Weekend Finds

This turned out to be a successful weekend for mid-century estate auction finds.

First up is this lamp.  I am not sure how old it is, but after examining the switch style and the fact that the plug is the old style, I would date it to at least the late 1960s, maybe older.  The shade has a tear at the top in the back, but if you place it right, you can't see the tear.  I may try my hand at repairing the area some day.  I didn't think that this lamp was that old when I bought it.  I actually got this lamp with two other lamps, and placed a "mercy" bid on the three of them.  Nobody wanted them, so I bid just to keep the auction moving.  I got all three for the whopping sum of $1.  If anybody knows any more about this lamp or who might have made it, please let me know.  The flower pattern is painted on, from the looks of it I would say that it is hand painted.  The other two lamps were modern lamps, one a heavy brass lamp dated 1992 on the bottom and the other a small pink lamp that probably isn't more than 10 years old.  These last two should make good garage sale filler next spring.

I also found this great Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book.  This was in a box with a lot of other stuff, including another mid-century cook book that you will see next.  I would imagine that most everyone has seen a copy of the 1950's version of this cook book, I know that I see a lot of them at sales.  However, this is the first time that I have come across this version of this cook book.  This copy is the Third Printing of the De Luxe Edition, March, 1943.  This really borders on being too old for mid-century, but I would imagine that most mid-century housewives had a copy of this cook book from one edition or another.  "More than 2,400,000 Circulation" at the time that this edition had been printed.

Getting more into mid-century I got this Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cook Book, copyright 1960.  It came with the plaid cook book and a bunch of other stuff (most of which will go through one garage sale before meeting the trash can - don't worry - it isn't mid-century stuff).  I got it all for another "mercy" bid of $1.

This glass from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair was another great find for only $1.

I really liked these vintage wheat design dishes.  Looks like most of the set was lost over the years, all that there was at the sale were the above platter, serving bowl, and three cups.  These pieces don't really look like they have ever been used though.  I really wanted the platter and the bowl, I met a lady once that used old cups like these to fill with home made candles.  I think that would be a great idea for these saucerless cups.  I am guessing that this was probably a fairly inexpensive set when new, as there are no markings on the back of the pieces to identify the maker.  Maybe they were give-away dishes - that might explain the strange collection of pieces.  This was included in a lot with some modern dishes and some canning jars.  Another bidder wanted the modern dishes and the jars, so after I got what I wanted, she bought the rest from me.  I really like when things work out this way, then I don't have to bring home unwanted items to get priced for my next garage sale.  When it was all said and done, I had $2 in these dishes.

I also got a great old white metal pantry/cabinet with great chrome handles and a pair of mid-century bedside lamps.  I already have them put away - I'll try to get them out and take pics of them soon.  Have a great Monday!

The House Next Door

1950's Cape Cod
Originally uploaded by white_chevy

This is probably my favorite house in my mid-century neighborhood. The elderly lady that lived here passed away two years ago this month, and after the multiple garage sales to liquidate her belongings (such as the blond Silvertone radio and stand that I shared), the house finally went on the market. The realtor listed it as a Cape Cod style house. While it has some aspects of a Cape Cod, I don't think that I would call it a true Cape. It took almost a year to sell, and the price dropped from an original asking price of $130,000 when first listed to a final listing price of less than $100,000. I am not sure, but I think that the final price was in the $90-95,000 range.

This house features 1,700 square feet, with a combined living room / dining room with fireplace, and an amazing bay window. I love that window! The living room must be so bright all the time. There are two bedrooms and a full bath on the first floor, as well as a long galley-style kitchen and a utility room in the former breezeway that connects the house to the garage. Upstairs there are two more bedrooms and a half bath, which from what I was told when the house was on the market, had a space for a bath tub, but it was never installed. The house was pretty much all original when it sold. A true gem. It is the very last house on the cul-de-sac. My house is immediately to the right of this one. I love the linear sandstone on this house, which is identical to the stone on my house. Maybe they had the same builder.

This was probably the second largest house on the block when it was built back in 1959, which is interesting because it sits on the smallest lot in the neighborhood. I find it amusing that my house is the smallest on the block and I have the largest lot in the neighborhood.

Enjoy your Saturday!

It's a Wonderful Life

It's Friday again!  That means that it is movie day.  As Christmas is quickly approaching, I am going to share some of my favorite mid-century Christmas movies with you all. 

