Top 5 Vintage Father’s Day Gifts

Father’s Day is certainly a day to honor fathers. But it is also a great excuse to go thrift store or flea market shopping, looking for that perfect gift!

Father’s Day was created in 1910 by a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd. She wanted to honor her father, William Smart, in the same way mothers were honored on Mother’s Day. In 1972 Congress made the third Sunday of June the official holiday.

Here are our editors’ Top 5 vintage Father’s Day gifts this year:

1. Vintage Father’s Day cards, with imagery directly out of “Father Knows Best.” Most old cards can be found for under $5.

 

2. Before there was the Weather Channel or Weather.com, there was the Farmer’s Almanac. Nothing is more fun than looking back to the weather in, say, 1910. A 1968 Farmer’s Almanac, for example, sells for about $10.

 

3. Vintage records are great for music lovers and, if the records are too scratched to play, frame the covers as art.

4. Petroliana. Did you know that old oil cans are great collectibles?  There are many affordable cans but prices for rare ones can run in the thousands and a motor oil advertising sign can sell for even more.

 

5. Nothing brings a smile back than toys you remembered playing with as a child. Dads are no different. They are just big kids who have kids. Our top picks for today’s dads are space toys, superheroes, and Matchbox cars.

 

P.S. Need a Last-Minute Gift for Your Collector Dad?

If your dad loves collecting and antiques, check out these gifts from Kovels with no shipping required. Kovels All Access Membership (online subscription). For a limited-time, save $10 with code DAD10.  You can also get a print subscription to Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter.

 

Top 5 Gift Suggestions for the Dad In Your Life!

In 1910, Sonora Smart Dodd, the daughter of American Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, wanted to honor her father in the same way mothers were honored on Mother’s Day. The idea caught on and in 1972 Congress made the third Sunday of June the official holiday. Here are the interesting vintage and collectible presents we think will make fathers smile this year:

1.  Sports collectibles. Sports cards and sports memorabilia are always popular, especially now that they can be displayed in home offices! Cards, bobbleheads, autographs … he will probably love them all.

2. Vintage cigar boxes and labels.  Cigar bands and wooden cigar boxes with paper labels were made starting in the early 19th century. The best wooden cigar boxes were made of cedar. The brand name was die-stamped onto the wooden top and paper labels were used on the sides and inside the lid. The boxes and labels were collected even in Victorian times.

3. Vintage albums. Whether for the music or for the cover art, vintage albums are a perfect present for a music-loving father.

4. Military memorabilia. Look for something different, if your Father’s Day recipient loves militaria. The American Zippo Manufacturing Co. was founded in the 1930s, but when World War II started, the company ceased all production for consumer markets altogether and instead manufactured lighters exclusively for troops being sent to war.

5. Vintage clothing. The styles of the 1950s to the 1970s are popular again. Instead of just getting a new shirt or jacket, find something vintage and unique!