Neat Vintage Department Store Gift Boxes

 Department stores used to provide some seriously cool gift boxes back in the day. (I'm sure some still do - but I shop at thrift stores now, remember?)
Joseph Magnin, I. Magnin, Liberty House, Weinstock's - they aren't even around anymore. These stores used to be inside some of the malls in the Sacramento area, and I always enjoyed going to the mall.
 I still do - it's just that I seldom make it into one more than once a year, these days. And I am not a big spender.
I have saved a few of these great vintage gift boxes for many years.
The first one I'm showing you is from Joseph Magnin, circa 1976.
I have been using it to store things ever since then; it was certainly too special to discard:

The next one is also from Joseph Magnin, either 1975 0r 1976:

I have old letters and cards stored in it.
The one you see below is from Christmas 1975, from Joseph Magnin, as well - the stars are on the top of the box, and the stripes you see are on the sides of the bottom of the box.
 I love the pink and green combination!
 This is a big box, a robe came inside:

(I store Christmas ornaments inside of that one.)
And here, below, is an even older Joseph Magnin box - a hat box. You see these fairly often at antiques shops (at least I have).
I've only got the one:

 And here's another hat box, below - this one from Macy's.
My mother-in-law had one of her favorite hats inside this one, and I think it's from the early 1960's:

 The stripes in the picture above are on the sides of the box, and in the next photo you see the entire top of the box.
Macy's stores in the bay area are depicted in some of the drawings, along with iconic landmarks:

 The last one I am sharing today is my most recent acquisition.
I spied it WAY up on top of a cabinet at an antiques shop in Jamestown, California.
 I knew right away that it was a vintage box, from the 1970's, I figured.
I told Lori,"That's a vintage box from Joseph Magnin, I can just tell be looking at it."
It was up so high that I would have needed a stepstool or ladder to get to it myself.
And the cashier was busy.

So I kind of hung around and waited until a tall gentleman was nearby.
He was kind enough to get it down for me.

I wish I knew who the artist was who designed this - I just love it:

Could have been John Alcorn - I'm not sure how I would ever find out:

Once I looked inside, guess what I found?
Yes, just as I expected, it was indeed from Joseph Magnin, but dated 1968!
Even earlier than I thought.
I brought it home and promptly filled it up with hats, and now it is back up high on a shelf where I have to get a stepstool to reach it...
but the difference is that I get to look at it every day.
And I'm so glad that somebody else liked it well enough to keep it in good condition all of these years, and so that I could find it and enjoy it, and add it to my small collection.
Because vintage gift boxes like these are SO cool - and useful, too!