Today I’m starting a series on choosing vintage gifts. We’ll explore jewelry,clothing and more over the next few weeks before Christmas. But before we start on specifics, I thought a little bit of advice on what to look for would be helpful, and how to search online.

Condition,Condition,condition

Vintage by definition means that an item is used and from another era. So, one needs to pay close attention to the seller’s description of condition. Any flaws should be described, and hopefully pictured. Think of you senses..any flaws that you can see,hear or smell should be noted. Then you need to use your judgment as to whether that flaw can be lived with or remedied.

Style

Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s desirable or stylish now. Classics never go out of style and you will see elements of this style copied in today’s stylish fashion and decor. Some things are so ugly that they enter the hallowed ranks of kitschy. But some things are just not. Know the person that you are buying the gift for—if they like kitschy or they like classic, buy accordingly.

Likely to Increase in Value

Vintage items don’t always increase in value. But you know that the ones that do will continue to be desirable and stylish for decades into the future. This is a hard one to judge, but if the item is likely to increase in value, it is probably worth considering. If not, pause and think a bit about this one.

Searching Online Versus Searching Locally

Many of the articles that I read about buying vintage gifts suggest that you search at resale consignment shops, antique shops, thrift stores and flea markets. And this is a good idea if you are not so familiar with the type of gift you are purchasing. You can touch,inspect and smell the items to get an idea of what is quality and what is not. However, you can only see what is available nearby. With online sales, you get a whole world of variety to choose from. But you don’t get to touch, inspect or smell the items. As you would do if looking at an item in person, ask questions if the description is not clear to you.

And where to look online? I would do a search on google or your favorite search engine. Just enter a description of the type of item you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a vintage toy, enter “vintage toys“.  You will see pages of links to sellers of vintage toys.  And if you know you are looking for a vintage board game, use those keywords to narrow your search. If you have a favorite site like eBay or etsy, you can start by going to that site and entering your search terms there.

Afghans Today!

• Link to Rose’s Sundries on eBay for bids.

Diamond Crocheted Afghan

Flower Center Granny Square Afghan

Granny Square Afghan

Postcards and Paint By Number Today!

• Link to Rose’s Sundries on eBay for immediate purchase.

Ireland,Killarney,Ladies View

Ireland,Waterford City,Clock Tower at the Quay

Tennessee,Nashville,Opryland Hotel,Cascades

Paint By Number Kit Dinosaurs Feeding

Good Design is everywhere in the 21st Century, so why buy vintage? Here are 4 good reasons:

1. Vintage is Quality. Vintage items are better made. They use better materials,show better craftsmanship and better construction. Everything was made to last longer. Similar quality today will cost way more than buying vintage.
2. Vintage is Green. Reuse of materials and resources is one of the basic tenets of living green. The materials that would go into today’s manufacture will be saved. That means more living trees,minerals still in the ground and fuels that don’t need to be burned.
3. Investment Value. Most vintage goods will retain their value and possibly increase in value. Most goods bought today will lose much of their value tomorrow. Vintage goods are relatively liquid and can be resold easily to trade up to your next collecting fancy.
4. Vintage is Unique. A vintage piece that speaks to you shows your individuality. Mixing vintage pieces with modern purchases shows your taste and stimulates conversation.

Designer Silk Scarf Today!

• Paris Designer Nichole de Beauvior

  Link to Rose’s Sundries on eBay for immediate purchase.

Nichole de Beauvior Designer Silk Scarf

Nichole de Beauvior Designer Silk Scarf

Chrome Postcards Today!

• Postcards

  Link to Rose’s Sundries on eBay for immediate purchase.

Canada,B.C.,Canadian Services College

Marineland of the Pacific,Bubbles

Marineland Porpoise Jumping

Young Life’s Trail West Lodge

Buying gifts for the collectors in your life can be a difficult thing. Along with all the usual gift selection issues, it’s hard to know what they already have and/or if an item’s conditions will meet the collector’s standards. What can you do?

Here are gift ideas for collectors of all types of things — at all price levels.

