27 Vintage Items Reveal Their Hidden Beauty

Everything old is new again, and unique vintage items are seeing their own renaissance! From cobwebs and dust to wood-rot and rust, all these vintage treasures needed to reveal their hidden beauty was a stitch of time, a slather of soap and a spark of imagination.

Vietnam War Trench Art Lighter

Made from used artillery shell casings, the fashioning of art lighters kept men occupied during long hours in battle trenches, and were saved as keepsakes of their time at war.

After

To restore this lighter, each shell was hammered out of the case, and every piece was scrubbed and polished after being soaked in a chemical solution to remove the rust.

Antique Grape Press

It's not as retro as stomping grapes with your feet, but an antique grape press produces far more juice. Used in the wine-making process, the wheel and press mechanics extract maximum juice from the fruit.

After

Every piece of this press was dismantled as part of the restoration process. Each slat of oak was hand sanded, and the rust was removed with a metal grinder.

1969 Ford Mustang

This first-generation pony car led the way for other sporty, compact cars in the late 60's. A little bit of muscle with some slick styling made this Mustang an instant classic.

After

After years of neglect, this beauty was plucked from the bushes and thick overgrowth by a car restorer who painstakingly brought the Mustang out of its rusted shell.