WHAT IS A VINTAGE VIOLET? ~ The official age is 25 years and older. Many vintage violets are extremely hard, if not impossible to find.
A violet dated
or earlier is Vintage.
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 a new "Classic" class that is being adopted by some violet clubs. Now you can show your 15 to 24 year old "Classic" violets.
A violet dated between
and
is a Classic.
WHAT DATE ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT AND HOW DO I FIND IT? ~ Hybridizers spend
years crossing violets, growing out the seeds, looking for
unique and beautiful results, from which they will choose the
most promising plants. These they will grow out at least three
generations to make sure the plant remains true. Let's say the
hybridizer has chosen several plants from the dozens grown from
a cross, and decides to register two of them. Those two will
then receive registration numbers and dates. The hybridizer may
also list the unregistered plants in a catalog for sale or in
the Master List (see below). In
that case, the first date an unregistered violet appeared would be the date to use.
If your violet is
registered with the AVSA, you can find the registration date in
the
African Violet Master List or in the
First
Class 2 computer program. Search for your violet by
its full name (such as Granger's Carnival, because
Carnival is a different plant by a different hybridizer. Unless of
course your plant is actually Carnival). If your violet is listed
you will now have the registration number, date and description.
If your violet isn't registered you might still find it listed (name and
description only) or you might need to look in older Master Lists. It is a
good idea to find some fellow violet enthusiasts or club members to help you
look. They may already have Master Lists or the First Class 2 program to refer
to. First Class 2 also has pictures of many violets.
It is of utmost importance that the
full original name is kept with the violet. The full name is
important because if your violet is named
Optimara Little Ruby but
you only wrote Ruby on the pot, that is confusing because Ruby
is a different violet. There are literally thousands of African Violets.
Contrary to what you may have recently heard, it is virtually 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 a "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.
Be sure to read
Is it OK to ID my Violets?
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 late 1970's or early 1980's.
Hybridizing violets was their life work. Their registered violets range in date from 1954 to 1980.
The June 1954 issue of the AVSA magazine lists their first introductions: El
Capitan, Calumet Queen, Curly Top, Tokay, Pink Lad, and Calumet Rose. At the
time they were located at 607 Hoffman Street, Hammond.
I purchased Kaper and Topps from their greenhouse after they moved to
Highland. They are named but not registered. Local African Violet
enthusiasts believe the greenhouse was still in operation as late as 1983,
which would be 10 years after the Richter's officially ended their mail
order business. The Richter's announced the retirement of the
mail-order business in July 1973, but kept the greenhouse open for local
business until the greenhouse was damaged by a spring storm.
MY VINTAGE VIOLETS ~ RICHTER
| Bambino (Richter) Light blue
double. Dark plain shiny. AVML number 3* Semiminiature
(User Database) *unregistered violets from 1966 to 1976. |
 |
 |
| Bon-bon (843) 12/17/1956 (F. Richter) Double pink. Girl foliage. Semi-miniature. |
| Chenille (92) 11/29/1954 (F. Richter) Single dark purple
ruffled. Supreme. Standard. |
No photo available
|
 |
| Kaper (F. Richter) Semidouble-double pink with ruffled white edge. Medium green, wavy. Small standard.
(purchased from Richter's Greenhouse, late 1970's) |
Richter's Charm Song
(1137) 08/19/1959 (A. Richter) Double light blue. Ovate. Standard
I was gifted leaves of this plant that was purchased
at the Indianapolis State Fair in 1970. |
 |
 |
|
Richter's Pearly Shells (1607) 03/30/1966 (F. Richter) Double medium pink. Ovate, quilted. Large |
| Topps (F. Richter) Single/semidouble medium-blue. Dark, quilted, red reverse. Standard.
(purchased from Richter's Greenhouse, late 1970's) |  |
 |
| Sherbert (2534) 03/27/1974 (M. Steele/F. Richter) Double lavender two-tone/variable white. Light green, plain. Standard
Another gift from a violet collector. |
| Softique
(1957) 07/09/1969 (A. Richter) Double pale pink. Ovate, quilted, fluted.
Standard |
|
 |
| Tipt (F. Richter) Single large lavender/purple tips. Standardd> |
OTHER VINTAGE
|
Amethyst (12) 11/26/1957 (Armacost & Royston) Single
red-orchid. Heart-shaped, quilted, glossy. Standard |
 |
 | Happy Harold (2169) 02/01/1971 (Rienhardt) Single red-wine. Variegated, plain. Standard |
| Neptune (AVS48) (Armacost &
Royston) Single medium blue-violet. Ovate, cupped,
quilted. Large |
 |
RECENTLY FOUND ~ TWO VIOLETS HYBRIDIZED BY ALICE RICHTER:
Renee (946) 11/16/1957 (A. Richter) Double medium blue.
Plain girl foliage. Standard
Richter's Green Dawn (1138) 08/23/1959 (A. Richter) Double
pink/green edge. Ruffled. Standard
Richter Violets - Registered Varieties List
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.
