Crazy4Me - The Modern Bombshell Lifestyle by: Yasmina Greco

Vintage Fashion, Mid-Century Modern, Collectibles, and Everything in Between

Vintage St. Patrick’s Day Cuties

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Looking at vintage St. Patrick’s Day figurines from Lefton and Napco make me smile. I especially like the Napco St. Patrick Angel complete with her rhinestone studded clover and dress!  I am also seeing some gorgeous vintage clover china dinnerware that would be nice to add to a St. Patrick’s Day tablescape. With St. Patrick’s Day next week, I am sure more and more vintage “Irish” cuties will be appearing!! Hope you are all having a great day!!





  








































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Is it Collectible, Vintage or an Antique?


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Collectibles tend to be items that are highly sought and are valuable because they also tend to be rare or there are limited quantities of them on the market. Not all collectibles however have to be “old” or made many years ago to be “collectible” take for example the Webkinz plush toys that were very recently introduced and they are extremely collectible (the Webkinz Cheeky Dog is on eBay for nearly $1,000) as are the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters that were a top 2009 Christmas toy (the rare ones are still selling on eBay for over $300!) and then you have vintage collectibles like the Holt Howard Pixies and Pixieware from the 1950s to Lefton’s Toodles and the Lefton Bluebirds that were made 50-60 years ago and are commanding prices of $100 upwards of thousands of dollars for the very rare items.











 Antiques are items deemed by the government, sometime in and around the early 1930s, having an age of at least 100 years. So, if your collectible is 100 years old or older it is actually an Antique. Remember though that it technically must be 100 years old or older to be classified as an Antique…..I see a lot of items on the market described as antique when actually it is not antique but “vintage” and something needs to be at least 20 years old or older to be properly classified as Vintage.



















Another collectible arena is items that were Made in Occupied Japan or Made in Japan. Items stamped or marked “Made in Japan” were typically made prior to the First World War and after the Second World War as Japan was much like China and Taiwan are today; countries where items can be cheaply manufactured and mass produced. The term “Made in Occupied Japan” refers to the period in history right after the Second World War when the United States, Australia, British India, United Kingdom and New Zealand were involved in re-building Japan and were a main presence. In 1951 a peace treaty was signed that was enforced in the spring of 1952 when Japan became an independent state again. Items produced in Japan during this short time frame are stamped/marked “Made In Occupied Japan” and considered more desirable and valuable by many collectors. 






















I hope this information is helpful and I wish you all much fun in your treasure hunting, junking, flea marketing, antiquing, and thrifting!!














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Collecting Vintage Measuring Spoon Holders


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Don’t you just love those colorful figural decorative items from the 1940s-1960s? You know, the post WW II mostly Made in Japan collectibles that decorate our homes today just like they did back in the day? There is a whole collecting genre of vintage measuring spoons and holders.  I don’t know why this surprised me as there are pretty much collectors for everything you can think of so measuring spoon holders isn’t that strange at all. Vintage measuring spoon holders are delightfully whimsical and extremely functional still today. You can find vintage measuring spoon holders in various forms of lady head vases, chefs and cooks, flower pots, chickens, roosters and hens, fruits, clowns, bears, owls, frogs, you name it. You can place these functional collectibles on your kitchen counters and stoves and even hang them on your walls. You will find vintage measuring soon holders primarily made from chalkware, ceramic, and plastic. Most are very colorful and highly glazed. You can pick these up at garage sales, thrift shops, flea markets, eBay, and antiques & collectibles stores from $15-$75. Vintage measuring spoon holders are cute, charming, colorful, and functional so why not add one or more to your kitchen!! 


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The History of “Made in Japan” Collectibles


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In the 1940s, the US Customs Bureau stated that items manufactured or produced in Japan should be properly marked to indicate their origin with one of the following tags: “Japan”, “Made In Japan”, “Occupied Japan”, or “Made In Occupied Japan”.  In addition, many factories would also place a red or silver foil label baring one of these markings on their goods. Items made between 1945-1952 were made during Japan’s post-war years, also known as the Occupied Japan years. Note the 2 photos – a pair of Genie Kids Salt and Pepper Shakers that are Made in Japan and the stamp.




In 1946 that the Japanese government introduced the PPS system (Priority Production System) to its citizens that would aid in rebuilding and revitalizing war torn Japan. Since coal and steel are the two main natural resources privy to Japan, for the next few years Japan was going to capitalize on this and turn all attention on these resources to develop and maximize their global needs. The Korean War 1950-1953 also aided Japanese economy via exports that by the 1940s-1950s Japan began to show economic recovery as a direct result of the PPS System with exports beginning to dramatically increase.




During the 1950s-1960s Japan manufactured and produced many exported goods with a low-end dime-store quality to them. Some of these classified items were ceramics, toys, souvenir and novelty items, and small electronics. Although today, there is quite a demand in the Antiques and Collectibles arena for goods made in Japan and marked Occupied Japan, but back in the 50s-60s these items were not highly coveted. Read More Here.


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