Video Martyr

LSD - Saves You Money! Fun British Ads

2012-01-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

Who says LSD can't be good clean fun? I like how when you make a vague drug reference and attach it to a model - How easily the model begins to look drug-crazed.

OK, so this is post-post war England, but ...Minor Wounds!? Get that kid to a trauma center STAT!

This is a double! (Click to enlarge) First, I love the unnecessary extra redundant "S" to show possession. Maybe that's how the Irish do it? Second, The subtext that refers to this as the best non-alcoholic drink like e-ver! And then flips to say, "Aw heck, a little whiskey wouldn't hurt?" Just keep it on the down low. I suppose adding the whiskey is how the extra "S" gets added on "Hick!"

Embarassing Babies? Send them to the Hand cause the ears don't want to hear it!

2012-01-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

I just can't get enough of poorly designed, over-the-top ads, whose only intention was to be so ridiculous it would attract the attention of any page-turner to glance over and see what the fuss was. There are many better examples than this, but it is the depiction of these four disgusted adults who look more abhorrent that the poor sad baby.

Really, who wants to have a crying baby. They wake the neighbors, cause looks of disdain and get you kicked out of the bridge club on tuesdays...really! But wait! Dr Hand has the answer!

Apply it every day? As often as needed? "till teething is over? This kid is going to need his own wing at the Betty Ford Center. What is in this stuff? Well, at least it won't spoil his mouth or cause crooked teeth like those horrible teething rings? Maybe this doctor's quacking will stop the baby from crying.

Ad Quiz #15 - Solution - Dad's a junk food junkie

2012-01-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

There a really good social commentary song that I found through the old "Dr Demento Show." Who is Dr Demento? Well, back when Radio was fun. No, not the 30's & 40's when Little Orphan Annie was trying to sell you Oval-tine. I'm dating myself and talking about the 70's (respect to you gentle reader and whatever era was your favorite) when radio was owned by more than 2 companies and a few non-profits. It wasn't perfect, but they tried a lot harder to entertain with syndicated series and fewer computer-generated playlists. But let's get to the solution, and then I will reward you with a great comedy song.

Yup, slice up some dextrose and bake it into cookies and you have yourself a genuine "Steppford Husband."

It might actually not be a bad, though expensive, ingredient but now I sound like I've "sipped the Kool-aid" with a batch of dextrose-laced cookies. This cookie would definitely qualify you as an official "Junk food Junkie."

I have heard that The Twinkie has been asked to walk the green mile. It is amazing how this song, which was written in the 70's makes reference to products that are still around today.

Stanley is soooo Steamed!

2012-01-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

I know it's killing you...what is the answer to AD Quiz #15!!! Well, while you're thinking of an answer take a look at this box of dry plate glass negatives.

This has to be about 100 years old because it was around 1904 that the Stanley brothers sold their dry plate photographic negative business to Kodak. This was so they could focus on their main passion:

Francis and Freelan Stanley (twins) were born in 1849 and sold their first car in 1897. They lasted into the late 'teens finally succumbing to the "internal explosion engine" which could be made and sold for less money. Steam powered cars, theirs especially, set and held speed records and many other firsts for almost 15 years. The idea of a steam boiler on a car sounds dangerous, but their design was safe and no injury was ever reported from over heating.

Ad Quiz solution is coming! Submit your guess before the cookie-monster in the apron gets you!

Ad Quiz #15 - Dad? ANYTHING?....... O RLY?

2012-01-10T23:55:00.001-05:00

You know...that word...anything...There's a lot of open territory in that word. Dad looks a little over-anxious and may have over-bid on his desire for cookies. It is a great piece of art designed to further the manufacture of this product. Can you guess what it is?

If you guess correctly, I promise I will do anything.......within reason.

Solution coming soon.

Danbury News 1861 - Would you store a Hippo in Hippodrome?

2012-01-04T23:54:00.001-05:00

Every so often I have a "lucky" find. Right place right time. I have entered that same phrase into Google maps hoping to get directions but so far all I get back is: turn right at lady luck, then left to fortunate.

I must have tried those directions one day because upon request for old paper at a tag sale I was presented with this:

September 12th 1861. I know there are sites I can search that will give me any paper in America, but it is so much more fun hold the actual decaying fibers in your hand. There is plenty in here to enjoy, the old ads, opinions of McClellan as a leader of the Union army, and a letter from troops on the march. From a local History standpoint it was this that caught my eye:

It a good read right down to the description of the crowds' utterances.

Here are some of the ads common for the time, but the one up top is my favorite

It certainly is fun to lucky, at least once in a while.

Connecticut Post Cards circa 1904-07

2011-12-28T23:43:00.001-05:00

This set of post cards came from an estate sale in Redding CT. The number and condition were only half the treasure, the other half was the era and they were all from around Connecticut. I have featured some of them in earlier posts. Most recently the story of the Savin Rock amusement park in New Haven - go here.

Late last year I featured 2 posts about these cards the first one here, and the second one here.

Here is a selection of these post cards that as yet have gone unpublished. enjoy!

I apologize that the orientation isn't the best for reading the messages from the sender. You'll have to turn your monitor on its side or send me the bill from your chiropractor. If you have just landed on this article and want to read more about this collection of Connecticut post cards, take a look at my article on Patch.

60 years later - this gum might leave more than a chicle in your throat

2011-12-27T20:35:00.001-05:00

The art of urban archeology (oh, trust me, it's an art) is not about selecting something from a fine shelf of antiques and seeing gold in the resale. It is simply looking through the cast-offs of society to look for gems in the form of memories, discontinued products, local history, and hold them on this pedestal of a blog briefly before they are gone forever. Take this letter for example:


Click to read

This was a cute piece of correspondence from a father to his daughter. There is typical fatherly advice and a veiled threat of support to do something about her New Orleans boyfriend. The gem is the stick of gum and the nickel taped in place for 60 years. Long forgotten but kept as a reminder of the relationship she once had with "Pop."

When the label says "Always refreshing" I don't think they intended for someone to hang on to a piece for 60 years! I could chew it but,... only on a dare. This gum has a history which got me curious about the history of chewing gum.

Been around for 5000 years (not this piece)
Some ancients chewed gum made from resin, some from bark tar, and other substances all organic
The Aztecs and Maya harvested chicle from the chicozapote or the sapodilla tree.
Thomas Addams turns a failed business partnership with Mexico's General Santa Anna into a Gum empire.
During the WWII a shortage of chicle caused companies to develop a polymer based gum.
Today we chew a synthetic gum - hate to burst your bubble.

There is plenty more history, some of it suspect, because the sources are unverifiable. When I started this post I had hoped that I had one of the last chicle (organic) based chewing gum sticks, however, given the assumed time frame of the change in manufacturing to polymer based gums...darn!

I did discover that there is a company trying to distribute gum from the rain forests of the Yucatan peninsula in order to help preserve the region. The chewing gum is called Chicza and it's apparently made the "old fashioned" way and will not stick to clothes or sidewalks. It is even biodegradable. It may not be available in the US yet, but I believe it is coming.

The rise and fail of Christmas cards

2011-12-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

I don't want to seem like a Grinch so close to Christmas eve, but am I the only one who has difficulty picking out a Christmas card from a rack? The art work is usually sufficient, but then they need to throw all that smarmy repetitive syrupy language on top. It seems disingenuous, I mean, I can be syrupy if I want to. I don't need a ghost writer.

I have found a few cards while digging through the past, and I can present evidence that some of these really should have never left the rack

Actually, this seems to match the times, which is kind of depressing because this was printed in the 1940's.

I get the Scottie dog, but I don't know why they had to copy the dialect. It took several passes before I could understand this one from 1935.

Good old Walt didn't miss a trick and knew the value in strictly licensing his characters to the most reputable companies.

As my gift to you for making it to the bottom of this post I offer you these 2 options:

First, to learn a bit more about how Christmas cards really got started - read my latest Patch column here.

And now for something completely different -

Here is a video all about Christmas cards by Monty Python member and animator Terry Gilliam.

Could 2012 be the end?

2011-12-21T01:23:00.000-05:00

If this little guy isn't worried...why should we? Some of the origins of Alfred E Neuman have been covered in this blog here. He was of course popularized when he became the symbol/mascot of MAD magazine. He has been around much longer. The original artist saw him used (intentionally, I presume) in an ad from 1908 for a pain and fever tablet.

Anyway, back to the subject of this post. I think the fear that the world is coming to an end is good business for a lot of news outlets. Fear is a big seller and motivator, so if it saves a few jobs I guess I am all for mis-information. If you want the real truth...that's what blogs are for. Now, if the Mayans were still around and talking about the coming of the end...then I would be nervous.

How am I connected to a 70's football star? Through Batman, of course!

2011-12-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

At a recent multimillion dollar estate sale, I managed to find this bookmark in one of the books I purchased. I thought "How random is that?" Then, thanks to study of the phenomenon of "6 degrees of Separation," I learned that everyone on earth can be linked to anyone else by 6 common bonds or "steps". It's not genetics, I think of it more as coincidence and circumstance.

Thanks to FaceBook those 6 steps are now reduced to 4.75. I won't go in to the details or algorithms as to how they established that, but with the number of people using FB it isn't hard to see how. There is nothing earth-shattering about this study and to prove it I will give you an example promised in the title of this post. But first, take a look at Larry's stats:

They're a little hard to read, but then so is this concept. This weekend, I went to a tag sale at a New Canaan mansion designed by famous architect William Tubby. William Tubby also designed another famous mansion in New Canaan. This mansion has been used in the ABC production of the Batman series as the exterior shot of "Wayne Manor," or "Stately Wayne Manor" as I recall it from the show. I found this card inside the Mansion designed by William Tubby. If I hadn't been so impressed with the history of the mansion I wouldn't have wanted to buy something from it and would never have found the card.

From me - to William Tubby - to Batman - to Larry Csonka -See! I know it seems crazy, but at least I didn't try to associate myself with Kevin Bacon, who actually lives a few miles from here part of the year - Hey! See what I just did there?

To read more about the estate sale at the mansion follow this link to my articles on PATCH.

You're Cured! That'll be 50 cents, please.

2011-12-14T01:06:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered a tattered piece of paper from a pile dating from the 1890's. If it is any indication of the state of health care of the times, I have to say that in some ways we have come a long way...

However, I'm not so sure this isn't the original recipe for NyQuil. Hmm, Brandy and Rock candy...explains a lot. Oh well, so much for progress...

Victorian -era fun - Savin Rock amuesment park

2011-12-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

From the Savin Rock Museum website:

" (Over) One hundred years ago, Victorian families flocked to West Haven's shoreline to picnic, stroll along the four mile coastline, dine in the pier restaurants and especially, to enjoy an amusement park then called White City. Future generations arrived in electric trolley cars, automobiles and buses. Regardless of the mode of transportation, the trip to what eventually expanded to become the Savin Rock Amusement Park was a memorable one, indeed! "

When I find multiple post cards from a specific locale in a specific era I often want to learn more about it. This was a very elaborate park for the time which lasted from the late 19th century to well into the the 20th. It was completely demolished in the 1960's thanks to urban renewal.

I know these parks don't age well, but if I can ever get that time machine working, this would definitely be one of my stops.

Were Victorian-Era Women Dangerous? ...You'll get the point...

2011-12-01T23:35:00.000-05:00

Since the Vitorian era is generally considered over by 1901 with the end fo the reign of Queen Victoria the fashions and behaviors seemed to stick around much longer.

There isn't much of this young lady revealed so that I can back up my assertion, however the hat, high neckline, and fore-arm length gloves seem to match the era. This card is actually showing a post mark dates of 1911.


Click for a larger image

The provocative, almost "come hither" (and get skewered) look and title "danger" are indicators that maybe this was a time when women could be seen to emerge from their corsets and multi-layer dresses. Then again this could have been considered porn. The letter is difficult to read but indicates that there was some wild New Year's Eve party and not everyone has recovered...or been found. Think I might party like it's 1899 this year.

Ad Quiz #14 SOLUTION: How do you flush a toilet mask?

2011-11-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

Click for a larger image

It's hard to come up with text to accompany these ads sometimes....they just write themselves. I have seen smaller ads for this (yes, there are others) but this one had the most detail. I am assuming this is made out of rubber but as it is called a "Toilet Mask" maybe the construction should be porcelain?

