Vintage stoves will always have a very special place in my heart, because the first story I ever wrote about homes was about vintage stoves, for the (now defunct) Ann Arbor News in 1995. My neighbor Dave had salvaged a 1940s Magic Chef from his grandmother’s barn and sent it to Macy’s Texas Stove Works for restoration. My story was about why folks were starting to treasure vintage stoves — and where you could buy them. Hey, even then, 17 years ago (gulp) I was all about the where-to-get-the-stuff and where-to-get-it-restored. Do you think that after all this time I ended up right where I should be — writing this blog? I think so! Last uploader, when readers shared 234 pictures of their vintage small appliances, readers also asked to share their vintage large appliances. Above: A photo that came in early from reader JoAnn. Pretty!
This uploader is now closed — check out the 208 photos that readers submitted — they’re pretty darn amazing!
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:
Want to buy a vintage stove? See this story – 26 places to buy restored vintage stoves. Or, do you want help finding parts, service or advice to fix old stoves and appliances? See this popular story (click photo to get there):
Janet in CT says
I am SO thoroughly enjoying all the photos this morning; I can’t get enough of looking at vintage appliances. Actually, I need to get a life! I never realized that the Flair ovens could be installed in the wall. So many of these are incredible, like the split cooktop, the pink oven with swing out doors, the freezer with the separate bins inside, the “DeVille”; they are all so neat, even the plain Jane GE 30″ stove! Thanks to all for sharing!
Josh LaPorte says
Love that green caloric! My old apartment building (built in 1965) had the 30″ version in all apartments, mine was sadly gone but many were still in use and looked perfect.
Patrick Coffey says
I just thought the owner of the Westinghouse Freezer in picture #2 would like to know their freezer is from 1955 not 1947.
pam kueber says
Thank you, Patrick! This uploader may keep you very busy with the clarifications. Hey, everyone, Patrick is Resident Expert on identifying makes and models!!!
Gail DeVore says
Patrick, I just uploaded my Philco Stove and Philco Fridge. When you see them I would really appreciate if you could ID the years. Thanks!
Patrick Coffey says
Gayle.. I have seen an ad for the Philco Range in picture 25 that dates that stove to 1954. Your stove (in picture 19) has the same door handles and dial knobs but the knobs are placed differently on your control panel and where the burners on the stove in picture 25 are grouped on the left side of the top with a work space on the right, your stove has them on both sides with the workspace in the middle. From this I deduce that either your stove is a step or two down the 1954 model line than the one in picture 25 or it was made in 1953 or 1955. As for the fridge (in pictures 98 and 102) I am going to have to do some more research but I do believe it is from 1952 or there about. I do know for sure that your fridge can be no older than 1951 because it has shelves in the door. Crosley held the patent on that feature from 1933 to 1950 and then it ran out so everyone started adding door shelves in 1951…..When I find out more on both the stove and the fridge I will let you know!!! Hope this helps some……
Gail DeVore says
Patrick, Thank You, Thank You! I’ve had a search on Ebay for a while, looking at Philco appliances and advertising pieces, and did general google searches with the model numbers, without finding the exact matches… I also did notice the change in fridge door storage at approx. 1950… and also found advertising for 1954 stoves very similar, but not exact. I guess I just want to be able to say what I have… Any and all info is appreciated!
Toby Smith says
Thanks Patrick. I looked all over the internet and the closest I found to what it looked like was one dated 1947. I just love that thing.
Will says
My Philco, which is similar to yours, had a date of 1957 on the inside when I was working on it. Perhaps it lasted a few years as a lower model?
Will says
oops that was meant for Gail
Will says
My Philco refrigerator, that is.
Will says
I meant the Philco refrigerator, not the stove (sorry for not clarifying).
Gail DeVore says
Thanks! Got it! Do you have a photo?
Will says
It’s in there next to my Frigidare range. Sorry for the double post, I was having computer issues. My Philco fridge is near identical on the outside, but my shelves are a little different. I don’t have an inside picture at the moment. I’ll see if I can get one. Is yours an “automatic” too? Philco claimed that it adjusted the temperature and defrosted automatically. It only has an on off switch on the inside (no dial to adjust the temperature). I found that mine would freeze things in the refrigerator and cost an arm and a let to run. I wound up putting in a Supco temporary (or perminent) cold control and now it works great.
