WHAT IS A VINTAGE VIOLET? ~ The official age is 25 years and older. Many vintage violets are extremely hard, if not impossible to find.
Where do I find Vintage Violets? You may find them for sale online or from commercial violet sellers, but your favorite vintage violet may be as near as your neighbor, your family, or local club.
NOW YOU CAN SHOW YOUR CLASSICS! ~ There is new a class called "Classic" for violets 15 to 24 years old that is being adopted by some violet clubs.
It is of utmost importance that the original name is kept with the violet. There are literally thousands of African Violets. It is impossible to identify a violet that has lost its name.
What's so important about the name? The name of the violet preserves its identity. The name provides a way to reference the hybridizer and any other information, including a registration number and date. A vintage violet with this information might be very valuable. Without it, it is just another "no-name" or NOID (no ID). Many "no-name" violets are lovingly grown by their owners. That is not to say they are any less beautiful without their names.
I grow a few vintage violets and the list of those hybridized by the Richter's is growing.
WHO ARE FORREST & ALICE RICHTER? ~ The Richter's had a greenhouse in northwest Indiana (see an ad from 1972). I bought violets from them in the 1970's. The Richter's retired the mail-order business in July 1973, but kept the greenhouse open for local business for about 10 years until the greenhouse was damaged by a storm. Hybridizing violets was their life work. Their registered violets range in date from 1954 to 1980. I purchased Kaper and Topps from their greenhouse in the 1970's. They are named but not registered.
MY VINTAGE VIOLETS ~ RICHTER
Bambino (Richter) Double powder blue Plain Semiminiature (User Database) (leaves down)
 | Bon-bon (843) 12/17/1956 (F. Richter) Double pink. Girl foliage. VINTAGE Semi-miniature |
Chenille (92) 11/29/1954 (F. Richter) Single dark purple ruffled. Supreme. Standard (leaves arriving soon)
| Kaper (F. Richter) Semidouble-double pink with ruffled white edge. Medium green, wavy. Small standard. |  |
Richter's Charm Song (1137) 08/19/1959 (A. Richter) Double light blue. Ovate. Standard (leaves down)
Richter's Pearly Shells (1607) 03/30/1966 (F. Richter) Double medium pink. Ovate, quilted. Large
 | Topps (F. Richter) Double/semidouble medium-blue. Dark, quilted, red reverse. Standard. |
Sherbert (2534) 03/27/1974 (M. Steele/F. Richter) Double lavender two-tone/variable white. Light green, plain. Standard
Softique (1957) 07/09/1969 (A. Richter) Double pale pink. Ovate, quilted, fluted. Standard (leaves down)
OTHER VINTAGE & CLASSICS
| Happy Harold (2169) 02/01/1971 (Rienhardt) Single red-wine. Variegated, plain. Standard |  |
Babe (3312) 02/03/1978 (R. Nadeau) Semidouble fuchsia. Plain, pointed. VINTAGE Miniature (grows more like a semiminiature)
I AM LOOKING FOR THESE VIOLETS HYBRIDIZED BY F. or A. RICHTER:
Calumet Beacon (85) 12/21/1954 (F. Richter) Double blue and white. Round, spooned, heavy. Standard
Richter's Indiana Doll (1179) 09/01/1960 (F. Richter) Double pink and green. Ovate. Standard
Tipt (F. Richter) Single large lavender/purple tips. Standard
Richter's Green Dawn (1138) 08/23/1959 (A. Richter) Double pink/green edge. Ruffled. Standard
Richter Violets - registered varieties
My own hybrid, a cross between Kaper and a no-name pink. 1980. The flowers are huge but the peduncles (flower stems) are way too long, so I have not registered it.