First up is It's a Wonderful Life.  It's family tradition to watch this movie on Thanksgiving evening after the big meal and the day with the family.  We continued this tradition this year.  It's a Wonderful Life is my mother's favorite Christmas movie, which is why it is always the first one that we watch each year.  I'll share my favorite with you closer to Christmas. 

It's a Wonderful Life is such an uplifting and inspiring story, it's no wonder that it's held such appeal even after all these years!

If you are out Black Friday shopping today, good luck!

Happy Thanksgiving

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I am truly thankful for all of my faithful followers.  As I prepare to stuff myself on a feast of turkey and all the extras, I hope that you enjoy this vintage newsreel from the 1960s covering the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the parade!

1970s Lamp

Today I'm taking a step toward the edge of the mid-century era.  I bought this lamp at the auction of a prominent local couple who were moving into a retirement village.  They built a large 4,000 plus square foot ranch-style house in 1970, and I believe that this lamp most likely dates to the time that the house was built.  It came out of the formal living room, I believe, as the shade matches the drapes that were in that room.  I bought this lamp because I really liked the brass and marble base.  The brass really has some great detailing in it.  I wasn't sold on the shade, and actually bought it with the intent of replacing the shade with a more simple drum shade.  Yes, the shade in the picture is velvet!  Now that I have lived with the lamp for a few months (I always like to do this before changing a vintage piece, because I might grow to appreciate it the way that it is) I think that the velvet shade is a keeper.  This lamp is huge, at least 3 feet tall, and must weigh at least 15 pounds.  I am sure that it was not cheap when it was new.

  I was able to purchase the greenish-gold drapes that match this from the new owner of the house, and I'm going to have them cut down to fit the bedroom windows in my spare bedroom.  Then, I want to paint the bedroom walls the "brassy" color that I have in my kitchen.  I think that it will really look great when it is all done.

Unforgettable, That's What You Are...

I have felt really guilty today (Monday).  I just realized this morning that I forgot the anniversary of the death of my Granny this year.  Granny passed on November 13, 1996.  She was an amazing woman, who lived practically her whole life on a farm.  She was an amazing cook!  I still crave her peanut butter cookies.  It's so hard to believe that she has been gone 13 years.  Where has the time gone?  That's me in the above picture, with Granny at my second birthday party in 1984.  I'd like to know how old that dress is, because she was still wearing it 12 years after this photo, when she passed away.  That amazing woman lived for years in a farmhouse with no plumbing, only living in two rooms on the first floor because the rest of the house didn't have heating.  She heated the kitchen with a wood stove, and the living room / bedroom had a Warm Morning stove in it.  She used to haul water in a bucket from an outside rural water pump by the kitchen door.  I'll never forget using the outhouse, the chamber pot in the winter, the wash on the line, and going out to visit on Saturday mornings in the summer and seeing her baking for the week in pans all over the top of her car, covered with tea towels while the bread and rolls would rise in the sunlight.  Sometime around 1989 or so my parents purchased a mobile home for her and had it placed in the garden.  I don't know if she knew what to do with central air conditioning, central heat, indoor plumbing, or even having a washer and dryer.  She must have been on cloud nine!  Even with the dryer, she usually hung the laundry out on the line.  I miss you Granny!  With love <3, Michael David.

Thanksgiving Treasures

Nothing New Today

Sorry to say it, but I had a lazy Sunday.  After a church dinner, I came home and took a nap, which was followed up by a trip to the theater to watch The Blind Side.  I definitely recommend that you see this movie!  Now I have to ask for the book for Christmas...

Anyway, my lazy day has left me without a post for today, as writing a post can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour (depending on the topic and research I may need to do), sometimes more.  It just ain't gonna happen today.  I promise to be better tomorrow, and get my homework done so that I can share a post with you!  Have a great Monday!

Weekend Finds!

This turned out to be a good weekend for vintage finds.  I spent my Saturday split between an auction in the morning, and the ReStore and some thrift shops in the afternoon.  The thrift shops were all duds, but I got some great finds at the auction and the ReStore!

First up:

I found this great little chrome and Formica "breakfast" table at the auction.  It was filthy, having been stored in a shed for years.  I scrubbed it down when I got home.  It has great speckled laminate, with white background and gold and brown (bronze?) glitter flecks.  The size is great and makes it versatile to use in many different spaces.  I'm hoping that my kitchen is big enough to use it as a small island when I get the kitchen finished.  The price? $1.

Next, at the ReStore, I found some vintage Christmas goodies!

