Collectibles and Curiosities
Collectibles and Curiosities For Sale
Period: Mid-20th Century
Color: Blue
Blue Clown Head Cookie Jar, USA, 1960s
Located in Esbjerg, DK
A rare survivor from late 1950s or early 60s comes this large canister in the shape of a clown bear head. It measures 25 cm in height and 17 cm in width. Originally made as a toy beach/sand toy...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Plastic
1950s Mid-Century Modern Olympia Sm-3 Portable Typewriter with Case
Located in Miami, FL
Vintage Mid-Century Modern Olympia SM3 portable typewriter with the original metal case. Circa 1950s.
Features a Qwerty keyboard, a grayish green color body with chrome trims and the original metal case with a galvanized-like finish and the original lock key.
Olympia SMs were once considered the Mercedes Benz of typewriters. The Hermes 3000...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Original Vintage 1966 Austin Cox Chess Set
Located in East Hampton, NY
Marked Austin Enterprises to the bottom of every piece, this wonderful vintage aluminum chess game set from 1966 comes in its original box.
The box can be hung on the wall (see im...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum
Mini Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 1: A-Bukovina - Vintage Book from USSR, 1J151
Located in Bordeaux, FR
Step into the captivating world of vintage knowledge with this remarkable tome, "Mini Soviet Encyclopedia, Volume 1: A-Bukovina." This hardcover encyclopedia, sourced from the USSR a...
Category
1950s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Repertorio del Design italiano 1950-2000 per l'arredamento domestico
Located in Montelabbate, PU
The most comprehensive resource on mid to late 20th-century Italian design. Covering 50 years of furniture designs, this two-volume boxed set is organised by year and broken into sec...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Fornasetti
Located in Montelabbate, PU
Cult designer for collectors of modern art, Piero Fornasetti was a brilliant and prolific creator: his artistic production, decoration, interior design and design is finally collecte...
Category
Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Rare Yankee One Design Class Blueprint
Located in Norwell, MA
Incredibly rare original blueprint for the "Yankee One Design Class". This is the sail plan drawn at the one half inch equals to one foot. The plan s...
Category
1930s North American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage Mr. Peanuts Dispenser, USA, Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Mr. Peanuts Dispenser is an original decorative object realized in the mid-20th century.
This vintage object was realized by Tarco Company and it was used as a real peanut...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Plastic
1950s Decorative Ceramic Cigarette Box & Matching Ashtray by Madeline Originals
Located in Monrovia, CA
1950s Decorative Ceramic Cigarette Box With Lid & Matching Ashtray by Madeline Originals Of Pasadena California.
Unique And Decorative Ceramic Tobacco Accessory In Iconic Madeline B...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ceramic
Per Lütken Holmegaard Danish Atomic Spaceship Blue Glass Ashtray
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish mid-century Danish blue glass ashtray stylized as a spaceship designed by renowned glass maker Per Lütken (Danish, 1916-1998) for the Holm...
Category
1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Blown Glass
French Children's Toy Sink, 1930's
Located in Antwerp, BE
French children's toy sink.
This pedestal sink or lavabo dates from the 1930s.
A child's toy sink made in France.
An Art Deco toy made from metal and after lots of years still in his original and beautiful blue color. A toy which could be used with real water. This old bathroom sink toy for children is still complete with the mirror, stopper, tap en jug or can.
For his age still in very beautiful condition.
A beautiful piece to display with mannequin doll...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
1950s Atomic Energy Commission Building Office Logo Wall Plaque AEC Oppenheimer
Located in Hyattsville, MD
The AEC seal is one of those great totems of the atomic age. A largely symmetrical and stylized representation of an atom (the highly toxic beryllium), it is strikingly more straightforward than the seals of its successor organizations. The design and design philosophy is very characteristic of the Mid-Century Era. This large rare plaque was only used in official locations of the Atomic Energy Department.
