Everything Else blog

New York World's Fair Collectibles

Suzannetique — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:15:00 GMT

1939-40 NY World’s Fair History

For their first major fair, New York’s civic leaders chose 1939, the 150^th anniversary of the 1789 inauguration of George Washington at Federal Hall in New York, the nation’s first capital. The fair’s design board included such visionaries of modernism as Norman Bel Geddes, Raymond Loewy, Henry Dreyfuss, and Walter Dorwin Teague.

Building the World of Tomorrow: the Trylon & Perisphere

The Trylon, a 610 foot tower, and the 180 foot diameter Perisphere became the signature structures of the fair, and may be the most recognizable of all World’s Fair icons. The empty Trylon was connected via a spiral walkway called the Helicline to the Perisphere, which housed an exhibit called Democracity.

A Brief History of the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair

The year 1964 was chosen to celebrate the 300^th anniversary of the founding of the colony of New York by the British. Robert Moses, chairman of the Triborough Bridge and Transit Authority of NY was appointed president of the Fair Board. Moses had been active in promoting the Flushing Meadows site for the 1939-1940 World’s Fair, in the hopes that the profits generated would be sufficient to redevelop the site into a city park, but in this, he was disappointed. The 1964-65 fair provided a second chance.

Peace through Understanding: The Unisphere

The Unisphere, a huge metal globe was the signature and central structure of the fair, and stood in the location of the Trylon & Perisphere of 1934-35. The open grid work globe sat in the center of a vast plaza, surrounded by a reflecting pool and fountains. Constructed by U.S. Steel, the 12 story, 120’ diameter globe perched gracefully on a slender three pronged base. Encircled by three orbiting bands commemorating international achievements in space travel, the Unisphere was meant to portray the Fair’s theme, “Peace through Understanding.”

1939 World’s Fair: Collectibles, Souvenirs & Memorabilia

An overwhelming majority of the collectibles from this fair feature images of the Trylon and Perisphere. These items were fabricated of the common materials of their day, including celluloid, Bakelite, and wool. Prices have come down for ’39 World’s Fair items, possibly because nostalgia oriented collectors, especially those that attended the fair as children, are selling off their collections, or at the least, no longer buying. A Bakelite Trylon & Perisphere thermometer I purchased in the ‘90’s for $60 or $70 regularly brings only $30 or $35 today.

1964 World’s Fair Collectibles

While many of the ’64 Fair collectibles feature the Unisphere (which still stands in Flushing Meadow Park) it isn’t as universally recognized as the ’39 symbol. More than any other fair, the 1964-65 fair was a celebration of industry, and the emphasis was on the corporations and manufacturing, and many of the souvenirs are corporate handouts. You can still get a small metal tray for $6 on eBay, but a hollow plastic brontosaurus from Sinclair Oil will set you back $27. I wish I still had mine.

Zippo- An American Classic

Suzannetique — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Popular with military history buffs, Zippo lighters have done their bit in every American war, and had a starring role in war movies since 1933.

Zippo is Born

George Blaisdell watched across the table over dinner at a country club as a friend struggled with a bulky imported cigarette lighter, and figured that a man in a good looking suit needed a good looking lighter. He bought the American distribution rights to his friends Austrian lighter, refined the workings, named it Zippo, and an American icon was born. Known for reliability, Zippo almost didn’t make it through the depression, but in 1937, advertising featuring a curvaceous blond lighting her cigarette in a strong wind with her Zippo ran in Esquire, and demand for the blonde’s lighter of choice took off.

Zippo Goes to War (and the Movies)

It was World War II that catapulted the Zippo brand to fame. American GI’s found that Zippo lighters worked under almost any weather condition including rain, wind and snow. Blaisdell soon received contracts from the US military. During the war, the company’s entire production went to the armed forces. Every ship in the Navy had its own souvenir Zippo for crew members to purchase, and many did. Zippo has played a part in every American war since WWII.

