Melmac Central Vintage Melmac Dinnerware and Plastics Fantastic Collecting Site

Hong Kong Toys Vintage Plastic Fantastic and Identification Tips

2025-12-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

VINTAGE HONG KONG TOYS: FUN FOR ALL THE GIRLS AND BOYS

Grok and I agree, this would be my toy factory.

These are a good example off a quick production run of 17 Jewel kid's toy novelty Hong Kong Watches. The imprint of "HONG KONG" can be seen on the back. They are flexible bendable plastic sloppily done but to a ten-year-old in the1970's, stunningly beautiful. You can see if you look close, some uncut plastic parts, as they were molded hastily and not really quality checked for perfection. For Sale at RetroChalet.etsy.com

Not many people today might actually realize that Hong Kong produced so many wee plastic novelty items and charms. Everything now is made in China. but it's important to note, and if I could give them a title, I would crown Hong Kong "The Original Kings of Trinkets and Charms".

Things Made:

Gumball Machine Prizes
Charms of all Kinds
Barbie and Fashion Doll Accessories from tiny suitcases to doll combs
Toy Cars and Trucks, Planes and Trains, Boats and Ships
Plastic Whistles
Gag Gifts, bugs, etc.
Little Plastic Toy Puzzles
Little Army, Military, Police Figures
Small Miniature Pinball Machines
Plastic Animals
Pencil Erasers and Pencil Toppers
Carnival Prizes and Novelties
Play Make Up Sets
Dress Up Accessories and Jewelry (like the watches above)
Play Food Sets
Halloween Decorations
Christmas Decorations
Valentine's Day
Knock-Off Character Toys

The three wise men were in a package and came with the tag Made in British Hong Kong. It is rare to find the original tags like this. This is a hard plastic. For sale at RetroChalet.

The list goes on and on. In the 1960s Japan was making a lot of tin toys, which transitioned into Hong Kong's plastic of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Hong Kong, at that time, were under British rule which continued up until 1997. Most of their novelty toys stopped coming into the US by the mid to late 1980's when China started producing. I wonder what happened to all the toy factories. Where are they now?

As a kid growing up in the 1970's into the early 1980's, I was living the dream of buying the cute little trinkets with my allowance. A dime bought me some really nifty retro things! I grew up on a small street called Dale Avenue in Baltimore County, Maryland. My elementary school was right next door to my home, and my mom enjoyed making me often walk to the top of the street to the market with my friend Kelli (older, and more like a chaperone to me back then) to get her something by foot. For me it seemed like a long way, but in reality, it was two blocks or so and I had to do two steps to Kelli's one.

The coffee set, above, is an example of the marking on the package. Adorable little trinkets. The picture and item are from LongAndDrew on Etsy. A real bargain today for $14.95 for the vintage plastics collector.

In between Jack's Market and my home, used to be a tiny candy and toy shop. run by a very lucrative couple who lived there. I'm pretty sure you've seen this type of set up, where there's a two-story house and the bottom is a business window and entrance. It was not by chance or by accident that the owners soon realized to put this set up to good use. All of the neighborhood kids who went to school there would be walking around the neighborhood and word quickly spread that they had the goods we wanted.

An Example of the doll accessories, in RetroChalet. Note the "mold lines" and excess plastic on some of the bottles, sloppy glue, discoloration, etc.

I always made Kelli stop so I could go in and she hated it. She wasn't a candy or plastic girl, so I had to make selections quick. I remember trying to collect all the toy car erasers they had. When they heard the bell on the door, (I can still remember the jingle just like it was yesterday), the couple would come down from upstairs to wait on us. They had ice cream, sodas, candy (from Pop Rocks to wax cigarettes), 1980's rock band buttons, trading cards, baseball cards, school supplies, chips, popcorn, and a crap ton of Hong Kong novelty toys. It seemed like such a huge store back then, but in reality, it was the size of a large living room cramped by the drink coolers and freezers that lined the walls on the right side, and massive toy shelves on the left. They had a counter and a push button cash register.

I probably should blame them for my early love of all things plastic, and I probably was considered a valued customer. For just five to ten cents, I cleaned up on junk. They knew, when my allowance came, I would be back. I was going to buy them out of their Hong Kong toys. So they kept getting fresh stock. They had the whole neighborhood hooked.

Now some of the things were just going to break over time like kites, or little plastic whistles. However, the small "bugs" and "spiders" lasted the stomping on when you scared your friends. Good for multiple uses, so I figured it was a good investment in some of the items.

These are the bugs I was telling you about. Source: My Pinterest, was in my shop.

Here's a few things you can really notice about Hong Kong toys when identifying them:

MOLDING LINES PROMINENT - Anything plastic from Hong Kong, has really prominent molding lines. They must have made them fast, and cheap, and rightly so as back then they didn't cost very much. The five and dimes needed stock and needed it quick, as did corner stores, toy stores, and the carnival booths. Every time something new came out, the trinkets and novelty items from Hong Kong would come pouring in.
NOT SPOT ON, LOOKALIKE - Items that look very much like a character, but something is off. Most every carnival prize was a really cute Hong Kong Toy. One of the ones I can specifically remember was a "knock off" Snoopy. It was actually a Lucite plastic. I've found one on Etsy and am listing their pictures here. Many times, the character didn't look exact or quite right, and you could tell it was a knockoff. This was in the time before iPhone and WWW so no kid at a carnival was going to call the Snoopy people and complain about such a thing as a knockoff toy (the nose was too long, etc.) I really don't think that the Hong Kong toy companies did this on purpose, I just think some of them were very bad artists.
OFF CENTER, AWKWARD - Even the words "HONG KONG" when stamped in the back can look awkward or out of alignment. The faces on the 17 Jewel watches above are a bit off center. Toys will look funny or awkward (as if they had to meet a million-toy deadline by the morning so they just let the machine do its own thing.). I bet that exactly what happened.
HARD PLASTIC, OR SOMEWHAT PLIABLE, ONE EXTREME OR THE OTHER - I can distinctly remember two types of toys. The first being hard plastic, like a lot of the small dolls, whistles, little figurines were more of a hard plastic, toy pellet guns, etc., much like this Nativity Set below. Today when you find them, they have a very hard feel and almost as if you are scared to drop it and it will crack them. The other end of the spectrum was very soft pliable toys. If you have ever seen a "record player" made for Barbie dolls, it is a small plastic record player and has little plastic records. Many times, the record is hard plastic that which we are speaking of, but the player is bendable, and on the underside, you can read HONG KONG. More pliable items included toy car erasers, and pencil toppers, plastic insects and slightly bendable items.
HONG KONG will be embossed on most things with usually raised lettering or indented, and sometimes even the words "HONG KONG" are all out of whack. Not perfectly straight, or printed offset. If you don't see any marks, then there would have been original labeling on the packaging or box, such as the small tag insert letting you know it was made in British Hong Kong such as the nativity set above.

This picture demonstrates how characters resemble but look "off". This Snoopy knockoff is from 20thCenturyStuff on Etsy, and currenly little Snoopy is for sale there.

These little boats are awkward, they open but what did they hold? Made in Hong Kong. Find them at RetroChalet.etsy.com

Now NOT ONLY were they manufacturing, but they were working for other companies. For instance, TYCO had moved production to Hong Kong in the 1970's and they were producing toys for them. If you are interested in seeing a few more tidbits:

Here is a great article I found showing dolls inside a Hong Kong factory: HERE.

Here is another good two-minute read showing the inside faces of a TYCO toy Lab HERE.

Thanks for reading about vintage plastic.

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This article was last updated on December 29 2025

Vintage Blow Molds Venture Plastics and Falcon Plastics

2025-01-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

Blow Mold Easter Eggs by the General Foam Plastics Company in Norfolk, Virginia

For Sale at RetroChalet

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket!

What if I told you to picture a vintage blow mold, would you comment below the very first idea that popped into your mind. I'm going to wager that it would either be something vintage Christmas (maybe Santa or a giant candle) or Halloween (maybe a black cat or a witch.) Maybe even something marked Empire plastics, or something other than the two companies I'm talking about today. Hard to find are the really well-made thick blow molds pre-2000's by companies who made them. Today's yard art and garden decor has taken on a whole new lighter plastic and sometimes the eggs blow clear across the lawn. I understand and support the whole "eco friendly" movement, but still, it's not fun at all to chase them all the time.

Pic: RetroChalet

I'm pretty certain that the Easter Egg was not the first thing on your mind. However, easily overlooked and underthought as a glorious blow mold. It's hard to imagine that the garden decor and vintage yard art "big eggs" of decades ago were made so well.

These examples, are indeed, blow molded. So. let's dig deeper. These eggs above came from a late 1980's estate and are marked General Foam Plastics Company, Norfolk, Virginia, yet they are not actually foam at all. They are hard plastic with distinct molding lines. Heavy for an egg if you will. The small ones are about 8" long and the large ones about 12" long. The company is still in business and has been producing fantastic plastic and blow molds since 1957! The good news about these decorations is they will implant and stay put in your yard. Easy to clean and durable, they have lasted almost 40 years now.

My personal favorite: this big egg with the 3-D Bunny from Venture Plastics. For sale in RetroChalet Etsy shop.

Now these smaller eggs look exactly like the egg molds used in Norfolk, but they are marked Grand Venture (circa 1998) and are actually a line from Falcon Plastics of Washington, Pennsylvania. The larger eggs definitely stand out versus their competitors, as they have a bunny on the egg! Falcon made a crap ton of holiday blow molds however this "division" of the company was short-lived lasting only ten years. Well, technically speaking--there is some confusion as to this matter.

