Found Objects

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Found Objects is our curated collection of — you guessed it — found objects.

We wander far and wide gathering antique furniture, accessories, textiles, industrial objects, architectural fragments, and about anything else we feel has a presence, is useful, and is a good value.

To maintain a high level of quality and taste, we make a concerted effort to minimize mass produced merchandise in our dynamic collection, which changes almost daily.

Enjoy!

Buddy L Wood Toy Fire Truck Fragment, c. 1942 4.5” tall x 13” long

Buddy L Wood Toy Fire Truck Fragment, c. 1942 4.5” tall x 13” long

Buddy L fire truck fragment

Another Disclosure: I am addicted to folk art toys, stamped metal trucks and woodtrucks. Oh yes, and did I mention planes, trains and boats? Addicted to these, too.


We were in Fredericksburg, VA on business. Whenever we travel we always have our eyes out for a “find.” There is so much bad stuff out there it is like the proverbial needle in a haystack trying to find a “find.”  This “find” is a fragment of a fire truck that is 100% wood:  body, wheels, axles, head lamps. The paint is original.

During World War II metal was rationed or so expensive that toy manufacturers were forced to use wood. Buddy L is one of those companies, founded in 1920 by Fred Lundahl in East Moline, IL.If a toy or an item of folk art is missing a part we call the item a fragment. This way folks know that it is not complete.

We’re frequently asked where we find things. The answer is almost always in junk shops or antique places that are too often nothing more than overpriced junk stores. The “find” takes a lot of hunting and a bit of luck.  I say even a blind squirrel can find an acorn in the forest once in a while. This trip we found not one but two wood trucks! Woo-hoo! I was in heaven…and truth be told, I almost missed them both. My husband, Steven, found one, and my good friend, Dee, spotted the other. This time I was the blind squirrel.  Along with the Buddy L fire truck we have a large wood moving van, which I’ll tell you about another time.

Found Objects Ltd.