The AEC officially came into existence and took over from the Manhattan Project...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum
Mid-Century Navajo Silversmith T. K. Turquoise and Silver Brooch
Located in Point Richmond, CA
Mid-century Navajo silversmith T. K. Turquoise and silver brooch
A large gorgeous old turquoise stone set in an almost heart-shaped broo...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Native American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Silver
Decorative Blue Marianne Brandt Avantgarde Bauhaus Letter Scale, 1930s, Germany
Located in Vienna, AT
An iconic light-blue sheet metal postal letter scale from the1930s in blue, designed by Marianne Brandt, executed by Ruppel Werke, Ruppelwerk in Gotha, G...
Category
1930s German Bauhaus Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sheet Metal, Metal, Iron
1960s George Nelson Ruler from the SAFETY NUMBERS Graphic Design + Clock Series
Located in Hyattsville, MD
USA, c.1960s. George Nelson & Associates Lucite Ruler from the SAFETY NUMBERS Graphic Design + Clock Series for Howard Miller. This rare example does have...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Lucite
Mid Century Silver & Green Aluminum Christmas Tree, "Starlite" by Revlis
Located in Buffalo, NY
Seldom seen Mid Century Modern silver & green over 7' Aluminum christmas tree."STARLITE" by Revlis. Lush and full!. You will see 100 vintage s...
Category
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum
Ashtray 1950 Crystal
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Crystal
We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposal.
Pushing the button that reads ...
Category
1950s Italian Space Age Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Crystal
Better Homes & Gardens Flower Arranging for Every Day and Special Occasions1957
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage hardcover book, Better Homes & Gardens Flower Arranging: For Every Day and Special Occasions Library Binding – January 1, 1957
Hardcover book by Better Homes and Gardens...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
20th Century, Iconic, Barovier e Toso Murano Smoking Set of Four Pieces
Located in Catania, IT
Rare and amazing, smoke set by Barovier & Toso. Green inside with white jacket and outside in shades of black in Murano blown glass set of four pieces. Large...
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Murano Sommerso Geometric Blue Art Glass Cigarette or Cocktail Pick Holder
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Gorgeous example of Sommerso technique developed in the 1930's by Murano glass workers. This striking geometric piece goes from blue to an amber color to clear glass. The top has a h...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Art Glass
The Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, Illustrated, 1931
Located in Colorado Springs, CO
Defoe, Daniel. The Life and Strange Surprising Adventures Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner, as related by Himself. London: Humphrey Milford, 1931. Embe...
Category
1930s English Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Jacqueline Kennedy Authentic Artbag Handbag with Certificate of Authenticity
Located in Jersey, GB
A black leather handbag gifted by Jacqueline Kennedy to Maud Shaw, her children’s nanny
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994) married John F Kennedy in 1953. When he was elected ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Leather
Mid-Century Vintage French Metal Pedal Car in Blue Azure, circa 1950s
Located in Sofia, BG
Stunning large sized vintage pedal car in blue azure. Very good condition with some traces of use and age.
France, circa 1950.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Aldo Londi Rimini Blue Ashtray for Bitossi
By Bitossi, Aldo Londi
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Vintage ashtray in signature Rimini blue glaze with leaf motif by Aldo Londi for Bitossi. Marked "Italy" on bottom.
Artist: Aldo Londi
Manufacturer: Bitossi
Origin: Italy
...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Ceramic
Large Cenedese Italian Sommerso Murano Glass Ashtray, Italy 1960´s
By Cenedese
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Large Cenedese Italian Sommerso Murano glass ashtray. Italy 1960´s
Utilizing the Sommerso technique this large, heavy piece of glass features an unusual design.
It looks like a sec...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Murano Glass
Vintage Bell Southwest Bell Trading Post Turquoise and Sterling Silver Ring
Located in Van Nuys, CA
Vintage Southwest style bell trading post ring with a sterling silver band and a large turquoise stone.
Ring size 10.
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Sterling Silver
Golf Shots by Bobby Jones, Flicker Book, by Harrods of London
By Harrods
Located in London, GB
Flicker book of Golf Shots by Bobby Jones, issued by Harrods.
