The Importance of Colour When Valuing Vintage

Recently, I have been reminded several times of the importance of colour (especially in relation to scarcity) when it comes to valuing vintage.

Example: think of glomesh. And I bet, when you do, that you think of either white or tan glomesh, or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, black. The prices for such glomesh are (or should be) fairly modest. But the less common colours - say, gold and bronze - are going to fetch a premium. And the really rare, out there colours - I still regret not buying an apple green glomesh handbag - are going to be priced even higher.

OK, So I Bought a Hideously Expensive Bakelite Brooch…

You may remember that, some time ago, I was debating the merits of purchasing a Bakelite brooch from Shag in Melbourne.

In short:

Pros:

1. I think I’m in love with it
2. It’s collectable, and will only get more collectable as it advances in age
3. If the staff at Shag are to be believed, it has been sourced from a factory in Detroit, where it has been sitting around in storage since the 1930s - this means it’s never been worn.
4. It’s figural and hand painted, with rather a lot of detail.

Cons:

1. It’s mighty costly.

So on Saturday I relented and bought it (after some haggling).

How Much is Too Much to Pay for Bakelite?

It’s no secret that Bakelite anything is hot as hot can be right now. Even op shops have cottoned on to this fact; when I was in Sydney recently  I managed to unearth a Bakelite buckle at the St Vincent de Paul in Paddington, which was green and in a bow shape. When I asked the cost, I nearly fell over. It was $95!

In fact, there is so much Bakelite love happening around the world right now that some madcap genius has actually gone and done what we were all thinking of doing, and established a Bakelite museum (which features, among other things, a Bakelite coffin. You read it here first).

Here’s a bit of background info on Bakelite. It was developed between 1907-1909 by one Dr Leo Baekeland (his name makes me think of a magical land filled with baked goods, but that’s irrelevant). The manufacture of Bakelite is actually fairly labour-intensive. It involves combining phenol and formaldehyde (with a wood flour filler) under pressure and heat. It was the first plastic made entirely from synthetic components, and was used in a vast array of household and industrial applications for its heat resistant properties. Now, of course, these things have become highly collectible, particularly Bakelite radios, jewellery and household utensils.

Another aside – “Bakelite” was actually the brand that initially produced ‘phenolic resin’ products, but nowadays (in a phenomenon similar to that I describe in my rant about Glomesh) anything made of this material is referred to as Bakelite. And don’t expect it all to be signed.  

This brings me to my dilemma. At the well-known Melbourne vintage shop Shag (actually I think there’s one in Sydney now as well, but a NSW reader may have to sort me out on that one), I have spied a collection of Bakelite brooches so fine that they are well worth investing in. There are ladies walking greyhounds. There are cats, and elegant dogs, birds and fruit and strange, “native” faces. They are in standard vintage colours – red, black, and that murky yellowy-brown colour that seems so characteristic of Bakelite.

But – garn – they are $249. Each.