I don't know where my intense collecting habit started, but when I look at my dad I get some ideas. He collects everything. Show-and-tell was my favorite part of the school week because I destroyed everyone with the knick-knackery I brought in. It wasn't an actual competition, but that didn't matter. I was totally, unabashedly the winner. A millennium old indian arrow head? Everyone in the class gets one today! The skull of a saber tooth tiger, saber teeth intact? Absolutely. Spears from Africa, pieces of eight from a pirate ship, shrapnel from WWI fashioned into a letter opener? Yes, yes, and yes. Books and army patches are the main objects of his affection though. In college I would reference his library before my school's because he had the same books but usually a more interesting edition. My personal collection started when I was 14 and discovered ebay. I realized that Maoist propaganda posters were available straight from China for only 99 cents. Cuban film posters too. But my flea market obsessions evolved into paper, glassware, and randomness. Glassware is the subject of the post today, so I'll get to paper and randomness at a later date.
Glassware itself can be a bit prosaic. They're essentially vessels for something much more interesting. But while searching for tumblers as a possible Christmas gift for my dad, I stumbled across vintage sets on ebay, and my obsession went from there. My favorites are from the 30s and 40s, which seem to have a sense of humor or whimsy. They are just as durable as the sets you buy at Target, but be careful to hand wash them, as the paint can be worn off in dishwashers. Their prices tend to be on the lower end (the pink polka dot ones were $18 for a set of 8 plus a glass-carrier) and they make fantastic hostess gifts for a cocktail party. The only downside is that you'll be heartbroken when somebody smashes one. So please enjoy searching through some of my favorite sets, and keep your eyes peeled the next time you're on ebay or at a flea market.
Pre-1939 Wizard of Oz Glasses
I almost had a heart attack when I saw these online. I'm an Oz freak, and read 21 of the 41 books when I was a kid, going so far as to be Princess Ozma for Halloween. It was a demoralizing experience, as no one knew who the heck I was. I was especially tickled when I realized that the glasses were produced before the MGM film, The Wizard of Oz, as the glasses are copyrighted to L. Frank Baum (the original author), and that the Tin Woodsman is not titled the Tin Man, as he is known as in the film. The illustrations are delightful. Enjoy!
Vintage Owl Tumblers
My sister Amanda and I have beat these glasses up. We use them all the time and have accidentally tossed them in the dishwasher once or twice. Regardless, they remain adorable and au courant, as owls just seemed to pop up everywhere last year.
Vintage "Fabric" Glasses
These are the most delicate glasses I own, as I am regrettably down to two. When I hold one in my hand, it's so light, I fear I'll have a "Hulk Smash!" moment and crush it in my fist accidentally. But even with its delicate structure, even more delicate are the intricate patterns, mimicking vintage fabric, that surround the small glasses. I love these!
Vintage "Three Monkeys" Highballs
When I first came across these mischievous monkeys, there was only a pair of glasses, which seemed inappropriate,considering the fame of the trio. It was at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, and they were too cute to pass up. Several months later I was back at the market, surveying the wares, when I saw a lone glass. It wasn't even the same vendor. Anyway, the trio was reunited and they make quite a fun set.
Piggy Jigger
This could technically be listed under "randomness" as it is neither a highball or a tumbler glass, but a jigger, meaning a 3 oz measuring cup for mixing cocktails. I bought it with a vintage book published in 1939 titled "Cocktails" for a total of $15 and it brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. It's just that ridiculous. The piggy starts out ready for her night out (I'll assume it's a her from the jaunty purse, but I feel like a lack of eye-lashes makes the pig a little ambiguous). At one shot she's fine, just having a nice time. But at two shots, watch out. Little piggy is putting hoof to floor and making a scene, martini at the ready. The loud jazz music inspiring piggy-wrong doing. And at three shots, forget it. Little piggy has collapsed on the floor, hit on her best friend's boyfriend, and caused a major party foul by dropping the host's vintage highball glass, no doubt smashing it. Oh little piggy, what a cautionary tale. Like if Dorothy Parker wrote Mother Goose.
Circus Highballs
These glasses reminds me of a zoetrope or nickelodeon, where you flip and turn the images, creating whirling action. It represents what I love about the vintage glasses in general, the remarkable detail and accidental storytelling, by just bothering to put an image out there. The dancing girls and the mustached ring leader remind me of the Dumbo-fueled fantasies I would have about the circus as a child. How beautiful the tight rope walkers must be, and how brave the trapeze artists were. And like the Peggy Lee song, upon actually seeing these things in front of me, the magic disappears and I'm left wondering, "Is that all there is to the circus?" But to continue on Miss Lee's thought process, "If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing. Let's break out the booze and have a ball, if that's all there is." So when life gets you down, just bring out the vintage highball glasses and tumblers and share a drink and a dance with friends.
Pink Polka Dot Tumblers
I spotted these from afar, several stalls away and let out a girlish shriek. They're just so girly! Plus the little drink caddy is so handy and compact. Needless to say, my mom stole the whole lot when I brought them over to her house. I kept trying to take them home, but she'd pour a drink in them and say she'd bring them over once they were cleaned. This was a year ago, and I've relinquished ownership. If she loves them that much, let her keep them. As long as I get them in the will.
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