#Vintage #Blenders #Mix #Smoothies #Style #WorthPoint
There’s no easier way to add mid-century modern vibes to your kitchen than the vintage blender—a stylish machine that mixes your smoothies with retro panache. When you purchase one, you’re investing in a sturdy kitchen time capsule that often continues to work better than its contemporary counterparts.
And who can resist their futuristic looks, replete with shiny chrome, straight lines, and colors like avocado green, warm gold, pink, mint green, and robin egg blue? Not only that, these vintage blenders feature clever marketing names such as “Cyclomatic,” “Galaxie,” and “Osterizer” to complement an era marked by a growing fascination with space exploration. This period saw television shows like The Jetsons and Lost in Space replacing classic programs such as Howdy Doody and The Lone Ranger.
Blender Champions
Two rival appliance companies—Oster and Sunbeam—dominated the market among the early blender manufacturers like Waring, Sears-Kenmore, Montgomery Ward, and Hamilton-Beach. Not only that, the Sunbeam–Oster story is very much intertwined.
John Oster Sr. founded his company in 1924 in Racine, Wisconsin, selling manual and, eventually, electric clippers to hair salons and barber shops. During World War II, the company made electric motors for military airplanes. The game changed in 1946 when Oster acquired Stevens Electric Company, whose owner had invented a drink mixer used widely in drug store soda fountains and a motorized electric blender that liquified food. With help from industrial designer Alfonso Iannelli (1888–1965), the cutting-edge “Osterizer” blender debuted with a stylish beehive-shaped chrome base and a rounded glass jar that forced food into the blades.
In 1960, the Chicago-based Sunbeam Corporation, already known for sprinklers, irons, and the Sunbeam Mixmaster and Mixmaster Junior models, bought out the Oster Company, acquiring its “Oster” and “Osterizer” brand names. The move made Sunbeam a formidable home appliance market contender. The company even emphasized its name as “Sun-BEAM—Best Electrical Appliances Made.”
However, in 2004, after years of sell-outs, financial scandals, and infighting, the Oster and Sunbeam names became part of Newell Brands, which manufactures most of its products in China.
Emphasis on Design
I watched a Cavalcade of Food episode on YouTube devoted to vintage blenders. Not only did host Kevin praise these hefty machines, but he also offered some obscure history. For example, the 1940s Waring “Blendor” was invented by prominent band leader Fred Waring to make mixed drinks, specifically the daiquiri, which required finely crushed ice. His patented blender features include the clover-leaf glass jar and a center cap with measurement markings to give a drink the perfect amount of shots.
While early blenders had perhaps one to three speeds, Kevin said, later models took speed to a new level. The 1960s Montgomery Ward blender dial allowed speeds from “Whip” to “Super High,” he said. “Like if high wasn’t enough, you have super high, you click it one more that’s like eleven on the amp, right? You know what I mean.” By the way, Kevin, thank you for that 1984 Spinal Tap reference!
And I must note that if you’re a child of the 1960s like me, you’d immediately long to push every beautiful button on the Oster blenders that began with “stir” and escalated in sound and fury to “liquify”—if you know, you know!
Lastly, Kevin noted that Oster made its blender base (the part that holds the blades in place) the same size as any Mason canning jar. So, for example, you can flip over a glass jar of whole coffee beans, attach the opening to the blade, and grind your coffee all in one step.
Collecting and Reselling Vintage Blenders
I recently spotted a 1970s Osterizer Pulse Matic blender in Harvest Gold at a Goodwill store in Indiana. Sure, its warm tones hid beneath ancient batter and grime, but it still had all its original attachments and powered up with fortitude, its array of buttons in working condition. For $3, I took it home with me. After some cleaning, I sold it for $35 in my Etsy shop, a testament to the potential profit in the vintage blender market.
Older kitchen gadgets are indeed built to be repaired, not replaced. That’s the difference between them and today’s products, primarily designed to have a limited lifespan, forcing the consumer to purchase a new one. It’s called “planned obsolescence,” and manufacturers use it to make more money. This practice also ensures our landfills continue expanding with needless junk, which really grinds my gears. It’s one of the reasons vintage blenders and other gadgets are always on my list for reselling—I know others like me love giving old gadgets a second life and fighting back against consumer waste.
If you’re a reseller and want to check out vintage blenders, here are a few tips:
• Consider non-working blenders. Remember that consumers are still looking for bases, jars, gaskets, blades, and other pieces to repair or add to their current model.
• Include the model number in the listing title and description if you intend to resell blender parts. Add a photo of the model number, and note any flaws you find in the product.
• Look for vintage blender attachments, like ice crushers and juicers, which you can sell separately. I’ve already found a new vintage ice crusher attachment still new in the box.
• Look for unique blenders, like those made by the La Belle Silver Company of New York. These blenders were less expensive and lined the shelves of local drugstores. You can spot them instantly with their metal lids and round glass carafes. They also come in several colors, like shiny copper, cream, and turquoise, and have that distinct mid-century modern look.
Work Partner for Life
Early blenders are gadgets that, once you get one, make you wonder why you waited so long. Consumers even share their sturdy kitchen partners on social media, like Reddit’s community thread BuyItForLife.
“Did everyone’s parents have one of these?” noted Redditor @Captain Bignose of a 1960s Oster blender. “Pushing those little rectangle buttons is a deep childhood memory.”
Between excursions to hunt for antiques and vintage décor, Lynda Houston is busy restoring her 1950s cottage in Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her partner, Dave Beck, operate TheRustInPeaceShop on Etsy.
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