LEFT INSIDE: Sales Slip for Used Book

For those among you who were with me from the start of this blog back in 2011 you may recall I had a somewhat regular feature (at one time weekly) in which I share photos of objects, mostly paper ephemera, found in the old books I own. Well, this summer that feature has returned. Huzzah, hurrah and hallelujah! Each Sunday, for the next three or so months, I'll have some little tidbit to share with you. After finding one of these items my insatiably curious geeky side usually takes over so you will also get the results of my research when I went a-Googling to ferret additional info about the object.

Today we have a sales slip for a used book purchased at a antique shop formerly located in Montpelier, Virginia. (I thought the name of the capital of Vermont was unique to that state alone.)  The Lamp Post was apparently some sort of curio shop that was in someone's actual home. I've marked out the address and phone numbers in the stamped info because it is now a private home sold back in 2018. I found all sorts of real estate records for that property indicating its previous life over that past 26 years. Not only was it The Lamp Post but in 2002 the house itself was listed with the National Historic Registry as it is a home built in 1936 and included in the Montpelier Historic District along US 33, aka Mountain Road.

This sales slip was in my copy of Three Dead Men by Paul McGuiire.  I read and reviewed the book back in 2018 and sold it last year.  I wish I had paid the $2.00 that the previous owner paid for the book in 2000.  The profit would have been significantly higher had I only shelled out a mere two bucks. It's astonishing that someone was selling a vintage mystery in 2000 for only $2 which was the original price of the book back in 1931. Insane! But judging by the shaky handwriting I'm guessing the owner of The Lamp Post was an elderly person stuck in the past with no idea how to price antiquarian and rare books.

Interestingly, there is still an antique shop a mere stone's throw from the former location of the old The Lamp Post.  It's called Plum Pickings and appears to be an antique mall with 40+ vendors. Looks like a cafe is attached to it also. Their Facebook page (older owners I'm guessing) was advertising a Big Breakfast event today (June 7), part of the thousands of celebrations across the USA this summer in honor of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.  They also say they are the #1 rated antique shop in the Richmond area.