A single vintage Santa salt shaker from a 1970s salt and pepper set, sold on his own. Hand painted and lettered "Santa's," he glances slyly to the side, bringing retro Christmas charm to the cocoa tray or mantel.
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Maker: Unmarked
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Materials: Ceramic, hand painted
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Dimensions: 3.75" tall × 2" wide at its widest point × 1.5" deep
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Origin: Taiwan
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Era: Vintage 1970s
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Condition: Very Good Vintage condition with only a few tiny spots of paint loss. Original stopper retained. Please review photos closely before purchasing, as all sales are final.
Everything about this little Santa is made to charm. He wears the traditional red suit with white trim and black boots, with his features molded into the ceramic. His sidelong glance gives him a mischievous twinkle, as if he's just spotted the cookies. His original gold foil "Made in Taiwan" sticker is still attached, and his two shaker holes and original stopper are intact, so he's ready to work as well as to display.
A natural replacement if the Santa from your own set was broken or lost, and a delight on his own too. Fill him with cinnamon, nutmeg, or cocoa powder to dust over hot cocoa, cider, and other festive drinks, or set him out with the salt at the holiday table, he's ready to work as well as to display.
Inexpensive ceramic novelties like this were a fixture of variety stores and gift counters through the 1970s. By then, much of the production of hand-painted giftware for the American market had shifted from Japan to Taiwan and other parts of Asia, as postwar Japan's rising costs pushed importers to look elsewhere. Molded figural shakers in familiar holiday shapes stayed popular, though, and many were bought as small gifts or seasonal table accents and then packed away each January. A well-kept one that still wears its original sticker is a pleasure to find.
Also available: an earlier Santa salt shaker made in Japan in the 1950s, a little smaller, for the same look from a different era.
