The tramp art frame in this week’s fresh to market vintage is breathtaking. Not just for the workmanship. And not just because it’s made from materials that would be considered disposable today. The thing that hits the heart is that it was made by someone who was driven to make art. He had the urge, the need to create something beautiful. Maybe he did it to relax. Maybe he did it to sell for money. Whatever his reason, he expressed himself by making art that is still appreciated today. There is a special place in the vintage world for tramp art.

Truthfully, there is a special place in the vintage world for almost everything vintage. See for yourself as you review this week’s fresh to market vintage.

Two Enameled Metal Rooster Pins

We moved to a small town in the 1980s and wanted to grow our own food, including having chickens for eggs. Our first chicks were given to us by neighbors. When we needed more, we sent for newly hatched chicks through the Murray McMurray Hatch. One of the types we bought were Rhode Island Reds.  They were sturdy birds and gave us lots of eggs.

I picked up this Rooster Booster pin which displays the Rhode Island Red Rooster poised in front of an anchor. The other rooster pin was chosen for its bright coloring and a clever pin back that rotates so that the pin can be adjusted after it is on one’s clothing.

Rhode Island Rooster Pins, $39.99

-Mary Ellen, Aunt Hatties Attic

Hand Painted Myrtlewood Brooch

Here’s a beautifully hand painted brooch featuring a large flower with a smaller spray of leaves and a single bloom behind it. The brooch is made from a cut and polished bit of myrtlewood in a convex shape. The hand painted flowers are sealed under a clear varnish and there is a paper label on the back marked ” Alma.S Call Myrtlewood Products Coquille, Oregon.

Labeled Floral Brooch, $18.95

-Pam, Vintage Renude

Antique Handmade Tramp Art Frame (c 1900s)

I adore tramp art and this double frame is a very nice example of the art form. Constructed from cigar boxes as evidenced by the scrap of a “War Eagle Cheroots” label on the back side, the frame boasts six levels of carving which made constructing it a serious undertaking. It is designed to hold two 4″ x 6″ photos but the measurements are off a tad which adds to its charm.

Tramp Art Frame with a 4″x 6″ Double Opening, $250

-Linda, Selective Salvage

German Bisque Mermaid Figurine

This mermaid was hiding inside one of the squat round fish bowl you used to get at the dime store for your tiny turtlet back in the 60s. She was hiding amongst plastic waterlilies, florescent dyed coral and a baggie of day-glow rocks. As much as I love a good plastic waterlily, she was the jewel of the lot. She’s probably German bisque, as many of the bathing beauties and mermaids from the early part of the 20th century are. The thing that makes her extra special faint pink tint to her skin and the whisper tint of green in her hair and two-part tail.

Vintage German Bisque Mermaid Figurine, $35

-Laurie, NextStage Vintage

That’s this week’s fresh to market vintage. We crowed at dawn, we bloomed, we framed and we unfurled our fishy tales. What will we do next week? You’ll have to stay tuned.

The easy way to stay tuned is to subscribe to our email newsletter. You get one email a week with links to all our posts. It’s as regular as a rooster crowing at dawn, but way less annoying.

The enamel roosters in this post are sassy, but they don’t get hot and steamy like a rooster pie bird can. Check them out.