Titled: GOLF SHOTS by BOBBY JONES Driver and Mashie Shots
Published by Flicker Productions Ltd, Earls Court Road, London.
Bobby Jones, Robert Tyre Jones Jr. (March 17, 1902 – December 18, 1971) was an American amateur golfer who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport; he was also a lawyer by profession. Jones founded and helped design the Augusta National Golf...
Category
Mid-20th Century English Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Seascape with Portrait of a Schooner-Rigged Yacht, Signed and Dated 1937
Located in Nantucket, MA
Early Vintage Seascape with Portrait of a Schooner-Rigged Yacht, signed and dated Carl Schroeder, 1937, an un-tutored oil on canvas seascape painting with a port side view of a large schooner rigged racing yacht with all canvas aloft including topsails and staysails, smartly uniformed crew, captain and first mate visible on deck, a lookout posted on the foremast crosstrees, a burgee, pennant and flag flying on the fore and main peaks, with a one design class designation A-1 on the mainsail; a low-lying spit of land with red and white cottages is visible near in background beyond the bowsprit; signed and dated Carl Schroeder, 1937 in the lower right.
The painting is in near excellent condition, with only a stretcher line visible down the left side and one small pin hole on the right side. The painting is mounted in a contemporary carved an gilded frame.
The artist has not been identified, but the style and subject is consistent with either the American or Danish schools. The 1930s was a golden age decade for the J-Boats and other great ocean racing yachts. The A class designation suggests very large...
Category
1930s Danish Other Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Canvas
Interieurs 50, Apogee de la Geometric Curviligne, 1983
Located in London, GB
Interieurs 50
Apogee de la Geometric Curviligne
Published by Edition Synergon, Brussels 1983. Hardback first edition in illustrated dust jacket.
A wonderful Exhibition cata...
Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Rare Starling Burgess & Morgan Yacht Blueprint No. 52-06
Located in Norwell, MA
Rare starling burgess yacht blueprint of a fifty four foot ketch dated March 1930. Construction plan showing hull framing, stubbed masts, hatches, cabins, skylights, etc. One can spe...
Category
1930s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Vintage Airline Poster of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, New Zealand, ca.1960
Located in Langweer, NL
Vintage poster of New Zealand / Go There by NAC.
Wellington: R.E. Owen, ca. 1960s.
Photographic lithograph of Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown.
...
Category
Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Mid-Century Vintage French Metal Pedal Car in Blue Azure, circa 1950s
Located in Sofia, BG
Stunning large sized vintage pedal car in blue azure. Very good condition with some traces of use and age.
France, circa 1950.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Monumental Mid-Century French Nouvelle Cuisiniere Advertising Sign
Located in Forney, TX
A monumental vintage advertising sign from France, believed to be custom one-of-a-kind, the giant sign crafted of metal, dual sided, polychrome enamel paint...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Streamlined Moderne Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal, Enamel
Original Yacht Blueprint P-201-2 by John Wells
Located in Norwell, MA
Original blueprint of a one hundred foot yacht by John Wells Incorporated of New York. The plan is a top view showing the top deck and cabin level. The top deck shows dining saloon, pilot house...
Category
1940s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Set of Four Vintage Ford Match Box Car Toys, circa 1960
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Set of four vintage Ford car toys.
By unknown manufacturer, circa 1960.
In original condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use, preserving a b...
Category
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Metal
Blueprint Yacht Gypsy By John Alden No 355
Located in Norwell, MA
Alden blueprint of Motor Yacht Gypsy which was a 101 foot yacht built in 1927. This is a hull lines drawing of this plum bow vessel. Weight is 16 pounds. 20" H x 53" L .
Category
1930s Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
2 Volume Set: Book of Trees and Book of Shrubs, by William Carey Grimm, 1st Ed
Located in valatie, NY
2 Volume set: Book of Trees and Book of Shrubs, by William Carey Grimm. The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, PA, 1957. Pair of 1st Ed books with dust jackets and slip case. William Car...
