Birth and Rebirth in Collectibles Trends

Do you ever wonder about what specifically spawns certain trends in collecting and decorating? What makes a certain type of item suddenly become in demand, or even have a powerful resurgence after being ignored or reviled for decades?

I had often wondered this very thing in relation to the iridescent glass we think of as "carnival glass" today.

I have been fortunate over the years to pick up a number of carnival Indiana Glass Harvest Grape pieces from the 60s and 70s-- all inexpensively at thrift stores and antique malls.

But I was always curious what it was that triggered modern manufacturers to suddenly start remaking the colorful glass that had been so popular 50 years or more before.

Well, would you believe I recently found the answer to this, in casual reading?

Yup, I'd been going through volume three of the Imperial Glass Encyclopedia, when their section on carnival satiated my curiosity once and for all!
In the 1960s, not only did Marion Hartung publish books on the subject, bringing the glass back into the light (so to speak), but an article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution newspaper (August 18, 1963) on the topic dubbed old Carnival glass the "Cinderella of Modern Antiques."

In response, Imperial, Fenton Art Glass and other companies began reissuing carnival pieces, many from their original molds. And the revival grew well into the 1970s.

This got me thinking about how it had taken some appreciation from Martha Stewart to get the collectibles community showing renewed enthusiasm in the creamy green glassware known as jadite...
While I've noticed costs for jadite have gone to more reasonable levels in the last year or so, there for a while antiques dealers were offering jadite for princely sums. Where Martha waxed poetic, the market agreed. Everyone wanted beautiful, soothing pieces made of this opaque, aqua glass.

So this got me pondering again: what do you think is a highly underrated collectible today?

As I've always been a fan of the Carnival glass, I notice right now I'm one of the few that finds it magical. Will it have its day again?

And I adore McCoy's art pottery pieces, particularly ones from the 1940s. It always makes me wonder why McCoy pottery ends up being about half the price of Hull, even though their style is very similar...
So my question is open to you folks:

Is there a collectible item out there that you adore and feel hasn't received the attention it's deserved?

What is your "Cinderella Among Collectibles"?

Treasure Box Wednesday: Rainy Days and Roses

On Saturday, the sky was a relentless gray and rain fell in a straight, half-hearted drizzle... but the insides of the thrift stores and antique malls were warmly lit and dry.

It would have been pleasure enough just to wander around the various aisles. But it turns out some great sales were on, and Lady Luck was in a giddy mood.

My favorite find for this week was this 1960s still-life rose painting from the L&L Fleatique-- which, in a fortunate half-off sale, was $20, framed...
The painting was originally from a gallery in southern Florida, where I rather doubt the painting sold for 20 clams the first time around!...

I'm particularly pleased the way the artist did the glossiness of that vase.

And speaking of vases, how about a little jadite?

Fans of jadite know it doesn't come especially cheap, given it's popularity. But at $9, I thought I could afford this one.

Speaking of both roses and vases, I found a Victorian transferware jug at the Salvation Army Thrift Store...
Okay, so, yes, they aren't roses printed on there... But you get the gist.

At fifty-cents a piece I got these framed tapestries at the Goodwill...

And last, a couple of collector's books on some American pottery of interest...

What's the price of knowledge? Well, apparently a fiver will do ya. :)

• And speaking of American Pottery, if you missed Sunday's post on McCoy pottery and how pricing has changed since the 80s, click here.

For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy a little sunshine this week, even if it's only the warm glow of a pleasant day.

Kute-- er, Cute-- Kitchenalia

Cheap.

I am.

Or maybe we’ll call it “fiscally practical.” It has a nicer ring, doesn’t it?

Though I love those gorgeous vintage-look appliances that have a turn-of-the-century stove or icebox feel, they tend to cost more than a year’s worth of car payments.

I figure my refrigerator can’t drive me to work. My stove can’t transport me to thrift stores.

So being fiscally practical, these items are probably not in my future.


Instead I’ve got plain ol’ white no-frills jobbies which do what they’re supposed to and basically say:

“Pay no attention to me. I’m white and boring and not the focus of the room. Do you YAWN when you look at me? See, you’re yawning already. That is how plain and white and boring I am.”

(Hm. Sounds like my appliances are suffering from low self-esteem... Pity.)


But that just means other items in my kitchen get to step forward to make the room look as vintage/Victorian as the rest of the house.

It also means I can’t be much of a stickler for historical accuracy-- and it gives me the freedom to scour thrift stores and antique malls for cute kitchenalia.

I figure if the room simply evokes a sense of the past, I’m doing okay.

Thrift stores have been fun for finding things like casserole dishes and mixing bowls in cheerful retro colors.


Pyrex, I understand, has become increasingly collectible. Do you remember a particular Pyrex dish your mom or grandma might have used at family gatherings or everyday dinners? Maybe it evokes a certain sense of what “home” is supposed to be.

Growing up, my mother had a strange array of pink Pyrex dishes. I say strange, not because they weren’t adorable-- but because they absolutely weren’t her taste. Mom wasn’t a “Pink” girl. Mom was a “‘70s Harvest-Color Colonial Revival” girl. Yet pink Pyrex gooseberry-patterned mixing bowls still say “Mom is baking cookies” to me. And the pink Pyrex casserole dish above was like one Mom served scalloped potatoes in. I found this at the Goodwill for about $3.

The thrift stores are also good for finding vintage silver pieces. Sugar and salt shakers aren’t hard to come by at good prices. And serving pieces like ladles and serving spoons can be as functional as they are interesting to look at.


Please forgive the tarnish on these babies I’m showing here. Normally they’re polished up to a decent shine. (I’ve just been a bit pressed for time lately.) Let’s call the tarnish “character.”

Antique malls and flea markets have been good sources for finding intriguing kitchen implement, too. The wooden handles take on a nice patina with age, and things like this hand-mixer and dicer were only a few dollars a piece-- though it’s good to shop around, because these can run upwards of $8-$12.


Lastly, I thought it might be fun to show you some new kitchen items that seem to mesh well with actual vintage pieces. The “apple green” trend that Kitchenaid and Hamilton Beech have embraced has worked decently with my Depression glass-- it’s just about the same general color, and has a sort of vibrance that adds a little zing to a darker room. I just hang the teaspoons and measuring cups on hooks where I can get them.


The airtight canisters are Martha Stewart K-Mart purchases that are the same color as my jadeite. I use them for storing things like coffee and breadcrumbs. Again, it’s the color that I think adds a little something to the kitchen.

How have YOU tackled bringing a vintage feel into your kitchen? Has it been more difficult than the other rooms? I’d love to hear from you.

---
Just as a reminder, the Nifty Thrifty Gifty Giveaway is still running, so you have until October 13 to submit your guesses.

Thank you to everyone who has submitted so far. If I haven’t sent you a confirmation that I received your entry, let me know. I had some flukey email one day, apparently, and at least one entry hadn’t come through to me. I don’t want to accidentally neglect anybody.

Click here if you’d like to read about the Giveaway.

Otherwise, I hope to see you all next week! Take care of yourselves!