How did a piece of handmade seashell art in this week’s fresh to market vintage come to be in Nebraska? You can write a thousand great stories and any one of them might be true, but we’ll never know. There’s nothing to tell us anything about it. Not a handwritten note on the back, not a sticker or label, nothing. Everything we can know about it has to be deduced from the piece itself; what is is made from, what kind of construction is it, when would those materials be used, and where are those kinds of shells found.
If you have special treasures like that, do future owners a favor and make some kind of documentation. You can write on the back or bottom of things like a piece of art or put a note with things like china or textiles. If things will be handed down in the family, putting together a document with photos and provenances is an awesome idea, especially if you are the only one who knows the story of that item. The things you document don’t have to be of high value, they can be high sentimental value. Those might matter more.
Everything in this week’s fresh to market vintage was a treasure to someone sometime. Who will it be a treasure for next?
Sterling Silver Chai Necklace
Not to get political, but the war in Gaza has brought out many feelings. This silver pendant necklace, made in Israel, of the Hebrew word “Chai” means Life. A simple reminder of how precious each of our lives are. If you’ve ever watched Fiddler on the Roof, you heard the toast “l’chaim” meaning to life.
Hebrew Chai Necklace, $34.95
-Pam, Vintage Renude
Lefton September Girl Figurine
Is there something in the air? Yes, it is finally cooling off here in New England and parents are busy with getting their children ready to go back to school. I was very excited to enter the first grade in the 1950s. I got to ride the big yellow bus! I got to eat lunch in a cafeteria! I got to join my two older sisters who were “veteran” students. This sweet ceramic reminds me of going back to school with her basket of apples and a book at the ready for reading a story.
Lefton September Big Bow Girl, $45.99
-Mary Ellen, Shop
OOAK Shell Art Wall Box c 1900s
Another piece that makes me wish inanimate objects could talk. We found this handmade shell-covered wall box in Nebraska, which is not known for its ocean coastline. It makes me wonder if it was an art project done by a local high schooler or if it was created by a newlywed as a loving reminder of a trip to California or Florida. Whatever the true story of its origin is, it’s a fabulous example of American artistry.
Antique Folk Art Wall Box, $250
-Linda, Selective Salvage
Elsie the Cow Advertising Creamer
America’s most famous spokescow was Elsie. Representing the Borden Dairy Company, there was the illustration of Elsie that was on packages and advertisements and there were the actual Elsie bovines who toured the country. The first Elsie, a Jersey from Massachusetts named You’ll Do, Lobelia, was discovered at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and toured the country for a couple years until she lost her life in a traffic accident. There was a long line of Elsies, right up until 2003.
This promotional creamer is probably from the 1950s.
Borden Elsie the Cow creamer, $55.
-Laurie, NextStage Vintage
That’s our fresh to market vintage stories for this week. Four points of view, four different vintage styles, all in one weekly post. Somehow it all comes together.
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