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
"Wedgwood, a Living Tradition" an Exhibition Catalogue from the Brooklyn Museum
Located in valatie, NY
Wedgwood, a Living Tradition by John Meredith Graham II and Hensleigh Cecil Wedgwood. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences and the Brooklyn Museum, 1948. Limited first e...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Fontana Arte Blue Mirrored Glass and Wood Game Box, 1950, Italy
By Fontana Arte
Located in Milano, IT
Fontana Arte blue mirrored glass and wood game box, 1950, Italy.
Category
1950s Italian Other Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Glass
Paris Photographs by Brassai text by John Russell 1st Edtion 1960
Located in London, GB
First edition, published by Batsford, 1960.
Braissais's mesmeric photographs captures the everyday essence of Paris lead by John Russelli's elegant and erudite tour of the city, i...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Collectibles and Curiosities
Horizon Magazine, A Magazine of the Arts, Summer 1967 Hardcover Book
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Horizon Summer 1967 Hardcover – January 1, 1967
Horizon Magazine - A Magazine Of The Arts, Summer 1967
By Thorndike, Joseph Ed/
New York: American ...
Category
1960s American Archaistic Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Two Impressive and Huge Midcentury World Map Wall Globes, Austria, 1950s
Located in Vienna, AT
We proudly offer this outstanding pair of very large wall-mounted modernist globes / world maps with an incredible diameter of 95 inches each. Unique one-of-a-kind sculptures depicti...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Aluminum, Iron
Story of American Furniture by Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee
Located in valatie, NY
The story of American Furniture by Thomas Hamilton Ormsbee. New York: The Macmillion Company, 1941. Hardcover with no dust jacket. A comprehensive resource book on America antique furniture...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear / Les Aventures De Yogi Le Nounours
Located in London, GB
Original French painting for the 1964 animation this artwork was used to create the French poster for this film. This film was directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, who also wrote the screenplay along with Warren Foster. Yogi Bear...
Category
1960s French Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paint
The Practical Book of Chinaware
Located in valatie, NY
The Practical Book of Chinaware by Harold Donaldson Eberlein and Roger Wearne Ramsdell. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1948. Hardcover with no dust jacket. 320 pp. A comprehensiv...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
"Harvey" Original British Trade Advertisement
Located in London, GB
Original British trade advertisement for Harvey, 1950.
The film was directed by Henry Costner and stared James Stewart, Josephine Hull and Peggy Dow.
This trade advertisement is qu...
Category
1950s British Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
El Morocco's Family Album by Jerome Zerbe (Book)
Located in North Yorkshire, GB
This book which was privately published in 1937, therefore over 90 years old, is a photographic record of one of New York's most famous nightclubs of the inter war years where the gr...
Category
Mid-20th Century Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Chinese Trade Porcelain, First Edition by Michel Beurdeley
Located in valatie, NY
Chinese Trade Porcelain, 1st Ed by Michel Beurdeley. Charles E. Turtle Company, Rutland, Vermont, 1962. Tipped-in color frontispiece and 24 tipped-in color plates, 100 monochrome text figures, 244 monochrome figures in the appendix. A through explanation of Chinese export porcelain and its debt to the west; historical surveys of the Far Eastern connections to al of the countries named...
Category
1960s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Materials
Paper
Navajo Silver Bracelet with Turquoise and Coral
Located in Seattle, WA
Oversized sterling cuff with turquoise and coral nuggets, great for man or woman.
Category
1950s American Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities
Antique and Vintage Collectibles and Curiosities for Sale
Antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities can bring whimsy and wonder to any interior.
Decorating with old scientific instruments, historical memorabilia and vintage musical instruments, as well as other authentic collectibles and curiosities that can be found on 1stDibs, presents an opportunity to create a unique, natural history museum-like atmosphere in your home that can provoke conversation as often as it pays tribute to how far we’ve come in understanding our world.
