Tag Archives: 1956

5 Expert Tips for Collecting Vintage Christmas Angels

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Vintage Norcrest Christmas Angels
Vintage Norcrest Christmas Angels

Hello, angel enthusiasts! Welcome to our cozy corner of the internet, where we’ll embark on a heavenly journey with 5 expert tips for collecting vintage Christmas angels. These celestial beings have been a beloved part of holiday celebrations for centuries, symbolizing hope, joy, and the spirit of giving. With their timeless beauty and intricate details, vintage Christmas angels hold a special place in the hearts of collectors around the world.

Holt-Howard Ermine Angela Salt and Pepper Shakers
Holt-Howard Ermine Angels Salt and Pepper Shakers

Today’s blog post is for week four in our Vintage Christmas Collecting Series and today it is all about collecting vintage Christmas angels as Christmas and angels really go hand-in-hand. The majority of vintage angels in my collection date to the 1950s and were made in Japan by Napco, Norcrest, Ucago, Holt-Howard and Lefton when mid-century modern and kitsch were all the rage. Some angels have no markings and some are marked Japan or have a paper label that says Japan.

Vintage Christmas angels have a lot of the similar spaghetti trim detailing with sponged gold accents like the Christmas decorations made during the era. Some angels are in the form of bells, Noel sets, salt and pepper shakers, and others are figurines. So far, in all my years of collecting, I have only ever come across only a couple of brunette angels and all the others have been blondes so, the brunette haired ones are the rarer ones. 

Lefton Angel Babies
Lefton Angel Babies

Here is a super darling trio of baby angel boys made by Lefton and they each hold a holiday element like a present, candy cane and stocking and a wreath. 

Vintage Napco Brunette Angel Figurine
Vintage Napco Brunette Angel Figurine

This brunette beauty is made by Napco and she has her eyes lowered, holds a lovely Christmas greetings wreath and presents. This angel is quite fancy with so much spaghetti trim on her robe that has the lovely gold sponged details and her wings are one of the most ornate pair I have seen on an angel as they are highly detailed and so very intricate.

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Life is a journey, enjoy the ride in a 1956 Nash Metropolitan

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I am so excited to share with you all the newest addition to our mid-century modern family, our 1956 Nash Metropolitan!! My hubby Gary and I are over the moon excited with this adorable micro car that couldn’t be more perfect for two people (and their cute puppy dog). The fabulous turquoise blue color of Berkshire green just screams let the good times roll. 

The story behind our Nash Metropolitan is quite endearing and it puts a smile on my face when I think about it. Our Metro came from Oregon where it was put on a truck and driven down to a well-known Nash Metropolitan restorer in southern California. It belonged to a husband and wife who were Nash Metropolitan enthusiasts and their grown children were selling it as it had sat out in the fields for years since their folks had grown older. Fun fact is that the Nash Metropolitan is also known as the “clown car” because it looks so zany and small and their parents had actually attended the local clown college and drove around in their Metro’s dressed as clowns. Isn’t that wild!! It must have been a real hoot to see them!! The mom even had a convertible Nash Metropolitan for years and her husband purchased the hardtop for her but she never really drove it because she enjoyed the convertible so much. 

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A Pinup Girls Classic 1956 Nash Metropolitan

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1956 Nash Metropolitan Hardtop Berkshire Green

1956 Nash Metropolitan Hardtop Berkshire Green

It has been an incredible week, I will do a blog post shortly on all the fabulous things going on but here is one of the highlights – we got our 1956 Nash Metropolitan!! My hubby Gary and I are over the moon excited and it has taken a lot of restoration to get it to this point with still some  to go and we’ll write about it all on the blog. Gary really rescued this cutie and gave it a second chance for a new life with us!! Here is a pic of our Nash with our Bichon Frise puppy dog Luna guarding it 🙂 This is the perfect Pinup Girl car!! Stay tuned for lots and lots of pics!!
Here’s some information from Wikipedia on the Nash and you can read more here on their Nash Metropolitan page.

The Nash Metropolitan is an automobile that was sold from 1953 to 1961. Nash was positioning this new product for the emerging postwar market for “personal use” autos.These specific use vehicles were as a second car for women or an economical commuter car. On October 5, 1952, they announced that they had selected the Austin Motor Company (by then part of BMC) and Fisher & Ludlow (which also became part of BMC in September 1953, later operating under the name Pressed Steel Fisher), both English companies based in Birmingham, England and vicinity. Fisher & Ludlow would produce the bodywork, while the mechanicals would be provided, as well as final assembly undertaken, by the Austin Motor Company.

In May 1954, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation announced that it had merged with the Hudson Motor Company to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Thus by August 1954, Metropolitans also became available from Hudson dealers. These Hudson Metropolitans carried a Hudson grille badge, hubcaps incorporating an “M” logo, a “bulls-eye” horn button design, and a plain spare wheel cover. The MSRP for Series III models was $1,527 (Hardtop) in Berkshire Green.

The Nash possesses an ageless, cuddly quality that has made it a perennial favorite of car lovers and car agnostics alike.

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