Mother’s Day is fast approaching—it’s Sunday, May 8—and it’s time to celebrate Mom with a one-of-a-kind gift you know she won’t receive from anyone else. Here are 5 ideas for vintage gifts that any mother would love:
1. Antique or vintage hairpin. Two-pronged hairpins were popular during the Victorian era to secure and decorate a woman’s up-do. This 9-inch long Edwardian hairpin is a sterling silver “love knot” and would be perfect for today’s looser up-dos or to secure a favorite straw hat. It sells for $65 in an online shop.
2. Funky pitcher. This large, bold Royal Bayreuth tomato pitcher is just waiting to be filled with water, iced tea, lemonade or even Bloody Marys. Royal Bayreuth porcelain jars, pitchers and teapots shaped like fruits, leaves, flowers, animals and people are collector favorites.“Royal Bayreuth” is the name porcelain that has been made since 1794 at the Royal Privileged Porcelain Factory in Tettau, Germany, and the oldest porcelain factory in Bavaria still in operation. This pitcher sold for $135 at an antiques auction in Pennsylvania.
3. Rose bowl. What is a rose bowl? Collectors define it as a bowl that turns in at the top, but does not turn out again. It may have a smooth, crimped, or scalloped rim. Rose bowls were most popular from the 1880s to the 1920s and were ideal for displaying old-fashioned roses with heavy blossoms and short stems. They still are. This 19th-century art glass rose bowl is pink, white and chartreuse spatter glass cased in clear glass. It sells for $45 in an online shop. Of course, you will fill it with roses when you give it to Mom.
4. Vintage cast iron mold. They are sturdy kitchen helpers that make it possible to bake batter into ears of corn, hearts, swirls and stars. There are pans for fancy rolls, popovers, and little cakes, muffins and loaves of bread. The pan pictured here is a true “gem,” a Griswold heart and Star gem pan sold for $825 at a Precent auction. But cast-iron molds (and pans) are plentiful today at flea markets, thrift shops and online auctions. Bake something in it, though, and give it to Mom along with the mold.
5. Paperweight. Tell Mom she’s the best in the world with this vintage art glass paperweight picturing topographic details of Earth. Paperweights come in all shapes and materials, but art glass paperweights are among the most collectible. Who wouldn’t want to see a carefully chosen design cased in smooth, clear glass sitting on the desk? It would make the work papers under it seem less daunting. It could also sit on a stack of napkins outside on a breezy day. This “World Weight” paperweight is by Lundberg Studios of California, c.1990, and sells for about $145.
Of course, a great Mother’s Day treat would be to take your mother to an antique show or flea market. Many have special Mother’s Day hours and celebrations. Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide 2016, with 32,000 prices and 2,500 color photographs, available in Kovelsonlinestore.com, is a great take-along and gift idea.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Hi, You are absolutely right. I don’t know how I could have said Lundberg Studios is anywhere but in California. I am a long time member of The Paperweight Collectors Association, Inc. The club has very impressive publications for members and has written about the Lundbergs many times. Thank you for writing. We are changing the original copy so the information is correct for internet readers who may find it in the future. Thank you for your comment. -Terry
The globe paperweight you are showing was done by Lundberg Studios which is located in California. James and Steve Lundberg were excellent glass blowers. Both have passed. I own a somewhat less than perfect globe just like this one.