Discover Unique Treasures at the Sharon Kay Zanassi Estate Sale

Exciting Finds Every Sunday

The Sharon Kay Zanassi Estate sale is currently underway, featuring over 300 lots listed each Sunday through September 14 in my eBay store. More about the sale HERE. This sale is packed with must-have miniatures for collectors. Here are some of the more surprising, delightful, and intriguing pieces available. Click on the images to view the listings and place your bids!

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Featured Items

Vintage Style Leather Luggage Set

• Description: This set includes a unique wig case with a wig inside, crafted by an unknown maker.

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Rusty and Weathered Kitchen Pots and Pans

• Description: Made of metal, these pots and pans showcase a rustic charm. They are unsigned and from an unknown maker.

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Ferd Sobol's Hardwood Metamorphic Desk

• Description: This desk features a retracting chair, a drawer, and a decorative inlay top.

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Porcelain Platter of Spanish Green Olives

• Description: Stuffed with pimentos, this platter is made of polymer clay by an unknown maker.

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Upholstered Hardwood Telephone Chair

• Description: This chair includes an extending table top and a coordinating bench, crafted by Ed Norton, complete with a metal phone.

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Abstract Porcelain Bud Vase

• Description: Measuring just about one inch high, this vase can hold five buds and is designed by Ron Benson.

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Carol Hardy's Lace Bobbin Striped Fabric Pillow

• Description: This unique pillow is displayed on a hardwood stand.

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Basket of Mushrooms

• Description: A delightful piece crafted by an unknown maker, this basket adds charm to any collection.

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Pete Acquisto's Victorian Sterling Silver Spooner

• Description: This exquisite spooner comes with 12 individual spoons, perfect for collectors.

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Grandma's Fortune Telling Booth

• Description: A whimsical addition to any collection, this booth is sure to spark joy and curiosity.

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More Treasures Coming Soon

Stay tuned for more treasures as new lots are added for the next part of this sale. Click below to preview:

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Meet the Miniaturist: Sharon Kay Zanassi

Imagine a world where tiny things spark immense joy, and everyday household items become masterpieces in miniature. For Sharon Kay Zanassi, a dollhouse miniature collector from California, this world has been a lifelong passion. She was born in Sacramento and raised in San Francisco where she had a career on the Pacific Stock Exchange floor for Dean Witter. Sharon's journey into the realm of miniatures began in the late 1970s.

Sharon Zanossi of Petaluma,California with her granddaughters Josephine and Mallory

With a keen eye for the unique and an innate talent for spotting hidden gems, she built an impressive collection that spans decades. While she dabbled in needlepoint, it was miniatures that she returned to as she was always drawn to tiny things. With the help of her daughter Lisa, Sharon is downsizing her extensive collection of miniatures in the latest estate sale from D. Thomas Miniatures: "A Tiny Life, the Sharon Zanassi Collection" happening now through September 14, 2025.

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Sharon Zanossi with her grandchildren

As a skilled room box builder and a long-time member of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts (NAME), Sharon's collection reflects her dedication to the craft and miniatures hobby. She regularly attended the Good Sam Show and took classes in miniature making. Her daughter fondly recalls attending NAME picnics and miniature shows, including the Marin Miniature Show, which Sharon helped organize with her partner Pam Pansini in 1984 through the end of the 1990's. Sharon's reputation among dealers and collectors was strong and built on her exceptional taste and enthusiasm for one-of-a-kind pieces. Dealers would often set aside their most intricate and unique pieces for her to discover and collect. Sharon has a particular interest in the work of Ferd Sobol, master miniaturist and IGMA Fellow who crafted some of the most beautiful fine scale furniture in miniature. There are more than a dozen miniatures made by Mr. Sobol in the sale including rare and intricate pieces such as his metamorphic and Louis XV desks.

