This Vintage Find Is a Fun Way to Display Your Collection of Trinkets
If you’re a collector of small trinkets like marbles, tiny figurines, crystals, and coins, then you know how difficult it can be to display or organize your knickknacks. Rather than spreading them out all over the house (or, worse, keeping them locked away inside a treasure box), you can put them on a vintage printers tray that makes displaying your tiny things easy and beautiful.
“I am obsessed with this idea,” Merakiali from @merakialidesign said in a recent Instagram video. “I love the idea of using [trinket trays] for little bits and bobs that you and your kids might find. It can even make something like your shell or rock collection look really cool.”
The ones she shows in her video are authentic printers trays that you can source from secondhand sites like eBay or from flea markets and antique stores. Back in the days when printing was a manual process, letter stamps would go into each little section in the tray.
Antique printers trays are somewhat hard to come by, and can cost anywhere from around $50 to well over $100 depending on the size. If you can’t source one from a secondhand site or store, you can grab one from Pottery Barn right now for a little over $100.
It’s a large 12-inch-by-32-inch size and has a dark-stained antiqued finish to give it that authentic look.
For larger collectibles, you may have more success using old milk or Coca-Cola crates to display. They’re gridded similarly to the printers trays, but have larger and deeper sections that are better suited to bigger rocks, shells, or crystals.
Keep your trinkets all in one spot where you can appreciate them using one of these vintage trays. Your bits and bobs will look so good that you’ll have no choice but to continue collecting more!