Vintage vanity and grooming items are highly collectible today. There are literally thousands of examples to choose from on the internet and in antique stores, however most people have a favourite type of vanity item that they make a point of searching for. A lot of true collectors have a love or passion for their purchases, and to most collectors, the price or worth is irrelevant. Others however conduct plenty of research before looking for potential purchases, and view good quality vintage items as money making opportunities.

Vanity Items
You will probably have a specific type of vanity item in mind when you start the search for collectibles. If you don't, it is often a good idea to do so, as trying to buy everything that you like the look of can turn out to be a very expensive hobby! The category of 'vanity items' includes such things as hair brushes and combs, powder jars, compacts, jewellery or music boxes, hair and hat pins, trinket boxes, perfume bottles, pill boxes, razors, handkerchiefs and anything else you might expect to see on a Victorian or Edwardian dressing table.

If you like to collect a number of different items, then you might want to look around for complete dresser sets. These sets often contain a hand mirror, a ladies hairbrush, a clothes brush and a dresser or powder jar. They are normally highly decorated with petit point embroidery, and make exceptional collectibles when bought in good or excellent condition.

Grooming Items
Ladies and gentlemen of the early 1900s made a point of keeping themselves well groomed at all times. In order to do this, they understandably needed a wide range of grooming equipment including hair brushes, gentlemen's combs, hair pins, clothes brushes, razors for both males and females, curling tongs and even moustache curling irons! Many of these items were manufactured from quality materials, and so have stood the test of time well. This means that today you can often find top quality grooming items that are highly collectible, for very reasonable prices, especially if you choose to collect something that is still quite common and easy to find.

Materials to Look For
Vintage vanity items and grooming implements were manufactured in a range of materials so that they were affordable to most of the population. Those that were bought by the general public may have been made from bakelite or other forms of plastic, and occasionally items such as powder jars and trinket boxes would have been made from porcelain. Today there are still hundreds of these inexpensive items available to buy second hand, and you can easily start off a very impressive collection in this way.

If you are a more serious or enthusiastic collector then you will probably be more attracted to the higher quality pieces that are made from materials like ebony, mother of pearl, sterling silver and gold. These pieces are usually embellished with enamel or tortoise shell, ivory and embroidered silk sections. It is important to know a little about what to look for as some items are worth more than others, even if they are in a slightly damaged state when bought.

Assessing Damage
Because vintage vanity and grooming items date back up to a hundred years, it is very rare to find them in perfect condition. You can however find them in very good condition if you don't mind searching around a bit. Things to look for include cracks and chips in porcelain or bone china items and also stains that have leached into the glaze. Silver and gold items should be free from excessive scratches, and if they are plated rather than solid, the plating should be intact and not flaking or worn.

Embroidered sections of hand mirrors and hair brushes should still be clean and fresh and if possible the needlework should be free from plucks and pulls. Occasionally, the colours of the threads can bleach if the items are left in direct sunlight, so if possible you should try to choose items that have retained their colour well.

Highly Collectible Items
Although all vintage vanity and grooming items are collectible, some are more desirable than others. In particular you might want to look for perfume bottles, especially those with the original droppers or atomisers. Also popular are complete dresser sets, unusual or highly decorated compacts, and music boxes that still play their tune.

Conclusion
If you are thinking of becoming a collector of vintage items then vanity and grooming items are a good place to start. There are plenty of options to choose from and you can start a nice little collection with very limited finances. Once you have learnt a bit about the trade and the kind of items that spark your interest, you can then easily branch out and begin to invest more time and money. Alternatively you can simply buy whatever takes your fancy and hope that something turns out to be a hidden treasure.
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