These 5 Vintage Fall Collectibles Are Trending—Start Looking for Them Now

We’re so close to fall you can almost taste it, and there’s something about the season’s crisper weather, golden light, and sepia tones that feels tailor-made for old souls. That’s precisely why it’s no wonder autumn speaks to our antiques-loving hearts, which is why we’ve rounded up a few cozy collectibles that are in especially high demand right about now. From an iconic striped throw that’s (gasp) no longer in production to the perfect item for sweater weather, you’re sure to encounter something to warm you up on the haul home.

HUDSON’S BAY BLANKETS

Hudson Bay Blanket as a Headboard

You can hardly peruse an issue of Country Living without encountering at least one iconic point blanket—but its future is sadly uncertain. Earlier this year, the 355-year-old Hudson’s Bay Company—North America’s oldest continually operating business—shuttered its last department store after centuries.

While you can still find similar versions by other retailers such as Pendleton—and Canadian Tire may revive the iconic stripes in some capacity—this sudden scarcity will likely only increase the original’s value as a collector’s item. (It remains extremely popular with designers, vintage enthusiasts, and collectors of “Canadiana.”) After a panicked run on new ones upon the first announcement of the brand’s demise, lifelong collectors say they’re noticing more competition, and you can already find blankets listed for hundreds—and even thousands—of dollars on eBay.

BROWN & WHITE TRANSFERWARE

HUDSON’S BAY BLANKETS, BROWN & WHITE TRANSFERWARE, MARY MAXIM SWEATERS, COPPER MOLDS, TRAMP ART BOXES

brown and white transferware dishes

First made in England in the mid-1700s for the growing middle class, the transferware approach to pottery making uses tissue paper to affix a wet ink pattern to a ceramic ahead of it being fired. Though blue and white was the first colorway, dozens of makers such as J. & G. Meakin and Wedgwood expanded into other colorways, including brown. Patterns range from the casual, such as F.J. Emery’s bird-patterned “Rangoon” (left), to the flowery, like Royal Staffordshire’s “Safe Harbour” (bottom center). Depending on age and rarity, pieces can go for anywhere from $10 to several hundred dollars each.

MARY MAXIM SWEATERS

HUDSON’S BAY BLANKETS, BROWN & WHITE TRANSFERWARE, MARY MAXIM SWEATERS, COPPER MOLDS, TRAMP ART BOXES

vintage Mary Maxim Sweaters

In 1935, Willard and Olive McPhedrain acquired Canada-based Spinwell Mfg. Co., a maker of spinning wheels and wool yarns. The company’s path changed forever in 1951 with the introduction of its “graph-style” knitting pattern for a Cowichan-style* cardigan sweater. A few years later, they expanded into the U.S., changed their name to Mary Maxim (a shortened name of an employee), and launched a crafting craze. Along with their sweater patterns (“Thunderbird,” left, and “Reindeer,” right), they offered yarn and knitting needles, but never completed sweaters. While the cardigans lost their cool factor beginning in the 1970s, the popularity of vintage Mary Maxim sweaters is now on the rise, and the still-family-owned company continues to thrive with new—and vintage!—patterns.

*Originating with the native Cowichan people of British Columbia, Cowichan sweaters are recognized by their bulky weight, shawl collars, and zipper fronts.

COPPER MOLDS

HUDSON’S BAY BLANKETS, BROWN & WHITE TRANSFERWARE, MARY MAXIM SWEATERS, COPPER MOLDS, TRAMP ART BOXES

vintage copper molds

Available in an abundance of shapes, styles, and sizes, these pretty pieces make for a brilliant starter collection. Originally used to create gelatin and jelly dishes in the Victorian era, their use expanded to puddings, chocolates, and other desserts as the decades progressed. Older, more exaggerated—and patinaed—domes can go for several hundred dollars apiece, while more recent molds made by brands such as Birth-Gramm (heart- shaped and smallest molds) and Americanized folk patterns and animal shapes can be found for a song.

TRAMP ART BOXES

HUDSON’S BAY BLANKETS, BROWN & WHITE TRANSFERWARE, MARY MAXIM SWEATERS, COPPER MOLDS, TRAMP ART BOXES

antique tramp art boxes

Made with simple tools such as pocket knives and from whatever materials the artist had readily available—most likely discarded shipping crates and cigar boxes—these elaborately layered and notched wooden boxes flourished as a largely anonymous art form during the Great Depression. Pieces from the period featuring brass hardware and intact fabric accents (top left and middle) can fetch $500 and up, while wood-only options (top right and bottom left) typically range from $100 to $300. Fun Fact: CL’s antiques appraiser Helaine Fendelman published the first book on the subject in 1975.