War correspondent Ernie Pyle, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and General Douglas MacArthur all wrote to Blaisdell with praise for the lighter’s reliability, with Ike noting, “It is the only lighter I’ve got that will light at all times. . .” The company also has dozens of letters from veterans describing how a Zippo in a pocket deflected a bullet or came in handy heating up rations. Zippo lighters appeared in From Here to Eternity, Bridge Over the River Kwai and Sands of Iwo Jima. James Dean flaunted his Zippo in Rebel Without a Cause.

Collectible Zippos

Zippos continue to be a popular collectible. In addition to military issues, advertising and commemorative Zippos abound. There are Mercury and Apollo space mission lighters as well as a moon landing version. Special advertising editions have been produced for Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Lucky Strike and Camel Cigarette.

Manufacturers of tractors, trucks and gasoline have commissioned Zippo to produce lighters with their company logos, including Texaco, Grumann, and John Deere. These examples, and those of companies that no longer exist are highly sought, and sell for $50-$300. These lighters are engraved, embossed, etched, painted, or silk-screened.

Zippo’s Flame Flickers

Zippos continue to be manufactured in the original plant in Bradford, Pennsylvania, but the business is trouble, in part because of the virulently anti-smoking attitude of today’s society. Equally problematic is the business of piracy. Forbes Magazine recently reported that unauthorized factories in China are cranking out as many as 50,000 counterfeit Zippos per day of a quality is so high that the only way they can be detected is by pulling the lighter apart, and looking at the works under a magnifying glass. Zippo management is fighting a continuing battle, but with companies outside American jurisdiction, the fight is going badly. It’s unknown whether counterfeiters are reproducing vintage Zippos, but collectors would be well advised to purchase with care.

aircraft display models

Jade — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:51:00 GMT

2 mahogany display models, representing united airlines, approx. 1946, one is a cut-a-way view and the other is a full wing display. each is approximately 24 inches long. does anybody have any ideas about these two,(I acquired them from a family member who was employed with united many years ago.)

Autographs up for Auction

ummmjamiesha — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:33:00 GMT

Autograph collecting has always been a popular, in fact it is believed to be one of the oldest forms of collecting. It even has a name, the term philography means autograph collecting. The most valuable autograph to date is WIlliam Shakespeare’s. All Six of the authenticated Shakespeare autographs are in museums but if one went up for sale it’d be worth $5 million dollars. Still today, autograph collecting is alive and well all over the web. Check out this video of Harry Potter fans in France getting autographs from the actors in the films.

April 26, 2008 several in person autographs are going to be auctioned in Oceanside. The autographs up for sale in the auction include The Three Stooges, Vivian Leigh, Ronald Reagan and John Lennon among other huge celebrities. There are autographs from entire casts of broadway shows, and there are even signatures from the Apollo 11 crew available for sale in the auction.

As exciting as autographs are, they are one of the easiest collectibles to fake and finding their value can be tricky. Sure comic book collectors are asking themselves “how do I value comics?” and antique collectors are wondering “how do I value antiques?” but autographs are even trickier to value than those items. With comics or antiques you can always check an antiques price guide or a comics price guide, but for autographs you might need a real expert to value collectibles that can vary so much.

A few things to remember when trying to determine the value of an autograph are as follows. Who signed it? The fame of the person and the availability of their autographs directly determines value. What has been signed? Letters which provide insight into a person’s personality are much more valuable than a napkin. A baseball for a baseball player, a guitar for a musician. These things can determine value. Lastly, what is the condition of the autograph. If you can barely read it, that might take the value down a notch.

By Jamie.

My Last Day At iTaggit

kborg1 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Dear iTaggit Users,

I would like to thank you for your patronage to my blogs, as I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for you over the past eight months. Today is sadly my last day at iTaggit, but I could not be handing over the reigns to a cooler blogger. You may have seen me mention ummjamiesha and her collections in past blogs, and Ms. Jamie is indeed my successor. I look forward to taking part in iTaggit as strictly a user now, and will enjoy reading Jamie's contributions to the site. Thank you again for all of your comments and encouragements in the past. They certainly helped me develop my skill.

Keep on collecting!

