Vintage Accessories have been very collectable for some years now but recently there seems to have been an explosion of interest. Lets take a look at a few vintage accessories and try and answer a few questions about them too.  What are vintage accessories? where can I buy vintage accessories and how can I tell they are genuine vintage rather than new copies?

When we talk about Vintage Accessories we are generally referring to smaller  add ons to your main clothing . So a dress is not an accessory but a belt is an accessory.  Here are a few types of the many types  vintage accessories for women you can find:

What are Vintage accessories?

Jewellery, A whole topic in its self but vintage jewellery has to be the main form of accessory for collecting and wearing

Buttons, Belts and buckles, Looking for a budget area to start a collection? Although vintage buttons and buckles can cost a small fortune you can also find lots to choose from starting from a very low cost

Hats and Hat pins. A lady was not considered to be properly dresses if she left the home without her hat adn every hat needed a hat pin or two to keep it in place

Bags, Purses and Compacts.

Fans, Chatelains, Vestas, Card Cases – mostly accessories from the past and not used today.

Dressing Table accessories: Perfume bottles, hatpin stands, Trinket boxes – these all make excellent gifts for the collector of vintage accessories. The dressing table is now used quite as it used to be in the Victorian and Edwardian era. Our lotionsand potions are used directly form the packaging they are bough it. The Victorian lady would decant her perfume into an atomiser and keep trinket boxes to place pins, clips and even to tidy her hair into.

Where can I buy Vintage Accessories?

Like most vintage collectables you can buy accessories at most antiques fairs and auctions. These days most people like to buy their accessories on-line as there is a far wider choice and it is easy to compare the offerings from different websites. Have you looked on eBay? With a bit of care you can hunt down the occasional bargain ( see the next paragraph about finding the genuine vintage article). Of course I am going to recommend you take a look on www.antiquesavenue.co.uk which specialises in many vintage accessories including Jewellery, trinket pots, Hat pins, buttons and buckles.

enamel compact

How can I tell its genuine Vintage?

 

Learn about your chosen collectable, a little knowledge can help out a lot ( see where to find out more) and if in doubt ask the seller. The problem is that often the seller does not know how old the items is. Here are a few pointers to start.

- Is the button made of silver or gold? Look for hallmarks and learn how to date an item from its hallmark

- Does the buckle have a country of origin? If the country is present does it just say ” England ” or “Made in England”? You will find that “Made in ” dates from post circa 1920 . Anything marked as “Foreign” is vintage as would be “Made in Great Britain”.

- What materials is your accessory made from. If there is a care label on a scarf which indicates that it is machine washable then you do not have a Victorian or original art deco piece. A buckle made from cut steel is likely to be Victorian or earlier a stainless steel piece later 20th century. If you know what materials were available when you can start to date your vintage accessory

- What style is your accessory? This just gives a clue. An art deco compact could be original 1920s / 1930s or could it be 1 1980s revival of art deco or a brand new copy

 

Where can I find more ?

This website has lots of information about vintage jewellerywith more about vintage accessories planned for the near future. Ask your favourite dealer questions. Here is a book list you may find useful:

Powder Compacts a collectors Guide pub Millers

Scent Bottles pub Shire

Hat Pins pub Shire

Button Button pub Schiffer

There are loads of introductory Jewellery books available .

 

Some Links to AntiquesAvenue’s vintage accessories for sale:

Vintage Jewellery

Buttons and button hooks

Hat pins