Will says
I forgot to mention, I also replaced the gasket on mine when I first got it because it was hard as a rock. I ordered it from antique appliances and it was a perfect match! That and the cold control are the only two I’ve ever had to replace! I just sent a picture of the insides of my Philco. Keep your eye out and excuse the groceries!
Rick says
There’s a Prosperity stove in a shop a couple blocks from me. It has two rectangular things on each side of the clock; turns out they’re built in SP shakers. There was/is a child’s Prosperity stove on eBay (a few days ago).
A few years ago, one antq. place had a fire engine red 57 or 59; fifites Fridgidarie stove; doube oven with ALL the bells and whistles. Looked like brand new; some lucky person finally bought it.
Chutti says
LOVE seeing everyone’s appliances and their swell pots, dishtowels, etc.
TTT-I can see why you’re in love with your Tappan-it’s big, it’s purty, it lights! …..even better than a princess phone.
The flair always makes my heart go thumpa thumpa, but that Tappan Fab 400 is neat-o.
I love the maytag dutch oven. There is one just like it for $50 at our swell salvage place, sans the well cooker. I’ve been trying to get someone interested in it for over a year!…it’s in Oakland.
Our 1930’s Spark stove is now serving well. It’s a good thing hubs had to do a total break down and restore, because that was the only way it was going to get in the house. All cast iron-that baby is heavy!
Now that we are going totally 20’s-30’s, I have come to love the long legs on our stove, hoosier, etc. You can sweep right under everything. Kitty likes it too, of course.
FYI- Oakland CA is an epicenter of old stoves. Wedgewood and O’Keefe and Merritt were made here, as were Spark. Lots and lots of good ones around here. Wanted the local connection ourselves. I probably shouldn’t think it’s so funny that the SPARK stove factory burned down in the 1940’s, but I can’t help it. Oh, Spark, ya kill me.
TappanTrailerTami says
Chutti – Love your Spark stove (and what I can see of your floor) and yeah, I “get” the spark irony of the factory burning down…..sad, but funny.
Is it ok if I contact Pam to get your contact info/email? I’m right in San Jose and would love to meet up with you…maybe lunch and some salvage salivating?
chutti says
By all means!
Hubs is from SJ, and we make the junque rounds there sometimes.
Thanks for props on the floor. It’s vct hubs just finished installing in the attached looong hallway as well. Now, I can finally go look for one of those neat old floor polisher thingies. We’ll have pix once all of it is shiny.
Would be fun to play thrifting.
TappanTrailerTami says
Chutti – email sent to Pam to get your email address. And kudos on what looks like a GREAT job on the floor by your hub! Can’t wait to see more pics!
Patrick Coffey says
These pics are awesome…….just to let the owner of the stove in picture 34 know….their pink Frigidaire is from 1964 not 1954 and I have a 1964 Frigidaire Range Catalog that shows their very stove. If that stove were a 1954 Frigidaire Range it would have rounded corners and it would be Sherwood Green, Stratford Yellow, or White. Frigidaire did not ad pink to their color palette until 1956
tonya says
The pink stove is mine, as of the final signing of the papers today. Yes, you’re right on the year of the stove. The house it’s in was built in 1954. Sorry for the error in my words.
Patrick Coffey says
Congrats on your new house Tonya I hope you will share more of it on this site once you get settled in it.
Jane / MulchMaid says
Congrats on your new home, Tonya! I hope you enjoy many years of fun and retro bliss in it!
Diane in CO says
OMG, I was hoping someone might post a V-Handled refrigerator!!! Is yours (1953 Philco V Handle) the one that opens from either side, depending how you push down the “V” – to the left or right? My family had that refrigerator in the early ’60’s at our cottage in MI (now long gone.) It was very groovy – I remember my Dad just loved that thing! How I wish I had that ‘fridge.
Thanks, whoever posted that.
Diane in CO says
Here’s some online info posted by Ramona:
V-Handle Philco – about $6500.00 restored.
I’ll be doing some posts on my blog The Vintage Appliance Forum ramonasvintageapplianceforum.wordpress.com/ about the V- Handle soon.
Here’s what I know so far – designed by Harold van Doren, was considered the top-of-the-line refrigerator for Philco, only produced 1 1/2 years (so expensive few models were sold). It is considered the “holy grail” of vintage refrigerators).
hannah says
Love everything. And yes, that aqua, atomic star vent hood is da bomb!
I cannot participate in this uploader sadly, because I have no vintage large appliances. I’ve looked, but either things are too far away (I can’t pick them up because we only have a Toyota Corolla), too tall (we could have had a Flair) for our space, or the timing is off. Plus, pickin’s are slim in southern Maine for such items.
