A fun, seasonal item to collect is a harvest-pattern vintage tablecloth, great for family gatherings with a nostalgic flair.

Karen Humphries, owner of The Vintage Table, says the 1930s and 1960s are particularly good eras for printed cloths with harvest motifs. “Some of my favorite tablecloths are the two-color linens of the 1930s,” says this printed tablecloth aficionado, who described a 1930s linen orange and brown cloth adorned with gourds and fall flowers.

Many 1960s cloths have a harvest look due to the popularity of autumnal colors such as golds and browns. Vintage printed tablecloths from the 1960s feature turkeys, pumpkins, gourds, acorns, in linen, cotton, or blends. There’s also a heavy linen that feels like burlap, says Humphries. Such noted manufacturers as California Handprints and Vera made harvest motif cloths.

“The 1960s cloths can be quite reasonably priced compared to earlier vintage linens,” she adds. Prices for the 1960s printed tablecloths can start as low as $10 or $20; the range for 1930s and 1960s harvest-patterned cloths in general runs from $30 to $75 in sizes ranging from 52 inches square up to 60-by-80 inches.

“Typically, printed tablecloths were made for the kitchen table, so it can be hard to find them in sizes big enough for a really formal dining room table, but some of the 1960s cloths are big enough for a Thanksgiving gathering,” says Humphries.

A word to the wise: Humphries says a new book about Vera tablecloths (Vera Textiles: Add Color to Everyday Fashion, by Jeannette Michalets, 2006, Schiffer) is driving the prices of Vera cloths up.

For more information about vintage tablecloths, check out the Web site of the Vintage Tablecloths Lovers Club.