All of these goodies were $4.  What a fun bargain!  The plastic bells are a lot of fun, but my favorites are the glass ornaments in the last picture.

I Have a Confession to Make

I have a secret to share, a dirty little secret that I haven't shared with all of my great followers before.  My intent when I purchased the shack a little over three years ago was to completely update it.  (I can hear your gasps even as I am writing this!)  Sad to say, but it's true.  If it hadn't been for Pam and her great blog, Retro Renovation (I have been a faithful follower since at least summer 2008!), I most likely would have been well on the road to ripping out the bathroom and the kitchen.  I envisioned a beautiful bathroom with new white toilet, tub, and sink, with a black granite counter top, white subway tiles on the walls with black trim, and one inch white hexagonal tiles on the bathroom floor with black hex tiles inlaid randomly and a black tile border around the edges of the floor.  I still like this idea for a bathroom, but it won't be mine, at least not in this house.  For my kitchen I envisioned new cherry cabinets with black Formica counters, stainless steel appliances, and satin nickel hardware on the cabinets. 

I started purchasing the materials for the bathroom conversion before Pam converted my thinking.  Maybe you saw my post on my new black granite bathroom counter top with white sink and the new faucet (from Kingston Brass) that I installed this fall?  I had purchased all of these materials before changing my thinking, and I wasn't about to let all of that money go to waste, so the bathroom may end up being a little eclectic, but I think that it will work out in the end.  I had already added the trim to the cabinets to give them a recessed-panel look and added new knobs before I ever started reading Pam's blog.

Which brings me to the question that I have been trying to work out in my mind recently.  What do I do with the beautiful new bathroom light fixture?  I had planned to replace this original fixture:

This definitely didn't work into my plans to completely update the space, so I ordered this great light fixture from Overstock.com.  It's a beautiful chrome and pearl nickel fixture with frosted white glass shades.  I love it, and I don't really want to get rid of it, but I have no idea what to do with it now.

 

So, while the starburst patterns in the original fixture (which I found listed in my 1960 Wards catalog) will work great with the starburst pattern on my new vintage laundry hamper, I debate the fate of the new light.  Maybe I'll put it away, and 50 years from now sell it to someone restoring a house to the turn of the 21st century style!

What Do You Call This Thing?

I found this little guy in a box of stuff that I got at an auction - you know, one of those boxes where everything left that didn't go with anything else got shoved together and sold in one big box.  They usually go really cheap, and sometimes they have some neat things in them, and sometimes it's a couple of dollars wasted and everything ends up in the trash can.  I am fairly certain that he was used as a plant waterer (spell check is yelling at me for that one!), the little spike on the bottom isn't glazed so that water could pass through the porous ceramic material, and when you remove his head, there is a mineral ring inside, leading me to believe that he has been filled with water quite often.  Does anybody know what this is really called, or have any idea how old it is?  I'm guessing 1970s, but I'm not sure.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

It's Friday!  That means that it's movie day!  This week I am sharing a movie that I used to love to check out from our local library.  It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  This movie has a lot of great actors and actresses in it.  It is rather lengthy, but it is also a lot of fun, and makes for a great afternoon on a cold gray winter Saturday.  Enjoy this beginning clip from the movie!  Next week I will begin adding my favorite Christmas movies, and will continue through the big day.  Have a great Friday!

Zenith Clock Radio

I love the color combination on this Zenith Model G516 clock radio.  The blue with the gold trim is perfect.  The white plastic case is fairly typical for the time period.  Another piece to put on the display shelving (I have now run out of space for any more, I need to think about getting more shelving somewhere).  This was another find a couple of months ago at the fall city wide garage sale.  I don't believe that anything on this one works, but for the $1 that I paid for it, I think it makes a great display piece!

My radio collection is growing faster than I can share them with you.  I have another one that is being shipped to me right now, and found a couple of others at an off-the-beaten-path antique mall a few weeks ago.  My collection of antique radios (including my consoles) is pretty close to 30.  I think I may have lost count again!

The Blind Side

I know that it isn't movie Friday, but I just saw the trailer for this movie on the internet and it looks like such a great, inspirational film.  I just had to share it with ya'll.  It really hits close to home with my desire to adopt someday.  I'm sure most of you probably have already seen previews for this, however, I am in a minority that does not have TV in my house.  Well, I have a TV, but only to watch movies on.  When I moved into the shack a few years ago, I was pinching pennies, so I didn't opt for cable, and since the digital conversion, I haven't been able to get any stations at all, even with my converter box and a supposedly high powered antenna.  I have actually found that I don't miss having the TV on all the time, sucking me into it's black hole.  Just wish that I could find out about the good movies a little sooner!  Thanks for bearing with me on this non-mid-century post!  I'll have another mid-century themed post in the morning.

