Oh the place you’ll go…when travel restrictions are eased and you feel comfortable. Maybe you’ll bring back a special reminder of your trip, and maybe in 20 years someone will write about it on a vintage blog like we are writing about these souvenirs we are in this week’s fresh to market vintage.
A fine consignment store owner once said to me “no one wants to buy someone else’s vacation.” And that is 100% true with a modern souvenir. But put a little age on it, make it vintage, and it’s an entirely different story. Vintage souvenirs are a popular collectible category. There’s a market for everything from vintage vacation ephemera (particularly Disney resort ephemera) to jewelry to local art and even kitsch.
Everything in our list of fresh to market vintage this week is something someone brought home as a memento. And now, while the trip is just a memory, those mementos are finding their way to the vintage market to be loved by someone new.
Toledo Damascene Fan Brooch
Toledo, Spain is a city known for its Damascene jewelry. The name comes from the original city of manufacture, Damascus, Arabia, which is now Syria. Japan is also known for its own version that depicts themes other than Spanish or ancient Middle Eastern styles. Made with gold hammered into carved-out designs in darkened steel, these items are still popular today. This brooch was originally purchased as tourist ware in the early 1970s and never worn. The flowers and birds are just as vibrant now as they were 50 years ago.
Toledo Spain Damascene Fan Brooch, $ 24.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Hawaiian Made Maxi Dress
Have you ever bought something to wear to remind you of a special trip? I bought earrings and a sweater in Ireland and cannot help but remember where I bought them and how much I loved that specific day. This woman bought this vibrant maxi dress in Hawaii and perhaps wore it once and then put it away. Was it on a vacation or was it a honeymoon? Hawaiian honeymoons were very popular back then and still are today. The dress dates from the 1960s or 1970s and is designed to flow from the shoulders and has a back pleated feature to allow fullness behind which also flows from the keyhole closure. The texture of the cotton looks like bark cloth and the tiki and abstract, modern pattern was wildly popular at that time. It would still be fun to wear. I am dreaming of going to Hawaii…winter is so long in New England!
Hawaiian Dress, $ 74.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Ceramic Bird-Shaped Pomander c. 1960s
What a fun little bird-shaped pomander this is. I purchased it when we lived abroad in the 1970s and freely admit I’ve never filled it with sachet which was its original purpose. However, after reading more about the magical history of pomanders that date to the middle ages in Europe, I may think about creating them as gifts this coming holiday season.
Ceramic Pomander Made in Portugal, $ 40
-Linda, Selective Salvage
1960s Firenze Ponte Vecchio souvenir plate
A decorative wall plate to remember your trip to Florence, Italy, what could be nicer? Souvenir plates are one of my favorite vintage things. The plate was made by Jaeger and Co. in Bavaria. The question is, did they both make and decorate the plate or did they sell the plate as a blank and another company applied the decal?
This may have been a series of plates featuring different cities and iconic images in the center. The border has lots of other sites. How much fun would it have been to collect the same plate in all the Italian cities you were lucky enough to visit.
Souvenir plate from Firenze, Italy, featuring the Ponte Vecchio, $30.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
Look around your house. What souvenirs do you have that remind you of a place or time? As Mary Ellen said, we all have possessions that are special because of the occasion when we bought them. Today is a good day to write a note about its history and maybe tape it to the bottom or back of whatever it is so the next generation will know its story.
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If you like souvenirs, you might enjoy the tale of two Billikens, wherein Pam sells a vintage charm and gets back quite a story.
