This week for fresh to market vintage, we all had pretties on our mind, little indulgences that are elevated about the everyday things we routinely use. The tea towels, the hand mirror and the bridge set might have been received as gifts or might have been purchased as a little treat by someone. The sweater was probably purchased because someone tried it on and they looked mighty fine in it.
Now that these things are being sold on the vintage market, one must ask the question. How much does condition matter for vintage pretties?
The tea towels still have their crisp folds, likely stored away as part of the “saving them for good” movement. (We at VU are firm believers that YOU are good enough to use your nice things.) But would they still be desirable if they had been washed and used, as long as their colors were still bright?
The hand mirror is chippy. Is that a flaw or is that prideful proof of its age and how much it was used?
Would you buy the bridge tablecloth and napkins if there were small faint stains from use? Or would that make you more likely to actually use it because you wouldn’t have to worry about getting stains on it since they were already there.
And can you overlook pilling on a vintage sweater if you know the quality is above what you could ever buy new for the same price?
Obviously, hard goods are judged more harshly. No one wants to buy a cracked plate or chipped glass. Those flaws render them unusable. But when it comes it comes to the softer niceties, are signs of use dealbreakers? Or it it okay as long as the condition is disclosed and reflected in the price?
This is for you to ponder as you peruse this week’s fresh to market vintage.
Kay Dee Linen Tea Towels with New England Themes
In the 1950s and 1960s, gift shops in any tourist area offered great silkscreened linen tea towels of area attractions and themes as mementos of that visit. Sadly, I find quite a few of these were put away in a drawer never to be used. The designs vary because the artists and graphic designers all have different interpretations of the same places and viva la difference! Both of these towels have the artist’s names. Graphic designers create images for others to use in production of advertising and other items. So, in a sense they are selling an image or typography to a company for the public to see. I think that Robert Hughes (I have a hunch that he designed the nautical tea towel) was born in Rhode Island, went to RISD and later moved to NH. I know he was an artist and graphic designer and teacher, but this may take more research…
Tea Towels, $45.99
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Antique Painted Hand Mirror (c 1890s)
Another interesting piece of early American folk art that is missing its pedigree. I believe it dates to the 1890s based on the style of the mirror and the crackling of the hand-painted poppy design, but that’s a supposition on my part. At 16″ long, it’s quite large for a handheld mirror which makes me wonder if it was an art project back in the day. In any event, I definitely know like all true vintage, it didn’t originate in a big box store.
Wooden Vanity Mirror, $95
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Bridge Tablecloth and Napkin Set
If you have followed us for any length of time, you know linens are not what I normally sell, although I do have a penchant for them. This set has been in my collection for some time. Since I neither play bridge nor own a card table, it’s time to let it go. The hand embroidery and appliqué are what originally caught my eye. If like me, you don’t have a need for a bridge set I think it would look wonderful gracing a small cafe set. My guess is it was made in the early 1960s, although I cannot be sure. Either way, it’s a lovely set looking for a new home.
Bridge Set Tablecloth & Napkins, $24.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
1970s Wool Floral Pullover Sweater
Finding a great vintage wool sweater is like winning the stuffed toy from one of those arcade claw machines–it doesn’t happen often but if you’re persistent it just might. This is the second sweater from Woodstock International by Bernard that has landed in my shopping cart and made my tail thump with glee. It’s all wool, made in the USA, and has a cool intarsia knit pattern. There’s some pilling, there’s always some pilling, but overall it’s in dandy condition.
Pullover sweater, size large, from Woodstock International by Bernard, $36.
-Laurie, NextStage Vintage
Now that you’ve had some time to think, would you actually use those cheerful tea towels and the embroidered bridge set or would you set them in the drawer to save for good? We will cede ground here to collectors, who surely use their less than perfect pieces and save their pristine pieces for taking out and admiring occasionally or better yet for displaying. (We’re pretty sure you would wear the sweater and use the mirror to admire how fine you look in it.)
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If you need a few more tea towels to delight you, one of our recent Vintage Picks of the Week posts highlighted them.