There is , I'm happy to report, still at the time of this writing, a Falcon Plastics on Wylie Avenue in Washington, PA, which I'm assuming is the main central hub for the six or so molding factories they still do own across the nation, (and their website at the time of this writing boast they have been in business since 1975). The words "blow molding" can also be found on their sites.

That leave two theories. First, according to the website "Blow-Molded" these particular style holiday molds seem to have disappeared after 2005. This could mean the company is correct, but the actual molds of the holiday lines were sold or parted off to another plastics manufacturer who at least, acquired some of the molds. The second theory is that it's an altogether different company with the same name in the same town, who was around the same time, yet, I don't believe in such coincidences, do you?

The one thing that's great to see on the Blow-Molded site is the fact they have digitized the actual blow molded catalogs from this company and the one above of Christmas, Halloween, and of course the Easter Egg molds as for the nifty eggs above. I'll link these great eggs below for you to visit their site and relish in the glory of the blow molds!

This acquisition style information is not that unusual. Often times due to the market growth and either demand or lack thereof for said plastics, it wasn't uncommon for one manufacturer to merge or acquire another. This holds true with molding machinery dies and presses and the molds. The molds must have been the diamond in the rough. If someone was facing financial crisis, the most economically sound thing to do was to call a competitor to sell out what you could. In this case, I assume maybe it was no longer profitable for the Grand Venture line of Falcon Plastics to continue, so it may have used some decision making.

What's interesting is to think if the company was only around ten years, how many eggs marked Grand Venture are still in existence in people's attics or basements? Does your grandma have these on her lawn? If so snatch one up and look at the markings!

The backstamp of the Grand Venture line of blow molds. Source: RetroChalet , Etsy

How many have ended up in landfills? Too many, probably, to count. That's why I'm offing my eggs to someone who can appreciate them.

So, tell me, what fond memories of blow molds do you hold? Do you have any in your home or decor now? What is your favorite all time blow mold?

Further Reading:

You can see them on Blow-Molded.com here.

Happy Collecting!

Cindy

Editor and Owner of Melmac Central

Plasco Plastic Art Corporation Toys, Play Plastic Tea Set, Welcome to 1940

2024-01-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

The front of a box, or an advertising signs, with colorful graphics for sale at RetroChalet.

In the 1940's. the PlasCo name was synonymous with great toy kits for kids. Little girls could obtain a plastic tea set or dinnerware set just like Mommy's china ones! They can still sometimes be found in the original boxes which were colorful lithographic designs of the 40s and 50s. Often lithographed with bright vibrant colors, these sets were just lovely for collection and display. Some had matching forks, knives, and even napkins! Not all pieces were properly marked but once you familiarize yourself with a few mint in box sets, then you can surely recognize it.

Inside of the tea set box, from Geraldine's Toys, this set for sale on Ebay.

Surely a must have for the little girls of the 1940's, who would spend hours playing tea with dolls and bears. They even made a lot of dollhouse furniture, I am unsure if each piece was marked properly, so some may be hard to tell, but it is out there, and you can search for it.

A Plasco Dollhouse furniture backstamp courtesy of GamGlamVintage on Etsy.

Buy this at GamGlamVintage on Etsy!

For boys there were western sets, farm animals, toy soldiers and more. Most of the information that I have found about this company comes from the Toy Soldier HQ, which you can peruse here: TOY SOLDIER HQ INC <P> REL PLASTICS TOY SOLDIERS AND FIGURES FOR SALE (angelfire.com) who has a great history on PlasCo and many little boy toys for your perusal, a quite comprehensive list. This will be helpful next time you are out thrifting or estate sale junking, you will know what to look for.

The Name, So Confusing!

In fact, the name PlasCo wasn't really the name of the company per se. It was the Plastic Art Corporation, a subsidiary of REL plastics molding that was created just for the manufacturing of a toy division. So the name PlasCo was somehow obtained from the Plastic Art Corporation (how, I do not know because they left the Art word out completely, just sayin'.)

The company thrived in the hey dey making towns for twenty solid years from the 40's to the 60's but later things slowed down and according to Toy Soldier HQ, they were defunct in the 1980's.

A tea set in the original box is still appealing to plastics collectors who collect tea sets, plastic dishes, melamine dinnerware, or doll and bear themed collections. Mint condition can go from $30-$80 depending on piece count, style and rarity. Many of the soldier and military collectibles are still popular among male collectors today, and are cute and detailed for small plastic toys.

How cool it must have been to have toy set like this to play with your dolls and bears in a time before technology of today existed. Life was so simple then.

Thanks for reading. Support my blog by perusing my shop: RETROCHALET

Stetson Marcrest Melmac Plastic Dinnerware

2023-03-22T05:55:00.001-07:00

This set, for sale has all the pieces from Etsy seller EddyEtcetera

In the 1940's every housewife wanted a new China dinnerware set, for her family or for entertaining, ceramic was pricey and often kept in the corner china closet for special dinners. By the 1950's, melmac was the rage. At first, companies selling plastic had to do some hefty marketing to compete with china, can you imagine the fact that their claim to fame was that it was "unbreakable" or would be replaced if broken or stained (coming from the person who worked at Meladur, she was in the replacement division, and had so many coffee cups weekly that were stained by coffee to replace.)

Now, keep in mind melmac wasn't exactly cheaper than china dinnerware in a fancy department store, in fact, some lines were downright pricey at the time and would be on display at Macy's or Hecht's and a set for four or six would be just as costly as a high end ceramic set. Some housewives had to save for weeks just to afford a set of dinnerware.

I have to give kudos to the marketing alliance that would make plastic dishes as expensive as ceramic, and make the housewives want them. This however wasn't so easy on the china dinnerware manufacturers. It was direct competition to them and at first there was a whole ceramic dinnerware manufacturer alliance that plotted and planned on how to boycott the melmac and reinforce the fact their dishes were better.

Note the tabbed sugar bowl in the Marcrest line is almost identical to the Stetson line.

This set from Baxters Collectibles on Etsy.

By the mid to late 1960's the smart manufacturers like Stetson decided to have melmac dinnerware molded for them (by a plastics molder) and add their name to it. It was an appendage of their regular lines, so in fact if you opened a department store catalog, you would see their ceramic dinnerware plus their plastic lines too. Smart companies like Oneida, Stetson, Russel Wright's designs, will be found both in ceramic and melamine. Others simply refused to jump on the plastic bandwagon, and this was their loss of profits in my opinion. At first in the 1980's when I was collecting plastic, most dinnerware collectors scoffed at collecting the plastic lines, because they thought they were junk in comparison to ceramic. However, over time, it was realized that even the designers who designed the plastic lines put great effort into making them. From the details and designs on the dishes to the box, marketing and promotional material.

Stetson stems from it's owners Louis B. Stetson who started the china company in 1919 and was located in Lincoln Illinois. It was a family business and his nephew worked there too. It is said that early production included other companies "blanks" along the way, and an article on Worthpoint indicates Stetson manufactured both melmac dinneware and pottery dinnerware. Now, no discredit to the author but I am unsure if this was true. If Stetson manufactured their own plastic line (they would have had to have a moulding facility just for plastics) in their factory, but perhaps they were like many companies who contracted another moulding company to do so . Either way, the history on it is minimal and one day I will delve through my plastics encyclopedias's and debunk this one way of the other, but today I do not have the time.

History indicates that Marcrest products would buy them out, and this makes a lot of sense because later examples of Stetson melmac and Marcrest Melmac look similar in design. Marcrest had a great marketing mindset, and would sell a lot of melmac premiums from grocery stores to magazine mail order and relatively affordable at that. You can see the similarities in the covered tabbed sugar bowls and the funky S design divided round serving bowls.

Even after Stetson was "out of business" Marcrest continued the solicitations and selling of the Stetson melmac products. By 1963 the classic 1950's patterns were reworked into a new "Contour Line" which was super cool and hard this day to find. Melmac collectors may scoff at the 1960's wheat and brown leafy designs but what's truly exquisite is the shape of the coffee cups. They look like something out of the Jetson's. I personally call them cat eye cups. How fun it would be to have a set of just the cups and saucers in a 1950's kitchen!

I have several sets of Marcrest and Stetson tucked away. I always thought they were the perfect weight and design. The 1950's pink Stetson sets will hold the most value if you are collecting them. Everyone loves 1950's pink, and if you decided to collect only Marcrest or Stetson, you would be surprised just how many designs there are, many will remain unidentified unless you are lucky enough to search old magazines and find their official names.

Collecting is fun, and keeps the items out of the landfill and at use in the home.

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Hong Kong's Spinning Tops Gumball Machine Plastics Fantastic Era of Love

2022-11-30T06:43:00.003-08:00

Rare color variants in spinning tops toys from Hong Kong find them at RetroChalet

I think my favorite vintage plastics are the tiny toy sized miniature creations that stemmed out of Hong Kong. Most of these novelty gifts were just being phased out when I was growing up in the 70's. Hong Kong was big into making toys for the USA in the 60s and 70s, but by the 80's production shifted to China and seemingly, never turned back. According to this article by Alisa Chau, she claims that Hong Kong was the largest toy exporter of the 70's. That must be true, because I remember seeing so many of these type toys growing up.