Ad Quiz #14 Fad-ish or Fetish?

2011-11-27T19:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a gem from 1893. What was this called and what was it used for? The answer will be posted on Tuesday.

Happy Links-giving!

2011-11-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

Today is a good day to turn off the computer (after reading this post) and spend time with something that breathes, has a heartbeat...and eat something that breathed and had a heartbeat...you get the idea. Unless you're a vegan and then you may be happy alone with your salad. I am taking the day off to help cook Thanksgiving dinner. Actually, I am just going to try to stay out of the way and call in audibles from the sidelines - which will be ignored until I fall asleep on the couch. My sedative of choice? Dark meat and this beer:

I do have a really good story about cool finds and tag sales in November, so good in fact I wrote it into one of my weekly columns I have been creating for the Patch. It's about coincidences, and finds, and digs, and it very much involves this fellow here and his song.

Take a look at my story behind this poster here. Then come on back and go here to to see a live performance of that song at the Guthrie Theater in 2005. After all that, please let me extend my sincerest thanks for visiting this site and to the links on the left, many of you who have come here from site owners posting my updates or referring me in other ways - I am thankful for them as well. Have a great Holiday.

Who Shot JFK?

2011-11-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

I don't want to spend too much time memorializing JFK, he was a charismatic leader who surrounded himself with people he could trust - family and so-on. Unless Oliver Stone and so many other conspiracy theorists are correct - then I would retract that statement and say that he may have done a very poor job surrounding himself with people he could trust. My opinion of the presidency is now as it would have been in Kennedy's time -it's not a job I would ever want.

I do like coincidences, and it was only a few weeks ago when I discovered this in a pile of papers.

What would have happened if he had ducked, changed the route, or not gone at all?

Ad Quiz #13 Solution - Andy Warhol knew the answer all along!

2011-11-19T09:52:00.000-05:00

My tribute to Andy's visionary view of Pop Art.

It was 49 years ago this month that Andy Warhol's famous Pop-Art "Campbell's Soup Cans" made their New York debut. At the time this exhibit was not immensely popular and raised more eye brows and questions about its viability as art. However, the simple raising of the argument combined with his other works established his place in the Pop-Art movement making him one of the highest paid living artists at his peak.

I have to admit that the can's simplicity and visual appeal doesn't immediately allow you to dismiss it as "just a can of soup." I grew up on about a thousand cans of this brand, so maybe I am a little biased. I got the idea for this post from a needlepoint magazine I saved from the trash. Needlepoint doesn't usually grab me, but the year of this magazine did - 1929. Couldn't let it go.

This ad was born around the same time as Andy was, so it's possible he was imprinted with this image from the beginning.

Ad Quiz #13 No Glue? Try Tomato Paste!

2011-11-16T23:37:00.000-05:00

The title of this ad quiz is not a clue. I just can't get over how in your face this tomato is. My wife has a calendar over her desk that is 12 months of EXTREME CLOSE UP shots of prepared meals. Many food commercials are guilty of the same miss-guided visual message: Food was meant to to be chewed up and swallowed by the eyes. Some ad genius thought this was a good idea and maybe the above ad worked, or maybe a lot of ads were eaten in 1929. Either way this ad looks like the paper has to hold some of the tomato's flavor, or at least a bucket of red paint.

Can you guess the product?

He Digs! He finds..Tackle!...He scores!

2011-11-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

Look in every drawer, every corner, at every sale...unless it's "off limits." I will often pick up items I don't collect, although I now believe I'll collect anything, just because of the age or how it looks. This little spinner was never used and sat around thinking it would never catch a fish. Well, it caught me.

Any idea on how old this is, or why it never got used? Maybe they developed a more efficient way to catch sardines...instead of one at a time.

Practical Embalming...It's the only way.

2011-11-09T23:23:00.000-05:00

Same sale in which I found the Order of the Owls, I also found this map of New Haven from 1896. Unfortunately its condition is such that it may not survive any more scanning that just the 2 images you see here.

The map really has no indication of what it is a map of until you unfold it (carefully). These ads were eye catchers as I have always like the way those who deal in exit strategies for the human corpse still have to create ads that sound normal to the living. Though I am not sure, "Practical Embalming" has to do with following methods that are inline with a set of standards and practices established either by local laws or an embalmer's association. More, but not too much more than you want to know.

As I said, this map could probably take one more unfolding and that would be it. If you would like a special part of the city copied, let me know and I will try.

Warning!: This Post May Contain Graphic Depictions of Sects!

2011-11-06T00:10:00.001-04:00

Ack-ack-adak; Dak-acka-ack!

I have always been curious about secret societies. Skull & Bones, Freemasons, Odd Fellows,Water Buffaloes, Stone Cutters, etc. have filled the imaginations of those of us on the "outside" to question: What the heck are they doing in there? There is always the obvious contradiction that - if we know about them - how can they be considered "secret" anymore?

There are likely hundreds, possibly thousands of secret societies around the globe and though I am not concerned with exposing any of them, sometimes they end up exposing themselves to me. (That didn't sound right.) At a sale in Brookfield, CT last week, before Alfred came and blew it all away, I was able to find evidence of a sect I had never heard of.

This simple small fold was fashioned to carry the "papers" of a secret society know as the Order OF Owls.

The OOO was formed by John W. Talbot and a small group of his associates in November of 1904 formed this fraternal group. When it was founded, the order sought to assist its members in business and in employment, provide help to the widows and orphans of the deceased members, and to enjoy mutual fellowship with one another. This order has no relationship with the onetime Masonically related group, the Independent Order of Owls, that was organized in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1890.

The OOO has four degrees, plus the presence of a ritual, passwords, and fraternal grips. The ritual, as in most fraternal orders, is intended to be secret. The OOO publications (e.g., brochures) contend that its ritual has no religious elements. An older edition of the ritual states: "We advocate no creed. We know there are so many gods, so many creeds, so many paths that wind and wind. We believe that the art of being kind is all this world needs."

Membership has been open only to white males. During the early 1920s the OOO had over 600,000 members in 2,148 local Lodges, called "Nests." Since the 1920s, the order has been losing members rather significantly. Its 1979 membership roster has about 40,000 members.

Nowadays the order has Nests in five US states: New York, West Virgina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

The founder of the Order, John W. Talbot, was sentenced to five years at Leavenworth in 1921 as a result of a morals charge involving a nurse at the Owls' Hospital.

Local units, as noted, are called "Nests." The national governing body is known as the "Supreme Nest." Its main officer is named "Supreme President."

The preceding text was from the masonic museum in Phoenix, If you want to read more go here: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/owls.htm

Alfred, you really messed up the Bat Cave!!!

2011-11-01T21:27:00.001-04:00

Ugh, No power, water, heat, internet,TV, or phone since Saturday nite!!! Thanks to Nor'Easter Alfred.

COMING SOON!

Who were the the members of the OOO (Order OF the Owl) and what were they up to? And what exactly is a South Bend Spinner? The answer to these and other questions will be answered when things return to "normal" in Connecticut.

We now return you to your regular surfing experience...keep calm and carry on.

Albert Einstein's Business Card...relatively speaking

2011-10-26T23:52:00.001-04:00

So, what are the odds that I would find A.E.'s business card? If you've viewed some of my 236 previous posts, you might say, "Odds are, you did." Though, with any find you have to question the authenticity. Where did it come from? Who had it before you? and, If AE didn't hand it to you himself, doesn't that reduce the overall value? All good questions, but the most important one is missing...Do I care about any of those questions?...No. My own curiosity wants the answers, but from the standpoint of its value, it is worth every penny I paid for it, or I would have let it go.

The last thing I am doing when I walk into a sale is to look for the "Holy Grail" of a "find." For me, it is the whole experience - who I'm with - getting there - going in - searching - who I meet - what I find - what I buy. Have I passed a "Holy Grail" or 2? Probably, but sometimes, just the chance to look for one is satisfying enough. When I come across a real treasure, like the one above; I am more likely mesmerised that someone would go to the trouble to fool the holder, and in the case of the sale this past weekend, fool the holder numerous times.

These are just a few samples of a cleverly mounted and framed collection meant more to entertain and amaze, than cause an appraiser to faint. Lindbergh, Twain, Ford, Edison, Lincoln, Rockefeller, they're all here and at the bottom of the matte is a place to put your own card. A well done novelty item based on the axiom, "You're Judged by the company you keep."

This was an expanded post which mirrors my latest article in Patch (link coming) I have added more detail and information. If you came from there, or if you stopped by another way - Thank you! - you too, are in good company.

Now, THIS is a game for the Wii (pronounced WE as in We the people)

2011-10-22T11:56:00.001-04:00

Feeling bad because you can't join your brothers and sisters during the "Occupy" movement? This Xmas, right in front of your TV or computer screen you can...Occupy Marvin Gardens! Or Ventnor Ave., but don't try and take your money out of the bank -or- you'll Go to Jail Go Directly to Jail!

A little late for this invitation...but "Surprise!"

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

...Like 153 years late. This was found in an envelope of old papers, which I am now trying to determine how the papers are connected to each other. If anyone would like to volunteer with the research of the names below...please feel free. I mean, how many people could have lived in #14 South 3rd Street? No state is mentioned but the other papers indicate a Boston to Vermont connection of some kind.

Actual Size: about 2" x 3" but click for a larger image

What committee? Williamsburgh where? I hope the guest of honor was surprised. I know I was.

The dream "find" #1

2011-10-16T19:48:00.000-04:00

Since I can't always afford some of the things I see at sales, I have decided to launch a new series called "Dream Finds." Until I can afford an airplane hanger, I won't be buying these things, but I will be making a list - and checking it twice... or more. Christmas is coming, so should anyone ask me what I want - I'll be ready.

The first item in the "Dream Find" list is this office chair like no other (hold on):


Photo Credit: Charlotte Wright

Photo Credit: Charlotte Wright

Yes, it is the ejector seat from a fighter jet, mounted on a frame with a firm base and armrests. It's all there: 5-point harness (for those grueling conference calls), heavily padded seats and back cushion (for those 3-G corporate "changes" that catch you off-guard), and finally the ejector booster rockets for the 5 o'clock whistle (minus the actual propellant and fuses). Yes, it is for sale - from a unique company in the UK that only seems to sell a limited amount of cool stuff and is aptly named "When it's gone it's gone." Take a look for more images of this one-of-a-kind item.

Oh yeah, this is on the dream list. Papa like. Papa want.

Ad Quiz #13 SOLUTION - "Just ask Acetylene Jones"

2011-10-14T00:40:00.000-04:00

This was a pretty obscure contest. I do like the slow reveal sometimes. These image of the cat stealing the baby's breath is wonderfully macabre. To use it as a way to make mom read an advertisement - priceless. If you have time to read it, well, you are more patient and curious that I am. If you don't have time, just skip to my comments below.

I'm sure it was no joy to live in a house full of Kerosene lanterns, but.....Acetylene!? Really? It might have seemed a bright idea, or cutting edge technology...at the time. Though cheaper and safer, I am only familiar with the acetylene that is used as a torch to cut steel. Like any article/ad it tries its best to appeal to our fact-loving nature, but fails in the end when it pitches the reader to send for more info to.......Acetylene Jones!

Ad Quiz #13 Whatsamatta? Cat got your Breath?

2011-10-13T02:20:00.000-04:00

Thanks to programs like Photoshop, print and electronic ads are more fun these days. How else could you show the Amish - some oddly gigantic, some small - hard at work, shoulder to shoulder - some working on large mantles, some working on small mantles (right next to each other!) - without it?

The Amish Mantle attached to a "miracle" heater is just one of the many article-like advertisements that have been around for eons, and I mean eons. Wow! all those heaters running while they polish those mantles. That must be some kind of Amish sweatshop!

Of course the "articles" are required to include the word "advertisement" above in order to separate the chaff from the husk, but the eyes are more immediately drawn to the banner text and most people start reading. Buyer beware!

So, when I saw this charming little shocker in The Women's Magazine for 1904, I thought it would be a good opportunity to point out an early form of this same trick to shock and distract the reader:

I won't ask you to guess the product or service (too difficult, trust me) but how about if you try and guess the subject of the faux-article? Can you? I will provide a hint: It is not a public service announcement about the dangers of your kittah sleeping with your child. Place your guess in the comments below and I will announce a winner. For those of you who love cats, please enjoy my interpretation of early 20th century LULZ-Cats:

Thanks for guessing! Solution will be coming soon!

