pandas-dev
diff --git a/‎pandas/compat/pickle_compat.py
+62 b/‎pandas/compat/pickle_compat.py
+62
diff --git a/‎pandas/core/algorithms.py
+1-1 b/‎pandas/core/algorithms.py
+1-1
diff --git a/‎pandas/core/base.py
+24-2 b/‎pandas/core/base.py
+24-2
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+""" support pre 0.12 series pickle compatibility """
+
+import sys
+import pickle
+import numpy as np
+import pandas
+from pandas.util import py3compat
+from pandas.core.series import Series
+from pandas.sparse.series import SparseSeries
+
+def load_reduce(self):
+    stack = self.stack
+    args = stack.pop()
+    func = stack[-1]
+    if type(args[0]) is type:
+        n = args[0].__name__
+        if n == 'DeprecatedSeries':
+            stack[-1] = object.__new__(Series)
+            return
+        elif n == 'DeprecatedSparseSeries':
+            stack[-1] = object.__new__(SparseSeries)
+            return
+            
+    try:
+        value = func(*args)
+    except:
+        print(sys.exc_info())
+        print(func, args)
+        raise
+
+    stack[-1] = value
+
+if py3compat.PY3:
+    class Unpickler(pickle._Unpickler):
+        pass
+else:
+    class Unpickler(pickle.Unpickler):
+        pass
+
+Unpickler.dispatch[pickle.REDUCE[0]] = load_reduce
+
+def load(file):
+    # try to load a compatibility pickle
+    # fake the old class hierarchy
+    # if it works, then return the new type objects
+
+    try:
+        pandas.core.series.Series = DeprecatedSeries
+        pandas.sparse.series.SparseSeries = DeprecatedSparseSeries
+        with open(file,'rb') as fh:
+            return Unpickler(fh).load()
+    except:
+        raise
+    finally:
+        pandas.core.series.Series = Series
+        pandas.sparse.series.SparseSeries = SparseSeries
+
+class DeprecatedSeries(Series, np.ndarray):
+    pass
+
+class DeprecatedSparseSeries(DeprecatedSeries):
+    pass
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ def value_counts(values, sort=True, ascending=False, normalize=False):
         values = com._ensure_object(values)
         keys, counts = htable.value_count_object(values, mask)
 
-    result = Series(counts, index=keys)
+    result = Series(counts, index=com._values_from_object(keys))
 
     if sort:
         result.sort()
 
@@ -3,16 +3,38 @@
 """
 from pandas import compat
 import numpy as np
+from pandas.core import common as com
 
 class StringMixin(object):
     """implements string methods so long as object defines a `__unicode__` method.
     Handles Python2/3 compatibility transparently."""
     # side note - this could be made into a metaclass if more than one object nees
+    def __str__(self):
+
+class PandasObject(object):
+    """ The base class for pandas objects """
+
+    #----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Reconstruction
+
+    def save(self, path):
+        com.save(self, path)
+
+    @classmethod
+    def load(cls, path):
+        return com.load(path)
+
+    #----------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Formatting
+
+    def __unicode__(self):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
     def __str__(self):
         """
-        Return a string representation for a particular object.
+        Return a string representation for a particular Object
 
-        Invoked by str(obj) in both py2/py3.
+        Invoked by str(df) in both py2/py3.
         Yields Bytestring in Py2, Unicode String in py3.
         """