-Kristen

Retired Betty Boop Figurines from Danbury Mint w/authenticity cards.(8)

jarbot — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:06:00 GMT

I have 8 retired Danbury Mint Betty Boop Figurines for sale. They are cast in porcelain and resin and hand painted. I also have the authenticity cards to go with each one. I believe the going price for each now is $80.00. I will sell the 8 as a set for $500.00. Please feel free to contact me via e-mail @ jarbot826@yahoo.com. Pictures to follow.

Garfield

tlgregory — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:21:00 GMT

A friend of mine has a set of 28 yr old garfield plates. He wants to know their approx value.

Holday Gifts - Oh What Fun!

annemarie — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:25:00 GMT

This morning found me spilling my espresso in a sleepy daze, and trying to be positive, I noticed that I had half of a shot left. Of COURSE I was going to make more - but now I have a shot and a half of espresso - on the "glass half full" side of life :)

Christmas is always such a special time of year. I have a wonderful family and group of friends, and I am always very pleased with the thoughtful, unique and cool gifts I get. I wanted to feature two of these presents today. The first is this awesome video of 50s and 60s fashion news reels - very entertaining and very thoughtful for a fashion whore like me! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Item Name:50s and 60s Fashion Reels	Category:Movies	Value:$30.00

Content Generated - 12/28/2007

Title:	Fashion Flashbacks!
Studio:	VidCat Productions
Format:	DVD
Genre:	Vintage Fashion News Reels
Condition:	Excellent

Notes:
This is a great collection of vintage fashion news reels from the 50s and 60s. There is a male announcer who says the corniest things at the end of each reel - but it's a great view at high fashion from the period. Shorts feature swimsuits, couture, shoes, hats, ready to wear and more! Highly entertaining for any fashion lover.

The second is this amazing massager - I requested one, as all the time spent sewing and crafting can lead to some rather nasty soreness. Just a few days before Christmas, my Mom pinched a nerve in her back and is still in very severe pain. I knew this gift had come right on time, and took it over to massage my Mom. She enjoyed it too! Thanks Sarah and Cat!

Item Name:Thera Spa 15-speed Professional Percussion Massager	Category:Electronics	Value:$100.00

Content Generated - 12/28/2007

Title:	TheraSpa Massager
Product type:	Hand Held Back Massager
Brand:	Brookstone
Condition:	Excellent

Notes:
This powerful massager uses pulsing acupressure nodes and three massage programs to provide a massage unlike any other. Like a professional session, our versatile massager not only works away knots and relieves tension, but also enhances immune system efficiency, releases trapped toxins, promotes circulation and produces endorphins (ârunnerâs highâ). Three modesâsoothing, therapeutic and stimulatingâprovide unique massage experiences. Or choose one of 15 speeds for a custom massage. Nodes may be adjusted to three separate widths to accommodate various body areas and frame sizes. Ergonomic handle with minimal power kick-back. Auto shutoff after 15 minutes of uninterrupted operation. 12-foot cord. UL-listed.

The connection between the two is that I can massage myself while watching this cool DVD! Coming soon on the blog: New purse designs, Post Holiday crafts, and MORE fabulous jewelry :P Blog by Anne Marie Beard

Time To Organize Holiday Gifts

kborg1 — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:09:00 GMT

Hello iTaggit friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! I was very pleased when some of my items from my iTaggit wish list appeared under the tree this year. I especially look forward to setting up my new green iPod mini! I hope all of you comic collectors out there received some great collectible additions, all of you antique and art aficionados acquired new pieces to be displayed in your homes, and of course all of you entertainment enthusiasts added new games, music, and dvds to your shelves, but all of you must be sure and add them to your iTaggit collection and share them with the rest of our community! There's no time like the present to get started on your birthday wish lists, and our Gallery is a great place to find ideas. I look forward to seeing what you all add, ask us if you need your collections valued, and I hope you have a happy new year!

The Bag Lady's Collection

kborg1 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:18:00 GMT

They say one person's trash is another's treasure, but check out the level to which this "bag lady" has taken collecting to in THIS VIDEO.

