VINTAGE COLLECTIONS WITH LISA CONGDON

I am very excited to share a short interview I just did with the fabulous Lisa Congdon. She recently authored a book entitled Collection a Day based on her year-long project and blog of the same name. I thought she'd be the perfect person to ask about starting a collection of vintage objects. Enjoy...

Why did you start your collections of vintage objects? where did/do you find them?
I started collecting when I was a kid. In the introduction to my book, I tell a story about how my mom started most of my collections for me. Dolls, plastic horses, etc. I wasn't necessarily collecting vintage items back then (though some of my dolls were antique), but I definitely got the "collector's bug". Plus I think I'm hard wired as a collector. No matter how hard I try not to collect, I can't help myself!

I started collecting vintage stuff about 18 years ago. I was in a relationship with another woman who was obsessed with collecting. She introduced me to the flea market and it was all over. From there I became obsessed with antique malls and garage sales too. I still go to mostly flea markets and antique malls (especially when I am traveling) and I do go occasionally to thrift stores. We have great thrifting in San Francisco.

What are your three favorite collections?
My favorite collections are:
:: my vintage mid-century Scandinavian + Japanese kitchenware collection
:: my vintage school supply collection
:: my tiny vintage portrait collection (I collect tiny tiny vintage photos -- mostly snapshots of people's faces)

How and where do you store your collections?
Some of my collections are on display in my home and studio. They are a combination of my favorite collections and a few that are just easy to display or are really decorative. I have some arranged in shadowboxes in my studio which hang on the wall. In my apartment I keep lots of things on shelves and on my credenza, usually grouped together. Like, all my orange pottery is grouped together on one shelf in my living room. My enamelware collection is housed in my kitchen (of course!), along with my plate collection. Little collections are scattered in spots throughout the house. Collections that I don't use for display are stored in my studio in bins, boxes and flat files. I'm pretty organized around my collections. I take really good care of them, which is important. They are often really fragile or susceptible to damage from heat, moisture or sun light.

What advice would you give someone beginning a collection of vintage items?
I have three main bits of advice:
1 :: Find a few collections that really resonate for you. Choose to collect a few things that you really love. I think it's important to collect stuff that's sort of challenging to find. If what you collect is easily available in every antique mall or flea market, it might be fun for about a month--but you will get bored easily. Collect stuff that is unique. Part of the fun of collecting is the "hunt".
2 :: Take good care of your collections. Vintage items are really special, and I think collectors are stewards of the past in a way. Plus, if you ever want to sell your collections (or parts of them), the better condition they are in, the better. If you have a particular collection, research how to take care of the pieces. If you collect vintage kitchenware, for example, it's probably best not to use the pieces that are the most fragile or could easily be damaged--except maybe on a special occasion. Don't put vintage things in the dishwasher or washing machine. Don't use harsh chemicals to clean them. Use common sense.
3 :: Try to find stuff that is priced reasonably. Don't get sucked into spending a lot of money on vintage collections on Ebay and other high end antique stores. If you don't feel comfortable with the price, don't buy it!! Part of the joy of collecting is finding that perfect item at $3 -- especially when you love it and it might even be worth $50!

Thanks, Lisa! To get an autographed copy of her book, visit her shop. You can also see more of Lisa's illustration work on her website.

BARBIE :: A MID-CENTURY ICON

I'm happy to share with you the following interview with my friend Scott. He collects and sells vintage Barbies, many at high prices on Ebay. I wanted to know more about this Mad Men-like mid-century icon, so I asked him some questions and he was more than willing to share his knowledge. Thanks, Scott!

Why collect vintage barbies? What makes collectors excited?
Although Mattel does "swell" reproductions of their 1960's dolls and outfits, they are of somewhat cheaper construction than their vintage counterparts, which were made from a higher grade vinyl (solid vinyl on the earlier dolls which had a porous waxiness to it that not only gave it a pleasant crayon-ish aroma but a more porcelain or waxy look and a heaviness to them, all of which combine to form a more "substantial" feeling than the hollow contemporary ones, which look and feel more like plastic.)

Also, the new dolls are all identical, whereas vintage dolls can vary greatly from one to the next... different facepaint stencils, variations in the head molds (some faces being long and narrow, others shorter and wider). Some vintage dolls were even hand painted or partially hand painted, making each one unique and different unto itself, appealing to the "art collector" side of vintage Barbie lovers.

Finally, the fact that each vintage doll is an actual artifact from the 1960's, which is important to people who came to vintage Barbie through a larger interest in the area that produced them.

  
Where do you find your vintage barbies? Is it possible to still find them in thrift/junk shops?
They don't appear very often in thrift stores due to media coverage over the years that has made everyone with a vintage Barbie think their doll is worth $1,000. Typically, thrift shop and pawn shop owners tell me that when they come across old Barbie dolls, they put them on ebay, not out in their stores. Of course, now and then you will find the occasional exception. Often the mod era dolls (1967-1970) will wind up in thrift stores and pawn shops because the owners don't recognize them as vintage dolls (the mod dolls featured a different facemold and these dolls are not typically the ones pictures in articles about vintage).

What condition to collectors expect? Is there a checklist you can suggest for someone evaluating the condition of a vintage barbie?
Basically, any vintage Barbie will sell on ebay. The question is, what differentiates a $20 doll from a $1,000 doll? Well, condition and rarity, mostly. Only the mint dolls (with no rubs or restoration to the facepaint, and hair in the original factory set and style, no body problems like missing fingers or bent legs, tanning of vinyl, green ear syndrome from the metal ear rings) are really valuable. If you find a vintage doll with any or all of the problems listed above, you are likely looking at a $20 doll in terms of Ebay value.

Where rarity is concerned, research is needed. Some types of dolls (like Bubble Cuts and Fashion Queens) are in much readier supply and easier to find in mint condition than the earlier Ponytails, for example, making them a lot less valuable. I would suggest anyone seriously interested buy a reference book and brush up, as there are so many variables that decide value.

Lastly, when checking to make sure a doll is vintage, look for patent dates of either 1958, 1962, or 1965 on the rear ends of the dolls. They should also say "Made in Japan" under the date. Avoid dolls with the 1966 butt stamp. That is a year of patent and not manufacture, and dolls with that year stamp are usually from the 80s or newer.

MICHAEL LAX FOR COPCO

Lately, I've become interested in Michael Lax designed items produced by Copco. I found a Lax designed tea kettle a few weeks ago and just listed it in the shop.

I've found many other great Copco designs during my research and have fallen in love. Lax was born in 1929 and lived until 1999. He came to Copco because he was friends with Samuel Farber who founded the company. Lax designed enamel and cast iron kitchenware items throughout the 1960s.

There are Michael Lax and Copco items on Etsy and all over Ebay. And occasionally you will find them at thrift stores and at garage and estate sales.

Thanks to A La Modern Blog for the Michael Lax info.