The Art Deco vibes are strong in this week’s fresh to market vintage. First there’s the costume jewelry ring, a righteous 1920s bit of bling. It’s not an expensive and rare thing, but the fact that it’s not and it’s still around and still dazzling is quite remarkable. Then there’s the Buerger Bros. barber supply labels. The Reveillé Hair Dressing label in particular is an art deco beauty. Surely you know a flapper who would love either of those Art Deco treasures.
Like many lovely things, Art Deco has it’s roots in France just before World War I. It was a art and design style that was insanely popular worldwide in the 1920s and 1930s, found in everything from everyday objects to fine art and architecture. The hallmarks of Art Deco design are sleekness, sharpness, geometric shapes, symmetry and repeating patterns like zig zags and starbursts. The Chrysler building and the Empire State building, both in New York City, are Art Deco icons. There are a few links at the bottom to read more about the Art Deco movement.
But before then, we have this week’s picks…
Art Deco Pink Glass Ring
If only this ring could speak! It’s clearly well loved and was quite obviously worn a lot. Hailing from the 1920s, I can’t imagine it was ever meant to fool anyone into thinking it was expensive. This fact makes it all the more incredible that it has survived 100 years. Looking closely, you can see that the metal portion of the ring was stamped and folded to create the ring and shank portion. The pink glass stone is set with four tiny prongs, while the silvered surface coating is chipped and peeled showing the bare metal base underneath. It reminds me of the type of jewelry you got for a dime from gumball machines back when I was a kid.
1920s Pink Glass Ring, $ 34.95
Pam, Vintage Renude
Vintage Ephemera, Buerger Bros. Bottle Labels
The Buerger brothers were in the barber supply business, as you might have surmised from this collection of labels. Great 1930s graphics and snappy slogans were meant for bottles that contained: “Shop Ade – a standard shop preparation” (whatever that is…), “Camphor Cream – for chapped hands and face,” “Reveillé Hair Dressing – the hair stays put” and “Daisy Hair Lotion – a dressing for the hair.” If you’re thinking about starting a new collection, I’d suggest you look at unused advertising ephemera because it offers an interesting look into the past.
Four Unused Bottle Labels 1920s – 30s, $24
Linda, Selective Salvage
1970s Italian Ceramic Basket
One of the absolutely essential 70s colors is the flame red orange of this ceramic basket by the Italian maker Ceramiche Tadinate. Thick bands of clay are woven into a basket that could be a centerpiece, especially if it’s filled with fruit. It would take a fair amount of fruit, the inside is generously sized. The basket’s texture shows off especially well because of the accents of brown glaze added as subtle highlights. This basket would rule a kitchen counter or table, but it would also be excellent on a coffee table, especially if there is red orange shag carpet to match.
1970s Ceramiche Tadinate Italy Woven Ceramic Basket, $45.
Laurie, NextStage Vintage
1999 Hasbro Nintendo Pokémon Pikachu Beanbag
Did Satoshi Tajiri know when he created the Japanese games Pocket Monsters Green and Pocket Monsters Red for Nintendo that he was igniting a certified pop-culture phenomena? Poketto Monsutā aka Pokémon have been training and battling for 30 years. The franchise includes games, trading cards, animation, merch galore, Esports and of course manga. The 1996 Gen I set of 151 Pokémon seems quaint compared to the 1028 base species today. Bulbosaur has the honor of being Pokémon #0001. In a 2020 poll of hardcore gamers, the top four Pokémon by vote were Greninja (#0658), Lucario (#0448), Mimikyu (#0778) and Charizard (#0006). Regardless of their battling abilities, the true king, the most famous, the most lovable, the most iconic Pokémon is #0025, the “electric mouse” aka Pikachu, named from the Japanese onomatopoeias for “electric spark” and “squeak a mouse makes”–Pika-Chu.
This 1999 Nintendo plush Pikachu beanbag toy was sold two years after the Pokémon games were introduced in the US and one year after the animated Pokémon show appeared on TV screens. Of course it’s a beanbag, because it came out during the reign of that other 90s phenomena, Beanie Babies. It a character could be beanbagged, some manufacturer beanbagged it. The best thing about this Pikachu is that it still has its original tag and that original tag has a Blockbuster value price sticker on it. A Pokémon lover of any age unwrapping this over the holidays would squeak with glee and yell “Pikachu, I choose you!” But it would really hit home with the fans who were in on Pokémon in the early years.
Vintage 1999 Hasbro Nintendo Plush Pokémon Pikachu Beanbag, $18.74.
available from this week’s guest, L&P Cool Collectibles
As promised was back at the top, here are some links to read more about Art Deco:
An Introduction to Art Deco, the Victoria and Albert Museum
Art Deco: A Style with Timeless Appeal, The New York Public Library
Art Deco 101, The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles
We like to include links with our posts when we can because, like you, we’re explorers in the world of vintage and there are some things that strike our fancy that we want to dig into more deeply. Of course you can find more to read on your own, but you might not have been thinking about Art Deco, for example, until you read this fresh to market vintage post and now your curiosity is piqued. Providing answers for piqued curiosity is just one of the features of Vintage Unscripted, your source for all things vintage. That’s why subscribing to our email newsletter is a good idea. You get one email a week with links to all our posts from the previous week. And never a bit of spam because of us, we would rather be Wile E. Coyote’s assistant on one of his cunning plans involving TNT than share your info.