Thin is in, but fat's where it's at!

2011-10-08T22:22:00.001-04:00

It should be no mystery that body image is the number one motivator of Americans, at least based on the history of advertising. We have been brain-washed for over a hundred years, first with print and then in electronic media as well. It wasn't until my latest and greatest find that I realized how fickle the ads can be. I am not so gullible as to complain that all ads should be in concert and choose one solution, or one regiment for curing problems. But "media creates reality," meaning that if you ascribe to "perception is reality" then you've covered pretty much what advertising does all day (and night), re-enforces the perception of the products as the only solution. And who better to establish and re-enforce new perceptions to?

In my previous post I described how I got these, but I didn't know what they were until I got them home. Would I normally buy a stack of women's magazines? No, not unless they were a hundred or more years old, then, Yes! There were 13 in the pile ranging from 1904 -1907. Most of the cover art looks similar to the one above. A Victorian lady of the day lovingly illustrated by George Blake. I have not been successful in finding a biography of either the magazine or the artist. But, putting that mystery aside let's turn to self improvement.

These magazines have a lot of articles that I should probably be reading so I can get a real sense of the period, but the ads are much more fun. I really enjoyed exploring each page page and seeing the self-image vicious cycle.

Maybe the advertisers think this covers it? Or, maybe they'll never reach the multitudes in denial that feel they don't belong to either group. I would expect to see something marketed to the "perfect crowd," the problem is they don't need anything. The real confusion begins when these ads are placed right next to each other.

But wait there's more! These magazines were full of inappropriate, misguided, tasteless and damn funny ads. Weight loss was only one category. Look for more posts featuring adds from the these amazingly well-preserved pages.

An uncolored look back at the Great Danbury State Fair

2011-10-06T01:17:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of things I look for at sales. The one thing I enjoy finding about all other things is not displayed on any table or hidden in any attic...sometimes its just there. This weekend I was fortunate enough to have one of those rare experiences when someone asks you what you're looking for and when you tell them, they respond with: "Wait right there!" After leaving to search inside their home or garage, they return with something good. On this late September Saturday day it was...a coincidence.

What she handed me was a large pack of old newspapers. While it may seem I was only aiding and abetting her desire to recycle, actually she had some pretty interesting papers in those bundles. We struck what each of us felt was a fair deal and later that night while going paper by paper...inside was this 1969 coloring book from the State fair. The coincidence comes from the day it was purchased - right in the same period when the Fair would going on!...If it were still in existence. I call that a coincidence.

The Great Danbury State Fair began in 1821 as an Agricultural Fair. Local farmers brought forth their biggest pigs, their beefiest cattle, and sheerly beautiful sheep, as well as all the other animals down on the farm all to judge in competition with other area and regional farmers. This also included crops and baking, canning and preserving, and demonstrations of strength and control in oxen pulls. There were activities for the kids which grew into rides and shows, circuses and midway hawkers. It truly was a big deal for more than 100 years. Unfortunately, in 1974 the fair's owner passed away and the downhill slide began. Eventually, the land the fair was located on became more and more valuable for retail development. In 1981 the fair was closed and 5 years later re-opened as a large shopping mall named and designed in the theme of the State Fair. Difficult to replace more than 100 years of history, but one year after it was closed thousands of items were auctioned off and spread to the four corners of the collecting world. But, it is true that - "what goes around, comes around," and that's apparently how I ended up with this little commemorative gem.

Guest Author Bob Deakin wants you to meet: "Tony the Tagger"

2011-10-01T00:12:00.000-04:00

Tag sales are a tedious event for the homeowner but without the shoppers, it doesn't work. Most tag salers make a stop a couple times a year but some are professionals known as “taggers” for their years of dedication to the craft.

One glowing example is Tony “Tony the Tagger” Corso of Canton, CT. He earned his nickname by virtue of decades as a familiar face at tag sales and for being featured on both Good Morning America and Hoarders.

Corso comes off as a know-it-all talking about all things, and as cocky as a football player in a night club he explains his strategy for every sale he approaches.

“First thing I do at every sale is back my truck up the driveway. Right away they start showing me around and the prices drop like dollar bills at the strip club.”

Even those that don't know him quickly notice the tall man in denim strolling arrogantly through the throngs of shoppers with his trademark fedora tilted slightly to the left.

He's been attending sales throughout the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York area since Nixon was president and is known for his penchant for late 19th Century furniture and golden-age Hollywood memorabilia. He not only longs for artifacts but genuinely believes he is entitled to them. Whether it's an oak cabinet Thomas Edison might have owned or a poster of Betty Grable, Tony the Tagger is determined to call it his own.

He says one of the most memorable tag sales was held by a legend of stage, screen and television. Employing a dramatic pause and taunting this reporter with his good fortune, he elaborated with the tale of rubbing elbows with a star before divulging her name.

“Valerie Harper,” he said, slowly and deliberately, leaning forward in his chair with a wry grin, as if announcing the name of the first lady. He went on to detail the day spent at the star's home examining items for sale and the cozy conversation he struck up with her. He claims he spent several hours at the swanky estate and ended up rubbing a little more than elbows with the married actress.

It all began, he says, with a few innocent questions about her Victorian-era armoire, which led to a personal tour of her movie memorabilia collection from the 40s and before he knew it, they'd locked eyes, both leaning over a vintage cocktail table from the 50s when their hands touched for the first time.

“You can't put a price tag on what I walked away with that day,” Corso says, smiling, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head.

Asked if he was alleging to have slept with Ms. Harper – made famous by her role as next-door neighbor 'Rhoda' on the Mary Tyler Moore Show – Corso asked with a wink, “Who said anything about sleeping?”

Hello? Who said anything about even meeting this jerk?

While Corso is well-known amongst tag sale hosts it doesn't always equate to admiration.

“He's a jerk,” says Helen Fink, owner of a palatial estate in Greenwich, CT, worthy of Bruce Wayne and his ward. “He walks in like he owns the place and makes low-ball offers on authentic hand-made pieces from the 1800s like they're cheap TVs. He's married and spends more time hitting on me and the shoppers like he's at a strip club.”

Complimented for the coincidental strip club analogy she doesn't bite on an offer for further comment.

“My next door neighbor, Jean, hosts estate sales for homeowners every summer and this guy's been showing up for years,” says Carol Showalter of Norwalk, CT. “He's so full of himself he even gave himself a nick-name; 'T-Tag.' Jean refers to him as 'D-Bag.'”

Told of what the estate sale hosts said of him Corso doesn't even blink, choosing instead to explain the difference between an authentic Universal Studios poster and a fake. Asked what motivates him to continue his week-to-week performance attending sales year after year, Tony holds up a first-generation "Mr Coffee" and conceitedly quotes baseball great, Joe DiMaggio.

“There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time and I owe him my best.”

Confronted with the fact that very few children go to tag sales and even fewer show up to see him, he downplays his role as a local celebrity.

“Ah, I'm just a simple man with simple tastes,” he states, again with a wink and a grin. “Who can resist a 19th Century gem or an authentic framed Casablanca promo? I also can't help it if the ladies can't resist a tall, confident, handsome man in a fedora.”

Perhaps they can't, but when it comes time to get rid of an old relic, a warm body with a wallet often seems irresistible.

Mrs. Showalter was later asked if any of Jean's clients, by coincidence, were TV stars in the 1970s and said no, then looked up, curiously.

“You know,” she remembered, “everybody always tells Jean she looks just like the next-door neighbor on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

Thanks for another interesting tale from the tag sale trail, Bob! You can read more of Bob Deakin's work by visiting his site here. I'll be keeping my eye out for the notorious T-Tag.

Out to Lunch

2011-09-28T00:24:00.001-04:00

This post is for the kids. A lot of what I do is for the grown-ups, but what about the younger set? What do they get? Well, back in the 60's any self-respecting manager of an Hawiian NCO club on the grounds of Hickam A.F.B. would need to do something...or lose the non-coms with wives and kids. Kids menus in restaurants always have the things they love, but few went as far as this odd menu.

Cute enough, though I don't know why there's just a girl on the cover, or why she looks like a boy.

An astronaut meal without freeze-dried, dehydrated anything! and not even served from a tube! I'll pass.

Same goes for the Flipper Special. If the Flipper on that plate wasn't "faster than lightning" then he can't be that fresh. ( can you sing the words to "Flipper?")

Someone was willing to take a shot at Fred, but not Mr Magoo? Or Herman Munster? Talk about chicken on the menu! I think I'll try to forget this meal with a good stiff drink! The Roy Rogers was cola and grenadine syrup with a maraschino cherry. Can anyone tell me what was in the "Munsters Delight?" Hope it wasn't ketchup.

Guest Author Bob Deakin Returns: Take a letter Maria...and read it!

2011-09-27T00:07:00.001-04:00

(While editing some changes Blogger burped and brought this post to the top. Oh well, it's a good entry from Bob. Enjoy this re-post)

I have an open invitation to anyone (and I mean anyone!) who would like to contribute a story of something they've discovered either at a tag sale, or their own attic, basement, or garage. I have been thrilled to receive several story's in the past 2 years because, well, it means I get a night off. My friend Bob Deakin whose own site is on my list of favorites has found something within a "find" and in his own way is looking to connect, or should I say 'correct' the previous owner.

Letter to the Owner of the Nakamichi Cassette Deck

By Bob Deakin

5/10/11

Dear Maria Santoro,

You don't know me but I feel compelled to write you regarding the cassette tape player I just purchased at a tag sale in Bridgewater, CT. I found your Eustis, Florida name tag and address inside of it when I started cleaning the tape heads and oiling the rollers.

It's a beautiful deck. Nakamichis were some of the best decks available in the early 1980s when this was manufactured. Looks like you took good care of it and for that I thank you very much. Quite forward thinking of you to put your name on it in case it was ever stolen or lost, which I hope was not the case with this one as I intend to keep it.

The reason I am writing is because of the cassette you apparently made and left in the deck. It was a mix tape you must have made some 30 years ago and I have listened to it a number of times and am impressed with many of the musical selections. It's not every day I hear Eddy Arnold doing a soul song or Glen Campbell singing Jimmy Webb.

What does not impress me is the ebb and flow of your unruly assortment of songs. Early on Side A you follow Jose Feliciano's “Light My Fire” with Elvin Bishop's “Fooled Around and Fell in Love.” These two songs could not be any more different in feel, construction, style or even time period. One is a Spanish acoustic guitar driven ballad while the other is pure blues rock.

This sequence has me puzzled.

Another combination I have a big problem with is Richard Harris's “MacArthur Park” followed by Seals & Crofts “Diamond Girl.” What we you thinking? An Irish actor singing a dramatic, lyrically confusing love song followed by an American duo know for their ultra new age religious beliefs?

Bad segue and it detracts from the quintessentially American wholesome, sunshine feel of the Seals & Crofts piece.

Late on Side B you made the awkward decision to include Ronnie Milsap's “It Was Almost Like a Song” followed by “If Loving You Was Wrong I Don't Want to be Right” by Barbara Mandrell.

Emotional confusion anyone?

First of all the Luther Ingram version of “If Loving You...” holds ten times the emotional impact over the Mandrell version but I'll give you a pass in that Mandrell's country sensibilities work better on your tape. The two songs should not follow one another, however, in that Milsap's song laments a genuinely innocent lost love while Mandrell's song selfishly brags of an illicit affair that everyone should be ashamed of, including you for putting the two songs back to back on your tape.

I could go on but I'll keep the criticisms to a minimum. The quality of the tape was good and living in Eustis, FL in the early 80s surrounded by nothing but orange groves, pickup trucks and Richard Petty fans you must have had a lot of free time on your hands to over-think the choreography of your musical mix.

Sometimes too much thinkin' makes for bad thinkin'.

I will hold onto the tape if you don't mind but if you really want it back send me an email or a self addressed stamped envelope and I'll put it in the mail. I can even, dare I say, burn a disk of it if you want, but the audio levels of your mix are so dynamically inconsistent that I fear the audio to digital conversion will sound like crap on your home stereo, computer or whatever contraption you listen to music on these days.

