![]() If you were just interested in a topic or time period they could also steer you in the right direction. If you had a specific item you were looking for they could always help. The show is very well named because literally everything old and paper was represented.Īs you may expect in a professional show like this, the dealers had their specialties and knew their stock. Rare and valuable first edition books alongside travel brochures, sports cards and comics. Vintage fashion magazines and pulp fiction novels. Historical images of Toronto, Canada and the world. Then there were the art prints and large format photographs ready for framing. These were often organized by topic but once you started it was easy to keep flipping through. What I didn’t realize was just how many individual items were crammed into every square inch of space! Vintage advertisements, postcards and magazines filled file boxes. When we first entered I didn’t think it would take too long to see all the booths but we ended up staying for almost three hours. If you’re more of a curious looky-loo, you might find it easier to browse a little later when the crowd dies down. One seller told me the serious collectors wait outside to enter as soon as the doors open. If there is something in particular you are looking for, you should get there early. We arrived about a half hour after the show opened at 10am, and the room was packed. Tall ceilings and bright windows flood the space with light. The show is set up in a long hallway in the Wychwood Barns building (originally a streetcar repair barn from the 1910s). It takes place twice a year (March and November) in an interesting part of the city along St. Billed as Toronto’s biggest one day “vintage print-fest”, this show is dedicated exclusively to books, postcards, posters, photographs and all types of old ephemera. On Sunday, March 29th I had the pleasure of attending The Old Book & Paper Show. Over the years I’ve been tempted to buy larger items like jack-o-lanterns but I haven’t made the jump yet. Being able to store decorations in envelopes is perfect for small living spaces. One thing I love about collecting paper ephemera is the easy storage. Rare designs are highly sought after and prized by collectors. Because of their temporary nature, antique and vintage paper decorations are hard to find in good condition. ![]() ![]() They are inexpensive to buy and consequently stored without much care. They’re dated 1986 and I’m pretty sure I had the exact same ones in my grade school classrooms! Does anyone else remember that flaming skull?īeistle and other types of paper decorations are considered “ephemera” meaning they’re produced to be used for only a short time and then thrown out. I found these large cutouts at one of those pop up Halloween stores a few years ago. New stock is available from the company every year, and sometimes older stock gets mixed in with new designs. You don’t even have to buy reproductions to get Beistle products however. I just prop them up on a book shelf and they make a lovely nostalgic display. Each cutout is about 9 inches long and on heavy card stock. I bought a set of these 1950s cat themed cutouts:Īren’t they great? Is the witch really small or is the cat really big? I love the mix of fun and fantasy in these old designs. On their website you can buy reproductions of some of their best early images. Their older designs are mostly 3 dimensional “fan” decor, garland, and flat (sometimes jointed) illustrations. They’ve been producing seasonal decorations since 1900. Beistle is the oldest and largest manufacturer of decorations and party goods in the United States. Last year I happily discovered the Vintage Beistle Halloween website. Iconic images of black cats, pumpkins, owls and witches really speak to me during this season. It may come as no surprise that I have a soft spot for vintage Halloween decorations. The carving pumpkins and handing out candy part. Not so much the gross stuff but the spooky, kooky fun part.
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