And bringing collectibles and curiosities into your space is actually on trend — Wunderkammern, or curiosity cabinets, were all the rage in Europe during the 1500s and continued to have adherents there and in the U.S. in the following centuries. Today, however, they’re experiencing a real surge in popularity and influencing how many interior designers are furnishing and decorating homes — combining contemporary with antique, scientific with tribal, earthly with extraterrestrial, Les Lalanne tables with Flemish tapestries.
The original Wunderkammern were entire rooms filled with objects demonstrating their owners’ worldly knowledge: A proper one included artificiala or preciosa (objets d’art); naturalia (such as skeletons, shells, minerals); exotica (taxidermy or dried plants); and scientifica (scientific instruments), frequently alongside religious relics and ancient artifacts.
Pay tribute to a history of rich and diverse musical traditions that have taken shape all over the world by decorating your home with a collection of antique and vintage musical instruments — with a little help from strong hanging wire or some wall hooks, vintage brass instruments such as a gong, French horn or trumpet can help elevate a home office or complement the efforts you’ve made to ensure a welcoming vibe in your home’s entryway. Bells or antique wind instruments can add provocative metallic contrasts to dark woods as tabletop decorative objects.
Create an intriguing focal point with Georgian scientific instruments, such as stick barometers with mahogany cases or lacquered brass telescopes. These items stem from an era named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who ruled England in succession starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign, which lasted until 1837). Just as there was beautiful jewelry produced during the period that today is coveted by collectors, there is much to be found in the collectibles and curiosities realm too.
Wanderlust, nostalgia and a shared love of good design are contributing factors to certain trends in decorating — just as vintage trunks and luggage have reappeared as furniture or home accents in a bedroom or foyer, decorating with globes, maps or nautical objects is similarly rooted in the allure of travel and a penchant for the stylish finishing touch that collectibles bring to our homes.
Find a wide range of antique and vintage collectibles and curiosities on 1stDibs.
Read More
Pamela Shamshiri Shares the Secrets behind Her First-Ever Book and Its Effortlessly Cool Interiors
The sought-after designer worked with the team at Hoffman Creative to produce a monograph that beautifully showcases some of Studio Shamshiri's most inspiring projects.
Moroccan Artworks and Objects Take Center Stage in an Extraordinary Villa in Tangier
Italian writer and collector Umberto Pasti opens the doors to his remarkable cave of wonders in North Africa.
Montecito Has Drawn Royalty and Celebrities, and These Homes Are Proof of Its Allure
Hollywood A-listers, ex-pat aristocrats and art collectors and style setters of all stripes appreciate the allure of the coastal California hamlet — much on our minds after recent winter floods.
Whaam! Blam! Pow! — a New Book on Pop Art Packs a Punch
Publishing house Assouline and writer Julie Belcove have teamed up to trace the history of the genre, from Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama to Mickalene Thomas and Jeff Koons.
The Sparkling Legacy of Tiffany & Co. Explained, One Jewel at a Time
A gorgeous new book celebrates — and memorializes — the iconic jeweler’s rich heritage.
What Makes a Gem-Encrusted Chess Set Worth $4 Million?
The world’s most opulent chess set, weighing in at 513 carats, is literally fit for a king and queen.
Tauba Auerbach’s Geometric Pop-Up Book Is Mighty Rare, Thanks to a Hurricane
This sculptural art book has an epic backstory of its own.
Step inside the Storied Mansions of Palm Beach’s Most Effervescent Architect
From Spanish-style courtyards to fanciful fountains, these acclaimed structures abound in surprising and elegant details.
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Paper Globe Light
Collection Of Antique Dolls
Antique Metal Soldiers
Vintage Glass Dolls
Art Deco Map
Antique Wooden Toys Children
Antique Star Of David
Antique Metal Stencils
Vintage Nameplate
Vintage Nameplates
Antique Book Banks
Antique Book Bank
Vintage Metal Cars
Wooden Corpus
Gothic Large Cross
Oak Altar
Antique Dolls House Dolls
Victorian Antique Dolls