This week’s fresh to market vintage picks could take the place of one of our Slack brainstorming sessions. Every once in a while, we get together and toss around ideas for posts. These online discussions are usually sparked by an upcoming holiday. Or sometimes we need ideas because the creative wells have run dry. The world of vintage is vast and wide, but sometimes fresh ideas about what to write about it can be elusive.
But this fresh to market vintage line up…four things, four ideas. We absolutely should do a post about antique advertising letter openers because they are so cool. (Will the next generation even know what a letter opener is used for as we shift our lives to digital?) Vintage studio art pottery can be a great value for a collector, that’s a post topic. Seashell dioramas and/or sailor valentines, yup, we should write about that. And a history of silver overlay, especially how it’s done, would be interesting to research and hopefully interesting to read about.
But for now, think of this week’s fresh to market vintage as an amuse bouche for posts to come.
Pride of the Rockies Flour Letter Opener
Imagine coming across this Colorado Flour Company letter opener in a Vermont town not far from the King Arthur Flour Company. It was most likely a promotional item and may have even been awarded to folks who collected the correct number of the paper premiums in their bags of flour. It is very interesting to see that it traveled so far. Of course it might have been used by a Colorado baker who then moved to New England or may have been acquired by a flour advertising collector through an antique show or an online or virtual shop. I particularly like how the Longmont Farmers Milling and Elevator Company’s name stands along with the flour company. There is a flour mill that has been converted to loft living condos in the Denver/Longmont area today and I hope there are many home bakers living in it and enjoying its history.
Letter Opener, $75
-Mary Ellen, AuntHattiesAttic
Studio Pottery Lidded Jar
Lately I’ve been drawn to smaller pieces of studio and art pottery recently. As a seller though, I can’t keep it all. This small lidded jar will sit on my shelf to be admired by me until it heads off to a new home. It has a stamped marking on the base that I haven’t been able to identify. If you’re so inclined and know the maker, please let me know.
Studio Pottery with Lid, $32.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Vintage Serving Basket, Floral Shell Diorama c 1930s
A vintage American handcrafted basket is woven from sweetgrass that features a wonderful seashell diorama of four vases filled with flowers covered with an old piece of glass. I am not sure about the origin of this piece. I purchased it years ago from a very knowledgeable dealer of early Americana who said it was Seminole. I have no clue whether it was originally made as a souvenir, a craft during the “WPA” days or as a labor of love but I do know it is an authentic piece of vintage folk art.
Vintage Diorama Serving Basket, $125
-Linda, Selective Salvage
1920s Art Nouveau Silver Overlay Pitcher
Silver overlay from the 1950s and 60s is pretty, but it’s nothing compared to the heavy silver overlay from the turn of the century. Early silver overlay is thick and textural and takes a polishing nicely. The designs tend to be either art nouveau or art deco, as you might imagine. And although they are over a century old, most antique silver overlay pitchers are no more expensive than a modern piece. This pitcher is blown, with an applied handle and pretty flower etching. Imagine it on a holiday table filled with cranberry juice.
Art Nouveau Silver Overlay Pitcher, $48.
–Laurie, NextStage Vintage
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again (and again and again most likely); there’s always something to learn about vintage things. Putting this blog together as team week after week, year after year never feels like a chore or obligation, it feels like a passion project shared among friends. Which works out well, because that’s what it is.
We hope you enjoy reading it. This is the part where we ask you to subscribe to our email newsletter, which is a surefire way to never miss a post. We ask every week, and you know what? We add subscribers every week, for which we are grateful.
If you like vintage advertising giveaways, you might enjoy our post on encased coins, another popular giveaway back in the day.
