Why You Should Keep An Eye Out For These Vintage Planters At Your Local Thrift Store

One of the most inexpensive places to find planters and other yard decorations is the thrift store. You can even reuse thrifted glass for stunning decor and amazing effects in the garden. But did you know a colorful planter might be worth a small fortune? Keep an eye out for certain vintage planters from Gainey Ceramics and that nifty find could be worth up to $1,300.

That's not a typo. Yes, more than a thousand dollars! It's all about collectors' obsession with the mid-century modern style of Gainey Ceramics. Formed in 1949 by James Gainey, the California company became known for high-quality outdoor ceramic planters in sleek designs that flew off the shelves in the 1960s and 1970s. It was also well ahead of its time as a sustainable company, dedicated to using recycled materials and helping the environment. It went out of its way to create ceramics better suited for plants, so it incorporated its knowledge of how to plant in ceramic pots into the design of each planter.

Gainey Ceramics stopped producing pottery in 2013, and since then, the vintage planters have just risen in value. You can find original Gainey Ceramics selling from $100 a planter to well over a $1,000. The interesting tidbit is that these unassuming planters might not even look like anything special as they tend to have clean, simple designs in a multitude of colors, mostly neutral earth tones, but also bright reds and yellows. So how can you spot these valuable planters if you see one in the wild?

Gainey Ceramics tend to be simple and unassuming planters shaped like cylinders, large bowls or chalices. They come in a number of colors, but many of them fall into the muted earth tones of the 1970s, like orange, avocado green, or mustard yellow. The best way to figure out if you've got an authentic Gainey is to flip the planter over. On the base, you might see a hand-carving declaring it was made by Gainey Ceramics in La Verne, California. 

Some planters might sport a Gainey Ceramics stamp on the inside bottom of the container. Other planters will have a sticker on the inside as well, with the Gainey Ceramics logo. All Gainey Ceramics were hand-crafted in the U.S., so most all identifying markers note that it's "Made in the USA." Old Gainey Ceramics catalogs still live online, so you can check those out as well. 

Keep in mind there are a lot of imitators and knock-offs out there, so if the pot doesn't have a stamp or carving, it will be a lot harder to prove to collectors it's authentic. Make sure to look for that stamp or carving on the planter to be sure. And even if you don't find any rare collectible ceramics, a trip to the thrift store can still be a valuable one for the garden. Grab some coffee mugs off the shelf and you can reuse the old mugs to make charming planters for the garden.