Reproduction Shingle Siding

Call me crazy, but I have always liked the look of asbestos siding on the mid-century ranch houses in my area.  I am well aware of the dangers of asbestos, but that doesn't stop me from admiring the style of this siding.  I have been wondering what a person should do if they need to replace some shingles on their home without having to re-side the whole house.  Asbestos products are no longer produced, so the original product is no longer available.  I have found one company, however, that reproduces the shingles in fiber cement board.   They are quite pricey, in my opinion, but probably much better than having to re-side the house.

What I have found is WeatherSide from GAF. 

This company offers several different profiles of the siding so you should be able to find something to match up with what is already on your house.

 

My favorite of all is the wavy edge shingle.

 

You can also get it in straight edge and thatched edge.  My second pick would be the thatched design.

They offer other products as well, such as striated surface straight edge shingles.

I think this is probably an invaluable resource if you need to replace some damaged asbestos siding.  You can view the GAF website here: GAF WeatherSide.

Please remember that asbestos is a dangerous material, and it is really best to not disturb it if at all possible.  I highly recommend you consider having a professional remove and replace the damaged pieces.

Lastly, as always, I have no affiliation with the above manufacturer.  I have added this to the blog to help those who need to replace or restore their vintage asbestos siding.  Good luck with your restoration!

Refrigerator Graveyard

 

I was out at the old family farm last winter, and stumbled across these vintage beauties, slowly returning to the earth.  Apparently at some point they had been in my grandparent's house, many, many years ago.  They actually have stuff stored in them.  I need to go back this winter, when the snakes are not active, and see what is in them for sure.  I am actually planning on removing the doors from them to use for a future project.  We'll see if it ever gets done.  What I'm wanting to do with them is to use them as closet doors in the office that I would like to build on someday.  I think they would also be great to use as kitchen pantry doors if you were renovating a kitchen.  One way or the other, they will come back with me when I visit the old farm this winter!

Vintage Decanter

I found this vintage decanter at an estate auction this fall, before I started the blog.  I am sure that it came filled with liquor originally, but I have no idea what.  If I were to make a guess, I would say that it may have been filled with vodka.  I make this guess from the great artwork on the bottle, which looks to me like mid-century interpretations of Russian dancers.  I'm fairly certain that this was intended to depict Russia, as it displays a couple of the iconic Russian onion domes from Russian Orthodox churches.  What liquor is more Russian than vodka?  The colors on the bottle are great, and the printing is clean and free from defects.  Now I just need to find some kind of use for it.  The only marking on the bottle is on the bottom, which reads: "Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of this Bottle," which is followed by a capital letter I inside a circle (I would presume this is the maker's mark), and the following: "R-194 55 59."  The shape of the bottle makes me think of Jeannie's bottle on I Dream of Jeannie.  I got a couple of ceramic decanters at the same sale, I'll try to post them sometime as well.  Enjoy your Monday, and have a great week!

Good-bye, Old Friends

This weekend I have been busy at my parent's house, transforming my old bedroom into the spare bedroom.  It is kind of bittersweet, watching my chosen paint scheme disappear to bring in new paint.  Today I told my old friends good-bye for the last time and scraped them off the wall.  I loved this wallpaper border when I put it up (and I still do, to be perfectly honest).  I believe that I still have a partial roll of it around somewhere in a box.  Who knows where that may be.  It has been either 12 or 13 years since I put this up on my bedroom wall (I was either 14 or 15, I'm not sure which).  I still remember going down to the local furniture store, looking through wallpaper books forever, and finding this border.  As soon as I saw it I was sold.  It also came in dark blue and dark red, but the dark green was the color for me.  I believe that it was called "barhounds" or something like that.  I put up a couple of the classic pictures of dogs playing poker to go with me new scheme.  I don't think that Mom liked the border I chose at first, but she finally gave in.  At one time all of the dogs had names, but I don't have a clue what they were now.  I would really like to buy some more of this border to use in my house someday, but I can't find it anymore at wallpaper websites.  If anyone runs across it somewhere, please let me know!

