Oh, he's totally an enabler in my thrift store shopping even fabric. Last week I had already gone through the dishes but he's taller and found a spoon rest in my Pfaltzgraff design that I didn't see -- and didn't yet have in my collection!
It is good that he sees that I don't buy everything and anything and am actually quite discriminating on what I bring home. But when I'm deciding between buying this piece of fabric or that piece, he's all about get both. He's a good man, hard worker if not a high wage earner, loves me and wants the best for me. So lucky we met playing a game on the internet! This year will be 15th legal wedding anniversary and it just keeps getting better and better.
I have a theory that whatever unlikely thing it is you want, put it on your list and look for it and eventually you will find it. Helps that I live in the greater Seattle area, an affluent part of the country, but it is amazing what I get... I got a bowling ball of a good weight and a good drill for my hand in a bag for $6.99! Would have been about $100-300 new just for the ball. There have been at least a hundred balls I rejected but I found the one I wanted
Most of my serving pieces of my dishes have come from the thrift stores. I don't know all the imprints and symbols and such but I do know there are differences for collectors. Mostly I use them so don't care too much, but I don't buy the mass-produced sets pieces (they are thinner, use decals and not painted/imprinted), just the open stock ones.