1. Collecting Books & Guides: The wide array of titles one finds on Amazon means that there is likely a book that your collector doesn’t have already. Look for recently published latest editions as your collector may not already have this edition.
2. Cleaning Tools & Storage Supplies: Each type of collection requires special care and that means special tools. Sure, you know all about storage supplies such as Polyethylene and Polypropylene sleeves and archival storage supplies for comic books, magazines, trading cards, postcards, other ephemera, and coins, but there’s so much more. There are specialized repair tools and supplies for book lovers, 
   record lovers, textile lovers   and many more. Just do an online search for the type of collection plus the words “archival” and “storage supplies” or “cleaning supplies”.  Virtually any collection can use items for proper display. Maybe your collector just needs more shelving. Whatever it is, large or small, collectors appreciate these gifts. They may not seem exciting to you, but they are. Where you see plastic bags and boxes or ‘just cleaning supplies’, a collector sees a safer, more cared for collection — and the extra money in her pocket means she can bid a little higher on something at auction.
3. Treasure Hunting Supplies: If your favorite collector goes out hunting at flea markets, tag sales, auctions or thrift stores, there are tools that he/she finds helpful to carry along. Pocket tape measures are practical for measuring furniture, hardware, and even the size of your car doors. Black Light Keychains make it easier for your collector to make the right decision. Magnifying Glass or Jeweler’s Loupe allows for collectors to better inspect items for everything from maker marks and signatures to flaws and repairs. A collector can never have too many jeweler’s loupes.  Folding Shopping Carts are great for collectors who haunt block rummage sales, auctions, and flea markets.Eliminates whining about carrying goodies in your arms and allows the collector to keep on shopping.
   
4.  Calendars: Each month brings a new item to covet with collectible themed Digital Cameras: It’s not just that collectors want to show their junk off, or maybe sell it online, but they do need to record their collection for insurance purposes too.
   
5. Smart Phone: Collectors can access the internet as they shop to check the value of the item they are looking at, or can snap a photo to send to their friends immediately.
   
6. Modern Reproductions: Take the theme of the collection and find those images reproduced in modern prints, and on modern household items like tablecloths,
   patterns or
   barbie dolls. (Don’t forget Cafe Press for nearly any theme, anything, on a mug.)
7. Gift Certificates: Your collector likely bids on items on eBay and  eBay has gift certificates.  You can also get your collector gift certificates from their local antique mall or thrift shop. They will be happily received and greedily used!
8. Collection Software: You need a gift idea; they need something to do during the long winter (non-buying) months. There are many sorts of Visual PackRat and Primasoft for some ideas or do an online search.

It seems to me that much of the most highly collected Halloween items of the past could be classed as ephemera because it was designed to be used and then thrown away. Or it was made of materials that deteriorated quickly and were discarded after a few years of reuse.

Halloween, as a commonly celebrated US event, truly came into its own in the very early 1920s. Parties then were primarily for adults, with guests settling in to play mahjong, bridge or other games. Tables and walls would be decorated with a wide array of Halloween-themed items, really setting the party’s mood. The games’ winners would be given prizes to take home, like candy containers, lanterns or noisemakers. Only later did “trick or treating” come into vogue, with the holiday becoming more oriented toward children.

The imagery of vintage Halloween items through the 1940s is very memorable. The pumpkin, or its more humanized incarnation, the Jack-O-Lantern, is the most common image. Next most common are black cats, skeletons and owls. Mor rare are witches, veggie people and bats, with the rarest being devils. This means that within any given genre, devil imagery is the rarest to find.

The imagery of the older Halloween pieces is significantly different than imagery common from the 1950s through today. The imagery was meant to provoke a reaction – generally a horrific one! The pieces were, in many instances, meant to scare. More recent Halloween imagery is,in comparison, pedestrian, cute and dull. Since Halloween items are notoriously hard to accurately date, one rule of thumb used is this: the scarier the imagery, the older the item!

Source: http://www.halloweencollector.com/history/