With Halloween nearly upon us and all those seasonal costume shops that open up, I have been looking for some vintage Halloween decorations and not finding very many at my local antiques & collectibles shops. Occasionally I see the antique/vintage German made paper mache Halloween candy container and those tend to fetch top dollar and rightfully so as they are rare and very desirable and not many have survived over the years. However online shopping is proving to be a great resource for finding the rare and collectible (eBay, Etsy, Rubylane, Tias) and there are actually a few darling vintage 1950s planters in the forms of Pumpkins, Witches, and Ghosts that were made by the famous companies of yester-year like Lefton, Relpo, Napco, and Rubens Originals. Here a few pictures of ones that are online and I think they would make super cute centerpieces and perfect Halloween decorations without being too scary.
Tag Archives: lefton
Shopping the Petaluma Fall Antique Faire 2013
Today we went to the Petaluma Fall Antique Faire. The show is all outdoors and there are over 180+ dealer booths all setup in the historic downtown. We first went to this show in the Spring /Summer time and it was so hot outside but today it was breezy, warm and by the time we were leaving it almost looked like rain. Perfect weather for the time we were there! Lots of dealers from all over the country selling all sorts of things from furniture, jewelry, Bakelite, linens, kitchenware, collectibles, toys, books and magazines, art work, paintings, repurposed and up-cycled items to chandeliers, clothing, rugs, bikes, tools, etc…. something for everyone.
We got to the show about 2hours after it opened and there was a good amount of shoppers. Dealers were not yet quite ready to bargain or negotiate very much, if at all. They pretty much all said the same thing ‘come back in a couple hours and if it isn’t sold maybe we can come down on the price’. I totally understand, but, me too, being a buyer to re-sell, I have to at least give bargaining a try and I think I am pretty reasonable and certainly not trying to insult the dealer.
We did find some cute items like this really rare 1950s Lefton blue spaghetti poodle dog set of mom and pups chained. This blue poodle set is rare because you usually do not find it with the hats/roses and rhinestones. I also found the 1950s pink spaghetti poodle dog with her tam on her head and all these adorable Napco angels for March – St. Patrick’s Day, February – Valentines Day, and November – Thanksgiving. I couldn’t believe it when I found this darling little Lefton Christmas candy cane boy figurine and the pretty vintage blue stenciled ornament, a pair of vintage 1950s plastic turquoise salt and pepper shakers and this tiny yellow vintage Ceramicraft fish wall plaque.
I did find a pair of vintage kissing angel figurines with one hiding a comic book behind his back and the other hiding a puppy dog but, it turned out that even I didn’t follow one of my rules and that is – no matter what, each item needs to be fully inspected and I even brought my magnifying glass but thought since the show was outdoors, there was plenty of light to ‘see’ any damage so I didn’t take it out of my bag. When I unpacked the angels, part of the halo was broken in the wrapping paper….when I looked at the other angel’s halo I saw two spots where it was re-glued….bummer!! But, it was my fault. I came prepared and didn’t follow my own rules. I am really happy though with the items I did find today!!
You can find all these items and more in our Ebay, Etsy and Rubylane stores.
Vintage 1950s Kitschy Kitchen Collectibles
When talking about vintage ceramic kitchen collectibles from the 1950s-1960s, a popular theme is ‘Anthropomorphic’ and it refers to ‘uniquely human characteristics and expressions’ and these ceramic are usually very colorful and animated – kind of like cartoon characters with big eyes and smiles. These vintage ceramics were mostly imports from Japan and made by the eras top manufacturers Holt Howard, PY, Miyao, Coronet, Napco, and Lefton.
You can find Anthropomorphic collectibles in the forms of: Condiment Jars, Salt and Pepper Shakers, Cruet Sets, Jam and Jelly Jars, Planters, Vases, Wall Pockets, Cake Stands, Dinner Ware Sets, Serving Bowls, Serving Trays, Butter Dishes, Teapots, Pitchers and more.
Today these kitschy anthropomorphic collectibles can be found online, on EBay, Etsy, Rubylane, and in antique and collectibles shops all over the country but in small quantities. Collectors tend to collect based on manufacturer or theme – say all red apple items or only the lemon heads. Be prepared however to pay top dollar on these items as they are very collectible today and can rage from $29.99 – $3,500 (for the rare Lefton Hot Dog Head condiment jar and Holt Howard Honey jar). I was at a flea market recently and spotted a pair of vintage 1950s anthropomorphic fruit head salt and pepper shakers in horrible condition with lots of crazing and paint wear and the seller was asking $40 for them and when I attempted to negotiate he just looked at me and said “Do you know what these are? They are from 50s and very collectible today” and he was not going to budge on price.
Collecting vintage anthropomorphic kitchen ceramics are a REALLY fun type of collectible as their bright colors and big smiles and expressive faces are so darn cute and charming so they appeal to lots of folks. Today, finding pieces to complete a set or add to a growing collection are getting more and more difficult and prices are climbing. Do you collect vintage anthropomorphic kitchen ceramics? Send us a note and let us know about your collection.
Vintage Kitty Cats – Holt Howard and More
This week’s treasures are all about the 1950s and vintage kitty cats. Here we have the Holt Howard ‘Cozy Kittens’ salt and pepper shakers and the ashtray that actually stills ‘meows’. The blue cats are just neat and really retro along with the Siamese kitty cat shakers. I love the Lefton ‘Miss Priss’ divided dish and milk pitcher. Lots of goodies for the kitty cat lover!!
You can find all these items and more:
Vintage Ballerinas, Embroidery, & 50s Poodles
The truth is, I can’t stay away from antique malls, flea markets, or estate sales and feel a real ‘need’ to visit these places at least a couple times a month. The weather here in Northern California’s wine country has been pretty rainy but today was dry and sunny and after we ran our errands we headed to the quaint town of Healdsburg to Mill Street Antiques. There were lots of shoppers and the booths didn’t really have great sales. Also, looked like several booths were on the way out/closing down and that might mean new dealers taking occupancy soon (another reason to visit after the New Year to see what the new booths have). My husband found several cool vintage cameras and books and I found these adorable Lefton Ballerina wall plaques, vintage 1950s poodles, vintage linens with embroidered Scottie dogs and horses, vintage hankies and a vintage Napco Christmas spaghetti poodle dog figurine and I was really happy!!
As 2012 quickly comes to an end, I am thinking about 2013 and my dream job – my dream job would be to travel around the country to antique malls, flea markets, estate sales, and private residences touring the locations, meeting the collectors, vendors and dealers, talking about the goodies/treasures in each of the locations, how and what started people building collections and film it all….putting together a sort of ‘day trip’ guide or ‘best of’ show on what each town has to offer. Hmmmm, I recall a very wise woman once saying “find what it is you love to do and turn it into a job”. Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and prosperous 2013!!
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Vintage Poodles and Kitschy Anthropomorhphic Fruit Heads
Sometimes you find the best things when you are able to ‘sneak away’ for a bit. Here are a couple of the sweetest vintage Poodle dog figurines I came across and the big one is one poodle I have never seen before as it has red rhinestone eyes, a rhinestone collar and fur on ears and paws, and all ceramic! The beautiful vintage black Lefton Poodle has an amazing little face in person and the cute vintage white spaghetti poodle with a khaki green color on its spaghetti is one I haven’t seen before either. Also, I couldn’t resist these anthropomorphic veggie and fruit head cuties!! A Vintage PY Strawberry planter and a vinage ESD Turnip or is it an Apple planter, these two make me smile. Hope you are all finding goodies this weekend!!