Much like you see some of the manual gumball machines today, these things were everywhere. My parents could not go into a store, restaurant or mall without me seeing the brightly colored vintage gumball machines. There were usually rows of them, the higher priced (25 cents) in the back and the cheapie ones in the front for only 5 cents or 10 cents. The ones in the back usually had those plastic football helmets with peelable stickers on them. For being a quarter, they were very detailed, stickers well-made and fun for you to put together.

The toys were colorful and the size of acorns. I thought they were molded well. RetroChalet

I however, liked to spend my money wisely, and I could obtain five 5 cents gumball machine toys for the price of that one helmet. So, I had a bunch of little novelty items come out. Sometimes it was a pencil eraser, a mini plastic car, or a small replica of King Kong, (or sometimes I just wanted the Spree candies) however once in awhile I got lucky with a great quality molded plastic toy much like these, a plastic spinning top.

I thought I did quite well for a quarter back in the day... Find them at RetroChalet on sale now.

Most , if you looked closely enough, had the tiny words "HONG KONG" printed on them. For the rest of you who were not even a thought when I was growing up, I hope you can see the cuteness that I see in these toys. They were molded quite well for "el cheapo" toys and some have even lasted all this time.

I would imagine some will still be floating around much after the kids of my era are long gone. Plastic is fantastic, and less and less of it will be in existence one day. It's nice to think of the story of the item rather than just collecting it. What are your favorite toy memories?

This post sponsored by Vikings in Maine, and Living a Vintage Life Podcast.

Steri-Lite Plastic STERILITE COMPANY Connections to Tupperware

2022-08-23T08:03:00.003-07:00

Sterilite Box with full picnic set For sale at RetroChalet

The Sterilite Corporation

Kudos to Sterilite who is one of the few plastic factories who has withstood the test of time. The Sterilite Corporation is still in business and started in 1939. You may or may not realize originally the company started in partnership with Earl Tupper. (One of the creators of Tupperware.) Imagine that! All good things come from plastic. According to the website at the time of today's post, I took this little snippet, . " Sterilite is the largest plastic houseware manufacturing company in North America with seven plants totaling over 12 million square feet'

I'm glad as a small bbq business owner myself, that a family business has lasted so long. You may not even realize when you are walking through the Wallyworld just how many products they make. From pull out plastic cabinets to totes and bins,(of which I'm looking at some now that hold my Etsy stock), their presence in our daily lives is prominent. For vintage collectors, you may find pieces marked Sterli-Lite or Sterilite. For the sake of this post, I'm only talking about the picnic sets. They weren't made of melmac, but most likely a Polystyrene plastic.

Inside of an Original Sterilite Picnic Set at RetroChalet

The picnic sets were quite popular in the 40's and 50's and are a hit with people who had campers. For the working families of the 1950's, having a travel trailer would be the ultimate family vacation. Picnics were also a huge thing, whether it be in a park for the day or not, these sets were very popular. Grandparents also enjoyed them, due to the fact they were light weight and pretty and easy to deal with making a quick snack for the grandkids.

In collecting, some of Sterilite Picnic Sets you will find: (often unmarked) Steri-Lite

1. RARE TO FIND: Actual Wicker Wooden Baskets full of Sterilite Picnic Sets - with dishes strapped in and places for plastic sterilite utensils. Finding a set with all pieces and still mint is rare, but it happens. I assume utensils would have been easier to break or lose.

2. RARE TO FIND: Boxed sets like mine, often called Picnic Sets , rare but out there. Especially in primary or pastel colors will be most collectible.

This item sold at LSVintageDesign but shows the snakpak, more common and what I often find in the thrift stores. Note the original silverware will be hardest to find. The box is a rare gem.

STILL COMMON: SNAK PAKS -(ABOVE) These pieces are more common and popular, and easy to find. Often these were four rounded picnic plates with indents in the center to hold the cup. A big hit with moms with kids. Finding the original box is not as common and considered rare. I have not seen one in years.

UNCOMMON: The picnic sets still sealed in plastic bag sets. Most often I think these were found in the dime stores of the 1970's and maybe into the 1980's, they came in a bag with graphics. If you are lucky enough to find one unopened, that's impressive. Often they were opened, and used, and floating around in flea markets.

Other manufacturers of simliar vintage picnic sets:

INGRID - Big for their party balls.

TUCKER - Often looks much like Sterilite

JERYWIL - Often rectangular

REGALINE - Simliar to the SnakPaks

This STERILITE set from HipFindsCo, is most likely a 70's-80's set, shaped much like INGRID party balls. This a prime examle of Sterilite staying on top their game!

Back to my set, the funky bright colors make this set a rare find and a real gem. You can see how the original set was packaged by the manufacturer, carefully thought out. In this original box, there is a premade slot for display and actually thin kraft like paper in between the pieces. This would have displayed nicely in a retail store.

Rare original stickers say this can withstand scalding water! Pic: RetroChalet

The rarest of rare, is the original stickers still on these little cups. It says they can withstand scalding water but does say to avoid ovens and any surfaces with open flames. As you know, tea was quite popular as was coffee back in those days and one of the problems in melmac collecting is often the unsightly coffee stains. Additionally, when I looked closely at the yellow plate in my set, I could see swirling which is a super cool part of the molding process.

This set is a rare find in the original box. I picked it up years ago at an antique mall in Pennsylvania. The dealer had cleaned out an old hardware store, and I assume these would have been sold in the picnic or camper section. It stood in a dusty attic of the store for years, and thanks to the strength of the plastic, it withstood the test of time. I hate to part with it, but I'm making a huge move cleaning out some of my precious plastics.

It's currently offered for $125.00 and free shipping but to my readers you can use code RETRO10 at checkout to take 10% off. Find it here: RetroChalet.etsy.com

Do you own any Sterilite? Let me know!

If you like this post, Read about INGRID's party balls here.

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Vintage Garden Plastic Flowers Mettlesome Means Ivory Snow

2022-05-10T10:38:00.006-07:00

Vintage plastic flowers on Etsy : Glory in the Cabinet has a small bunch for $29.72 note the stems.

Let's talk flowers! All vintage plastic is fantastic! Lately I have been happening across these really funky vintage plastic flowers at estate sales and yard sales. Often stored in the attic or basement, it's hard to find them in good shape. Today I'm going to tell you how to notice them and tell you some really cool history!

Over time, many did not survive. I've picked up some only to have the petals fall off in my hand. Over time they may have become brittle. Others, have been so dirty (no doubt from years of storage in dingy basements or hot dusty attics) that I passed them by, thinking the cleaning would make them fall apart.

Mettlesome Means on Etsy has this great vintage cornucopia.

Imagine your plastic flowers in there. BOOM.

This post is inspired by Mettlesome Means Etsy shop. They focus on super cool garden and home decor. Many planters, flower frogs and vases can be found in their home to mix and match with your plastic fantastic.

Molded plastic flowers were primarily sold from the 50s to present, and often bought for decorations in the home, garden, or to put on graves. I can spot the vintage ones really well thanks to the following traits. Often people confuse the newly made molded plastic flowers with the vintage, but here's some hints on how to spot the difference.

1. The vintage molded flowers will feel more brittle and look way more fake than today's creations. The new plastic components give them more flexibility and some plastic flowers of today look just like the real deal. This is not true of the vintage ones. Often times when you find them at estate or flea markets they may be so brittle that the petals may fall off in your hand. This is due to the earlier plastics mixture used and storage in hot areas, you may also see discoloration in the petals, which is caked up dust from years of storage.

2. The flowers may appear thicker in design that the ones you see today. The petals will be thicker and often "chunky".

The Flamingo Meadow has these candle rings on Etsy. These are most likely 70s-80s

3. Candle ring style flowers have an easy tell. I group them into the 50's-60's or the 70's-80's era. The flowers with either look a) completely fake and gaudy (70's-80's) or b) have a more simplistic, gappy design (50's-60's). For instance, a vintage candle ring which is to adorn a long sleek taper candle from the 50's will have unsightly gaps in the flowers or spots where you simply seen the green ring and not flowers, as if some were missing or the designer thought a candle ring would look good this way but in fact it looks cheesy. They were made in my opinion not as detailed, more simplified, and have gaps in their designs. Fast forward to the 70's and 80's they became less gappy and gaudier, flowers flowers everywhere! Totally more unrealistic. Although lots of pinks and baby blues, they were cute in their own right, but mainly the middle or the flowers above, you can tell is really fake.

4. The stems aka stalks will be simply wire, coated in green plastic. Over time the plastic may have chipped off .

5. The plastic flowers of today are much more detailed, often having four and five sprigs to a flower, where the older ones may have one flower per stalk.

6. Todays' flowers may make you look twice, to know they are fake!

Gorgeous flower frog for sale at Mettlesome Means Etsy Shop on Etsy.

Ivory Snow!

Believe it or not, Ivory Snow used to give all kinds of free things away, back in the day, such as free Christmas ornaments in the box, but also FREE ARTIFICIAL ROSES in every box for a limited time.

Limited boxes had these free giveaways.

The bigger the box, the bigger the buds, you can see a video which shows you all about the roses and how they look. This will not only help you identify vintage fake roses but give you a cool glimpse into yesteryear! Watch the full video here:

LOOK:

These remind me of one of my favorite Home Decorators Melmac patterns by Russel Wright, they would make a cute go-with. Find them at Mettlesome Means on Etsy.

I guess that's more flower power than you needed today.

