This week’s fresh to market vintage is pretty diverse (as are most of them), but that diversity makes us think all the treasures (and trash) you see browsing a flea market. With summer vacation upon us, you might be taking a road trip, and that means you have the opportunity to find new vintage destinations along your way. There is nothing sadder than seeing a giant thrift store beckoning from the side of the highway as you zip by at 65 mph…who knows what you missed! If thrifting isn’t your style, you can always find some awesome vintage and antique stores to ramble through.
In the bad old days before search engines, social media review sites and smart phones, you were stuck with combing books and magazines to find destinations. You might even have had files filled with magazine clippings about places to visit. It’s so much easier now, sometimes you feel downright lazy. Reviews on Yelp and Google are often helpful in picking shops and flea markets to visit when you only have a little time, even if you have to take them with a grain of salt.
You might be surprised how different the things you find are in different regions of the country. For those of us who have an unholy attraction to souvenir plates, we find tons of Florida, Las Vegas and California plates at our New England haunts, but it is rare indeed to come across a Massachusetts or Connecticut plate. Venture a little further south to Pennsylvania, and there are plenty of those New England plates to be found (and plenty of Florida, Vegas and California as well).
But before you pack the car, grab the kids and the dog and head off to visit the aunties in Kankakee, take a minute to browse this week’s fresh to market vintage lineup.
Vintage Tower of Hanoi Puzzle
Silly me, I thought this was a ring toss game missing a ring only to learn from a more enlightened teammate that it is actually a Tower of Hanoi puzzle. More proof that there is always something new to learn when you buy, sell and collect vintage.
The Tower of Hanoi (also known as the tower of Brahma or the Lucas Tower) was introduced by French mathematician Édouard Lucas in 1883. Solve the puzzle by moving the disks from the left rod to the right in the fewest number of moves. Trust me, it’s not as simple as it seems. The logic behind the algorithm is taught in computer science classes today which, I presume, is the reason behind the YouTube videos detailing the solution. Spoiler alert: here’s how to solve a 6 disk puzzle in just 255 steps!
Wooden Tower of Hanoi Puzzle, $30
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Aluminum Hard Hat
I don’t believe that this hard hat was ever worn, but still has a few skritches from being stored in a work area or shed for decades. Its job is to protect the head from injury at a construction site or anywhere dangerous work is being done. It inspired me to think of using it as a gift in initiating a construction project and the celebration around it. Or bedazzled or painted for an art or design career, for the couple who is building the home of their dreams or even as costume piece for a budding engineer. I think it could be cute to wear when pregnant to a costume party with an “under construction” maternity tee shirt. This was made in Chester, Pennsylvania. The company move to a new site and continued to work to keep workers safe.
Hard Hat, $63.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Lucite Cuff Bracelets
These two chunky lucite cuff bracelets remind me of the days of the late 1960s and early 1970s when we were watching Laugh In on TV and seeing Twiggy on magazine covers everywhere. Those styles are coming back around, and these bracelets are a reminder that everything old is new again. One more reason why vintage never goes out of style.
Lucite Cuff Bracelets, $35.95 each
-Pam, Vintage Renude
1969 King-Seeley Lunch Box Thermos
It is always delightful to find a vintage lunchbox in awesome condition. That’s because it’s so rare. Lunch boxes are often repurposed in the workshop, filled with Matchbox cars, covered with stickers, painted to make first aid kits or just plain battered and rusty from a life well-lived. Finding a minty lunchbox with its vacuum bottle is even rarer and more exciting.
Then there are lunchbox and vacuum bottle marriages. You find the box one place and the bottle another. It can go further than that…you’ll find sellers offering just the cup, just the base or just the stopper as well. This complete 1969 King-Seeley Thermos is waiting in my shop for someone who has the baseball lunchbox to go with it.
1969 King-Seeley Baseball Lunch Box Thermos #2805, $25.
-Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s this week’s fresh to market vintage. That wooden puzzle game would keep kids (and adults) occupied for hours. And those lucite bracelets are screaming wear me with your romantic flouncy floral dresses that are trending this summer.
We don’t want to scream, but we do want to suggest that your subscribe to our blog. You’ll get an email once a week with links to all our posts. It’s an easy way to stay in the vintage loop, especially with the fresh to market vintage posts that everyone seems to enjoy.
If you’re looking for flea markets you might want to visit on your travels, we wrote about some of our favorite flea markets. Remember to check the flea market’s sites to be sure of their current schedule.