My dream would be Lauren’s Frigidaire/GE avocado stove because, besides the style of it, I love the idea of the extra prep space on the side.
So, I’ll just sit back and watch the show this time around. Great theme, and lovely eye candy. 😀
kim baker says
Oh boy, I was hoping the stove I grew up with would be here. It was the
Tappan Fabulous 400!! Haven’t seen one in years!
TappanTrailerTami says
April – re: dishwasher…..if you aren’t an absolute purist: old dishwashers are pretty hard to come by, they just didn’t seem to hang on like refrigerators and stoves, and I think it is mostly because they just don’t clean as well (generalizing here) as the newer technology so they went to the landfill.
Here is an idea if you aren’t totally bent on authentic vintage:
Buy a tall tub with single handle dishwasher – something like this:
http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/GDWT608VWW.html
Have the handle removed, take it to the auto paint shop and have the prior handle holes filled, and the case painted to match your fridge/stove, and then install a genuine GE vintage handle on the front – this looks to match your current stove or would be very close:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-STOVE-PARTS-Sears-Kenmore-Classic-Antique-50s-Gas-Range-Oven-Door-HANDLE-/150882975157?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2321537db5
Just an idea for you. I bought a similar style and added chrome trim to the handle to “go with” the vintage stove. I do love how much better it cleans than the circa 1977 model I had before (worthless!).
April says
Tami, we had thought about getting this one painted, but you’d still have that ugly white top portion. I LOVE your suggestion of the flat front with the chrome handle, what a great idea! Thank you so much 🙂
That beautiful pink stove, what an amazing color!
Wendy, your flair is so cool, and I’m totally loving your kitchen. Perfect 🙂
Janet in CT says
April, I totally agree with Tami on what to do for a dishwasher. Unlike stoves, fridges and dryers, dishwashers and washers just did not survive. If the case itself survived, it probably leaks or has electrical problems and is unusable. Tami’s suggestions are right on, unless you want to stay true to period and just install it for looks, and use it to store pots and pans and turkey platters!
cheryl m says
added a photo of our chromey-and-white 50’s Kenmore “Super Deluxe” range… you may have noticed in the photo that we have 2 not-matching knobs on the front…. after years (YEARS!) of searching (including emailing photos to every single online vintage stove restoration or parts service we can find) we have sourced a couple replacement matching knobs, but are still 2 short of a full set.
This is a close-up of the original knobs we are looking to match:
http://i711.photobucket.com/albums/ww120/bemocked/knobs_zpsaa09634f.jpg
If anyone ever sees a 50’s Kenmore stove with knobs that look like this, or has ideas of where to get spares/extras, we would be most grateful for the contact info? Thanks.
cheryl m says
(oops – meant to post that as a new comment, not as a follow up to the dishwasher thread)
pam kueber says
LOVE IT LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
TappanTrailerTami says
Hi April, glad you liked my suggestion. The one other thing you can do (this is what I did) – I ordered my dishwasher in white since everything else is white and will stay that color. It has a single handle similar to what I posted, and because the handle is also white, and fairly flat on the surface, I bought 1 inch wide chrome automotive trim to put on it. I’m doing the same on my refrigerator door handles since I don’t have a vintage refrigerator (sob).
I only mention this possibility also as it would save the trouble of removing patching and remounting a different handle…….of course, for yours, I’d still paint the whole thing turquoise, including the handle, and then mount the chrome trim 🙂
Best of luck to you!
April says
Janet (up above), and Tami.
I totally agree. A new one is the best way to go. I’ve seen a few vintage dishwashers on blogs here and there where they’ve restored them, or even more rare, found an old one in mint condition, but I know that would be an impossible find. Tami, your suggestions have me ready to take this on! Thanks so much for your help 🙂
TappanTrailerTami says
Hi April,
If you elect to go with option # 2, and just add chrome trim to the existing handle, let me know and I’ll tell you where I ordered mine from. It comes with the self stick tape already on the back….I think it was about $40-50 dollars for a 25 foot roll or something close to that. Enough to do 3 handles on my fridge, and the d/w handle.
Rachelle says
Sorry to bother, but I believe that I have a stove like yours? Pic in Stoves is #91. Do you have a Model # for this Tappan Deluxe 1950 Stove? Any clue where to find a knob & replacement orifices to change from propane to natural gas?