Some of the Work by IGMA Fellow Ferd Sobol Featured in the Sharon Zanassi Collection

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The upcoming sale of Sharon's collection through D. Thomas Miniatures is a rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to own a piece of miniature history. As Sharon prepares to move into an assisted living facility, her daughter is helping to gather her treasured items that have brought her mother so much joy over the years. With memories of rummaging through Geoffrey Bishop's famous "outcast" trough and running "tabs" with dealers, Sharon's daughter is ensuring that her mother's legacy lives on through her remarkable collection.

The Door to Heaven by Geoffrey Bishop, part of the Zanassi Collection

This sale is not just about collecting miniatures; it's about sharing and owning a piece of Sharon's story. With her unique eye and passion for tiny marvels, Sharon's collection is a testament to the power of dedication and creativity. For an opportunity to participate in a small piece of miniature history, discover the Sharon Kay Zanassi Collection of dollhouse miniatures which is happening right now in the D. Thomas Miniatures eBay store through September 14.

Just a "Tiny" Assortment of Treasures Featured in the Sharon Kay Zanassi Collection

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A BIG thank you to Sharon for sharing her wonderful collection with us and for all her contributions to the mini world and to her daughter Lisa Zahorenko for all her exhaustive efforts in helping to bring this collection to the mini world!

Source: Lisa Zahorenki (Sharon's daughter), written with the help of AI, edited by Darren Scala

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Downsizing A Tiny Life: The Sharon Kay Zanassi Collection!

I'm absolutely thrilled to be hosting my latest estate sale happening right now featuring the collection of Sharon Kay Zanassi, a West Coast resident and former Marin County California Miniature Show producer who is looking to downsize after many years of collecting.

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Ferd Sobol Hardwood Tea Cart with Decorative Inlay and Fold Down Top

This is a very large assortment of tiny treasures (over 300 lots!) which will be sold in a series of 7 day auctions, currently underway in my eBay Store (be sure to save the store so you know where to shop! ) over the next several weeks and into early September, each starting and ending on a Sunday (except for Labor Day weekend). Each week-long auction will be filled with an assortment from artisan and high quality Furniture, Accessories, Food, Sterling Silver, Copper as well as Themed Lots (Ladies Boudoir, Gentleman Study, Asian-Inspired, Children's Room/Toy Shop and more). You can preview next week's assortment in the gallery below.

More than a dozen Ferd Sobel Pieces are Offered in this Sale

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Through the years, as an active member of the miniatures community, Sharon has developed a GREAT eye for high-quality, exceptional and some of the most sought after artisan miniatures. The collection is highlighted by more than a dozen pieces by the iconic IGMA Fellow Ferd Sobol (Ferd Sobol Editions) including a Louis XIV desk, a complete dining set with 6 chairs and a dressed canopy bed with stunning wood inlay (#swoon!). Each piece is in excellent condition and shipped in their original custom miniature crates crafted by Mr. Sobol.

Lots containing Vintage Style Miniatures and Food are Featured in this Sale

In addition to works by other iconic makers including Crawford, Acquisto and Albert, there are perhaps some lesser known, yet equally as talented makers featured in the sale including Zack Fox, Barry and Sharon Schmeltzle and Tom Martin. This collection is a very broad and varied assortment with many surprise miniatures along the way like the metal toaster (photo below) in its original package!

Expect to bid on BIG mini categories like Food/Kitchen (bakery, pantry, tools, utensils), Pottery & Glassware (Graber, Stapleton, Benson), Vintage Style (Byers, Nantasy Fantasy, Ott) as well as Classic Bespaq. This is the kind of sale that helps you find that one piece (or several!) that you were always looking for!

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Oh, and there will be multiple, ever-so-popular, themed lots (Gentleman's Study, Ladies Boudoir, Toy Shop, Asian-Inspired, Sewing Room) which are perfect to get you started on that roombox you've been thinking about doing, or to add to a current assortment ('cause we can never have enough of that one thing we love!).

Preview of the miniatures which will be posted for sale on Sunday, August 10 at 7pm ET are here:

I hope you have as much fun shopping this sale as I have had putting it together. A BIG thank you to Ms. Zanazzi for curating a wonderful collection for us to enjoy!

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