Happy Collecting!

xoxox

Cindy

last updated 1.11.25

Are Old LPs Records Worth Money or Will They Be Again? We Use the Bee Gees

2022-03-22T08:37:00.002-07:00

Etsy seller StuffBuilt is selling stacks of vintage LPs'. You get 150 45's for $30

I don't always answer reader questions because I am so busy, but a reader saw my post on old records death and rebirth and shot me this message "Do you really think collecting old records are worth money?" My answer would be YES. I believe with everything there is an ebb and flo. Case in point, the bell bottoms of the 1960's made their way back in fashion as flare leg pants just a decade ago. Everything has a cycle and a recycle. Recently there are reproduction working record players for people who may start to recollect vinyl. The issue with collecting old records is of course, the numbers and availability are now askew.

For instance, there was a time when CDs came in that people discarded so many old records that thrift stores weren't taking them. Some melted in people's attics, garages, thereby having been warped making them unplayable, those ended up in landfills. Then there's this: the greenies who recycle them for crafts, making them into book covers, record purses, and popcorn bowls. Those LP's even if they were not collectible, are now taken out of the circulation . Just from my geekified standpoint, I'll try to illustrate to you via an easy matrix.

So let's do a faux example Matrix for all intents and purposes:

There is a great chart of how many Bee Gees Albums were sold in history, find it here. So let's take their most popular album as example. The numbers are as follows USA / UK / WORLD

Bee Gees First (1967)

450,000

200,000

1,100,000

So the first album sold 450,000 in the USA

Let's use this as a fake hypothesis using only the USA for example:

USA SALES : 450,000

Broke/Melted 30,000 over time

Landfills 200,000 due to clean outs when no one wanted records

Unplayable 20,000 scratched from use

Crafted 10,000 upcycled into clocks etc by artisans (see below for what I mean)

total unusable 250,000 Hypothetical

According to this matrix, somewhere in the USA 200,000 * but doubtful in my opinion. This would indicate a huge decrease in original run now making an ebb and flow of supply and demand. It's easily speculated that the original number is now cut in half. However, some of this 200,000 is still sitting in storage, waiting to be found, sitting in people's collections or attics, melting away.

Now you may say, "No one wants records, so what?" If somewhere, somehow, sometime, someone makes listening to records hip and trendy again, the original Bee Gees album may soar in value. All we need is Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis doing something cool with records or Drake, Lil Nas X shown collecting them, and the rest is history. People want to emulate what's cool and trendy and so it's quite possible that this trend could come back around. As for the Bee Gees, well, it's already a well loved album thanks to the likes of movies and just having a great disco theme.

MARRYING is a big issue, too. Then, we have the whole collecting marrying the cover with a record issue. If you want to know more about that, you'll have to listen to this podcast below which explains it. I am just now starting to see more and more records returning to the thrift stores. This may indicate kids are now cleaning out their parent's homes and getting rid of the 1960s relics, or that someone out there has realized that somewhere someone is still playing records.

Music Goldmine on Etsy has done a great job using 45's in her work making them into functional purses, however, this Styx LP needs to get added to the crafting matrix above!

Stuff Built Artist Manny uses records in his art, go to his etsy StuffBuilt.etsy.com to see what this has become! And chalk up another 200 or so records into the matrix of crafting......

Listen to more collecting records tips below. This website is brought to you by my RetroChalet etsy shop. Like and share this post so I will continue to write.

Etsy Fee Increase Survival Guide Planters GI3DPrints Great Gift Ideas

2022-03-18T05:29:00.001-07:00

These cute planters are made of PLA Plastic from Etsy Shop

Recently I posted about Etsy sellers who are complaining about the fee increases to shops and how some sellers were going on strike. Suffice to say, I still feel Etsy is the best small shop platform for sellers who want to take their art or craft or vintage business or art supply business to the next level. Now it may be true that for the small business, there are a lot of fees, however, mostly if your item sells, which is the good part. You don't have to pay much to play, merely a free shop and a listing of .20 (unless you buy the monthly shop upgrades . If and when you sell, then they will come at you with (effective/ 4/11/22 the fee increase went into effect from 5 percent to 6.5% sales fee ) and be possibly hit with additional fees such as payment processing fees and/or offsite ads fees if they apply.

A group of Etsians took to doing an Etsy strike to protest the fees, and the overall dismay was picked up by news sources such as The Verge, The Street, MSN Market Watch and more. Etsy's CEO actually posted the increase in the forums in case sellers missed their emails,and explained that the additional fees will be used to help Etsy grow . What's even better? Sellers can take a survey listed on the bottom of that forum post to express their thoughts on the matter. I am wondering how many people missed the tiny survey link at the bottom of that post in the forum? Find it here: A Message from Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman on our Co... - Welcome to the Etsy Community

Etsy shop: GI3D PRINTS how cute are these plastic dino planters?

Case in point, part two of the podcast I recorded gives ideas for the Etsy seller to survive the increase, and a few ideas to make up for this hike. I even talk to Harry at Lightbringer Designs and discuss great business models to make you think. I really love GI3DPrints who makes custom PLA plastic fantastic planters which make great gift ideas; and I go into the fact of how we can look at the "wow" factor in their shop and apply to ours....listen to the podcast below!

Suffice to say, I won't be going on strike, I love Etsy and still think the platform gives makers an easy to list storefront, easy to list way to display items, gives you built in feedback and the customer's ability to "favorite your shop" (which enables repeat business) and ease in taking payments and paying out state taxes. Starting with a Shopify store means you must start from the ground, and I tried it once. No time for all of that. I also know a few people who got "instafamous" and sell strictly with a standalone shop and drop their items on Instagram posts. Crazy lucky....whatever works for you I suppose.

Some Etsy Sellers Go On Strike With Increase in Fees

2022-03-15T07:08:00.004-07:00

Great Boontonware Bread Bowl in White : RetroChalet

What? An Etsy Strike?

Oh no! Your favorite saved items on Etsy which may include vintage melmac, plastics fantastic and melamine dinnerware sets may have to wait to purchase! This wait could last a day, a week, or more, as some Etsians are organizing the "Etsy Strike" and will be closing down their shops temporarily! I had to find out a little more about this..

Here is what we do know.

I first learned about the strike from on twitter, as they were using a hashtag #EtsyStrike. They have taken it a step further to create a discord channel, and their own twitter @EtsyStrike account, Even one step more, they now have a website called EtsyStrike.org, and so it seems more than serious. The slotted "shut down" of shops is scheduled to directly impact the date of April 11, with possible a one to two week shutdown, which has not been confirmed.

Maybe don't put all your apples in one bowl, unless it's Boonton. For Sale in My Etsy shop

I had to get hold of one of the shops who were participating, to find out just why the proposed strike. I spoke in length on my podcast with Harry Burger, from Deer Park, New York (who ironically also ran for a green party congress in 2020.)

I connected with Harry to get his thoughts on the issues. Harry is an engineer by trade but also shop owner of Lightbringer Designs on Etsy, a shop that makes super cute wax seals. Being a small business owner, Harry explains how a 30 percent hike can hurt the small mom and pop. Harry also explains ultimately this increase will impact Etsy buyers are Etsy shops may have to raise prices to offset Etsy's fees. On initial inspection, I was thinking the 1.5 percent increase in sales fees wouldn't be so bad, until I really revisited all the fees that sellers pay on Etsy, which include listing fees, sales fees, offsite ad fees, etc.

What will the scales of Justice do about the Etsy Strike? This wax seal from LightbringerDesigns

Etsy's Fee Hike

So why did all this transpire? Etsy recently announced they would be hiking fees from a 5 percent sales fee to a 6.5 percent fee, You can read the official announcement here, and Etsy sellers can take the survey at the bottom of the page to give feedback. A Message from Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman on our Co... - Welcome to the Etsy Community

It should be noted they have not raised these particular type fees since 2018, yet there are other fees involved with being an Etsy seller such as listing / relisting fees and offsite ads (which small shops have a way to opt out of) . After a record 4th quarter in 2021 they wanted to keep on track, the forum post explains....how was this announced? . Sellers received an email from Etsy, as well as finding out about it on the website, and in forums. Sources such as MSN NEWS quickly explained how people were upset. Reference: Sellers on This Site Are Livid After Another Rate Hike Also appeared in The Street: Etsy Sellers Are Livid After Another Rate Hike - TheStreet and the Verge: Etsy hits sellers with 30 percent transaction fee increase - The Verge

Listen to my podcast to hear the details on the price hikes and as for the strike, I guess we will see how that plays out., as it's developing now.

Additional Reading Official Etsy Strike Site: Why Discord? « Etsy Strike

Forum Post Announcing the Etsy Strike: A Message from Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman on our Co... - Welcome to the Etsy Community

Five and Dime Store Plastics Woolworths and More

2022-03-14T06:16:00.003-07:00

ReginasStudio on Etsy offers this five and dime store display, these are hair barrettes.

The Great Plastics of the Five and Dime Store

I recently spoke to my good friend Patrick, who remembers as a kid having a plethora of five and dime stores lining the streets of Baltimore. Growing up in the Parkville area, he was able to take his allowance and shop the Murphy's, Chilte and Troddy, and Woolworth's often spending it on the "best toys" for little boys. He explains how different things looked back then, and what was contained in the five and dime stores, some of it really surprised me.

He visually took me back in time so that I could envision what he saw, and some of things they sold may in fact surprise you too. We also discussed Woolworth's who got their start in 1879 and stood the test of a century with their five and dime model.

