Celebrating 250 Years of the American Spirit: The Finest Antiques, Art, & Collectibles from Sea to Shining Sea
The years 2025 and 2026 will be significant milestones for the United States. In 2025, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the “shot heard around the world,” marking the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution. The following year, 2026, will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We are introducing a new feature to honor these momentous occasions that will showcase the finest antiques, art, and collectibles from all 50 states.
As “The Aloha State,” Hawaii is known for being a welcoming state and a tourist destination. There is no shortage of vintage Hawaiian goods to bring home to remember a visit. Hawaii has many unique characteristics, including being the most recent state (50th) admitted to the US, the only state not on the North American mainland, and the only state with a tropical climate.
Folks are usually familiar with the big islands such as Maui, Kauai, and the aptly named “Big Island,” but did you know that the state comprises a Brobdingnagian total of 137 islands? Hawaii was originally settled by Polynesians, boasts glorious natural scenery, and is also home to the United States Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest naval command.
All these attributes contribute to what you may find of Hawaiian origin on the antique and collectibles market.
The Brady Bunch & Tiki Culture
If you are from a certain generation, when you think of traditional Hawaiian vintage goods, you likely think of traditional tikis, thanks partly to The Brady Bunch. America’s iconic Brady Bunch family traveled to the islands in 1972’s “Hawaii Bound” 3-part episode, which many folks remember as the time Bobby Brady found a tiki idol at a construction site, which subsequently seemed to “curse” its wearers, including Bobby, Peter, Greg, and even Alice.
A “tiki” is the first man ever created, according to Māori mythology, and has been translated into hand-carved wooden figures over the generations in various Pacific cultures. Today, tiki culture has been alive and well ever since its debut in the mid-20th century. Collectors of everything tiki have no shortage of figurines, barware, clothing, and jewelry featuring tiki designs.
Stick with this type of tiki goods if you want to avoid curses. For true antique tikis, be sure to understand the provenance and sourcing of the item before purchase so as to remain sensitive to its cultural heritage.
Aloha Shirts
No collector of vintage Hawaiian goods is lacking in Hawaiian or “Aloha” shirts. While new Hawaiian shirts can be found in every shop on the block, collectors interested in vintage examples must do a bit more hunting.
What should you look for in vintage Hawaiian shirts? Look for classic brands like Hale and Kahanamoku, with the entire periphery of the cloth tags often sewn onto the garment. As with all vintage garb, condition is king, so look for excessive wear and tear. Some vintage Hawaiian shirt material was super thin to keep cool and comfortable, but as a result, some of these tops don’t always stand the test of time.
Hawaiiana to Disneyana
Hawaii appears in many places in contemporary (and mainland) American pop culture, none so much as Disneyana. Can you believe that a Disneyland “Enchanted Tiki Room” trash can sold for $9K in 2022? Hawaii is prominently featured in the “It’s a Small World” rides at Disney theme parks, and Disney film fans are well familiar with the classic Lilo & Stitch movie, where an orphaned Hawaiian girl is raised in part by a big-toothed, Smurf-blue, genetically engineered “dog” named Stitch.
Lovers of all things Hawaiian and Disney get a double bang for their buck with these crossover collectibles.
Mahalo, Elvis
Once Hawaii became a state in 1959 after the Hawaii Admission Act, it also became a popular vacation and honeymoon destination, generating no shortage of souvenirs, lore, music, and pop culture back in the Continental US.
Who can forget Elvis Presley’s glut of Hawaiian ditties, along with his three iconic Hawaiian films: Paradise, Hawaiian Style, Girls! Girls! Girls!, and of course, Blue Hawaii. 1961 Elvis Presley “Blue Hawaii” tiki mugs routinely fetch a few thousand dollars on the secondary marketplace. Elvis continued to vacation on the islands for decades, and even in the 1970s, would perform onstage in Vegas with a lei around his neck.
Other vintage goods making it back to the mainland during these mid-century decades include masses of tiki-themed barware, gorgeous travel posters and prints, and just about anything with a hula dancer on it as a memory of a trip to The Aloha State. In any event, collectors and travelers can’t go wrong with picking up a bit of vintage Hawaii. As Don Ho once said, “I believe Hawaii is the most precious jewel in the world.”
Amy Moyer is the proprietor of Antmuffin: Art, Antiques & Collectibles. She holds a B.A. in Visual Arts from Brown University and lives in Boston.
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