Woddity week continues here on Retro Renovation. Lookie this: A Universal Rundle bathroom sink faucet with sort-of lever handles that sit underneath a big clunky… spaceship?… turtle? This is pretty wacky — and wonderful!
We help Donna identify her mystery faucet!
And then UPDATE — reader Donna left a comment that her vintage bathroom sink had originally has a similar U-R faucet, only squared-off>>
Finally! Five years ago we purchased a small Aladdin kit home from the original owners who built it in 1959. Like many homes of that era, there was just one bathroom. However, the master bedroom had a long vanity with custom built-in drawers and a large oval sink with a wide sloping edge. The sink’s faucet was the most unusual and beautiful vintage plumbing fixture I had ever seen. Unfortunately, after a year of our ownership the lever for the cold water broke off. My husband took the faucet to a half dozen plumbing supply stores on the hope we could find a replacement part, but no one had ever seen anything like it! We scoured salvage plumbing parts to no avail.
By now, you have probably figured out that our faucet was a Universal Rundle! Our faucet was more rectangular in shape than the one featured in this article, and so unique I have kept it despite being broken. I spent countless hours trying to research it’s maker — but mistakenly thought it was “j/n”, not “u/r”. When we gave up looking for parts, we purchased and installed a new faucet that is complimentary to the vintage design of the sink. That was a real trick though, since the sink had only one large diameter hole designed to fit the Universal Rundle faucet. We had to get real creative with a repurposed escutcheon plate, but eventually we made it work. I must admit that It is nice to have the spout further from the back of the sink — esp. when rinsing toothbrushes! I’d be happy to send you a picture of the Universal Rundle faucet we own if you’d like to add it to your “woddity” file for Universal Rundle faucets.
[Pam emailed Donna for photos, and Donna added:]
(The j/n plate (upside down u/r) lifts off to reveal the installation screw below. The knob you see at the center back is the drain plug lever. The drain plug has the same u/r logo inscribed on it, but it is more faded due to wear. )
Your site has been a phenomenal resource for me over the past 5 years. THANK YOU! It’s my pleasure to send you the faucet photo. – Enjoy!
Universal Rundle Sink — New Old Stock!
But wait! The ebay seller also has an entire assembly — a vintage Universal Rundle bathroom sink. Looks like this turtle/spaceship faucet is specifically designed for the sink. The “shelf” is angled.
Precautionary Pam reminds:
When buying vintage — including New Old Stock — with the intention of installing it, be sure to research whether the item is up to current building code and safety standards. For example: Vintage lighting, even if new old stock, should have its wiring checked — and there may be other issues — get with a pro. Vintage plumbing pipes may not be up to current standards for, for example, lead. Get with your own properly licensed professionals to help you assess what you have so that you can make informed decisions. For more info see my Be Safe/Renovate Safe page.
New Old Stock hardware store being unpacked as we speak!
The first faucet faucet was among the finds of ebay seller nomoredrama4me, who told us in our story last week:
Indeed, I followed up with the seller, who said:
Thank you! I have literally an entire warehouse of new old stock items. It’s all very fun to look through. 100’s of sinks and 100’s of light fixtures. My father-in-law used to buy out old hardware stores in the 60’s and put everything he bought in a warehouse thinking he would go through it all someday and never did. He has given me free reign in selling it off. If there is anything in particular your followers like let me know and I will get it listed so you can have pics.
Read our first story: Hardware store New Old Stock – “100s of sinks, 100s of light fixtures”
To check out this rare vintage faucet… the sink… and to see the other items coming out of the warehouse daily, go to the following (*all affiliate links):
- New Old Stock Universal Rundle sink – yellow, with faucet
- Vintage Universal Rundle bathroom faucet
- Lots of NOS from an old hardware store
- Mac and Iphone and IPad users try this link instead — when you get there, look for the Search box that says SEARCH WITHIN STORE, then type in New Old Stock to narrow search.