I wish you the best of luck and thank you again for taking good care of this deck. I get the impression you are a nice person and I think we are – to some extent – kindred spirits in our musical tastes. The Nakamichi still works well and will sound even better with some maintenance and more sensitivity to musical selections.

Sincerely,

Bob Deakin

P.S. I mean no disrespect but next time leave more than one second between songs. A more dramatic pause makes for better listening and the music search feature requires at least two seconds to work properly.

Women can Fly?!? Airline tickets are $1?!? This I gotta see!

2011-09-22T23:11:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, I do have a lot of scraps of paper. Some of it is meaningless and was only kept because it merely tagged along with other scraps of paper I have found. Some of it I knew would be interesting if I could locate the back-story.

In the 30's air-flight was a still a novelty. It was new and developing. Anyone with the will to dare could get a license, learn to fly, and maybe even buy a plane. It wasn't for the poor, more for the rich and adventurous. There were many small airfields that cropped up as this new technology grew into business opportunity. Crop dusting, fire watching, mail transportation, and even flight training were viable trades created by the advent of flight. There were many opportunities for somebody with ideas and a plane and there were also folks looking to experience flight first hand.

These are 2 sides of the same ticket (Pardon the color shift.) which came from a very beat up scrap book at a Danbury, CT estate sale. Every so often I will find one of these sentimental compendiums and curse the family for not keeping it, and also curse the owner for the concrete-like glue that damages these paper gems. Regardless, the ticket face above was proof for the holder that they had experienced the thrill of a lifetime, or at least the experience of the century. More exciting than this thrill was that patrons of the Interstate Airways Corporation, on any given day, could have been the passenger in a plane piloted by...a female! (Please excuse the intonation that women can't or shouldn't fly...I am still working on the sarcastic font called "Sar-talic" which would clearly indicate the sarcasm intended.) This one little ticket led me to the most interesting lady...

Read the (back) story I "landed" from this Hartford Currant article written in 1996:

Time Clouds Early Aviator's Story

Why Did Mary Louise Sansom Stop Flying?

November 08, 1996|By BARBARA A. NAGY; Courant Staff Writer

Aviation was little more than a sport in the early 1930s when Mary Louise Sansom, wearing goggles and carrying her cocker spaniel Bomber in the back seat of her biplane, was flying out of Brainard Field.

The first woman in New England to earn a commercial pilot's license, Sansom ran an air transport service at Brainard, flew stunts at shows in Hartford and Springfield and raced her plane occasionally in national meets.

A collection of her trophies, awards, newspaper clippings and flight logbooks -- plus a pilot's license signed by Orville Wright -- will go up for auction at the Algonquin Hotel in New York Wednesday as part of R.M. Smythe & Co.'s annual autumn autograph sale.

The collection provides a peek into Sansom's personal world -- the death of her first husband in a fiery 1930 crash at Brainard, a second marriage to another pilot, her management of Interstate Airways in Hartford and her associations with her idol, Amelia Earhart, and other aviators.
The items also open a window on the role that women -- Sansom and scores of others -- played in the development of U.S. aviation.

But at the same time, they raise puzzling questions about why she suddenly stopped flying and left Hartford. Sansom would be 94 if she were still alive, but nobody at the auction house or among old Hartford colleagues seems to know.< ``She liked flying. She loved flying,'' said Abraham Banks of Newington, an Army Air Corps veteran whose commander was Sansom's second husband. ``She flew as much as she could.''

Sansom was not as much of an activist as Earhart, who traversed the country on lecture tours that promoted commercial air travel, pacificism and women's abilities as pilots.
But Sansom helped popularize air travel in Connecticut. During the half-dozen years she was based at Brainard, Sansom ferried politicians, thrill-seekers and business people around the state, giving many their first airplane rides. She spoke regularly to civic groups as an aviation proponent and set several regional flight records.

Born in Kansas City, Mo., in 1902, Mary Louise Moore arrived in Hartford from New York in 1929 with her first husband, Milton H. Moore. He learned how to fly in the skies over Hartford and taught his wife while he ran a flight school at Brainard. The Moores were the first husband-wife team to qualify as pilots in the state.

Then, in May 1930, the motor on Milton Moore's single-engine plane failed while he was giving a visitor from Washington a lesson. While his wife watched, Moore and the visitor crashed nose-first into a road outside the airport.

The student was killed instantly.

Moore unclasped his safety harness and tried to escape, but the plane burst into flames. He died of burns that night at Hartford Hospital.

Mary Louise Moore took over the business at Brainard, and five months later became the first woman in New England to be awarded a commercial pilot's license. It allowed her to carry paying passengers.

She hired Frederick P. Sansom, another pilot, to help her with the business. Sansom, coincidentally, was the rescuer who had pulled Milton Moore from the charred wreckage of his plane.

The two were married in the summer of 1931 and kept working together at Brainard. She developed a friendly rivalry with another woman at the field, Edith Descomb, who, with her husband, ran a similar service from another hangar.

Descomb was more flamboyant -- and more successful. She would cajole passersby with a megaphone and, once she had made a sale, jump in her plane and take off. By 1933 she claimed to have sold tickets for 53,000 rides.

Sansom kept at it.She reported to her friends at the Ninety-Nines -- a female pilots' group founded by Earhart -- that she was on hand every day at Brainard to fly when the weather was good.

``Male passengers show no concern that a woman is at controls,'' she joked. ``Some even appear delighted . . . after the trip is over and our feet once again [are] on terra firma. Of course, it could be that they had not expected to get down intact.''

Sansom developed an interest in racing and won several prizes. She placed fourth, for example, in a 1933 women's invitational run by the Ninety-Nines. Her prize was $50 and a silver-fox fur piece.

The photos to be auctioned Wednesday include one of Sansom at the height of her racing career. She is standing confidently in front of her plane, smiling warmly and clutching the huge trophy that marked her first-place finish in the 1933 Meridien Air Races. Sansom is wearing her best flying outfit -- jodphurs, a white silk shirt, dark tie and leather skullcap with goggles pulled up on her forehead.

Sansom also tried stunt flying, performing at different New England airfields nearly every Sunday in the summer of 1932.

During a show in June 1933, for example, Sansom broke a New England record for flying loops. She managed 397 in four grueling hours over Agawam, Mass., before nearly running out of fuel. Friends offered Sansom smelling salts when she landed, newspapers reported, but she waved them aside. All she wanted was a cup of coffee and a rubdown.

By the late '30s, Sansom's interest in flying seemed to have waned.

There is no obvious explanation. Sansom's last race was in the mid '30s, and her log books end in 1942.

James W. Waechter, a spokesman for the auction house, has been sifting unsuccessfully through newspaper and aviation archives for clues. He would not provide information about the two people who put up Sansom's memorabilia for auction, but he said they have no additional information about her.

Two major events in Sansom's life may have set her on a new course.

First, a raging Connecticut River washed away her hangar at Brainard during the Great Flood of 1936.

Second, she and Fred were divorced.

Fred Sansom told friends he was tired of working at Brainard while Mary flew off to air shows on weekends. He also wanted children, and his wife did not, said Mike Sansom of Cape Coral, Fla., Fred's son by a second wife.

Mike Sansom said the family is well aware of Mary Sansom's fame. He even has a collection of newspaper stories about her. But they have no idea what she did or where she went after the divorce.

Hartford area pilots who flew from Brainard in the '30s remember Mary Sansom, but did not know her well enough to keep tabs on her.

Pilot Mary Goodrich Jenson of Wethersfield -- now in her late 80s -- lost touch with Sansom decades ago, but believes she remarried, settled in California for a while and developed a love of fine art. She never did have children.

Waechter suspects Sansom died a while ago, since her trophies and scrapbooks are not being auctioned by her estate. Bob North, a volunteer at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks who started flying in the mid-1930s, did not know Sansom. But he suggested that other interests in her life may have lessened her passion for flying.

Still, that is hard to understand. In those days, aviation was not only fun, it was glamorous.

``If you walked into a bar or something like that, you'd see people looking at you,'' North recalled. ``He's a pilot,'' he recalled them whispering.

``You'd get questions, `What's it like. How come you got interested in it,' '' he said.

``It's a very fascinating hobby and it sticks with you,'' North said.

But did it stick with Mary Louise Sansom?

Her trophies, old photos and pilot's license are intriguing. But they are silent.

It's a great article that raises a question that was maybe never answered. I will have to search out some of the Connecticut museums to see if there is more on the history of Interstate Airways and Mary Louise Sansom.

More: Before and After from 1927

2011-09-20T22:53:00.001-04:00

Click for a larger image

SO, according to this you can eat what ever you want and and live an unhealthy life - all you need to do is wear the Imperial Health Brace because "Correct posture assures good health." Let me just step up on my 1930's Soap box ( because, on a modern soap box I would fall right through) and say that the reason people are in poor health is because they can't afford to eat properly, and the food the can afford comes out of a meat tube or microwave from McD's and Tacky Bell. Sad but true.

Gadgetland 1958! The Tag Sale Inventory of Tomorrow!

2011-09-17T10:39:00.003-04:00

The catalogs of "Kitsch of the Kitchen" have been around for a long time. They are a good example of of how to market cheap stuff that most people really didn't need. These catalogs with their cute titles and sometimes humorous descriptions made for an entertaining read. How do I know they were successful? These items were targeted for that select M.A.G.M. demographic (Mom, Aunt, Grand-Ma). Take a look and see if you don't recognize something you own, grew up with, or have seen at a tag sale.

I will be taking orders for these items....just as soon as I get the time machine going again.

Truth in Advertising - neither then nor now

2011-09-12T21:35:00.001-04:00

First, I have to apologize for the gunshot hole in the middle of this add from 1922, but you do notice the company is in Chicago...bang! bang! Second, I gotta ask my mom someday....so how did you make it to age 5? Odds are she was never strapped into one of these death traps. Of course, without one of these, I guess the only other option (until I find an ad for another similar contraption) would be to hold baby in mommy's arms. I still think that would be better than strapping the kid into something that looks like a coffin. Comfy baby? I think not.

The more things change the more they stay the same.....

So, let's all concentrate....Well? Which is it? Credit goes to my wife for not only buying this, but pointing it out to me as well.

I Love New York - A September 11 anniversary - UPDATED

2011-09-10T09:38:00.000-04:00

I need to do a "shout out" to artist/cartoonist Michel Kichka. He was gracious enough to give me permission to use his cartoon below and in the process gave me 2 others. I will thank him by posting him as a "Guest Cartoonist" over at Toonage. Go take a look, he has depicted the tragedy of September 11th in a very poignant way.

It's strange how traumatic events continue to screw with your perspective. The World Trade Center attack after 10 years still seems like yesterday, if only for a second. Icons of my youth, whether they were places, or people, living or demolished, linger like a good song. I can't remember all the words or the notes, but the melody or the "hook" is still there, fresh as ever. Every now and then I like to look at images of the towers, but I can no longer watch another impact clip, or listen to any of the newly released recordings of the mayhem that day.. I hope whatever memory you have of the World Trade Center is a good one. I wrote all I ever wanted to about that day in a post 2 years ago...accompanying it was an eerie promotion piece I had discovered at a garage sale. The post is here if you want to take a look.

Whenever I am looking through the things I unearth and I see even the slightest depiction of the WTC or any era of New York before the new millennium, I will hang on to it. This post card I found features a playful caricature of New York around the time of one of the most successful ad campaigns of its day. The "I love New York" campaign, rejuvenated the Big Apple at a time when it really needed to dust off its image in the late 70's. This card has a lot of great pop-culture in-jokes for the period and detail which may be unreadable. I have tried to add it at as large a size as possible. Forgive me if it bogs your system down.

Click for a much larger version...I hope.

If you look closely, you can see way in the back is the World Trade Center.

The artist is Michal Kichka. He is a top notch cartoonist from Belgium now living in Jerusalem and his most recent work can be seen here. Thank you for creating this piece Michel!

Guests of the Video Martyr Blog stayed at the grand "Gray's Motor Village"

2011-09-07T00:25:00.001-04:00

There are a million of these postcards out there, because there were (and are) a million Motor Hotels, better know as "mo-tels" out there. This one was worth posting because someone had taken almost all the "free" stuff from the desk stand and saved it from a vacation they took a long, long time ago.

