At several antiques shows this month, you could buy an early Italian "stone" peach ($325), walnut ($55-$95), bunch of grapes ($135), or strawberry ($70). Rarer and more expensive are stone vegetables like peapods, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots, and potatoes, each worth about $160 today. In the 1950s, an artificial fruit display was probably composed of fruit made from plastic foam balls covered with pins with colorful heads. Now artificial fruit and vegetables look very realistic and are made of hard plastic. Prices for all artificial fruit have been going up every year. Look at house sales for bargains.
What's the history of artificial fruit? Stone fruit carved and painted to look real was displayed in a fruit bowl as a decoration starting in the very early 20th century. Earliest were fruits made of white carrara marble, made in Italy until about 1950. By the 1970s, the fruit was spray-painted and not as brightly colored. Then alabaster fruit from Mexico became popular–the shiny, polished pieces are still sold. China also makes similar fruit, but it's not made of marble. Read more about it here.
Photo Credit: House of the Ferret Traditional Antiques
Having seen the fruit article, I just picked up two sets of glazed ceramic fruits from the estate sale of an individual who was deeply into ceramics and antique pieces. The take on them said Hedion or Hedy ceramic fruits, but I can find nothing with that name. There is a tomato, a pear, an eggplant (I think_ and a red pepper or pomegranate in each set. Any info anyone can provide would be most welcome!
I made my mother the beaded fruit you speak of. It is styrofoam balls with beads slipped over long pins and inserted into the styrofoam. She kept that fruit on her coffee table in a bowl which was a wedding gift of theirs. She has since passed away and I now have that bowl of fruit. It is priceless to me!