In former generations, it was common to repurpose worn-out items so that they could continue to be used. This could be a means of controlling household expenses by modifying items originally designed for one purpose so that they could continue to serve another needed purpose.

Today, people are still doing this as a means of saving damaged antiques, a process called upcycling or repurposing, which seeks to reuse/reconstruct items to create a new product of higher value than the original. The success of recycling to create something better and more valuable than the original depends on several factors, including the basic value of the original item, availability/scarcity of the original item, and aesthetics of the new upcycled item. This article explores examples of upcycling/repurposing, some efforts more successful than others.

Example of a Successful Upcycle

As I’ve written about before, I have an extensive collection of Mirror Brown pottery, made in large quantities by various makers in the mid- 20th century, including McCoy and Hull, which are no longer in business. Something I would consider a successful upcycle would be the wall clock I have that was made from a Hull dinner plate. What made it a successful upcycle is that it doesn’t compromise the continued secondary market availability of the many Hull Mirror Brown dinner plates that one can use as originally intended.

The clock is a nice addition to my kitchen area. Is it worth a lot of money? No. Is it worth a bit more, at least to me, than a regular Hull dinner plate? Yes, even if I’m not talking about a big bump beyond the value of the original plate from which it was made. In any case, I didn’t buy it because of its monetary value but because of its practical usefulness, which has served me well for the past 20 years since I bought it.

Upcycled Parts for Lamps

Old glass companies usually had lamps among their products – and, of course, over years of use, those lamps did not always weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Missing or damaged parts could sometimes be replaced with other original parts.

More recently, though, we’ve seen lamps offered for sale that are not so much upcycled as “Frankensteined,” i.e., made with old glass items but not necessarily lamp parts. Some companies, such as Fenton, did make multiple use of their glass moulds; for example, a vase mould might also be used to make something else such as the base of a lamp. But there is an aesthetic knack to this, and while an original manufacturer usually had the talent to do it, it’s clear that some later entrepreneurs decidedly did not.

Peggy Whiteneck is a writer, collector, and dealer living in East Randolph, VT. If you would like to suggest a subject that she can address in her column, email her at  allwritealready2000@gmail.com. ​