As a kid, I remeber driving by many of these places...each one looked, even at 50 mph like their postcard. A veritable oasis is a time before urban sprawl, and a certain relief from vinyl car seats that stuck to your skin because air conditioning was either a "luxury option" or too weak to reach the kids. "That pool has a slide! Oh! Can we stay there!?" The eventual response was, "Don't worry, we'll be there soon." Where "soon" meant another hour and 45 minutes.

Someone did a nice job with the artist's rendering of the main building on the matchbook cover. But the matches were even better.

Unfortunately, there is no high diving board that I can see, and I am pretty sure the bathing beauty that just hangs in mid-air is a myth as well, too bad. Fortunately, Gray's Motor Village was easy to get to from anywhere.

Do you remember the ones you drove by as a kid? Did you stop? Did you ever get to see if it was as good as it seemed from the road?

Indian Chewing Gum from 1930.....I have reservations about chewing it

2011-09-05T15:17:00.002-04:00

Nope, you never know what you are going to find if you look long enough and hard enough. This has happened to me before... While helping a family member clean out a house, I got to use my picking skills to find what hadn't been found. I had already been rewarded by this house after exploring some cabinets that had been painted shut in this earlier post. The attic, although empty and cleaned, can still hold secrets untold thanks to all the nooks and crannies. With a flashlight, a small pry bar (we're talking small), and an open mind I began searching. In a house like this, 100 years old or more, I figured there had to be something left behind or hidden - there always is.

Sitting almost in plain site on top of a plank of wood, near an old door was a card. Which really didn't look like anything. Years of coal dust and asphalt bits were everywhere and this little card was unreadable. Unfortunately, one side of the card still is.

Maybe because this side was facing up the other side was spared somewhat. Oh well, I can't complain about a card that has been in an attic since 1933. Goudey Indian Chewing Gum were different from any other collector card series because they featured scenes from "romantic America." Buffalo Bill, William S. Cody, Sitting Bull and all numbered with a description on the back. In a sneaky way they would skip numbers in the 192 (or more) card series so collectors would go a little crazy buying more packages to try and complete the set.

School is in!...even for the backward child with no personality!

2011-08-30T22:31:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Summer's over, well, Summer from the standpoint of anyone going back to school. I miss the days when Summer felt as though it lasted 4 months. And then reality hits (How old were you?), and Summer is barely more than 8 weeks. I think I was 14. The harsh reality of a new school or even a new class was a real buzz kill. There was a time, when your "keepers" may have actually considered sending you to something other than a public school. They might have even turned to the recommendations of a high-brow publication such as the Literary Digest. I managed to pick up a copy from 1922 while vacationing in the middle of New York last week. I have to confess, that's not the cover of my copy, but it's close - to within 15 months. Thanks to the high quality color covers of this publication, it is difficult to find one with the cover intact.

Click for larger image

I mainly bought it because, A) it was a dollar; B) there were a number of ads that looked like candidates for the Ad Quiz; and C) The Literary Digest, like a lot of magazines, had either a page of ads featuring the "finest" schools or a page of recommendations like these...you may have to squint:

The fun comes from 2 of the sections within. There are the typical categories for college and preparatory that are not surprisingly separated by sex, followed by a tiny co-ed section. At the bottom was a most peculiar section:

What are backward children? Do you start them at the 12th grade and they regress to kindergarten? Did they come into this world butt first and only to be the subject of discrimination? Why isn't there a section for "lefties" then? Maybe this is the first form of the phrase now known as developmentally challenged. If that's true, we have come a long way with our social graces. But wait, there's more! It seems that there was another deficiency that needed to be addressed in the careful crafting of young minds.

This seems innocent enough until you realize that some poor kid had to attend personality summer school as a result of flunking out during the normal personality school year. I'm not sure I'd want to meet anyone from that graduating class, but I wondered what they might look like - So, I did an image search for "Group of people with no personality" and this is what I got.

The Jersey Shore Never watched an episode...never will.

The Literary Digest lasted, through most of the depression, thanks to the income level of its subscribers, but came to a strange end in 1936. From Wikipedia:

...It conducted a "straw poll" regarding the likely outcome of the 1936 presidential election. The poll showed that the Republican governor of Kansas, Alf Landon, would likely be the overwhelming winner. This seemed possible to some, as the Republicans had fared well in Maine, where the congressional and gubernatorial elections were then held in September - as opposed to the rest of the nation, where these elections were held in November along with the presidential election, like today. This seemed especially likely in light of the conventional wisdom, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation," a truism coined because Maine was regarded as a "bellwether" state which usually supported the winning candidate's party.

In November, Landon carried only Vermont and Maine Franklin Delano Roosevelt carried the then-46 other states; Landon's electoral vote total of eight is a tie for the record low for a major-party nominee since the current U.S. two-party system began in the 1850s. The Democrats joked, "As goes Maine, so goes Vermont," and the magazine was completely discredited because of the poll and was soon discontinued.

As a footnote: We survived Hurricane Irene, though more than half the State of CT was without power, and will be for several more days. I am a little disappointed that it didn't hit "Jersey Shore" a little harder.

Ad Quiz #12 SOLUTION -The benefits of yeast are rising

2011-08-28T12:21:00.001-04:00


Click for a somewhat readable version

Although not as widely advertised as it once was, yeast, which is a fungi (it's Alive!) can be considered a pro-biotic, replacing the "good" bacteria that gets the work of digestion done in the intestines. The advertised yeast is not the same, but it is edible in this form. I wouldn't be caught gobbling spoonfuls, but vegans might enjoy a deactivated form of this in certain foods. At the printing of this ad Fleischmann's had been packaging and selling yeast for around 50 years. This seems to be around the time that other food manufacturers were going beyond the taste, simplicity, or value of their product and trying to bank on the medicinal value as well. I don't think they were entirely successful with this approach, I don't see anything in the company's history espousing the benefits of direct ingestion. Tastes fine in bread, though.

Ad Quiz #12 - What does clemency taste like?

2011-08-27T01:16:00.001-04:00

There are many ways to make your body hate you, or, the other way around. In the 1920's there was at least one way to reverse those actions. This product was it - according to its own promises. Can you guess which product would protect you from these wrong habits? (Those were their words, not mine.)

Click for a larger picture!

Solution coming soon! (or at least before Hurricane Irene knocks out power in the Northeast)

Give Blood...and blot up the mess

2011-08-20T10:04:00.001-04:00

This looks like its from the 40's or 50's. Just the idea that they would give out a blotter to promote blood donations is high in Irony....but that's my anemic sense of humor.

Local TV History: KDAL Rules!

2011-08-17T23:29:00.003-04:00

Well maybe not local to my neck of the woods....

Believe it or not, I found this ruler at the same sale as the pencil box. Wondering around, we were looking for something to justify our time searching, and nothing was presenting itself, until I saw this. I work in local TV (The local-est of TV) and having studied it and appreciated it enough to have a Ph.D in it - seeing this made me immediately sympathetic for the team of broadcasters here.

There must have been a real appeal for this broadcasting company to present the bulk of their talent combined on one ruler. "The measure of News-Sports-Entertainment" is written across the center of this plastic ruler. I had to find out more about these venerable-looking caricatures. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in my search for who these guys were, and when they were on the air. TV and Radio personalities and their biographies can usually be pieced together from several web searches, but little exists except for some of the stations' history here.(Wiki-P)

Looks like these 2 teams were faces and voices of KDAL-TV and KDAL 610-Radio via Duluth Minnesota through much of the 50's and 60's, and some even into the 70's. I was hoping to find a photo of each, but was only able to find 2.

John Russell from the TV side must have been filling in for the
AM side with a couple of friends

Dick Anthony From the AM side

Eventually, mergers and acquisitions took their toll on every station. Try to follow the history of any broadcasting company from the 50's through today and I dare you to keep from getting dizzy. I think this ruler is in amazing shape for being over 40 years old.

The REAL 1892 Pencil Box of E.R. Rushmore

2011-08-15T00:53:00.001-04:00

It was a weekend like any other. The rush to get my wife to work. The scribbled list of "honey-do's," half of which I attempt and succeed, the other half moved to next Saturday's list. Eventually, my daughter and I exit the house with PB & J, water, fruit, and enough napkins and wipes to erase any spills. This can be anywhere between 10:30am and 1:30pm. We never actually know what the day will hold for us because of this random approach. It is possible that if we actually had an itinerary, a map, and a strategy, we might have found gold by now...but it wouldn't have been any fun.

The only strategy we employ is to look for what might be the best estate sale of the day (if there is an estate sale that day) and aim for that. What ever other sales cross our path along the way is what constitutes the bulk of our weekly treasure hunt. I have determined from years of experience in this bizarre form of alchemy that the Periodic Table of Elements is missing an essential element - Treasure - whose symbol is Tr. It is formed by this compound of other unlisted essential elements in this way: Ka + Ki + Lu = Tr. That is: Karma + Kismet + Luck = Treasure.

This particular Saturday was one without a ad "pointer" sale. Instead we combined some errands with a few regular haunts to see if any signs were posted. We had little luck and saw only a few sales, most of which were very small yard sales with items that were not old enough or rare enough to be interesting. It was the final sale of the day that we almost didn't find that saved the day. The last place you expect to find a descent sale is in a condo complex. Nothing against the prefab "nesters" of the world, but condos rarely contain good digs. Danbury CT, however has a few that are upscale enough to have separate homes among the "hives." The sale this day, though almost impossible to find turned out to have a few gems. Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you the pencil box of E.R. Rushmore:

O.K. This is actually the reverse. I have already displayed the pine box with the sliding top at the beginning of this post. Nothing I can find for the "Lovetts" brand and the American News Company has only a limited history courtesy of Wikipedia here. Mainly magazine and comic book distributors from the 1860's I have to believe they were in the stationery supply business that was typical to see sold at news stands. How do I know this belonged to ER Rushmore in 1892? He "told" me.

Nice of him to do that, but who was he? What school? What grade? That's a pretty steady hand for a pen dipped in an ink well. This is a standard pencil box (or so I believe) that contained a pen, pencil, inkwell, blotter, sharpener and ruler. The inkwell is gone but the other items are there.

Looking at the way the eraser is attached to the top of the pencil...that's got to be one old writing implement! So, I may not have gotten to all the "chores" on the honey-do list, but at least I think I found some "Tr."

Coming next time: Still wondering who ER Rushmore is, but now I need to know who these guys are!!

The 1892 Pencil Box of E.R. Rushmore - and the I-Phone of a Stranger

2011-08-13T11:30:00.004-04:00

I admit it. There are certain times when even I have trouble finding anything good. Fortunately, that isn't why I do this.

No, I am in search of the search. I don't need to find anything at all. But I am sure you know as well as I that it is impossible not to find something. Well, this past weekend I found way more than I wanted to...

If you were thinking that this post was going to be about a pencil box...well, it is and it isn't. Last weekend turned in to a brief odyssey that had me questioning my core ethics, and actually unsure of the right thing to do. My best excuse was that I caught some kind of flu or respiratory infection (wasn't looking for that!) and so my UA abilities were somewhat challenged. Here is the story from last Saturday.

While looking through the local print media, my progeny and I found only one decent-sounding sale, an estate tag sale in Redding. In the near future, I plan on doing a post on the ethical and scrupulous naming of sales in the classifieds. There is no "Dig-i-pedia" for Urban Archeology, but maybe I should start one because I am pretty sure folks name these sales blindly. As you might have guessed the Redding sale was not what I had hoped. Attaching "estate" to a tag sale does not make it a "dig." Although it could have held promise, being deep in an old wooded section of the town, we found nothing worth blogging about. I was even put off because a confused shopper had maneuvered her car in front of mine to cause us to park much further away from the driveway than necessary. During the walk back to the car, which was long and up- hill, I thought of all the cars that came and went and sensed that someone had dropped something. I don't always think this way, but I had a feeling that caused me to scan the side of the road more carefully than usual....nothing. As we parked ourselves back in the car and adjusted seat belts I noticed something black about 10 feet in the woods laying on the ground. I first thought that it was a reflector from a car or bike being flat, black, and rectangular, but as I shifted my position I caught an odd reflection from it. "Why not take a look?" I thought.

