Category: gift ideas

A little Lefton Pottery history

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, gift ideas, Pottery, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

George Zoltan Lefton was a Hungarian-born sportswear manufacturer, and he had a big passion for collecting fine porcelain.  From 1945 through 1953, the Lefton pottery company was importing many things from postwar Japan including (but not limited to) head vases, figurines, cookie jars, and salt and pepper shakers.

These items are marked “Made In Occupied Japan,” and the figures even sport a red and gold paper label that read “Lefton’s Exclusives Japan.”

Lefton contracted pottery companies around the world to produce ceramic items for Lefton.  These items are just as diverse as what they imported.

One of these really cool items that was imported is this 25th Anniversary Plate.

The silver decorator plate dates to the 1970’s and can be seen in my Etsy shop here.  Another item that shows how diverse Lefton is this great nappy.

You can see the nappy in my Etsy shop here.  As a matter of fact, you can see all of the Lefton pieces in my shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Wow, those are great flower vases to decorate with!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Flower vases can be as varied as the flowers that they can hold.  They can be made of a wide variety of materials like pottery and glass, and the color combinations are limitless.  Blue, gold, red and green are just some of the colors that you will see.

Like the materials and the colors, the companies that have made vases are countless.  Hull, Hall, Fenton and even Stangl are just some of the companies that have made an example.

One vase that would look terrific just about anywhere is this one by West Coast Pottery.

This cool gray and maroon fan vase dates to the 1950’s, and it is mold number 901.  You can check this vase out in my Etsy shop here.

Another vase that would look great holding flowers is this one that was made by Fenton from 1970 to 1974.

The vase has the Drapery pattern on it, and it has a color called rose satin. The vase can be seen in my Etsy shop here.

Another company that made quite a few vases is Hull Pottery. They made a wide variety of vases like this one from the 1940’s.

It sports the ROSELLA pattern on it, and the pattern looks like it sports Dogwood blooms.  You can see this terrific vase in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see all the vases in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Wisdom Lane Antiques Store Highlight: Joe Mattson Signed Art Glass Vase

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

This Wisdom Lane Antiques Store Highlight features a terrific art glass vase that was made by Joe Mattson.

Joe Mattson

Joe Mattson is a self-taught glass artist, and he began working in glass in 1976.

The shapes, forms and even the patterns he makes in glass are like those of the Art Nouveau era from the early 1900s.  The items that Joe Mattson makes in glass are primarily one-of-a-kind pieces that he calls contemporary traditional glass.

joe mattson bottom

This terrific one-of-a-kind handmade vase has a white milk glass background with an orange zig zag pattern on it.  Not only that, it also has a flared top edge and a great hour glass shape to it.  I also like the fact that the top is not too small to where you can show off a good-sized bouquet of flowers in it.

joe mattson top

You can see this terrific signed Joe Mattson vase in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out!

Great examples of glassware serving pieces that you can find

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Serving sets, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

When it comes to finding serving pieces for the table, you can find some great glassware items in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  Tumblers, creamers and even plates are only a few examples that you can find.

One terrific example that you can find is this milk glass creamer.

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Not only is it made out of milk glass, this terrific 1930’s creamer also sports a silverplate handle and spout.  To make things even better, it has a hand painted and embossed floral motif on it.  You can see this creamer in my Etsy shop here.

Another great serving piece that you could find is this great nut dish.

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This great nut dish was made in the 1950’s by Westmoreland, and it sports a light blue satin mist color.  The dish also has an enameled floral motif on it, and it could also double as a candy dish.  You can see this dish in my Etsy shop here.

Cruets are perfect for your favorite salad dressing, and they can also be great to display on any table.  This pair would be perfect to do both.

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This pair was made by Hazel Atlas in the 1950’s, and they sport a frosted look with a hand painted floral motif on them.  You can see them in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see all of the great glassware serving items in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Grab yourself a cup and saucer, it’s tea time!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Functional items, gift ideas, Pottery, Serving sets, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

One of the areas that you can dive in and have a lot of fun collecting are cups and saucers.  They come in a wide variety of makers, sizes and even decoration.

Some of the materials that they could be made of are glassware, pottery or even fine china.  They could be decorated with just about anything–flowers, people and even outdoor scenes are just a small portion of what is out there.

Hocking Glass, MacBETH-Evans and even Royal Doulton are but a tiny portion of makers that have made cups and saucers, and there are many more.

One cup and saucer set that you could run across is this great Depression Glass example.

As you can see, it sports the CHERRY BLOSSOM pattern and is by the Jeanette Glass Company.  It was made from 1930 to 1939 and can be found in my Etsy shop here.

Hand painted examples are always fun for me, you will never find two that are exactly alike.  One cup and saucer set that fits in this area is this one by NAPCO Pottery.

This set features a yellow floral motif, and it dates to the 1950’s.  You can see it in my Etsy shop here.
Wedgewood also made several examples, and one such example is this terrific Mulberry handle less cup and saucer from the 1800’s.

It sports the WASHINGTON VASE pattern, and you can see it in my Etsy shop here.

There are quite a few ways that you can collect cups and saucers.Not only can you collect cups and saucers by the pattern that is on them or the manufacturer, you can also find examples that could go with a certain color combination that is in your house or apartment.

You can see all of the cups and saucers in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Gas Station Collectibles from…ElReco?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Advertising, gift ideas, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

As long as I can remember, people have been on the lookout for items that were once in use in gas stations.  Gas pumps, signs, vending machines and even advertising from a certain brand (like Marathon or even Phillips 66) have been sought after.

