Have you ever found something odd and old and not known it’s purpose? It’s no small task to figure it out, even with helpful tools like Google Lens or other visual search aids. If you were handed the match holder from this week’s fresh to market vintage, would you know what it was for? You would know it held something and that it was mounted on the wall, but since most of us don’t keep matches handy in the kitchen anymore, it would take a while to suss it out. It could be a key holder or a lipstick holder–yes, those both seem silly, but if you were thinking your way through the problem, you must admit that keys and lipstick would both fit the match holder.
And what would you imagine the darning egg was if you didn’t sew or spend lots of time in vintage shops? A baby toy perhaps?
We had a conundrum this week. There were several boxes of vintage that came from the same estate. One of the boxes held this:
It was a head scratcher. Guesses for what it was included a percolator part, something used to dampen clothing, and a cocktail muddler. It got set to the side as a curiosity.
In one of the other boxes was this decorated gourd with a metal rim:
From the art you can tell its from South or Central America, but what is it for. Is it a candleholder? An ornament? Without image searching, we would still be scratching our heads. One of our wily and resourceful researchers discovered that the gourd and the straw, or bombilla, go together. The pair are for drinking mate yerba, and yes, they are still used today.
Not being mate yerba drinkers, we had absolutely no context for what this might be. So we started throwing out guesses and we weren’t even close. But, thanks to the ability to visually search, we got an answer. Visual searches aren’t perfect, but they sure can cut a research corner sometimes.
Thank heavens everything in this week’s fresh to market vintage wasn’t a mystery. The Hobé earrings and the doll books are self-explanatory. Fabulous, but definitely self-explanatory.
Hobé Rainbow Crystal Earrings
The Hobé jewelry company was founded in 1887 in France. Here in the U.S., it’s known for its high quality and attention to detail. While the company has since gone out of business, the brand is still coveted by many vintage jewelry collectors and aficionados. These brightly colored clip-on earrings are just one example of why they are still well known today.
Hobé Faux Pearl and Rainbow Crystal Earrings, $32.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Victorian Darning Egg
This one is for the serious sewist and mender…a Victorian wooden darning egg with a sterling handle. It’s a gift that would be treasured by anyone with a passion for sewing and mending. Imagine this was in someone’s sewing basket over 100 years ago. Oh the socks this has mended!
Victorian Darning Egg with Sterling Silver Handle, $35.
-Laurie, NextStage Vintage
Handmade Painted Match Holder c 1900s
A primitive, handmade match holder made of paper mache, very possibly a child’s art project. Mounted on a repurposed board that was once red, it boasts its original greenish-grey painted finish. Good vintage condition given its age. Some loss of paint and cracking which only contributes to its charm.
Painted Paper Mache Match Holder, $125
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Two Doll Collectors Identification and Price Guides
As an online vintage and antique seller, I have a small collection of books that help me determine manufacturer, dates and even a ballpark value for items I come across. When I have time, I peruse these books to see what I should be keeping my eyes open for when I am picking for new shop items. I imagine that any beginning collector should get a guide to help them when they are truly smitten with a certain collectible. As time goes on, one might get more serious books on their subject. Look for books such as these and other collectibles at flea markets at very good prices. There was a substantial doll book collection from an estate clear out and the seller was eager to let go of them as he had no interest in dolls.
Doll Guides, $48.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
What do you have kicking around in your whatnot box that you can’t identify? Maybe visual searching will solve the mystery for you.
We don’t want our posts to be a mystery to you. Every Sunday, we post our fresh to market vintage picks, and we also send our subscribers an email with links to all the posts from the previous week. You never know what we’ll write about, but you sure don’t want to miss it.
If this week’s fresh to market vintage has kindled a spark in your curiosity, we’ve written several posts about researching vintage, including this one.