Its going to take me a few times to try to catch all of the things she has compiled in her house. I did not see any memorabilia, antiques, or comics which are usually included in some form or another in an avid collectors keepings, but that's not to say they aren't there. See what all you can spot.

TIAS Is A Great Site To Find Collectibles

kborg1 — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:07:00 GMT

TIAS is a great website for finding collectibles like antiques, comics and baseball cards! Check out some of the great stuff I found there:

This is a beautiful 1908-1912 Dr. Pepper “King of Beverages” Vienna Art Serving Tray. It is 10 1/8” in diameter. Overall, the seller quotes the tray at a C-9. The color is bright and it is difficult to find a Dr. Pepper tray in this good of condition.

This fine vintage advertisement for a 1953 beer is in excellent condition but is slightly yellowed. It measures approximately 10” x 13 ½” and is suitable for framing. The ad itself depicts various scenes of people talking by “Douglas Crockwell” entitled “First Catch Of The Season”.

This is a Mickey Mouse book published in 1939 and is 429 pages long. It is illustrated completely in black and white. It is 3 5/8 inches across by 4 ½ inches tall, the front and back covers show slight wear, and the pages are not flat against the spine, but all in all it is in good condition for being a children's book from 1939!

This 1957 Vintage Ice Capades Program (18^th Edition) is complete and in excellent condition with slight wear and slightly yellowing pages. It measures approximately 9” x 12” and features “Madame Butterfly, Walt Disney's Fantasia, Carmen, Schuhplatters, A Salute To George Gershwin”.

This 1940's Hula Girl, Bathing Beauty Clock is a rare item. It is made of metal and measures 12 ½” at the top of the palm tree and 10” wide at the base. It is in excellent working condition with its original cord still in tact, and has overall retained its original painted colors well. The Carriers US Patent Number is 221402355, which is a 1939 patent date.

TIAS serves approximately 190,000 unique customers a day and about 600 merchants use the TIAS system, listing well over half a million antiques & collectibles for sale online. It has been building e-commerce systems for merchants who sell antiques and collectibles since April of 1995 and is considered to be the Web's oldest and largest online antique mall. Start your search today!

Get Your Closet Back In Shape

kborg1 — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:55:00 GMT

As the weather changes and the super sales continue through the holiday season, it is quite possible to max out your credit card and your closet space. iTaggit will always be here to help you inventory and organize your collection of clothes, but for the everyday real world, I found these little tips that might help you manage through the muddle.

(as originally written by Nancy Redd at AOL)

Closet Crisis: Not having enough hangers has created piles of clothing on the floor.

Storage Solution: Stock up on good, solid hangers that will keep your clothing in line. Hate hanging clothes? Perhaps you can make it fun with wooden hangers with your favorite sport's team logo or scented hangers for your nicer outfits.

Closet Crisis: Shoes sprawled all around the closet are making it hard to match pairs and are unnecessarily taking up a lot of space.

Storage Solution: Take advantage of an underused space for your shoe storage with a shoe rack over your closet door. You won't believe how much extra room you'll create!

Closet Crisis: Hanging up sweaters stretches them out, but piling them on the floor looks sloppy and is taking up too much space.

Storage Solution: Keep your sweaters organized and in shape with a sweater shelf hanging organizer.

Closet Crisis: Your belts are all over the place and your ties are wrinkled and creased.

Storage Solution: Keep them neat and organized with a motorized tie rack.

Closet Crisis: Bulky coats are taking up too much closet space, and your closet isn't a good place to store your wet umbrellas.

Storage Solution: Bring these items out of your closet, but keep them close by in an attractive wood coat rack and umbrella stand.

Closet Crisis: You've got a really tall closet, and a lot of airspace is being wasted.

Storage Solution: Make the most of your closet height with an add-a-rod, which will give you extra rows to hang up your items.

Closet Crisis: Your extensive hat collection is extending out of your closet and into other spaces.

Storage Solution: A cap rack will keep your hats in pristine condition and out of the way.