"Whoa!" Impressive, but it didn't look anything like the picture. It was dead, and damp, and must have been sitting there for a long time. I was amazed at the ruggedness of the case and how it had ended up lost, tossed, and abandoned. I began to peel back the rubberized wrapper which revealed underneath a hard plastic case. The manufacturer was "Otter box" and inside was an I-Phone 3g. It took some inspecting and poking to get it the plastic case apart. Hats off to my 8-year-old, who knew exactly where to pry.

I don't know what guarantee this company promises, but I was at first unconvinced of any obvious claim. The phone was wet. Being face-up when I found it, any rain had rested in the well around the screen. I grabbed a paper towel and removed what was mostly condensation. The glass was foggy with dampness and the camera lens had numerous droplets from deep inside. Not much hope, but having just recently purchased a car adapter for my 2g I-Phone, I tried to power it. "Boink!" It began charging. Maybe an "Otter Box" is not a bad idea for some of us.

As much as I would like to upgrade my phone, this wasn't the way I had planned. This was someone's phone. I scanned through the numerous Aps and songs trying to figure out the identity of the owner. There were pictures, but mostly of a family pet and flowers, a few people on couches, but the screen was foggy and nothing was obvious. As we searched for other sales in the area we stopped and explored the phone a little more each time. The phone directory seemed to have a lot of people with the same last name. Could that be the owners name? I remembered that somewhere in the settings you can find the phone number of the phone itself. 4 sales and 2 towns later I figured this was the number to call. No answer. Given the time that this had been in the woods (2 months from the last call) wouldn't the owner have ported the number to a new phone? After looking through some of the texts I was still only vaguely getting an idea of this person's world - none of it my business- and all of it leaving me with concern for foul play. Was this stolen and tossed? My mind can easily get very creative about reverse-engineering a story of how this phone came to be in the woods.

I have to admit, I badly wanted to keep this phone. My daughter was no help, she loves my phone and the idea of one of her own was no doubt on her agenda. I found in the directory a favorite number which looked to be either a spouse or a sister. I called and got a machine and chose not to leave a message. I was getting close, but still bugged by the mystery. Later that night I did a little research and found that a zip lock of rice plus the phone would dry it out over night. The next morning I was amazed to find the screen was crystal clear! Another call to the spouse/sister and this time I left detailed information about the how to get the owner in touch with me. I searched the internet for a similar situation and spent an hour reading through a vicious flame war of comments over one individual's decision to keep a found phone. The resounding advice had been to turn it into the Apple Store (not going there) or the police.

I won't go into all the details (though it seems I have), but a FaceBook search had me convinced I knew whose phone this was and the town he was from. Progeny and I headed off to that town's police department only to be turned away! After giving my license and DNA to the man behind the 4 inch bullet-proof glass, "Where did you find the phone, sir?" "Redding." "Oh, you can't turn that in here. You need to go to the Redding PD." "But but, but I am almost sure the owner is a resident off this town." " Sorry." Now a extended trip to Redding would be required...and on a Sunday!? Did Redding even have a Police Department, or just a resident trooper? I was resolved to have this phone taken off my hands and turn in my detective's badge.

After some searching, including the brief interrogation of a friendly jogger, I did find the Redding PD. Although I did receive a similar request for my written DNA, I was connected with a friendly officer who seemed impressed that I had dried out the phone and made a few calls to find the owner. He promised to continue the search. When we got home I made a final call to the spouse/sister and left another message explaining that the phone could be picked up at the Redding PD. I still want the phone, but more than that, I hope to someday get to the end of this mystery with more detail...stay tuned.

Coming Soon! Part 2. The actual mysterious Pencil Box of E.R. Rushmore!

That's One Smokin' Hookah You Got There!

2011-08-06T12:10:00.002-04:00

This post could have been titled: "Smoking in Bed Fail" but I'm getting tired of adding the word "Fail" to everything that is considered a bad idea. I say let the bad ideas stand on their own, no need to point out the obvious. We're not stupid. Oh wait. Some of us have to be stupid or we wouldn't have bad ideas? Uh Oh! Cyclical illogic-alert! Please enjoy these next few 60+ year-old ads.

So much good foolishness to point out in this add from a 1949 NY Herald-Tribune aside from the obvious. Even as early as the 1940's robots were entering our homes and in the guise of making our lives easier, were nefariously burning our houses down in the middle of the night! I think they also sold a companion product which allowed gun owners to sleep safely with a string tied between their fingertip and the trigger several feet away. You could still protect your house without shooting your self in your pajamas.

I've seen lighthouse beams that weren't this bright, augh! She could wake the dead with that light!

Sorry, but her head is still tilted. Five minute nap or 30, she is going to have a stiff neck. These things are a chiropractor's dream.

I'd Horse Whip Ya... If I had a horse...(old business invoices Pt 2)

2011-07-31T10:42:00.001-04:00

This is the 2nd and final installment of my 2 part post (See part 1 here) on a collection of invoices lent to me by a couple of friends who are bringing some life (read: Arts, Culture, Entertainment) back to an old building in New Milford, CT. They know how I much I love to rummage through old papers and for these few brief days with this collection of Accounts Payable from 1923, I am grateful. It's not so much the old paper that interests me, but more the graphics and design that some of these businesses used to create an icon that might out-live them. This first one is my favorite. The horse has this sort of "cat that ate the canary" look that sends the message: Whips from the Horse Whip Co., are so good I can't wait to be whipped! That horse appears to be grinning. Here is the full invoice header. (click for larger)

Sometimes it's the name of the business that makes me want to share these pieces. Other times it is just the list of products that were so commonplace then and so long gone now. Note the list to the left above, not to mention the prices.

Someday I may display a collection of just the ones of that have the block print, or pen and ink renderings of buildings. In the absence of the technology to make photographs of the buildings part of these invoices, there must have been a lot of artists reproducing them.

Finally, the lettering on some of these is just awesome (above) and the use of the raw material as a background (below) is amusing.

At first I thought this was a pig, then I realized it was a hide, stretched, dried, and ready for cutting. I will be returning these borrowed invoices, but it will be difficult to keep from looking through the other boxes of invoices...the search continues.

Found: Front Door Key - 1850

2011-07-27T00:44:00.001-04:00

I'm fortunate to live in an area that is rich in the artifacts of the past 2 or 3 centuries. Don't get me wrong, I don't trip over things as I walk down the street. Here in Connecticut one can find all sorts of things that could have been tossed long ago, but for what ever reason, never were. It's possible that living in CT made me an Urban Archeologist. Taking a few hours every Saturday to look for these artifacts is fun and rewarding because I can choose to explore and eventually "trip" over things like this.

At a Bridgewater, CT sale, sitting on a workbench, minding its own business, was this salient item. It's just a worn piece of wood. right? No. To me, it has a story to tell. It's asking questions: What am I? What was I used for? Why am I here? Why do I have green and white flecks of paint? Don't worry, I wasn't hearing voices - though maybe my own saying: Old! Cool! My only hope is that the seller knows the answers. As luck would have it, sometimes these things have the answers written on the back:

Click for a larger image

Or did this acidified, gummed label just start spewing a whole new page of questions? If you can't make out the label, here is the text:

"Redding Conn Used (to) fasten front door, just over the latch 1850-"

Used by whom!? to do what? Where? This is going to take some further research, but for an urban archeologist like me? This is as good as gold. Price: $1.

To be continued...

Mattel Thingmaker.....Freaky Blogmaker Kit

2011-07-21T00:08:00.005-04:00

Most definitely click for a larger image!

I plucked another gem out of my memory banks. Thanks to a Bridgewater estate sale this weekend. No, I didn't buy it, instead I snapped a couple of shots before the watchful eye of the estate sale service came back in the room. Leave it to Mattel Inc. to come up with the kind of toys, and accompanying commercials that made things like the "Thingmaker" a true Gotta get! And curse them as well for going too far with the coolness factor and making parents too nervous to put this under the tree at Christmas (or insert your favorite gift-getting occasion here). Typically, a street with 15 kids on it and only one would have their wish granted, those were crappy odds, but certainly boosted one person's popularity.

But wait! There's More! This is the Thingmaker 3!!!! Man, I couldn't get the smaller sets and they're dangling 3 in 1 over my head. Maybe there should have been molds for making creepy crawly Mattel executives. No, you couldn't make Freaky Blogs with it, that's just me having a little fun. Here is the clean image:

Click for a larger image

Can't say I blame my parents for not getting this. How bad an idea is it to put a hot plate in the hands of 6-12 year old kids? I don't see any warning for parental supervision...do you? This one like all the others I have ever seen were well used...up.

No Plastigoop here! This really brings back memories and if I seem negative about this toy it's only because I wasn't one of the 15 kids on my street to get it. Here is the Wikipedia page for Creepy Crawlies and Thingmaker sets. If only they would create the "Zombie Apocalypse" edition, I might actually buy it..

What's on Your Stationery?

2011-07-16T10:16:00.002-04:00

Every time I find something old, whether it's paper, a fossil, or some piece of some old gadget or product, I feel good. Why is that? Old paper can sit in a box somewhere; acidified, crumbling, and few notice or spend more that a minute or two appreciating it. Me? I have to scan it; put it under a microscope, read the handwritten notes and draw some conclusion has to what happened. RIP Betty Ford and thank you for conquering your addictions and helping others, but what about me? A few months ago, some very good friends let me into a small warehouse where old business papers were kept . They let me look around, but I don't know if they knew what they had done. My eyes became fixed and dilated, i began feeling my clothes for a magnifier and wishing I had some poly-page protector sleeves. (Does this make them enablers?). This week they let me borrow a small collection of these papers. Am I happy? Let's just say, I got my "fix."

Despite millions and millions of YouTube views this ad is proof that an image of a cat inside a container is hardly new. This 90 year-old ad must have sold fairly well given the effect cats have on humans. Please watch "Exhibit A"

A brief shout out to my friends. Thank you! And don't worry, we'll find a cure for "Papyrus interruptus" someday!

And as a public service announcement to all of you, Remember: "Friends don't let friends drive... by estate sales."

I Know from Shinola

2011-07-11T00:34:00.001-04:00

Digging up the past is one of my favorite things to do. I mean that literally and figuratively. Actually, I mean that I enjoy researching volumes of written information online, and hunting through old structures for items from yesterdays uncounted. I was able to do both this past weekend. No Sh**!

This is one of the olde tyme products that is so long forgotten that it doesn't matter to most when it existed or why it doesn't now. However, Most people can't forget this product from a phrase made popular somewhere around WWII, "You don't know shit from Shinola!" Easy to understand the vulgar comparison and energy of the statement directed at someone who is accused of lesser intelligence. I still have the imagery of the scene from "The Jerk" Steve Martin's comedy of a dumb-ass' journey from his simple beginnings to millionaire inventor and then back again. As he put it, "I was born a poor black child." Martin, plays a very white Navin Johnson and has a life lesson taught to him by his father. I had probably heard the phrase before, but this is the scene I think of when ever I hear the name "Shinola."

This weekend, I had the opportunity to help my mother-in-law and aunt clear out the house of another relative. It's an old duplex built in the 20's and was marginally updated in 90 years, mostly with paint. Given the freedom to look around I marveled at the fixtures and other still visible elements of what a home might have looked like in the 20's and 30's. The first thing that caught my attention was the hideaway ironing board. Still available today, many were a regular fixture in homes where space saving was helpful. I was more impressed that the latch still worked. The surprise I got was the second cabinet door below the one concealing the board.

A hinge was missing an the latch long frozen over by layer upon layer of paint. There is nothing better that a cabinet that looks as if it hasn't been opened in a very long time. A few taps on the latch with a hammer and several flecks of paint later...

Holy Shinola! Not the gold and riches I was hoping for, but a treasure none-the-less. Inside were a small collection of products that would have been placed there for their caustic or staining nature. This was clearly the "polish" cabinet as inside were several kinds and types of polish. Just to display a few:

The stove polish helped to date the find. One was from 1923 and was used for the cast iron stoves that were black. Someone will have to explain to me what the exact desired effect would be for polishing a stove. Did these rust? The other products were mere shoe polish, less interesting than Shinola, but just as interesting to discover. Here's an ad for Shinola, another company that doesn't have a good written history other than a few scraps from Wikipedia and a by-line as being bought and sold in 1929.

