Posted 13 years ago
Maggie-Dog
(8 items)
Yard sale find. Bottom says "Air Flite" by Plastics, Inc. St. Paul. Melmac. They made air plane ware, but these may have been created for use in the home. I'm not sure. The company went out in 1979 and that's all I could find... I love the air plane lines of the design.
Divine. Love them!!!
Thank you!!
very elegant. reminds me of eva zeisel.
THanks!
This are great! They remind me of the creamer and sugar bowl sets so popular in the 50s and 60s.
Thank you! I think they are from that time frame.
I should have remembered I had posted these 5 months ago... this is what your Melmac items reminded me of: http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/40378-vipstjert-creamer-andsugar-bowl-set-per?in=user
I think this involves a sad incident in US industrial history.
"Sadly what was once a huge plastics company, with offices employing many people both in their Headquarters at 224 Ryan Avenue in Saint Paul, and in their non-unionized Coon Rapids location would soon be gone. Don Pilla, a union worker, Machinists Lodge 459 died on March 29, 1979 when a truck crossed the picket line and struck him. What is left now, just a parking lot and the memories of a bloody union strike gone bad. "
http://retrochalet.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/rare-air-flite-atomic-melmac-by.html
The factories closed after the confrontations.
http://www.placeography.org/index.php/Plastics,_Inc._Headquarters,_224_Ryan_Avenue,_Saint_Paul,_Minnesota_(Razed)
You're truly amazing, vet!
Such a pity about the missing lid!
austrohungaro- Thanks for sharing! I loved your blue glass, beautiful.
vetraio50- I came across that same website the other day! Awful! I think the story may end there, unfortunately, but I'm going to keep an eye out for other pieces... possibly a creamer with a lid!? I think we've solved this mystery. THanks for your help!
Hi Maggie-dog.
Thanks again for sharing these pieces.
Those handles had caught my eye too.
I'd be pleased to hear anything more about the events mentioned.
Perhaps Don Pilla's name lives on with these items.