Closet Crisis: There just isn't enough room for your out-of-season clothing to stay closeted.

Storage Solution: Keep your unneeded clothing safely stored under your bed or in other locations besides your closet with air-tight space bags.

Closet Crisis: You've got your clothing under control, but you're still misplacing your jewelry.

Storage Solution: A jewelry organizer acts as a mini-closet for all of your jewelry when you're at home or traveling.

Closet Crisis: Your closet just isn't big enough, no matter how much organizing you do.

Storage Solution: Never fear, an extendable-portable garment rack is here to create more space for your storage needs.

Need help getting through your piles of collectibles? Let iTaggit help! We help manage collectibles for those who need it most. Organize collectibles by creating new collections on iTaggit to group them in. Show them off in our Gallery and send them to your friends to check out or add to. Research collectibles like your own through our search option and add to your collection or wish list. Whatever it is that you seek for your collectibles, iTaggit will help you out.

Collectibles Eye Candy

kborg1 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:58:00 GMT

What fuels a collector to collect? How does one start? Would you say you started piece by piece over the years, or did you suddenly take interest in something and began buying everything you found of that genre? Luckily collecting does not have to be an expensive hobby, and most everyone has a collection of some kind, whether they realize it or not. Collecting has certainly been around since the cavemen era, when the hunters would create and collect tools for hunting and making shelter, so in some of my spare time, I decided to research collections on the Internet that had some zany or kookie qualities to them, just to see what I could find. Check out some of the stuff I found out there:

Air Sickness Bags:
Curator Steven J. Silberberg brings us the Air Sickness Bag Virtual Museum. He writes that Air Sickness Bags are art. "One can tell a lot about an airline's image from their Air Sickness Bags. Some barf bags are no more than a baggie with a twist tie, while other sick bags could win international design competitions. Are they art? I think so. You decide." He also posts that he has never been out of North America and is single.

Chocolate Wrappers:

Martin Mihal, of the Czech Republic, collects chocolate wrappers from all over the world. He created his chocolate wrapper indexing site to "popularize this hobby, let anybody browse chocolate wrappers from five continents, and to find new collectors of chocolate wrappers in the world to exchange chocolate wrappers and cooperation." As of January 31, 2006, Mihal has 38,579 wrappers from 99 countries.

Fat Collectibles:

Bill and Becky Sherman, of Illinois, have a number of collections, but my favorite one for its oddity is the fat collectibles collection. Though they do not shed too much light on the story behind the figurines and books, they do share an interesting hobby which Bill introduced into their relationship, and which I now bring to you.

Rum Bottle Labels:
Petr Hlousek, of the Czech Republic, is a member of the Curiosities Collectors Club from Prague and an avid collector of rum labels from around the world. He has 6,407 labels from 98 countries, 4,046 of which are unique. He also has 366 full bottles of rum from 38 countries. Lastly, he lists 2,832 labels that he does not yet have, and asks for help from the cyber-community in obtaining them. His collection is categorized by country and then further dissected by region of the world.

Soviet Calculators:
Sergei Frolov has a rather large collection of Soviet calculators, about 150 models in fact. Although I couldn't understand some of his site for language barriers, he does have several models missing from his collection that he is actively seeking out.

And Last But Not Least.....
Drum Roll Please....

Tissue Box Covers!!!!!!!:
A lady of unknown name or origin has been collecting decorative tissue box covers for a decade now. She purchased some through mail order catalogs, but really began to increase the size of her collection when she found an eclectic assortment of them on eBay.

Collections bring passion and interest into the lives of those they enrich. Like any other hobby, avid collectors give a structured purpose to their free time so they can amass and organize collections. Keep on collecting and showing off your stuff for the betterment of the world!!! Or at least us here at iTaggit!

star treck

Ginkmeister — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:07:00 GMT

got these from a friend about 4 years ago..sstamped on the back 1987 paramount pictures corp.

Signature of Roy Rogers & Dale Evans

Ginkmeister — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 22:19:00 GMT

I was giving this after the passing of my mother june 1 2007 she met them in a restaurant and got their signature..