I have even heard of people collecting items from the lesser known gas station companies as well, like ElReco.  I am going to be honest with you—I never heard of ElReco until I found this paperweight.

EL RECO Gas Stations Figural Paperweight

It turns out that Elreco stands for the Eldorado Refining Company. They operated out of El Dorado, Kansas until the company was sold to the K-T Oil Company (they maintained operations there after the sale).

When 1958 rolled around, that company was sold American Petrofina, and the stations were then renamed to the FINA brand.

elreco back

This paperweight was made in the early 1900’s, and it still has a good amount of the original paint on it.  The great thing about this paperweight is that it’s a perfect size so that it can be used anywhere from your desk to holding down a recipe in the kitchen.

You can see this terrific paperweight in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check it out!

Is that early movie star MAE W. MARSH?

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Beginning to collect, Functional items, gift ideas, Pottery, Tips for the beginner, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Mae W. Marsh was a huge movie star in the 1920’s—going from silent films to talkies.  She made nearly 100 films in her lifetime, and her career spanned 50 years.  Some of these movies include THE LESSER EVIL (1912), THE ESCAPE (1914) and even TIDES OF PASSION (1925).

Mae was a prolific actress, sometimes appearing in as many eight movies a year.  She also became a very popular actress, and she was featured on this terrific plate by STAR PLAYERS PHOTO COMPANY.

Mae W Marsh plate

STAR PLAYERS PHOTO COMPANY produced this fantastic plate in the 1920’s.  This plate with Mae W. Marsh was part of a series by the company that featured other movie stars.  This series had Charlie Chaplin, Anita Stewart, Francis X. Bushman, Marguerite Snow, Alice Brady, Maurice Costello, Lottie Pickford, Lillian Walker and other actor and actresses.

All of the plates in this set features a floral border, and a picture of the star in the center of the plate.  They are also the same size—they are about the size of a dinner plate.

What a wonderful find for the film buff, and you can see this great plate in my Etsy shop here!

Look at all of the different varieties of art glass!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn gift ideas, Glassware1 Comment

Art glass is a great way to add some color to your home (or even just a room). Not only that, it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes for you to choose from. It could be a vase, bowl, or even something figural like a bird.

One such shape that would be great to decorate with is this terrific vase.

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The color combination great–it looks like cream being poured into coffee. Not only that, it’s pretty big (it’s 12 1/2 inches tall). With this vase as tall as it is, it would look terrific on a side table or even holding some decorative flowers. You can see this vase in my Etsy shop here.

Another great art glass piece is this great statue.

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The statue is in the shape of a squirell, and it could also double as a paperweight on your desk. You can see this terrific statue in my Etsy shop here.

Another form that you can find would be a candle holder, much like this one.

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This great candle holder is in the shape of a rabbit, and it’s perfect for any of the samller candles. It would be great just about anywhere, especially the kitchen table (it’s low enough for you to see the person across the table from you).

You can see this in my Etsy shop here.  There are times when you will run across an art glass piece that has more than one function. It’s like that with this piece of Murano art glass.

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As you can see, this Murano art glass piece could easily be a vase–and it could also be used as a planter or even a pen holder on any desk. You can see it in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see all of the terrific art glass I have for sale in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Head vases for everyone!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn gift ideas, Pottery, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!Leave a comment

Since I was a kid, I have run across head vases just about everywhere—estate sales, auctions and even garage sales.

There were a ton of this type of vase that was imported from Japan starting in about the 1950’s, and they were used by florists for flower arrangements.

Head vases quickly became popular with collectors for their variety of design motifs and color combinations.  Not only that, they are the perfect height for just about any type of flower.

Head vases still get made today, and there are some great examples on the market.  You can also easily find a head vase to fit just about any budget.

One example is this great one from the 1950’s.

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This head vase isn’t marked, but it has a cool green hat and applied flowers.  I like how detailed the manufacturer got with this head vase.  You can see it in my Etsy shop here.

Another head vase that you can find in my Etsy shop is this great one from ARTMARK.

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This head vase dates to the 1950’s, and what is great is that this head vase still has the necklace on it–a lot of the time the necklace gets broken and is missing.  You can see this terrific head vase in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see the rest of the head vases in my Etsy shop here.  Head on over and check them out!

Great Fenton items for any collector!

On By wisdomlaneantiquesIn Fenton, Functional items, gift ideas, Glassware, Vintage, Vintage, Vintage!1 Comment

The Fenton Art Glass Company opened its doors in a rented space in Martins Ferry, Ohio in 1905.  Since then, the company produced quite a variety of items and colors–you could find a piece for just about any part of your house.

It could be a lamp with a cranberry Fenton Shade for the living room, a vase for your favorite type of flowers, or even something for the kitchen table.  One of the items that you an get for the table is this great pair of candle holders.

This pair of amber colored candle holders sports the hobnail pattern, and they date to the 1960’s.  The great thing about them is that they are low enough so you can look over them and see the person on the other side of the table.  You can see them in my Etsy shop here.

Another thing that Fenton did was that they made glass items for other companies, and that’s what they did with this perfume bottle.

The perfume bottle was made for Devilbiss, and it has the Blue Opalescent Coin Dot pattern on it.  The bottle dates to the 1950’s, and it has a replaced replaced atomizer (the bottle is just a decorator piece now).  You can see it in my Etsy shop here.

Fenton also made a wide variety of bells, like this example.

This pink opalescent variety dates to the 1950’s, which can be dated by the paper label on it.  You can see this wonderful example in my Etsy shop here.

As a matter of fact, you can see all of the Fenton pieces in my Etsy shop here.

You never know what shape, pattern or color you could run into while out shopping.  What have you seen?