The name hung on through the 30's and 40's but was possibly dropped when bought out by a larger manufacturer; I am just guessing. If you know more than I do, please leave something in the comments. I hope to go back to this house a look for more items hidden in the past.

Ad Quiz #11 Die! Hippie! Die! SOLUTION

2011-07-07T21:50:00.001-04:00

Sports Illustrated 1969....ah, times were different. Actually, no they weren't. Parents are still trying to mold and shape their progeny in to what they feel is best for them, and progeny are in constant search of how to avoid such mold. And on and on it goes.

The imagery here is fantastic. Who is reading this Sports Illustrated magazine? Must be dad. He's the bread winner with he clean close shave. Is this really a likely point of appeal for the man who needs a new shaver? I guess "No." My theory is that this represents the feeling of the middle-aged male toward every counter-culture hippie yippee subversive in 1969. Their antics are being covered in the press, they're the ones getting all the attention and the reason this country is headed for Hades in a Longaberger. So, what better attention grabbing image could a Mad Ave exec put in front of dear old dad other than this guilty pleasure to exemplify what he may be really feeling deep down inside. I don't know if this sold a lot of Sunbeams that year, but I'm sure it got a lot of good chortles.

Ad Quiz #11 Die! Hippie! Die!

2011-07-06T23:53:00.001-04:00

Can you guess what's really happening in this image?

I miss the old ads (yes, this one is fairly old), advertising agencies gave us a lot to think about during this particular period. The actual message for this product is clear (if you are willing to guess), but the sub-text speaks volumes about the intended audience, the key demographic, and all the other marketing lingo I love to throw around. If you can guess the product, I will send you the magazine it came from. Yes, you heard right, something from my personal collection. You have until Thursday evening (7/8/11) to name the product and manufacturer. Good luck.

Putting the "Me" in Media

2011-07-05T21:46:00.001-04:00

I have to do a couple of "shout-outs" to 2 venerable publications; one established and well known, and the other just about a year old but certainly headed for greatness. They both deserve my thanks and your patronage (both are listed in Sites worth visiting on the left.)

I will start with the latter:

About a year ago a friend of mine told me about a new Arts and Literature magazine that was born from a writers group in a nearby town. I felt as though some of my blog posts might have reached the level where I could present them to an editor to see if one would hold up in print. I also wanted to see if the drawings I have been doing had reached that same level. On a whim, I met the publication's deadline and though I was rejected for the written word I was welcomed for my drawings. It was an honor to be in such a nicely designed and high quality product. I was again honored in March for their Spring edition with this drawing. I can now officially announce that I am 3 for 3! The Summer edition of "The Newtowner" has printed a 3rd drawing of mine.

I am under a contractual obligation to not publish the work anywhere else until a few months after this latest edition has been out. The people who put the magazine together are the nicest group of people you could ever meet, and I say this because I have gotten to know them, not because they graciously publish my cartoons. The magazine is full of thoughtful pieces contributed by regular folks as well as the regular staff. There is a young person section and excellent poetry, photography and art as well. If you are looking for a potential outlet for your own creations, or just want to explore the creativity of some Connecticut folks, I recommend picking up a copy. If for no other reason, "The Newtowner" looks damn fine on any coffee table.

Even bigger news came from the chance meeting of a reporter from the Litchfield County Times during this year's Hills Film Festival in New Milford, CT. I was there to support my friends Frank and Patrice Galterio, who built the festival from the ground up, and support my team as we attempted cover it for the local community channel. I saw a photographer there and struck up a conversation. When he told me he had a blog with his paper, I came back and said "Hey, I'm a blogger, too!" Within 6 weeks he had taken a sample of my blog and passed it along to his editor, who at the time, was looking for "community bloggers." My proximity to their coverage area and the topics I cover make me a good fit for their readers and I am now officially a community blogger for the Litchfield County Times! You can see my diminutive space on the "blogs" page of the county times by going here. You'll have to scroll to the bottom, but if you want a graphic depiction (since you are already here), here is a composite of the page itself (I craftily cut and pasted myself to the top- for demonstration only).

Stop by and take a look. My last 4 posts are updated, so my space there will never go stale. Thanks again to the "The Newtowner" and the "Litchfield County Times" for giving me some additional outlets to find readers.

Ad Quiz # 10 Solution - with Nervine: You'll love to see the children torture the dog!

2011-07-02T12:57:00.003-04:00

(Note: I have added a "Stumble Upon" tag at the bottom of my posts. Please press it so I can figure out why I need it there. Thanks!)

I am having a little difficulty writing what should be a simple post of the solution to ad quiz #10. The solution comes from an ad in a medical almanac (read: promotional advertisement in booklet form). Before I go into a short history of almanacs here's cover of the Almanac, which is also the solution to the quiz:

Almanacs have been around since cave paintings, and maybe more accurately - Stonehenge. Medical almanacs have been published in the U.S. since the 18th century. Click here for a price list and more covers. I could have included any one of a number of ads from this almanac from Miles Laboratories. They are all great. Miles is best know for Alka Seltzer which began selling in 1931 and exists now as a subsidiary of Bayer (sales of 1.1billion-wow!)

The ad I chose I thought was funny because of the depiction of the families.


Mad Mom - Music hating, Joy bashing, end-of-her-rope.

Calm Mom with tortured pup.

I think they may have confused their own intent of the ad. While it isn't a true "Before and After" comparison, more a "Mom on Pharmaceuticals" "Mom not on Pharmaceuticals."

It looks like the same family, instrument banging, happy kids, but the ages of the kids has switched and mom looks younger too, of course. The dog is exactly the same - unless this was the standard-issue dog of the mid 1930's (maybe other domestic breeds didn't come along until Miles laboratories began mixing effervescence with canine gene-splicing - Naw!) Regardless, the poor dog is clearly the loser in this scenario. Look at him. Sensitive doggie eardrums now pierced by the blast of the boy's horn as he looks up to calm mom with an innocent plea to add some Dr Miles Nervine to his dog chow.

Poor Rex, he's gonna need a sedative. Maybe they should re-name him "Rx."

Did you know? Worldwide sales of veterinary health products are expected to hit $43.6 billion in 2014, up from $28.5 billion in 2006, according to market-research firm Kalorama Information Inc.

Ad Quiz #10: Witch Mother Are You?

2011-06-30T01:08:00.002-04:00

Misspelling intended. Another find from a box of old papers. I'm so glad we as a society can't throw everything away.

I guess it was pretty hard living in the 30's. There seemed to be no end of ills a mom could suffer from. The illustrations in this one are simple but effective. An average Housewife at her wits end from nothing more innocent than happy kids being themselves.

With so many potential ills and remedies to match I will only challenge you to guess the form of relief.

There is something disconcerting in this ad, that I will go into more detail with the solution. Can you guess who's really suffering?

Click for a larger image and guess!

Yellow (ed) Journalism #1

2011-06-26T00:31:00.001-04:00

I thought I would start a new mini-series of posts categorized by the type of old newsprint articles I come across. Just as advertisers will do or say anything to get your attention, so too, did many newspaper publishers. "Yellow Journalism" was born out of the war between competing newspapers during a time of great tension between Spain and the U.S. In order to gain the attention of the readers these newspaper publishers, instead of reporting just the facts, presented sensationalist headlines and stories meant to illicit an emotional response from the reader. "Remember the Maine" was the response to the Hearst newspapers blaming the Spanish for the sinking of that ship, which prompted U.S. intervention and eventually war to be declared - with no hard evidence that the Spanish were actually responsible.

When I see old newspapers with stories of a sexual nature, I get suspicious. With everything that can be reported, ultimately it is the news editors that choose which stories stay, and which go. With the primary interest being in the Paper's bottom line, I suppose a paper has to go with what readers will stop and read. Case in point:

Maybe titillating for 1959, but reading this now, I have to laugh and call B.S. I don't deny that there are unscrupulous Grad students that might try this gimmick, but it reads like a cheap novel and not like fact-based reporting. "Dr Sperman" really? Are they sure this wasn't a fraternity prank?

Ad Quiz #9 - Solution - Fickle Deodorant...."VETOED"

2011-06-23T00:02:00.002-04:00

After a 24 Hour Filibuster, and all that legislative funk, the last thing you probably want would be a VETO. But, you'd be wrong. Looking closer, I can't tell what Sally is leaning against. Is it a chair, a coat, some rolled up carpet, or her reputation? Either way, problem solved thanks to Veto.

This was an ad from a 1959 Parade Magazine. A good friend of mine saw I was low on acidified, attic dried newsprint and quickly came to my rescue. There are more gems in that pile that I will be posting soon.

Ad Quiz #9 Psst! Sally Stinks!

2011-06-22T00:56:00.000-04:00

I love old ads. They try so hard to hit the sensitive spot and close the sale. Although taken out of context and 52 years later, I still think they missed the mark. I love the imagery: Sally pissed because she trusted the "other" deodorant, and the men, ready to hang a scarlet B.O. around her neck, are positioned perfectly under her arm. Kudos to you if you can guess the name of the product.

Even the Governor won't let this by his desk. (That's a hint, not a sexist remark.)

Turning a Negative into a Positive....for old times' sake

2011-06-18T10:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry, this is my 200th post, and I feel like such an Idiom.

Why do we dig through the past? Why do I travel to strangers homes' and sift through the things they don't want, never wanted, or didn't know they had? Is it because we yearn to learn about the past so we don't repeat it, or more likely because they had the past we wanted and now we are trying to put things right? "I should have gotten the Easy-bake oven, not Susie!" or "I never had Rock'em Sock'em Robots, but I do now!....Ahh! All is right with the world." I will make a quick exit from this rant by saying - "To each (their) own." or "Mine is not to question why, mine is but to haggle or die."

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Last weekend started with an Estate sale that was almost a drive-by. No signs, no number on the mailbox or decrepit-looking house. Garage, windows, and doors were all open, yet no activity. This made for a creepy outlook and possible unsafe scenario for my co-pilot (backseat daughter, actually). I drove past and turned around saying, "This looks like a bust, kiddo!" Driving by slowly, still with no sign of life, I took into account the trek to northern Danbury, CT and the possible bad karma by letting this one go so easily. I pulled over until we finally saw one person exit, and we were in.

I will limit the gory details to: this was a "clean-out" no questions asked, just look through and bring what you find to the price lady. This wasn't the dirtiest sale I'd ever been to, but it is not often that you are offered latex gloves just to look through the books. We moved carefully through room after room, finding the team of ladies running the sale to be upbeat, pleasant, nice to my daughter, and pricing things to move. I pulled a box of items together, a jar of coins, old papers, mysterious army helmet, (all to be blogged later) and this glass slide negative.

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I like local history, and finding a photograph is an opportunity to play detective. Where was it taken? When? Who are these people? What were they doing? Why did someone save this picture? In the dimly-lit room I could make out the outline of a man and woman. Then I held it up to a light:

My new favorite oxy-moron: A Good Negative

Whoa! That beard and those clapboards and I knew I was holding a hundred years or more in my hand. My mind began racing with how I could look this up, and hopefully develop it. I found that dry glass print negatives were invented in 1871 and became available to photographers everywhere 10 years later. They were used into the 1920's until the paper photographic equivalent replaced them. This image had too be 19th century. If I had to guess 1895-1905. It didn't take a lot of searching to find out how I could use my scanner and a lamp, and a sheet of white paper to try and create a positive image. After several tries I wasn't expecting much, but I was fortunately mistaken:

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In a word: Wow!....Wow! Wow! Wow! Too many "wows" sorry, but I couldn't believe how easy it was to get to the finished product after having such low expectations. The search will continue to answer the eternal questions (who, what, where when, why?). I do know, thanks to my wife's keen observation, that the man is holding a comb in his left hand (I thought it was a rasp). You can almost see the white tuft of hair he collected to tame that mane of his for this picture. If you are wondering why I do this...I know for a fact that this was headed for the dumpster...no way! Not while I'm on the hunt for a dig!

Money for Nothing....is Priceless!

