For many years placing anything in our homes made of plastic was taboo. It was considered to be a cheap replacement for quality products made of wood and when we came across it while shopping, we quickly went in the other direction.
No more! IKEA and Wayfair have elevated plastic furniture and home decor to a level of desirability we could never have envisioned a decade ago. As 21st century plastics infiltrate the home we are also seeing a growing interest from vintage collectors in the plastic mirrors, accent furniture, shelves and wall decor from 1960-1980. This interest has seen the return to something many of us thought was gone forever. SYROCO!
The Syracuse, New York based manufacturing concern, Syracuse Ornamental Company, was founded in 1890 by Aldolph Holstein. In their early years they manufactured ornamental pieces made from molded wood pulp, with a change over to molded plastics beginning in 1960. In 1963 the factory moved to Baldwinsville, NY and all of their their production turned to PVC and polystyrene. It is the pieces from 1960 forward that are finding a growing audience in today’s collectors.
One of the greatest catalysts to the success of SYROCO in mid-20th century America came in 1957. Mary Crowley, a young single mom from Carrollton, Texas, was having difficulty making ends meet. Her time working away from the home had been spent in department store retail sales and hosting home parties for Stanley Home Products. Combining her sales experience and her love of home decor she started what would become Home Interiors and Gifts Inc. Home Interiors home parties were a mainstay of suburban life from 1960 through the mid 80s. Many of the thousands of pieces sold have survived, making a large selection available to today’s collectors.
To give you a perspective on how quickly things change, as recently as 5 years ago the flea markets were filled with these plastic home decor pieces for $1-$3. This same wall decor is now filtering in to antique malls, decorator shops and floods the pages of eBay and Etsy with pricing at 10-20 times what you would have paid just a few short years ago. The good new is, that for the savvy shopper, there are still bargains to be had at flea markets and charity resale venues.
In 1963 the Syracuse Ornamental Company introduced their “Lady Syroco” line of home furnishings. Collectors are laying down top dollar for pieces from this line. Be on the lookout for their stack of three nesting tables, clocks with a sunburst design, their Federal Colonial style convex mirrors and large multi-color peacock wall plaques.
Determining the age of a piece of SYROCO can be aided by checking the marks on the back. C and D are from 1939 to the early 1960s and J and K are from 1960 forward. Later pieces will often have a foil sticker with the company logo or a back stamp reading Syracuse Ornamental Company. Also be aware of color variances. Those made in the 1950s and 60s tend to have a more gold-colored finish to them while earlier products more often simulate genuine wood coloring.
On occasion you will come across pieces where the applied paint appears inferior. These pieces were sold unpainted and came with paint and an antiquing solution in Syroco Kits. Some are quite nice, but many are rough, so look closely.
COLLECTORS NOTE: This is an area of vintage collecting that is just beginning to trend so put it on your treasure hunting list for now and the upcoming Spring garage sales! Until next time…Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com.
