The Hunter.

I started collecting this vintage dish set earlier this year, when my friend Myk gave me a service for 20 (!!!) that he found in his Grandmother's basement, still new in boxes.



She was a packrat, and he kept a service for 20 for himself. So in actuality, this woman had a brand new service for FORTY sitting in her basement, brand new and still in the original boxes.

The pattern was very common in the 1950s, so finding replacement plates and bowls isn't that difficult, although the companion pieces such as the mixing bowls and casserole dishes are a bit more elusive.

So when I went to the Brimfield Flea Market this weekend, I was on a mission. I was on the hunt for Blue Heaven Companion pieces. I found this.....

A Blue Heaven milkglass loaf pan. Whhhoooo! Think of all the tiny lasagnas I can make in these pans.

Flea Market scouring is modern day hunting, as far as I'm concerned. Me, standing in a farm field amid booths overflowing with old things for sale, holding this milkglass pan in my little hands is the same as some guy standing in a field amid trees with his boot on the head of some big game animal, freshly shot. Both of us looked for hours for the things we hunted, and both of us nearly peed with excitement when the "thing" was spotted.

Anyway....

I bought two of them for under 20 dollars. The guy said he gave me a deal because I looked so excited. Heehee. He also said that the Blue Heaven pattern was very common in New England, and there's a lot of it still hanging around here, but as you move away from the New England states, it becomes increasingly more difficult to find. He thinks it was only regionally distributed. He also said that they made a small run of Blue Heaven placemats, but that they are very difficult to obtain.

My neighbor remembers these dishes for sale at pharmacies and food markets, and she remembers a lot of people having it in their homes, as it was inexpensive as well.

Also at the flea market I found some uncut pharmacy advertisement lithos, from a guy who I visit everytime I go to Brimfield.
He buys out old warehouses of deadstock fruitcrate, and food labels and all sorts of unused ad posters. He has the most extensive uncut litho selection I've ever seen. And all of his stuff is in perfect condition. I have a bunch of stuff from him already hanging in my house, and I love visiting him to see what new printed treasures he has.

Another guy was selling old pin-up prints, so I picked up a nice Elvgren print too.

I'm so glad I have a whole house now that I can fill with my "Hunting Tropies."