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.

perpetual calendar San Francisco

This one featuring Washington, D.C., we found in a Maryland antique mall while browsing.

perpetual calendar Washington, D.C.

The following three antique flip calendars were purchased online from the States.

perpetual calendar Florida

perpetual calendar Smoky Mountains

perpetual calendar London

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.

perpetual calendar Mt. St. Michel

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.