Defining "Vintage" May 09 2018

There is some ambiguity around the word “vintage” when it's referring to products you can buy. Have you noticed?

Sometimes vintage means “old”. Sometimes vintage means “looks old”.
Sometimes products are labeled 'vintage' to reference a throwback style; other times the word vintage actually refers to the actual age of the product.

For our Hannah's Treasures Vintage Wallpaper collection, "vintage" always means actually old -- authentic old stock wallpaper, manufactured years ago and hidden away until it was found and collected by us many decades later. 

Things to know about the Hannah's Treasures Vintage Wallpaper collection: 

  1. "Vintage" to us always means "actually old"  

    —actually printed, manufactured, originally stocked and sold, etc. in the past.

    We ONLY deal with authentic, old stock, vintage wallpaper that was actually made in past decades. We have papers from the 1920s through the 1980s on our website; all were printed in the decade by which they’re labeled. We’ve got the real stuff!

  2. We are collectors, not manufacturers.

    We have been seeking out troves of authentic, old stock wallpaper for a quarter of a century now. We have never made it ourselves; we always have to go out and find it.

    For over 25 years, we’ve been opening squeaky basement doors, climbing rickety attic steps, wading ankle-deep in dust and debris, and combing through the corners of forgotten buildings to find vintage wallpaper. 

    One of the key highlights of our job is traveling the country and meeting new people as we search out hidden caches of wallpaper. If you know of a supply of vintage wallpaper, please let us know! We're always in the market for some 'new' treasures. You can reach us by phone or email at 712-755-3173 or info@hannahstreasures.com 

  3. We do not have and do not create reproductions.

    We’re interested only in “the real deal.”

    We DO NOT reprint or reproduce any designs that we find, nor do we outsource such a task to other companies. All of our stock is in limited quantity. What you see is what we have, and once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.

    Part of the charm of shopping for vintage wallpaper is knowing that there is only a small amount of that paper available. Therefore, the chances of someone else having your same pattern are slim to none. It's like your own personal treasure find! 

    The ONLY exception to our no-reproductions rule is our Nancy McClelland collection. Her papers actually are all reproductions of 1800s designs, but her ‘reproductions’ were hand-printed and manufactured in the 1950s---still old and vintage to us! Nancy McClelland, a landmark female interior designer of the 1950s, sought to revive antique motifs, and so she hand-printed a refreshed collection of older designs that had historical roots with a mid-century spin. These papers were printed in the 1950s and are still as old and authentic as all of our other old stock rolls. Yet their design heritage has roots that go further back than the rest of our collection, which is truly something special!

    So remember...
    The papers from our Hannah’s Treasures Vintage Wallpaper collection are

    • always old
    • always authentic
    • not remade, not reproduced
    • limited in quantity, rich in history, and always special


    Thanks for being our customers and enjoying real vintage as much as we do!