This is a five and dime store pack sold for $10 today at Etsy shop LOLARICHTER

Survival and Identification:

As for survival, five and dime store plastics he said, are harder and harder to find, but they exist. Take for instance the carded barrettes at the top of this post, if you were to see one of those barrettes singly at a flea, you would not be able to recognize it for being a dime store plastic. This makes collecting hard.

Five and dime by PaperMoonMedia, this print found on Etsy for just $9

You are lucky to find kitchen housewares at estate sales and flea markets, often brightly or pastel colored plastics such as a kitchen timer, spoon rest, measuring cup, multi colored plastics measuring spoons, etc. Colored coasters were also a commodity. They often were made in the USA in the fifties, then moved to Taiwan, Taiwan ROC or Japan on most Christmas decorations. Sometimes the key indicator is a round ink stamp. Many toys in the original packaging can be spotted by the ink stamp pricing, like the set of toy dogs above, if you look closely, has a 39 cent in a round blue circle. Most notably, pricing itself was under $1.

A spoon rest like this may have cost .29 to .79 at one time!

This from sicillyscloset

Value Today:

Expect that the item has held it's value and is now worth much more, the toy dogs above originally sold for 39 cents but are priced reasonably at $10. The carded barrettes are listed for $46.95, mainly because collectors will pay for vintage graphics and ephemera and this set is complete. Pricing my be subjective yet collectors will pay for something that reminds them of a happier time in life. You will also see the largest values brought in from vintage Christmas. I recently say a vintage pixie in the original pack that original cost 69 cents sell for $38. People will pay for what they love, and if they are a collector, packaging matters. Expect the highest profits will come from vintage Halloween or Christmas.

Can You Believe They Sold This?

I was in shock and horror they they sold dyed ______. you will have to listen to my podcast to find out what. Oh how it must have been shopping around during those days!

Enjoy:

Original Packaging Ups Melmac Value but Don't Ask Me What It's Worth

2022-03-09T07:53:00.004-08:00

Credit: AmandasTresors offers this texasware item mint in package cost $225

Update: The Item Sold within 48 hours of me posting it and networking it. Congrats to the lucky collector who has this great item in their stash now!

Here's some information you can use. I hope you find it helpful! Readers may get upset that I don't answer emails about the value of their melmac. Let me explain why. I'm not an appraiser LOL.

When I started the blog, I didn't anticipate the amount of exposure it would get, I was simply writing about something I loved and passing the time. I share FREE information to the reader based on my expertise and collecting over the past 3 decades. I'm glad you landed here, and I'm glad your reading. I don't get paid to write, so it is just a hobby for me.

It got a little crazy after a million people landed here, which I am really wowed by to this day, some of them started to think I just did nothing but appraise plastics. Now I get 50-200 emails weekly asking me questions on melmac and sadly I am just a girl with a life and family a job and can't possibly respond or answer them all even as much as I would like to talk about melmac. There will be and there has been months of inactivity based on the fact I run a full time bbq business with my husband, that has nothing to do with plastic.

Not just that I'm a much too busy girl, but the value is subjective. Let me explain.

Since I collected Russel Wright, back then, I would pay TOP DOLLAR for something to complete my collection in mint shape. Yes, he was a great designer, and yes the pieces were hard to find; however; that doesn't mean what I paid is technically worth that, because other examples may be found for less. That doesn't mean you would consider paying that. Or the next guy. So on, and so forth. My friends still refuse to pay top dollar for plastic, because they claim "it's only plastic" and swear examples are out there to be found for less.

So in fact, the value of melmac is subjective based on what's trending, what condition, what markings, what colors, who's collecting, who wants it, and if this particular style was featured on some hip and trendy magazine cover or tv show.

I have written a helpful article on What is My Melmac Worth that you can read.

Also, part of the reason I don't answer all those emails is because part of the thrill of collecting melmac is the hunt to find your pattern name or style, which I'll write more about later.

Today however, I wanted to explain that packaging certainly ups the value of the item. The reason is simple, back in the day melmac wasn't cheap, in fact it was sometimes as pricey as china.

Housewives bought the melmac to use, not to covet like we today do as collectors. Often times the original packaging got discarded or lost. Many times melmac came in display boxes and those are worth their weight in gold to collectors.

Today I found this item on Etsy. In this case, I ask you, the reader, would you pay the seller's asking price for the Texasware listed here in this blog post? I found it on Etsy and to be honest, I'm not a Texasware Collector, but it seems rare to have this type of sleeve in existence. Perhaps if I was a texasware collector, I'd want this example for my collection, granted I get the three bowls too, so maybe it's not so pricey as one may think. I guess we will know, how long it takes to sell, after posted here.

Too much, not enough, or just right? You be the judge. You may also like this information I recorded on my podcast about texasware:

Carousel Carnival Fairground Lights For Sale , Plastic Fantatsic

2022-02-24T10:16:00.002-08:00

Plastics fantastic: These retro lights are at RetroChalet

Let's Go to the Carnival!

We don't often think of the little things that plastics do for us. Mostly we just hear of the bad, such as pollution or problems to the environment. However, whether we like it or not, plastics are part of our daily lives, and history. In this case, I'd like to think that carnival and carousel lights make children smile. I can hardly forget as a kid in the 1970's going to the local carnival, which for me was only a short walk away at the local Fullerton Elementary School. If I was extra good in my studies, I was able to go to a bunch of them around the area, since one happens usually, right after the other.

Those were the days, when you were a pre-Covidpandemic kid, that's all you wanted to do! Ride on rides, play games, and get prizes. You might have wanted to go for some cotton candy or carnival pizza or candy apples. Maybe you just wanted to go to see if that cute boy or pretty girl in your class was there and try to impress them. It was young fun back then, and the game prizes in the 70's were well made. Some of them included a ROCK N ROLL glass mirror with a rock band on it, a long-elongated Coca-Cola bottle that you could fill with sand, or even metal jewelry. Back then, the world was different.

Decommissioned 1972 Carnival Trailer Up in Lights! Pic: RetroChalet

Even today, we associate carnivals with loud noises of rides and games, and bright blinking lights like these and smiles on people's faces. It's a great place to take the kids and have some fun. Maybe your husband or wife loves the Ferris wheel. You'll still see these lights on the concession trailers, like the pizza or funnel cakes, on the rides, carousels, games and sometimes even advertising signs. What would a carnival be without lights? Maybe just not the same.

Minimum of 5 pieces of plastic make the Carnival Lights (Pic: RetroChalet) in some models 6!

In case you were wondering, how they were made, most were 5-6 pieces just to form the unit. It started with the light housing being 2 pieces - a screw top plastic cap and housing. These would be in bright colors but of course, see through. Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, you name it. Then, the actual lighting components which fit up, protected by a gasket and screw up inside. So the colored housing unit had threads on it as well. Very nice design.

The light housing area were made of a serious of plastic components which consisted of the housing for the bulb, a rubber gasket which fit over that housing and held it inside and protected from rain when inserting into the brightly colored base and an end cap which protected the base.

So you have 5 pieces and in some of the lights they had another plastic ring which would be 6 pieces. Most lights took minimum of 5 pieces of plastic (and a glass bulb) to make the light shine ! That's a lot of plastic.

What's your favorite Carnival memory? Tell me below. The TE-40 compatible lights are for sale at RetroChalet Etsy shop.

Rosbro Plastics Company

2022-02-10T07:53:00.001-08:00

These Rosbro Items Are Featured in this lorafbee Ebay Store.

Welcome to The Wonderful World of Rosbro!

I recently uploaded my Valentine's Day Podcast Episode, on Living a Vintage Life Podcast, which is below if you haven't already listened, but Ed and I talked a little about Rosbro. I hadn't even heard of this company before this podcast, so as a plastics lover I wanted to investigate more. As it turns out I had indeed come across their toys before, but never paid attention that it was them. I'm sure you have too, if you love vintage plastics as much as I do!

Simply put, they made quaint little molded plastic toys, from little duck baby rattles, to vintage bunny rabbit candy containers for Easter. You may find unusual picks that would have went into a flower arrangement or into a cake as a decoration. They did a lot of candy containers, sometimes you will find a little dutch looking boy and girl couple, with indents to hold the candy. All of their items are so cute, and so vintage looking.

Here's why finding them gets a bit confusing. The Rosbro company was a family owned company owned located in Rhode Island originally started in 1946, so most of these candy containers and toys that I am mentioning here are indicative of 40s to 60s designs. Rosbro was owned by Harris Rosen, who owned the School House Candy Company and the E. Rosen Company! I am truly unsure if this is the same Harris Rosen who is involved in hotels? Does anyone know? I am certain sooner or later a reader will tell me. A side note: many old vintage Valentines Day cards are also marked with an artist named Rosen, and I am unsure if this was also a division of their creations! Ephemera found by searches has listed the EE Rosen Company in Providence RI, yet their molding machines as stated by Beregar below, were circa 1998 in Pawtucket. If you are familiar with Rhode Island, simply put Pawtucket is in Providence County, but if in fact these were two difference places, such as a corporate office and a factory, you are talking a distance of 5-6 miles maybe not a huge stretch.

Although the structuring is a bit confusion, it is not uncommon for many companies with owners who created parent companies. I am unsure if this was done for marketing purposes or because as a plastics molder they wanted to keep the candy division separate. The information I see specifically states injection molding and blow molding, which encompasses these toys.

