Vintage Plastic

MyFunkyJunk offers this vintage plastic Marx figure.

What Makes Plastic "Vintage"

Vintage items seem to be all the rage these days. The rich and famous in fact tend to adorn themselves in what's old more often than what's currently "in style." Although vintage has become a catchword of sorts for anything that is both old and pretty, the term actually has a more specific definition. An item needs to be at least 20 years old in order to truly qualify as a "vintage" piece. In terms of plastics, this means that goods from the '20s through the '70s are vintage classics, while '80s and '90s products will soon enter the fold as well.

 

The Best Types of Vintage Plastic

Particular types of plastic can also be regarded as more vintage than others, particularly in terms of jewelry. Bakelite, Lucite, Catalin, and Thermoset are considered to be among the first rate of vintage plastic materials.

Other valuable items include plastic toy soldiers and plastic lunchboxes. The former collectibles are best known from Louis Marx and Company, known for its creation of well-crafted plastic goods from the '50s through to the '70s. The 1960 "Gunsmoke" Collection and 1959 "Wyatt Earp" line are two of the most prestigious and coveted Marx plastic offerings.

MidwoodVintage offers this vintage plastic lunchbox.

Kitschy lunch boxes made from plastic have also recently become well favored as popular vintage items. This holds true particularly well if the lunch box depicts some well-known pop cultural item from its era. These boxes are typically square in shape, featuring hard plastic in bright pigments like cherry red or lime green.

 

Where and How

You will need to become quite adept at hunting around and showing tenacity in order to land on some amazing vintage plastic finds. Step one is to head to the local antique stores in your neighborhood. Don't just walk in silently; talk with the staff, smile and get them on your side, then inquire about their advice for vintage plastics local to you. Next up, you should head for thrift stores, the nearby Salvation Army, and similar establishments; more often than not, plastic gems hide there, unnoticed yet gleaming all the way. In the spring and summer, check your local papers for upcoming flea markets, which can be another strong way to locate vintage plastics. Last but not least, head to websites such as Ebay, Etsy, and Papernstitch, who regularly stock their pages with vintage finds.

Check out:
Vintage Jewelry Lane,  
The Jailbreak,  
Toy Memories, and  
Cheeky Chicago 
for more information on this topic.

Special thanks to  Jordan @ Article Writing Services.org

Plastic Sock Darners, String Holders, Sewing Collectibles

Funky Mushroom Sock Darner, a steal at $11 from TheSheepandI on Etsy. 

Plastic sewing collectibles are a fantastic part of plastic's past.  Old sock darners, string holders and more were made of early plastics, sometimes even Bakelite.  They are extremely collectible today among plastics lovers and sewing  connoisseurs alike! Perhaps one of my favorites is the "mushroom" looking sock darners such as these.

Katrina's Wool World has this great pink and back darner, a rare find, $32.50.

Funky Mushroom Sock Darner, a steal at $11 from TheSheepandI on Etsy.

The string and yarn holders, were in a league of their own.  Often fancy and decorative, they were made from various plastics such as lucite, polystyrene, melamine , and Bakelite.  Holding wool, yarn, or string these fancy little items found their way into every sewing buff's home.  Over time, some of the plastics would become brittle and break, so finding them in good condition proves harder and harder. Perhaps this is what makes them so desirable.

Early plastic sock darner, most you see in this style are wood. This one, TheSheepandI, $11

Lovely Lucite string holder by Homer, with Kitties on the top, at Katrina's Wool World, $44.

 

Dainty "unbreakable" Wool Holder, $35, from Katrina's Wool World

Gorgeous Bakelite string holder, looks military, doesn't it? $55 at Katrina's Wool World!

Unknown funky yarn holder, $32.00 Katrina's Wool World.

Katrina's Wool World has a variety of Bakelite Beehive Yarn Holders, Most $66-$69.

White yarn/wool holder, Katrina's Wool World, $75.

Melmac Morphed: The Divided Grill Plate

Courtesy: OldBoldReadytobeSold on Etsy

Ah, yessssss.........the melmac grill plate. Perhaps one of the dinosaurs in melmac history.  When melamine was just emerging for dish use, the divided grill plate or compartmental tray was used early on in mess halls, cafeterias, and hospitals.  Although it still has the same "industrial" look to it finding good examples that aren't all scratched up make them one of melmac's rarities.By the mid 1950's many companies had the grill plate as part of their melmac lines.  

Arrowhead divided grill plates, $38 for the stack at OldBoldReadytobeSold on Etsy.

 Edward Don and Company were making compartmentalized plates and selling them to the restaurant industry. Russel Wright's grill plate made in the Meladur line was quickly absorbed by General American and sold outright to cafeterias, hospitals and institutions. Mallory Randall was making grill plates in their Malloware line.  Boonton Molding Company was also cornering the market, offering a more "chunky" version, chock full of melmac!

Boonton divided grill plates are chunky and heavy @ RetroChalet.

From a distance, they looked exactly like their china or heavy duty ceramic cousins often used in diners and roadside cafe's.  Not often bought by the consumer, these bulky plastic models were mainly used for industrial use.   It wasn't long before most top popular lines were merging them into their catalog.

We can't forget about Texasware!  These only $25 from AuntSistersPicks on Etsy. PMC, their molder, also offered them in their DallasWare line.

MORPHING...

During the same time, however, similiar or morphed variations thereof would emerge that would indeed appeal to the modern housewife. Take for instance,  some form of space age plastic fondue dishes like the ones below.  Perhaps not melmac, but close...and a must for entertaining!

Set, $19, TatterandFray

What about picnic sets? They were the rage.  Often sold in camping and travel magazines, one would use these not only for picnics but for camping or RV use. Picnic sets applied the same principal of a cool divided dish or tray .  They are still readily found and some are as pristine as they were in the 40's and 50's.  Most are polystryene or thinner plastic than melamine, but still adorable!

Retro compartmentalized lunch plates, $12, by JumpShipZon.

Regaline picnic set, $14, CashmereJellybean

Of course over time, many shapes, styles, and plastics emerged as divided dinnerware solutions. Perhaps not directly related to the grill plate, except by association or particle composition only, but cool nonetheless.

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PiratesB00ty offers this pristine picnic set, Fremware, $16

Prolon lunch trays, $28, by Especial Ethel