Before we get to this week’s fresh to market vintage, we want all you vintage lovers to gather close while we talk about a group of people we all know–people who are skeptical about vintage. They are the people who are might not understand of your love of things from other eras. They might wonder why you are always looking for “old” stuff when the big box stores are full of new stuff.
It’s common for us vintage lovers to feel bad for people who don’t appreciate things with a history. We are never going to get them understand that patina is not dirt, patina is age. They are never going to trust in rust. And they will never rewire a vintage lamp when they can get a cheap vintage looking lamp from a big box store for less. Those are discussions we will not win. But we might be able to get them to see that they too have a vintage side…we’ve compiled a short list of questions to help.
Go gently with your friends who are just discovering their latent vintage side. Don’t overwhelm them by plunging them directly into a flea market. You don’t want to overload their circuits. Start instead with a short trip to a thrift store. Support them through the experience and encourage any exploratory behavior.
Or you could just start by sending them a link to our fresh to market vintage finds every Sunday…we promise to take it easy on them.
Vintage Norton Bros Store c 1880s
Canning was a huge industry in the United States at the turn of the 19th century and the Norton Bros company was one of the biggest can manufacturers. In 1883, this company invented the semi-automatic body maker, which mechanically soldered seams on the side of the cans and increased production capacity to 2,500 cans per hour; a decade later it would reach 6,000 an hour. In fact, the headline on an article printed in the Feb. 21, 1894 edition of The New York Times read” $600,000 FIRE IN CHICAGO.; Hundreds Will Be Deprived of Work by the Burning of Norton Brothers’ Factory.” Obviously, the business survived because Edwin Norton rolled it into the American Can Company in 1901. If you’re interested, you can read about the history of the canning industry in America here.
Norton Bros. “Teas, Coffee and Spices” Tin, $75
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Matisse Copper and Enamel Necklace
Founded in 1946, Renoir of California was the quintessential Mid-Century jewelry company. In 1952, founder Jerry Fels added enamel to his copper artistic jewelry and created Matisse jewelry. The company closed down in 1964. This necklace is one of the more rare items. Made of two layers of copper, with the top layer being enameled in a gorgeous turquoise blue. The classic look and exceptional quality of this piece make it one that will always remain in style.
Matisse Copper and Enamel Necklace in Turquoise Blue, $95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Kliban Cat in Sneakers Mug
B. “Hap” Kliban originally sold cartoons to Playboy magazine. In 1974, his editor at Playboy visited his studio and saw other cartoons he was working on and helped him find a book agent to get these published. His book, titled Cat, became so famous not just because of cat lovers but for his quirky sense of humor. Eatmousies has a great post about him and his work. I really love that his iconic cat is wearing Converse sneakers, which are also iconic.
Kliban Mug, $31.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Ekco 6 cup muffin pan
My personal experience with Ekco bakeware started with the Baker’s Secret pans I bought early in my adult life at the supermarket, only a couple of which have survived to this day. Most were replaced with heavier better quality pieces (or vintage pieces from my mom’s kitchen) because Baker’s Secret wasn’t an investment quality line. But vintage Ekco bakeware, those will last a couple of lifetimes at least. Most have a slightly golden patina from use, but that just means they’ve served up lots of deliciousness in their lifetime.
(Note: we thought the fake craspedia flowers used as a prop in the photo looked fine at the fake flower store, but looking at these photos, we realize they are a fake flower abomination. We apologize for scorching your retinas with them)
Ekco Fluted Muffin Tin #1060, $18.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s this week’s fresh to market vintage. We hope you found it intriguing. We always hope that.
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If you like vintage costume jewelry, you might like our post about Joseff of Hollywood.