According to a report by Bill Bregar, the molding factory (was then in Pawtucket R.I.) was closing in 1998 and at that time had employed 53 people. Later I found filings in 1997 about Rosbro, but the reports showed inactive. I lost them after that.

This Rosbro Pull Horse is featured in Etsy shop Life Hearted Vintage.

What About the Toys?

They molded them in a lot of various colors, mostly pales or brights. They did a lot of Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween, even small plastic pumpkins. As of early 2022, prices are subjective, Etsy and Antiques experts know what they have found and you can expect to pay anywhere from $25-$200 for a mint set based on condition and rarity colors. Ebay is loaded with Rosbro waiting for your high bid, and smaller more popular Easter Containers sometimes can be had for $10-$15 if you are lucky.

As for the more rare and coveted of toys I've even seen pull toys which seem to be a bit more pricey, such as a pull toy horse with cord, which was also a candy container! There is even mention that this molder did banks such as the rare Old King Cole bank for a different company, Harret Gilmore. It is not uncommon for molders of to run plastics for a customer, and the molder's name will not be on it, but only the customer's name who commissioned the item. Therefore, finding these specialty items are rare. Expect to pay $50 easy for a toy bank, and upwards of $60 for pull toys. These prices are what's trending in February 2022 and not indicative of what may happen when more and more of these toys become obsolete. I can only imagine they will be coveted by holidays collectors as well as plastics collectors and candy collectors!.

Big G Design on Etsy has this lollipop ephemera which clearly states it was MFD for the E. Rosen Company in Providence. RI.

How to Identify:

For identification, know that most pieces are not marked, but the characteristics are there and once your eye is trained to see and identify Rosbro, you will start to notice.

They will be

1) older looking plastics mostly hard molded plastic

2) pale or bright colors

3) have visible seams on some small containers

4) sometimes have visible glue where people have fixed them

5) have simple features, such as one color dots in the eyes, or outline of one color on the mouth. Example: red plastic horse with black dots in eyes. I don't want to say the word sloppy, but somtimes this is how it looks, albeit does not detract from the cuteness.

6) are simplistic and sometimes only one color\

7) Tags or packages say EE Rosen, Rosbro, or School House Candy Company

I truly love Rosbro and hope to add a few pieces to my ever growing plastics collection. For the rest of you, thanks for visiting Melmac Central where I try hard to put free information out there for the reader, at no charge. You can thank me by listening to my vintage podcast to keep me talking and writing!

Happy Collecting!

You may enjoy my Vintage Valentine's Day Collecting Podcast

References:

ROSBRO-CLOSING-IN-JUNE | Plastics News

Vintage LPs Vinyl Records Phonograph Death and ReBirth

2021-12-15T07:19:00.004-08:00

WickerWoodWorks sells "The Turntable Station" to neatly house your collection.

One thing often overlooked on this plastics blog is the vinyl record. Starting as a way to record voice or date the early mechanisms in the 1890's went through some trial and tribulations. The "record" was made in all experimental sizes from 7 inch to 10 inch and early 78's would then be a fad. We often equate this to Edison's phonograph, and early Victrola players, yet early Gramophone style recorders and record devices were being made in other countries. A very good history can be found on Wikipedia and case in point gets rather confusing with so many early markers rushing to get on the bandwagon.

The earliest "records" were most likely NOT plastic but made of heavier material (much like slate) or lacquer acetate. In fact I once dropped my great grandmother's 78rpm record and it shattered into a bunch of pieces and shards resembled glass. Woops.

I read that the Germans were actually the ones to cut the first recording on true plastic though there is surely some debate about this, as the US would like to think it was us. In fact technically speaking we were taught that Edison created the photograph LP yet this may not be entirely the case.

As far as the Germans being ahead of the game, it wouldn't surprise me if it is true since Germany had the best colleges for obtaining engineering degrees in plastics back during this time. Casein, a plastic derived from milk, was an early development in Germany and led to so much plastic innovation. Some debate over the first plastic ever made was said to come from the UK. Wonder if that fella went to a German college? In my humble opinion, Germany is somewhat responsible for the plastics we have today. This was due to the fact that the chemists, scientists, and engineers had a college excelling in this study.

Many of our plastics forefathers, members of the early Plastics Society and early developers of plastics such as the ones I speak often about at Northern Industrial Chemical Society (Boston's great early plastics factory) went to Germany to obtain their degree. So, I for one would like to say thanks to the Germans for not only having the studies that we lacked, but in fact, if you did create the plastic record.

None the less, growing up in the 80's my parents had a long wooden RCA Stereo cabinet that played both 78's and 45's. Music is such a powerful tool, you can be redirected to a time and place just like it was yesterday by hearing a song. Has that ever happened to you? Of course as a child, I knew by type of music they were playing what kind of day it was going to be. When my stepfather would put on the Four Tops LP, he was in a good mood. When mom played Patsy Cline, they were missing someone. Then when Wham came on, it was time for bed because he was trying to get romantic with my mom. I can still hear the little skip mark in my mind from the Michael Jackson Thriller album, where it was scratched in the Billie Jean song because I had accidentally pulled the needle across it trying to skip to that song.

RIP LPs in DEATH.

Records began to slow down during innovation. The small casette tape came out and was a good way to listen to your favorite artists in your car (and the smaller tape reduced storage of the previously large 8 track tape). The death of the record is certainly via CDs. Vinyl records that were once played (and mixed) by the local club DJs were being given away and forgotten by the new lightweight (less to set up in the club and carry) CDs. Don't worry about carrying 100 records to play 100 songs, now you could cut them all on one CD. Great for moving forward, but bad for the mere fact so many records were in so many homes.

LPs would now be donated by the thousands to thrift stores. Rummage sales, churches, estate sales, flea markets were loaded with them. People who would not be able to donate them or give them away, then stuck them in their attics or basements for storage, which they would find had later warped from the heat in the attic or molded covers in a damp basement. Wasted, dead. The thrift stores tried to move them but soon found they had so many that were clogging up space because no one wanted them anymore. Some would post a sign "no donations of records." Crafters were trying to preserve these items in history by making record book purses, record popcorn bowls and wall clocks. This fad was tacky and short lived due to the style of decor always changing. Their efforts just weren't enough. The death of vinyl was here. Ironically during this time, bands like Pearl Jam were still making vinyl records and their followers were still buying. I cannot fathom how many ended in up landfills during the 90s into 2000's. I do not want to think about it.

REBIRTH

Believe it or not, records were still being produced and still are produced today. What was once old is new again. Just like those 70's bell bottom pants came back around a decade ago as "wide leg". I suppose for me, walking into the local Wally World and seeing a brand new LP player that was made of plastic and made to look vintage turned my head. First and foremost, I thought it was a radio made to look like a record player, but no, it was certainly a record player. Wow. I had to stop and stare for a moment because obviously I'm a bit puzzled. A zillion LPs end up in landfills NOW you want to reinvnet the players? I am sure they have been around for some time, but I don't shop the morden day electronics and appliances as often as I should :)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Retro Chalet on @Etsy (@retrochalet)

COLLECTING QUANDRY ; WHICH WAY TO GO?

For the person who held onto their collection, good for you. For new record collectors still obtaining vintage records is easy, however, some stock of course had been rare or unobtainable due to the fact people played them to death or sent them to the landfill.

It wasn't until my latest vintage podcast on Record collecting did I fully understand what to collect and why. Is it profitable? It is worth the storage space? When should you spent the $1 and buy the album to resell or save? Find out via my podcast when I talked to ex DJ Eddie G from Baltimore, who is a regular guest on my show.

Tell me about your collection! Find me under RetroChalet on IG or TikTok

Thanks to podcast sponsors like Shafollo shop, this word "shafollo" means success in Bangali. The shop helps women rise above their economic conditions and produce art for sale on Amazon and Etsy. Follow on Twitter at Shafollo30 or check out this pick, what I like to call the Viking Cross pendant, shipped to your door handmade for $25.

Pink Plastic Finds on Etsy

2021-10-12T20:57:00.005-07:00

In the pink,

One can never have enough. I enjoyed putting together this collage of items found on Etsy, that utilize pink or pinkish plastic in them. These are some of my favorite things. I have outlined the shop and where to get them.

1. These retro canisters are the cat's meow. Vintage pink plastic with grey knobs, they are by Burroughs . Hard to find, these 3 pieces encompass Flour, Coffee, Tea, price is $60 at Etsy Shop: RetroGradeAntique

2. Imagine, a custom written silly straw, well, in hot pink! This can be yours for birthdays, celebrations and even bridal gifts for only $13.75 at Etsy ShopHelloHarper.

3. This vintage baking cupcake cake set is something else. I've never seen a matching almost complete if not complete pink plastic set like this, for the tune of $20. Find it at Etsy shop GlamourAndGrace15

4. Pinkish mauve makes for great plastic watering can. I had one of these growing up in a putrid green, but Mom loved it none the less for watering houseplants. This one is a great color, only $24.99 from Ditzy Blond Crochet.

5. This vintage style but modern phone case comes in this cool tiger print and comes in Flexi Plastic for $12, or a harder case called tough case for $18. Find these at

SilverMagnoliasShop

6. Monkey Diaper Pins? These vintage things would make for a fun repurpose project. Pin your child's artwork to the cork board or use them in junk journaling. Did I hear label pin? Avaiable at RetroChalet , set of 3 for $15.

Plastic fantastic, how can we live without it?

