When I hear the word vintage, I automatically associate it as being old. But because time seems to pass us by so quickly, "old" is almost objective. I know that in order for things to be considered antique they must be at least 100 years old. So the term vintage is often considered to be the Art Deco period of the 1930's. Since this definition is so loosely associated to a specific era, I am going to take a few liberties and say that my finds are vintage :-). No matter the age, I hope you find these items as intriguing as I do!
The first is an old metal fire engine-cycle. I believe it's a Jalopy, but since there are no markings anywhere on it, I'm not positive. It has two pedals, in order to move the truck, four working wheels and a perfect steering column! My husband's uncle was just going to throw it into the trash, so we asked if we could take it home instead. He agreed, so here we are!
The colors are faded due to sitting exposed to heat and sunlight for probably 7 years or more; it has two wooden ladders that fit onto the sides which have fallen off (but I was able to recover) and a spool on the back to wind a hose! It is extremely cute and I think its looks cool just the way it is!
My husband, on the other hand, wants to restore it; fix it up so it looks like it did when it was new. He is thinking how amazing it would be to get it into fine working condition again so our children can ride around in it on our homestead...so I'm torn between my desire to retain it's uniqueness and history, and my husbands desire to preserve it for future generations!
I'll keep you posted on what I decide! But, if you have any thoughts or ideas, I'd LOVE to hear them and weigh them carefully in my decision!! :-)
The second of my finds is this beast :-) :
I have no idea as to its age, but it looks AWESOME to me. It has some rust damage, fading paint and some trouble rolling around, but it's in otherwise sturdy condition. But when I tell you how much I paid for it at a flea market, it'll blow your mind (maybe, if your into this kind of thing:-): I paid $.50 for this beauty of a TONKA truck!! I was soooo excited to bring it home!!
When I was a little girl, I remember playing with a truck very similar to this (if not the same kind) in my grandparents sandbox. I loved to drive it around the box, the yard, the front porch, even their old farm-house living room! So I hesitate to say I picked up this beauty because of the 'vintageness' of said item; or if it simply had to do with such fond childhood memories...either way, for $.50 it was a steal no matter what, in my opinion.
So whatever you think you have your sights set on when you head out to tag-sales, garage-sales, antique or flea markets, or anything similar to this, remember to keep your eyes open! You never know what kind of deals and memories you will stumble across!!
Enjoy your hunt, wherever it may be, and if you have any thoughts on refinishing the Tonka truck or fire engine, please share them...I'd love the input!!
For $.50 - its a great find!
ReplyDeleteI actually owe this one to my sister...she had the idea first, I just beat her to the punch:) Thanks Sis for letting me lay claim to this one...I'm excited about it, and without you, I wouldn't be able to enjoy it!!
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