There are a couple ways to look at luck. One is to believe wholeheartedly that wearing your lucky socks has the power to direct destiny. Another comes from Chip Denman, statistician and former director of the statistics lab at the University of Maryland, who said “luck—good or bad—is nothing more than taking probability personally.” Magician/skeptic Penn Jillette condensed and popularized Denman’s quote to “luck is probability taken personally.” All of which is fine, but we’d definitely rub the onyx elephant in this week’s fresh to market vintage to shift probability in our favor.
Lots of vintage things are considered lucky. Horseshoes hung over the door, open end up to keep the luck from running out. Skeleton keys symbolize unlocking good fortune. The leaves on a four leaf clover symbolize faith, hope, love and luck. Pigs are symbols of wealth, abundance and upcoming good fortune. Crescent moons represent rebirth and new beginnings.
Luck can also be in the eye of the beholder. You could decide the cigar flannel or the swirl brooch below are lucky and make sure you have them with you when you need that extra boost. We fully endorse lucky socks, but you’ll never see a pair in our weekly fresh to market vintage. This is because, unlike a four leaf clover that is always lucky, you don’t know socks are lucky until something fortuitous happens while you are wearing them. Once they are christened as lucky, they will be lucky going forth.
Speaking of going forth…here’s this week’s fresh to market vintage.
Vintage Flannel Cigar Tobacco Premium
Tobacco flannels, a promotional item distributed in the early 1900s, were popular in quilting circles then and remain popular now among collectors of tobacciana. Here’s an interesting write-up on tobacco-related fabrics that were used in quilting in the 1900s.
48 Star American Flag Cigar Premium, $15
Linda, Selective Salvage
Swirl Brooch w/Rhinestones & Pearl
Instead of flowers, why not give mom something she can use and cherish for years to come? While it’s too late to shop for this year, there’s always next year. Perhaps her birthday, or any other occasion worth celebrating works just as well. This brooch has no markings although it was clearly made by one of the better costume jewelry manufacturers. The quality gives it away. The texturing of both the front and back, the neat lining up of those tiny rhinestones and setting of the faux pearl all speak to the quality adhered to in making it.
Mid Century Swirl Brooch, $45.95
Pam, Vintage Renude
Carved White Onyx Elephant
Popular in the 1960s, carved onyx animals from Mexico are delightful little decorative elements. Elephant are one of the most popular of the carved critters, especially when the trunk is up so he can shower you with luck. This guy is small in size, which means there are a million places in your home he can snuggle in.
1960s Carved Mexican Onyx Elephant Figurine, $22.
Laurie, NextStage Vintage
1950s Hallmark Mother’s Day Card
Happy Mother’s Day! It may be unseemly to argue with the pick from our guest of the week, but we don’t think mother’s are queens on one day. We know mothers are queens 365 days in a regular year and 366 days in a leap year. That said, what a smashing card.
It’s not surprising that vintage greeting cards from Hallmark tickle collectors fancy. The artists, the collabs, the quality, the nostalgia–everything’s there to make them a paper ephemera prize. Cards from the 1930s -1960s are the most collected. Unused and minty cards sell for more than used cards. Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Disney are the most popular.
Personally, we like cards that are used. It means they were carefully chosen and delivered for a noteworthy occasion. They have a history. And you know how we feel about history!
1950s Hallmark Mother’s Day Card, $8.
Available from this week’s guest and friend of the blog Cindy, NeatoKeen
We are pretty sure the swirl brooch could be a secret lucky charm. It’s got rhinestones AND a faux pearl–that’s a lot of power in one piece. Or are we confusing things that are lucky with things that are magical. Oh my, it’s complicated to keep those things straight.
Don’t rely on luck to remember to check out Vintage Unscripted every week. Seal the deal with by subscribing to our email newsletter. You get one email a week with links to all our posts from the previous week. And never a smidge of spam because we would sooner surprise our mom in bed with a teacup full of freshly dug nightcrawlers than ever share your information.