This border really makes me question using wallpaper.  It took forever to remove, and there were two of us working on it.  It was a very good quality border, and it was stuck to the wall very well.  It wasn't a vinyl paper, so it was even more difficult to remove.  Paint certainly is easier to deal with when the time comes to make a change.

All this work is making way for a fresh space to put my Heywood Wakefield bedroom set that was one of my first blog posts.  I'm excited to see how it will look in my old bedroom with the new dark turquoise paint that Mom picked out today (she went for a color that I think will look really good with the furniture).  It's going to be hard thinking that that room isn't my bedroom anymore (and I haven't stayed in that house for over 3 years now, since I moved back to town and no longer came home from college on the weekends).  I'll post pics of the finished bedroom when we get it all done.

Vintage Lampshades

To finish up the lampshade week, I thought I'd post the option of also buying a vintage shade.  I found some great ones to share, the colors are amazing!  Enjoy, and have a great Saturday!

Where Angels Go...Trouble Follows

I'm tempted to make Fridays into movie day here on the blog.  A movie is a great way to end the busy week. 

Last week I shared the movie The Trouble With Angels.  This week I am sharing the sequel to that movie, Where Angels Go Trouble Follows.  This movie does not have Hayley Mills in it but it does have Rosalind Russell.  In this movie, the students at St. Francis Academy are taking a bus trip cross country to an interfaith youth gathering.  Many hilarious adventures follow during the trip.  It is a great follow-up to The Trouble With Angels, which also begins to focus more on some of the cultural issues of the 1960s.

Brand New Retro Style Fiberglass Lampshades

A couple of days ago I blogged on my new lamp that I added a vintage shade to.  This brought up discussion from Vintage Christine about places that sell these shades new today.  My searching has turned up three resources, all of which I am going to share today.

First of all, I must thank Pam at Retro Renovation.  I checked her blog as I remembered discussion on these shades on her blog quite some time back.  The first resource comes from her blog.  You can see her original post here.

Meteor Lights offers these shades, which you can custom order in any color combination you choose.  They offer tiered, atomic tiered, drum, cone, square, and sconce lampshades.  You'll need to check out their site to see photos of all the different styles.  They even offer a shade selector to help you create the perfect shade for your home.  Prices start at $40 for a shield sconce shade and run up to $135 for an extra-large atomic 3 tier lampshade.

The second resource I have found is Moon Shine Lamp & Shade.  This site also allows you to custom create your own shade.  They have similar styles to Meteor Lights, plus several other styles.  Pricing is similar to those of Meteor Lights as well.  One thing I really like about this site, which I will need to keep in mind, is that you can also custom create your own retro lamp.  Most of them are priced without shades, which could make a complete set somewhat pricey, but they would make the perfect addition if you are unable to find a vintage lamp for your room.  This company also reproduces 1950s style fiberglass chairs - think bowling alley, and hair pin legs, among other things.  I am seeing future blog posts to be able to share all of the great things they have!

Finally, I ran across Deadly Nightshades.  This site features hand-tied and hand-dyed reproduction fiberglass lampshades.  They offer similar styles to the above listed sites, but they also have some unique designs as well.  Prices at all three sites are similar.  One thing that I really liked about this site is that if you are feeling crafty, you can order a lamp shade kit, where they will supply you with all the materials to create your own shade.  These do-it-yourself kits are really a great value, especially if you have a little time available to put it together.  They also offer fiberglass by the yard, if you have a vintage shade that needs to be refreshed.  This company also has a few vintage lamps for sale.  I really love this chartreuse lamp they currently have available for only $40!

All three sites offer great shades with some similar styles and some unique styles, so be sure to check them all out before making your selection.  Pricing is similar at all of the sites.  If you get a shade from any of these places, let me know how they turn out!

Lastly, I would like you to know that I have no affiliation with any of the above listed sites.  I wanted to share after Christine inspired me into doing some research on the subject, and hopefully make it easier for people to find these resources.

Silvertone Radio / Phonograph

I think this is the last piece of furniture that I have to share with you that I have personally refinished.  I bought this Silvertone (from Sears) radio / phonograph combination at one of the estate garage sales of the lady that lived next door to me.  It had two layers of paint on it and was a pretty sorry sight.  I gave $5 for it with the stand.  The radio works, but the tuning string is broken, so you have to open the case up to tune it.  Working condition doesn't really matter to me much on this one, as I use it as my night stand.  It's the perfect size for next to the bed.