Vintage Plastic Halloween Collectibles

2021-09-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

Space Age Antiques has these great vintage plastic pumpkins, $14.95

Vintage Plastic Halloween Collectibles

What's as great as melmac and perfect for the Halloween season? Well, plastic vintage halloween collectibles of course, here's a list of our top five picks from Etsy this season. Amazing so many of these survived! Be sure to tune in to our Living a Vintage Life podcast, on all major networks!

Above: For only $14.95 you can get these MIP original little vintage plastic pumpkins. The graphics on the bag are lovely and to find these mint in the package from the 70's is amazing. They would be great vintage collectibles in your home!

Mama's Junkyard Girl offers this for $28

Missy over at Mama's Junkyard Girl found this great vintage pumpkin, these melted plastic window decorations were a huge thing when I was growing up. Over the years some broke and are becoming harder to find I just love the vintage Halloween ones!

SweeTootHorrorshop found this for $15

SweeTootHorrorshop is primarily all vintage Halloween items, we could get lost there but found this adorable little pop up pumpkin scary toy for only $15. This is rare and hard to find and would look great in your vintage home!

DIY Spooky Crafts with these ten little skeletons available at TinselTrading on Etsy

DIY is huge and you can make garland, or wrap these around a fork/knife/spoon setting on your table, spook up the dinner table with these adorable little skeletons. They come in lots of ten pieces from Tinsel Trading on Etsy, for only $10

CoveTableCuriousities never ceases to amaze me

This witchy soft plastic doll head is waiting for you to buy her for only $18, for your DIY Halloween, if you are crafty... Make something grand!

Dogs and Horses sweatshirt by SDIKHERMD on Etsy

I wanted to give a shoutout to this Etsy shop who makes great apparel and gifts, who sponsors my podcast. Please check them out, here's my top pick!

You may also enjoy my podcast on Haunted Houses

Plastic Bag Rugs, Not Rag Rugs Recycled Plastic Fantastic

2021-08-28T13:05:00.001-07:00

My most recent find, at an antique store, was a crocheted interesting funky plastic bag rug.

When the plastic bug bites, it stings. I don't just look for melmac in thrift stores, antique malls, or rummage sales, I actually pay attention to all things plastic. I recently stumbled upon some great plastic bag rugs, and bought the one above in the Serendipity Antiques Mall, a small multi level mall in old town Shrewsbury, PA for a steal.

These are not exactly rag rugs, but made via crochet quite the same way. I have found out information on them, and talked about them intensively in my most recent podcast episode. Not only is this a great way to reuse vintage plastic bags and keep them out of the landfill, but they come in quite interesting shapes, patterns, and colors. I find them holding up well in my home, better than any mass produced cheap throw rug I can find. This is a great way to recycle plastic and keep these items out the landfill. Enjoy.

Texasware Texas Ware Dallasware Melmac Tech Giant of It's Day Plastics Mfg Co

2021-07-11T05:33:00.002-07:00

A look inside a boxed set of Texasware Melamine Dinnerware from a set I had.

Gary Joy wrote me on February 14, 2015 saying, "My grandfather started Plastics Mfg. Co. in Dallas in the late 40s - my father ran the company until his death in 83. For many years it was the largest manufacturer of melamine dinnerware in the world, as well as the only plastic dinnerware sold at Neiman-Marcus! I worked in the outlet store while in college in the early 70s ..."

As I was reviewing his correspondence I never thought for a minute that they meaning the PMC molding company could have been the largest manufacturer in the world of melamine dinnerware back in their day, but this sure explains why there is so much of it. If we compared this company to the "Big Tech Giants of Today" the only thing we could say is Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter.

On one of my first podcasts I talk about the beginning of Melmac brand, and soon that manufacturers like PMC got wise and made their own powders/molding resins and what essentially happened is you had molders selling melamine dishes not having to buy the powders from American Cyanamid.

Small attentions to detail in the design of packaging, and brochures involved were often overlooked by the unboxing process, but these things took time to design.

So essentially the giant PMC company had a huge army of employees doing this :

Making Powders

Design Concepts of Dinnerware

(this part would be mold making I wonder if they did?)

Molding Dishes

Designing Boxes and Packaging Materials, Pamphlets and Store Signs

Quality Control

Marketing and Distribution

A start to finish conglomerate if you will. Even if they did not have a machine shop to make their own molds, then still they cut out so many middlemen by doing the marketing, molding, and distribution themselves.

Design and placement was key.

Kudos!

Imagine the accomplishment back then of getting your plastic dishes into Neiman Marcus! Competing with mid century modern ceramic and china designers like Eva Ziesal, Bauer's Art Pottery, Homer Laughlin and even the ceramic designs of Russel Wright. If that high end department store housed only Texas Ware melamine that is saying something.

Others have written me about their "seconds" factory store which was right down / across the street. It seems they had so many they had to open a store for it. Not to mention millions of pieces of Texasware and Dallasware are still in existence today.

Do you love Texasware or Dallasware?

See my post on Texas Ware Factory Tour Here.

listen to my vintage podcast here.

find out more

Melmac Dinnerware Podcast

2021-07-10T12:54:00.004-07:00

Finally, I'm doing a podcast on vintage living and in my first episode I touch on Melmac and melamine dinnerware by American Cyanamid. It's a short segment but one I hope to talk to you about. I haven't had much time to actually write here on my melamine dinnerware blog so I figured I would talk to you instead. If you want to listen, you can click to listen to episodes right here on the blog, or go to

BuzzSprout

or Spotify here to listen.

amazon music here

In the meantime happy collecting.

Kenner Can-Am SSP Plastic Car General Mills Fun Group Promotional 1970s Citgo Gas Station Lego Lovers

2021-03-07T13:39:00.004-08:00

Image of my Kenner Citgo MIni SSP Can AM Orange car in my Etsy shop.

Hello little toy plastic fantastic car, what are you? How did I not know you in my youth?

Recently I was offing my extra stock of Hot Wheels and Matchbox vintage cars in my Etsy shop, and came across this strange orange car I had gotten some time ago. Although I refuse to admit being actually old, or archaic, it is true that I am a 1970s child. Even so, one who loved plastics growing up, whom does not remember this at all, and perhaps with good reason.

I was s. Born in 1973, these cars were made as gas station premiums by Kenner for Citgo gas stations circa 1970-1971ish. Still, if my older guy buddies that I hung with (I was their shadow), had one of these coveted somewhere in their collection, I am sure at age six or so I would have remembered such a glorious piece of plastic! But they didn't have one, and with good reason. They were all older than me, and most likely outgrew it, broke or lost the zipper part, or gave it away. Surely if they had sold it for ten cents at the neighborhood flea I would have remembered it. By the way, I should thank the kids across the street for that cool 45RPM collection including Blondie's Heart of Glass for $1.00.

Does that look like a Lego to you?

Good Design, wait, whut, is that a LEGO?

What's even stranger is how the car is designed. It surely at first glance reminds me of having a "LEGO" build onto it, when it's actually some part of the exhaust or something, I wonder if it's designer played with Legos when he was designing the super spiffy plastic engine? I don't know. Just sayin'.

From my RetroChalet Etsy shop.

The car is a Can-Am, Mini SSP which is short for Super Sonic Power.! According to the instructions if you whip the little rip cord through, it will turn out 20,000 rpms. I'm not a math whiz by far, in fact I definitely suck at all things math, but I think that may be an overstatement. Maybe in 1970's advertising terms, the 20,000 rpms is the equivalent of pretend warp speed.

As for the Can-Am model, Kenner also produced a green model of the same style, which they had in a Tournament of Thrills kid's playset in the 1970's. The orange seemed to be a gas station premium, thus the boring cardboard display box I can just imagine these lining up a little plastic cabinet in the gas station and kids screaming at their parents to buy them one. I am NOT sure if this was a mail in car or on site premium. I do know it originally came with:

Rip Cord
Decal Sheet
Advertising Memorabilia
Car

This is just another fine example of Plastic Fantastic. Also a great indicator of cool toys we used to get.

Please visit the following Etsy shop who sponsors my Living a Vintage Life retro podcast, and their cute creations can be found in many colors to fit the gift needs of even the most hard to shop for :)

SDIKHERMD Peace Cap on Etsy, available in many colors.

To hear my vintage podcast, you can tune in below when I talk about collecting Maine country primitives !

Boonton Boontonware Melmac Rare Orange Bowl

2019-02-12T08:46:00.001-08:00

Orange Melmac Bowl for sale @RetroChalet

Information Wanted. Have you seen this?

Sometimes I see things and wonder how they are what they are, or why they are what they are. Even I, after collecting so many years have no idea how this can be possible.

It's no secret that this Boontonware melmac bowl's shape and thickness should actually date it to the 40's or 50's to the earlier lines of plain BOONTON (marked as such) used in restaurants and institutions, yet the design is slightly different.

However, there is a hallmark was used for a short number of years "for industry standards" giving it an even smaller window of production.

The problem? The color. This color technically should be later, perhaps even 60's. There is evidence of this orange in some lines, mainly SOMERSET, but the items are not molded as thick, with as much melmac. They are thin and not as bulky.

So it's a mystery, for sure.

Very odd coloring for such a thick Boontonware bowl.

So I ask you, why is the orange on this bowl?

It could be several reasons and perhaps we will never know why.

