This little collection of flip desk calendars (a.k.a. perpetual calendars) started almost 15 years ago, and fortunately (yes, fortunately), they are not easy to find. This adds a bit more fun while searching for them in antique shops, outdoor markets, etc. while on holiday. And yes, some call it kitsch.
The first one I got at the Oberursel flea market in 1996. A young man sold me this one for 50 cents and told me his grandfather had bought it on a long-ago trip to San Francisco. This is how I got started with my collection.
The following five are from the 1960s when this type of souvenir was popular.
This one featuring Washington, D.C., we found in a Maryland antique mall while browsing.
The following three antique flip calendars were purchased online from the States.
Last, but not least, imagine my surprise when one of my students found a new Vintage flip desk calendar in Mt. St. Michel. This one sits on cheap marble look-alike plastic, and I actually use it on my desk.
This kitsch collection hardly takes up any space and I only amassed six of them within the last 17 years. I’m not a pack rat, after all.
Greetings from The States!
I am visiting with my parents, and was just admiring the simplicity and function of my Mother’s perpetual calendar ( she showed me how it politely gives you directions for changing the month and beginning again at 1). It originally belonged to her friend’s grandmother. Eager to show her how satisfying a google image search can be, I simply typed in “perpetual calendar souvenier,” and up came your website! You even have the identical Florida calendar that sits on my Mom’s kitchen window sill and that she uses every day. She was delighted! Amazed! Overjoyed! Just wanted to share that joy with you.
A happy new year to you and your family.
Sincerely, Laura Wolfe
Thanks, Laura, for sharing your mom’s excitement!
My husband had bought this one through eBay years ago.
I am still on the lookout for more, but they are hard to find. I prefer looking for them at flea markets around the world.
Happy New Year to you and your family, too!