Vintage Visions at The Guild Shop -- Nostalgic Pieces of Time Past
Ella Fitzgerald is playing in the background and the crackle of the record player is making the piece sound even better as it is transporting me to another time. Which decade shall we go to now? The vignette above transports us through time with a McCoy pottery decorative piece and a silvery glass vase, both which have a flair of the ‘20s; a golden mesh purse of the 1930s; a fountain pen and purse of the ‘50s; the opera glasses that look old, but I’m not sure from which time period; and the Limoges porcelain dog box that just looks vintage.
What makes a piece vintage? I was looking at an auction site and it said that antique pieces are those considered to be older than 100 years. Vintage pieces are somewhere in between, but vintage pieces often have a higher value because they were fashionable at some point in the past. But not all things that are old are antique or vintage. Some stuff is just old.
Both of these terms have been loosely defined. In terms of antiques, there are places in the world that consider me antique. And soon—but not yet--I’ll cherish that idea. For now, I like that I’m a bit vintage in my fashion and more contemporary in ideas.
Purses that my grandmother carried are now all the rage. If we start to look at the shape of purses that are now in style, they resemble the classic ones of the ‘40s and ‘50s. The great news is that these purses can fit our modern cell phones and yet not too much to make it too heavy. But not the mesh purse.
I love the feel of these little dainty mesh purses, almost like jewelry pieces. Dating back to the early 1800s, mesh purses were handcrafted in gold or silver. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that A.C. Pratt of Newark created a machine to cut the mesh and start a trend of these fine little purses. The Roaring 20s made this bag popular and then during World War II, they declined in popularity because all metals were needed in the war efforts.
Have you heard the term, “the real McCoy”? I looked it up online and there are many stories that claim to be “the real McCoy,” but in this instance, I’m going to give you a bit of information on McCoy pottery and in the likeness of this stylized item. I especially like McCoy pottery because the company made different pieces for collectors at different price points. Nelson McCoy of Roseville, Ohio started his company in 1910.
One most famous and sought-after McCoy piece is a Native American-themed cookie jar. McCoy created dishes, teapots, vases, décor items and the list goes on. www.mccoypotterycollectorssociety.org is a helpful link to see the marks used on McCoy pieces to understand dates, collection and values. I love the pieces that depict animals, flowers and stylized decade pieces, like the lavender one of the ‘40s in this photo. It would make a beautiful centerpiece on any table.
The beautiful pen in the photo was at the Guild Shop for about two days before it sold. The buyer collected ink pens said that it was a great find. She chanced leaving it until the next price reduction, but came back the next day deciding that it was too good to be true and bought it for her collection. She said it is harder and harder to find vintage pieces like this! If you love it, then buy it, otherwise it might not be there the next day. And remember that you are helping fantastic charities in Houston that help the elderly in need.
Lastly, the sweet dog pillbox was made by Limoges and such a special find for the person buying this as a gift. The original Limoges porcelain box was made in the mid-18th century and was used for sewing notions like a thimble, a lock of hair or a poem. Later they were used as snuff boxes, and still later used as pillboxes. Today you can find Limoges boxes or boxes in the style of Limoges in just about any shape imaginable. They are fantastic gifts, especially when a certain theme is involved. They are also easy to collect, if you wanted to start a collection and hunt for items of beauty.
So much history and so much opportunity awaits you at the Guild Shop. Come in and see us!
May you find you treasure,
Karina