When I bought it, it was "antiqued" in red with a brown stain applied over it.  I noticed that a lot of the furniture items from the owner's house had been finished this way.  Some of it was in red, like this radio, some was in blue, and there were a few pieces in green.  After starting to work on stripping it, I discovered that there were two layers of paint on it, with a green paint and stenciled designs under the red paint.  How could I get so lucky?  Before I started using chemical stripper, I discovered that the original finish was never sanded before painting.  I used a razor blade glass scraper and was able to peel the paint off with a little patience and a lot of elbow grease.  I then applied a new coat of polyurethane over the original finish.  The base was a different story, and I couldn't get the paint to scrape off.  I resorted to stripping it with chemical stripper and refinishing it.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the right products available to perfectly match the original blond finish, but it is pretty close, and with the lighting in my bedroom, you can't really tell.

Mixing Vintage Lampshades with Modern Lamps

Isn't it amazing what adding a vintage lamp shade to a new lamp can do?  I purchased this incredible 2-tiered lamp shade at a garage sale four of five years ago for twenty-five cents.  I added it to a lamp that I got at the closeout sale when our local Walmart moved to a new building shortly after getting the shade.  I originally put the shade on the lamp just to have something on it until I could buy a new shade.  Now, I can't imagine this lamp without the vintage shade.  The shade is just the right size, in my opinion.

Vintage Travel Maps

I was able to go to a farm auction this weekend to get out of the house and have an excuse to enjoy the beautiful weather.  The people who owned the farm sold their land and were moving.  It was a small sale with some household things along with the farm items.  I found few things of interest, but I did latch onto these great vintage highway maps.  I really like the vintage artwork on them.  The maps in the collection dated from 1946 through the early 2000's.  I personally have no interest in the ones that are newer than 1990, but I really enjoy these older ones.  Many of them came from various gas stations / oil companies.  It's really interesting to see how the highways have changed over the years.  I remember when the north/south highway just outside of town was two lane when I was growing up in the 1980s and they were in the process of transforming it into a 4 lane highway.  It is now being transformed again, preparing it to become an interstate highway, the major route to Kansas City from this area.

Dinah Shore Chevy Songs

To compliment the post on the great maps that I found this weekend, I thought that I would add these great Chevrolet advertisements.  Dinah Shore sure makes me want to go out and buy a new Chevy!

The above is a 1952 spot for 1953 Chevy's, and the one below showcases a 1959 Impala Convertible.  How I would love to have a super sexy and sleek 1959 Impala convertible to drive through my mid-century neighborhood as they do in this video!  Love those cat-eye taillights!

Glitter Popcorn Ceilings

This weekend brought me to my sister's house for an early Thanksgiving family dinner.  My sister's house was built in the early to mid 1970s, a little out of the mid-century era, but still with some interesting touches.  One of my favorite things in her house is the ceiling.  To the best of our knowledge, it hasn't been painted since the house was built.  It is a popcorn ceiling, which usually isn't my taste, but I really like this one.  The paint used on the ceiling has glitter in it.  When the light shines on it, the sparkle effect is amazing.  However, if the light isn't right, they just look like black specks as you can see in the above photo.  Does anybody know what the process is to create a glittered ceiling like this?  You can see some of the sparkle in the last photo.

Vintage Games

Over the years I have managed to come across several games from the 1950s and 1960s.  Today, I would like to share two of them with you, both from Milton Bradley.

First up is the game Rack-o, which is dated 1961 inside the box.  I have played this game a few times, and I actually enjoy it.  For two to four players, it challenges the player to get 10 cards in numerical order.  It takes some concentration to make sure that you make the right moves at the right time to be able to win.  According to Wikipedia, the game is still being produced, and celebrated it's 50th anniversary in 2006.  You can see the whole Wikipedia article here.

Next up is the Game of the States.  The date on the box for this one is 1960.  I purchased this one a couple of months ago at an estate auction, and have never played it.  In fact, the first time I opened the box was to take these pictures.  It looks to be in very good shape, with all pieces present.  The object of the game, according to the instructions is "to buy a product in one State, and haul it on a Truck to another State where you try to sell it at a profit."  This game is also for two to four players.  I did a quick search for it online, and while I did not find a Wikipedia page for it, I did find an online retailer selling the game new, so it might still be in production.  A quick search of the Hasbro website, which owns Milton Bradley, did not list either Rack-o or Game of the States, however.