An employee could have made the bowl for himself or herself.
A customer wanted some bowls made and asked for test of the color.
Perhaps a line was made with this exact bowl, but if so where is it?
The factory was testing various colors to debut in a new "fall line".
It was something molded for samples to customers or employees.
It is a part of a short lived melmac set by Boonton we have not yet found.

What do you think?

If you like Melmac Dinnerware
then you should listen to this podcast I made about Belle Kogan, who designed Boontonware!

Russian Plastics USSR Soviet Bakelite Melamine Melmac

2019-01-27T14:11:00.003-08:00

Akbars10 from Estonia on Ebay is selling this Russian / Soviet Box.

When collecting Melmac some collectors streamline into one "brand" or one type. For instance, perhaps you re hooked on Kaye Lamoyne's designs. You are trying to assemble a set of Color-Flyte by Branchell, and your collection may include other items in that line. For me, over the years, it's been a pure love of all plastics, and wondering what the rest of the world was doing when America was making so many dishes. Since the internet has become so widely available in other countries we are now able to answer the question, just what kind of plastics were to be had back then?

Backstamp of Russian Plastics from Akbars10 Store.

I recently came across some wonderful and stunning examples of Russian plastics. Now of course, I'm going to post and label them what the sellers have indicated, but in order to call them true Bakelite, melamine, etc, we would have to know the chemical composition and do adequate research on what era and what company.

For sake of accuracy, I'd like to say I am not a plastics expert in USSR Plastics as I do not speak Russian (yet.) I'm still trying to pin down my Italian. However, I thought that it would behoove us to see how the other side of the world lived.

Gorgeous Russian Bakelite? Plastic Box from PIXSTOCK on Etsy.

The Bakelite Boxes

The box up top is listed as Bakelite but it appears to be a type of hard plastic boudoir box, and I found other examples on Etsy that follow. Although the plastic looks to be thick, I am unsure if it is indeed the Bakelite we know having been produced and invented by Leo Baekeland . I will state many old plastics encyclopedias I have read and Plastics Society books do have some of the founding members having been of international origin, some with Czech or German heritage (example: Hans Wanders.) Therefore, this Russian blend of plastic may indeed be made with their version of Bakelite.

You can see this pretty deer on this box from Etsy shop Bazoor.

I also find it curious that animals are subject matter of most of the pretty boxes I have found. Deer, horses and animals adorn the boxes. I wonder if these were made for trinkets, jewelry, or originally held talcum powder or shaving soaps? I am lost in translation, but I can say that if you look closely you can see the discoloration in the photograph of the creamy plastic turning more yellow. This could mean that it is indeed Bakelite!

Another box from Bazoor, circa 1960's.

You may also like:

bakelite checkers from Etsy, made in USSR offered at Antique Soviet

Brookpark Melmac Fantasy Line Joan Luntz Five Facts You Should Know

2019-01-13T14:25:00.002-08:00

Old Brookpark Melmac Ad.

Today I was fully prepared to write a post on Russian melmac when I became sidetracked by a listing for Fantasy Brookpark by Joan Luntz.

Let me explain to you that when I write this post I write with full respect and awe, that Joan Luntz accomplished so much in her day and have written much on her before.

She was a working mother of six (yes six) children, and married to George Goulder, (so she really was Joan Luntz Goulder). After WW2 George purchased a plastics company, being President of the International Molding Company he would partner with Joan who designed Brookpark melmac dinnerware.

I cannot say enough about what a contribution Joan made to design, or the melamine history! I think she was amazing in that she did so much as a woman in her day. If you recollect the era, circa 1950's women were still fighting to find adequate places in a predominantly male workforce. And doing that while raising six children? A huge accomplishment.

Lastly, but more importantly as it relates to this blog, her contribution to melmac dinnerware and her deigns were timeless, chic, and pretty. She won many awards, received much publicity, and many museums inducted her creations such as the Modern Museum of Art.

Photo of Fantasy Melmac Line is actually shown in her Obituary !

Refer to article / Obituary on Joan here in the Cleveland Jewish News.

I recently came across her obituary, which I encourage you to click on the photo or link above to be taken to the Cleveland Jewish News and read. I am a little bit sad to know she passed on Christmas day. I for one learned some interesting things reading it.

Fantasy Pattern : Five Facts You Should Know

So with this post I write respectfully about Brookpark and in particular the line called Fantasy.

1. It's Rare.

In my years of collecting Fantasy has been somewhat hard to find and I consider it rare. I can only tell you from being a plastics collector and researcher since the 90's I have been unable to ever see or find a complete set. There may be several reasons for this, but if you collect it, covet it! I am not for sure if this is because it was a low production run or the fact that the plates seem to be white with design (and perhaps over time this white became stained and ended up not surviving.)

2. It's hard to identify as the Backstamps Are Most Likely Washed Away.

Another plausible possibility is maybe no one knows what to call it if they do find it, since it's usually unmarked (and unless they really do their research. )The plates themselves were white with outlines designs reminiscent of leaves, herbs, apothecary. The accompanying pieces were blue, solid turquoise. Most of these pieces maybe have been umarked or ink-stamped.

This picture proves my theory as shown in Thifty Doodads Etsy Shop.

(* Brookpark was known to ink stamp in black ink some of their pieces, which made it difficult when trying to identify lines thirty to sixty years later. I actually washed a set of Pink Hyacinth by Brookpark (from the same timeframe) and washed the backstamps clean off!) I confirmed this by actually finding a lot of Fantasy, and checking out the backstamps above. They were definitely inked!

The leafy saucers of Fantasy by Brookpark Pic/Buy them at ThriftyDoodads

3. It's Quite Possibly A Very Small Production Run.

I found it in May 1956 Magazine, up until 1959. I have not been able to find out the exact dates of production, but this gives a three year run. That's not a whole heck of a lot of pieces. Additionally, it was up against other lines being introduced around the same time. For instance, Pink Hycianth, which was in my opinion more popular and more desirable (it was pink and white and if you look in the ad on top this post you'll see how pretty, oh so pretty....) I have found much of this pink and white in my travels and it is still easy to put together a complete set to this day.

Top Right: Bloodgood Japenese Maple leaf vs "Pot" leaf below right. Note that the leaves on the Fantasy line are freeform ferny style plant leaves.

4. Some collectors mistook the leaves for pot leaves. ( ouch!)

I hope if the family of Joan reads this they won't think I mean anything disrespectful to her, but I have gotten a lot of inquiries over the years "Hey, what's the pot leaf design on melmac name?" and wondered just what the reader was talking about. Now I see that that leaf structure on the plates does resemble a bit of Cannabis Sativa leaf.

If you note that the pattern of the largest leaf has a five top leaf spread and then two tiny bottom leaf patterns. This is exactly that of some photographs of hemp/Marijuana leaves. Although I am unsure just what the leave was, I myself thought that it represented a tree that I grew up with, a cousin of the Japanese Maple---more in referred to as BLOODGOOD JAPANESE MAPLE. I am unsure and if anyone from Joan's family reads this blog, maybe they can shed light on the leaf itself. However, all look ferny and fantasy like with the mod dots behind them.

5. It comes in more than one color palette- look for brown hues and the blue hues.

Although all my above talk above shows the blue on white design accompanied with solid blue pieces, I have posted an article before where the pieces were actually brown hues, with brown or tan solid pieces. Look for both in your travels. To me, both are elusive.

See the brown pieces in my earlier post on Joan, Arrowhead, Brookpark and Fantasy here.

If you enjoy my blog, follow my Living Vintage podcasts! I'm listed in various podcasts under RetroChalet: Living a Vintage Life! You can connect with me via Instagram or TikTok! Have a great day ! This post last updated 7.10.21

Cadence by Prolon : From 1956 to Now

2018-12-30T20:34:00.003-08:00

Cadence by Prolon:

VINTAGE Cadence by Prolon on Etsy RetroChalet 19 Plates $34

Cadence (one of the lines, sounds similar to their other line Florence) was found early in Life Magazines, like this ad I found from 1956 ... says: Cadence" and "Florence" by Prolon are products of: Proton Division Pro-phy-lac-tic Brush Company Florence, Mass." Perhaps if interested, you will jump over to my history of the ProPhylactic Brush Company and find out how these wonderful dishes started.....................but now back to Cadence.

Many articles in my research indicate the release of Cadence for institutions, restaurants, hospitals, and schools. It was widely promoted in melmac advertisements as far back as 1956, perhaps earlier but none the less the 1956 ad looks like these dishes are on the thinner side. The Cadence above in the photo has some meat to it. Cadence of today is also thinner.

Cadence in Melmac Ads like this one featured in LIFE 1956

So how is it that Cadence still survives and is being made today? Technically Prolon is still around, having been acquired by Thermo-Serv in August of 2017. A statement via press release issued by the company explained, "DALLAS – Sept. 1, 2017 – New ThermoServ Ltd., a leading provider of domestically manufactured, innovative drink and dinnerware, today announced that it completed the acquisition of all assets of United States Dinnerware Inc.’s Prolon® Dinnerware on Aug. 25. (2017).

I don't care who owns who, I for one am technically thrilled that a company of today has acquired and / or kept the age long tradition of plastic melmac dinnerware being made in the good old USA. (Some of their items most definitely are.)

This is but one of the few, if not sole melamine companies who have "survived" the times. Now visible under prolon.biz, the Cadence line is still being made today , in America!

By the way, when first marketed, Cadence was referred to as "graceful coupe shapes."

You may also like:

Prophylactic Brush Tour (History of Prolon!)