windsor" chair... with lots of wear on legs from shoes?? This was WAY before most knew NOT to strip things... I did?!?

A few years later, was helping brother clear out house from FIL's sister's place. Sitting all alone in a room was one of those twirl up piano stools... claw feet with big clear marbles in them. FIL didn't want it at ALL... had been forced to take piano lessons as a kid and hated it. SO, I brought it home... and stripped that, too!?!

... sigh ... a lovely sampler from 1803, being sold cheap because it was not in English and was not the "colonial" style in demand.

I realized later that it was a pre-revolution Mexican "convent" sampler, and much rarer than any of the more expensive ones.

I didn't buy a dresser with mirror. Don't know the age but I've seen plenty of them and this was the real deal. $25. I've kicked myself every day since. I think from now on, buy it, regret it later. Donate any serious mistake and call it charity. I've got a few table cloths that in hind sight I shouldn't have bought. I have a couple of favorites that I use all the time. The rest stay in the cupboard. I hope the auctioneer knows what they are at my estate sale. And I hope they're still "hot" by that time. Most of my regrets are of the $25 variety; after I bought it, I had no idea why I wanted it.

DH and I got to an auction barn late and didn't have time to preview it. A box of extension cords came on the block, and hubby said 'you can never have too many extension cords', and paid two bucks for the box. When he checked out and picked up the box, he discovered it was a box of cords....without any plug ends on any of the cords!

Must be why the box was held up high and the contents quickly shown........

Barbara