2011-06-16T23:30:00.002-04:00

At an Estate sale this past weekend I came across a 50 cent table. The table itself, wasn't for sale, the items on it were. There in the corner of the table was a very lonely bank note, not of this country. It dawned on me that a foreign bank note no matter from what country of origin, has to have a definite value, right? Well, at least in its own country. Here, it has 2 values: 1) what ever the going exchange rate is 2) What ever someone will pay for it. Funny how money can be worth more as a collectible than its face value. The note I found wasn't priced by either value. There is a 3rd factor for pricing money at a sale. The Inconvenience factor. It goes something like this: Seller says to other seller, "Do you know what this note is worth?" "Ugh! I don't have a clue. Put 50 cents on it. I don't know." Sometimes sellers just want to get rid of stuff and even if it's money. Who says, "Money is no object?" At this sale money was clearly just an object. When I saw this note on the 50 cent table, I thought it was a mistake.

Money is collectible because of all the thought behind it. Designed to instill trust in the bearer and receiver, represent national pride in financial stability, even when instability reigns supreme. The great pains taken to prevent counterfeiters from having an easy go of it, make money, well, money.

There I was chasing down the "price" lady. Sometimes difficult to find, and to tell apart from the assistants at a sale, she has the final say and treating her with the right attitude can mean the difference between "sale" and "no sale." By the time we had arrived at this sale all the workers were tired and she just laughed and said "Take it."

25 Egyptian Piastres!....for nothing!? This was going to be a good sale, and it was. There were many ancient treasures I pulled away with....but this wasn't one of them. Egyptian currency comes in denominations based on Pounds. The 25 Piastre note is one quarter of an Egyptian pound note. Want to guess how the the Egyptian pound note is holding up against the dollar? Not good. As bad as our economy is the one pound note is currently valued at 16 cents on the US dollar. So, my note is valued at a whooping 4 cents!

That's still a 4 cent profit, and I am the proud owner of Egyptian currency, and a little knowledge of foreign currency. The question I will close with is....How come their money doesn't have a pyramid on it? Or, do I need to look for more?

This just in!!...Mixer's Panties in a Twist....Sends Craig's List Fist!

2011-06-13T23:09:00.003-04:00

Urban Archeology Field Reporter, Bob Deakin, is on assignment and sends in this story of revenge, non-violence and intrigue from the tag sale trail:

Traffic backs up in front of the Davenport home.

(UA) - Police responded to a disturbance at 111 Northrup Street early Saturday morning when a traffic jam formed in front of the Davenport home as dozens of people showed up for a much-anticipated tag sale. Police were called by the homeowner, who claimed he had announced no such event.

“I never arranged for a tag sale for today or any day,” said angry homeowner Vincent Davenport to police, who were forced to direct traffic in the rural neighborhood for several hours. “Why would I invite a bunch of strangers to my house on a Saturday morning?”

Mr. Davenport first opens the door to unexpected taggers.

Davenport was initially awakened by knocks on his door and startled to find several dozen people milling about in front of his house. When they refused to leave he grew angry and returned with a baseball bat to scare them away, only to receive several offers for the bat and frequent requests to pass out numbers. This only proved to heighten Davenport's anger; "What the hell do they want numbers for?...and no this bat isn't for sale!"

Respondents produced an ad in the local newspaper showing a tag sale slated for 7 am at that address on that day, which police took into evidence. Several attendees also produced a printout of the notice posted on Craigslist for the same event, which police quickly discarded as fraud.

The disturbance erupted at approximately 6:55 am when a prompt group of 'taggers' - veteran tag sale aficionados - or 'Early Birds' as they are known in the trade (at this hour), arrived to peruse the wares at the Davenport home at the start of their well organized day.

Tagger Hank Zeppo was typical of those who showed up.

Mr. Davenport angrily confronts the taggers with a baseball bat.

“We were following our itinerary through the southeastern quadrant of town – based on the rising sun – before moving on to northeast quadrant number two at 41°31′33″N 73°21′39″W. From here we move on to central sectors one and two, then to the north and west, as is normal for our coverage pattern launch at dawn on Saturdays.”

These experts come well prepared for the weekend missions armed with food, water and generic soda rations, GPS devices, dubiously-claimed amounts of cash (depending on the item discovered) and small slips of paper known as 'checks,' formerly used as a form of currency now used only by women over 50 at grocery stores.

Veteran tagger Ray Hornig was none too pleased with the goings on at 111 Northrup.

“Jannie and I were all set to start here as part of a busy day of tagging and we get this,” he said, incredulously. “I don't know what's going on but we were going to designate 20 to 30 minutes to this place and 15 to the next and now we've got to make adjustments on the fly all day. This world is going to hell in a hen basket.”

Other, more astute taggers, were quick to correct Ray's poorly executed cliché to 'hell in a hand basket,' which still makes no sense, but his point was made.

Tagger Justin Mitchell, whose first name belies his age – estimated to be in his late 60s – intends to approach city hall to crack down on the tag sale ordinance in Springfield.

“We must have an ordinance for police to identify permitted tag sales,” he stressed. “My wife and I came here looking for Wacky Packages, Partridge Family and M*A*S*H memorabilia, as any tagger worth his salt would expect to find in a neighborhood like this. We just heard a minute ago he didn't plan this sale but since we're all here and traffic's backed up can't he just pop open the garage door and let us have a quick look around?”

The ad printed in the local newspaper (and allegedly on Craig's List) welcomed early birds and boasted of vintage clothing, Hammond organs, HDTVs, cocktail glass sets, 1970s memorabilia, classic furniture from the 1960s and much more.

All anyone got was disappointment.

“I've been searching for a Hammond B-3 organ for the last ten years and I thought today might be my lucky day,” said Troy Dufiss, oblivious to the fact that there was in fact, no tag sale at the house. “Is he going to open that garage or am I going to have to open it for him?”

Mr. Davenport continued to guard the garage throughout the day.

After several hours of research police determined that the announcement of the tag sale was a hoax concocted by an acquaintance of the homeowner. It turns out Ed Maloney, bartender at the local tavern, “One For The Road,” submitted the advertisements as an act of revenge on the part of Mr. Davenport.

Davenport and his wife – both regulars at the tavern – were there earlier in the week and gave Maloney yet another in a series of extremely poor tips after spending several hours at the establishment.

“What comes around goes around,” is all Maloney is reported to have said to police during questioning.

Mr. Davenport declined to press charges but Springfield Police Sargent Duke Morris confirmed that several of the taggers filed complaints. Asked how residents can prevent such scams in the future, Sargent Morris gave only one bit of advice.

“Tip your bartender.”

Thanks, Bob, for that sterling report. We now take you back to our regularly scheduled blog....already in progress.

Ad Quiz #8 Solution...It's just a Vibrator...nothing to get hysterical about.

2011-06-12T11:38:00.002-04:00

I found this ad entertaining on several levels. First and foremost is the horrible photo/illustration (heavy on the /). They have done such a poor job of drawing and shading his muscles that I was expecting to see a subliminal image emerge from his pecs and biceps. The indifferent look on his face and the angle of his head doesn't look natural. If I didn't read the ad copy I would assume this was an ad some sort of male nipple eraser, which it seems to do rather well.

There were quite a few health enhancers in the early 20th century, just like there are now, except it was a softer sell back then. Now everyone is trying to force their medications and devices down your throat. This is why I appreciate these old ads. Their pretentiousness seems so obvious that no one could be fooled by them, and these could have been regarded like the Sunday comix section. Unfortunately, seeing something like this in black and white was probably enough to fool most of the people most of the time.

If you take the time to read the ad, you will be continually blasted by false promises and meaningless claims. My favorite: Nine out of ten people are only half alive. And tied for first place: Your self-respect...will be increased a hundredfold. Well, the White Cross Vibrator not only provided all the healthful benefits of vibration, but galvanic and faradic jolts of electricity as well. It seems to me with all the stimulation this provides, you may just be happy to be half alive when it's over, which would bring an obvious increase in self-respect for having survived it.

These were used as part of the medical profession's answer to curing women's "troubles". Selling these units to doctors to cure fits of hysteria in women was commonplace...until the first porn film arrived in the 1920's demonizing the vibrator. By the end of the sexual revolution in the 70's the vibrator was considered "ok" again. Now, everyone can know the benefits and healing arts of vibration through cell phones, unless it's someone that you really don't want to talk to - also known as - buzz-kill.

There is a great museum for this technology and gadgetology in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Turn of the Century Electrotherapy Museum has a vast collection of the instruments and history of these devices, many of which were spurred by the burgeoning industry surrounding electricity. It's worth a look.

I found that site by searching for the last part of the ad, the book that's yours for FREE, with no obligation. The book of "Health and Beauty" is the perfect come-on if you haven't been sold but still want something for reading through the whole ad. Go here to see the full book and the letter that accompanied it. In short, the book's full title is: "Health and Beauty...and how it is obtained through Vibration." It's the ultimate infomercial gotcha!

Ad Quiz #8 You can be like this man...

2011-06-11T10:24:00.001-04:00

Of course the question is, "Why?" Looking at this I had never realized that Photoshop has been around for much longer than I originally thought. Or at least the idea of faking - err, enhancing images to get the manufacturer's point across to the masses.

If this guy is supposed to be the "Before," well, he sure has a lot of hair before using the product...Maybe that's why he is shaking his fist?

I really don't know why this woman is interested in being like the man, but maybe it is the final hint that the product is clearly for men and women.

Answer: Coming soon! (which means: This afternoon or tomorrow morning.)

Ad Quiz #7: Answered!...It's Cherub Chow!

2011-06-07T23:50:00.001-04:00

Actually, it's Post Toasties. Well, for treasure hunting this weekend it was bottom of the ninth, 2 outs, and no one on - Sunday afternoon. Even though I had enjoyed another 3-day weekend starting with a Friday off to hit some potential "digs," I was only able to come up with a few items - random items - items that, to some, might smell of desperation, not perspiration. Friday's take was 500 sheets of heavy red line stationary, and a pair of new computer speakers, Cost $5. Why all the paper? I'm a doodler - A good fine point pen, or a sharp Sharpie and some decent paper and I'm off. The computer speakers will complete a new computer upgrade at work.

Again, This is NOT a self-portrait

Saturday didn't add anything more to the pot. I took a chance on some estate sales in lower Fairfield county, and learned all to well, that the richer the area, the earlier you need to be. Not my style, I can't bring myself to be part of the rush. I need and want time to concentrate, inspect, search. I don't want the low hanging fruit, I want the thing that's been hanging there for a hundred years and no one will climb the dead branches to haul it in. Looking for that last sale of the day karma (there is such a thing.) I bought a wireless webcam for $5, whose resurrection will be an interesting project.

Sunday, I decided to head to the flea market to see a fellow digger and his son. Ame and I checked out as many booths as possible, but because we choose to go late in the morning, by the time we are half-way through, many of the dealers have begun to pack up. Our saving grace was the last vendor with reams of old paper. I managed to grab a couple of Leslie magazines, which I consider to be the combination of Life/Time of the early 20th century. The ad was what drew me to it. For something printed in 1913, I am amazed how the color and the kid still seem to leap off the page. There are other ads, none as colorful, that I will be featuring in upcoming posts. Maybe I should replace his face with mine - That looks like me headed to another dig.

Ad Quiz #7: Why is this kid so happy?

2011-06-07T01:20:00.001-04:00

Graphic Artists/Illustrators 90 or 100 years ago had this innate ability to make people look freakishly happy. Maybe they were still lacing everything with cocaine and cannabis, or maybe it's the product....Can you guess?

There may be life on the Moon!...but the atmosphere's lousy

2011-06-03T23:03:00.003-04:00

The news from 89 years ago...I guess it really isn't "news" nor is it even remotely correct. But I was going through my collection of Portuguese-American Weekly's and this leaped out at me. Seriously, it was just another odd magazine in a box of old papers. I couldn't read a word of it, until I came to the English section in the middle, and found all sorts of interesting news bites. I was really thinking that in 1922, information like this was similar to any tabloid today; just printed to get eyes and pennies to purchase and all of it junk science and made up "wow factor" facts.

Then I looked up Dr Archenhold, and low and behold....

There he is with his creation, the Treptow Observatory. This observatory was built from monies raised by Archenhold and donated by Andrew Carnegie. The fascinating fact was that Albert Einstein gave his first public speech about his Theory of Relativity here in 1915, and the 2 men developed a friendship. This friendship was eventually compromised by Archenhold's interest in showmanship and Einstein's destiny to be the father of all Geeks (not that there's anything wrong with that). Archenhold really wanted to introduce the public to the wonders of Astronomy and science in general. He died in 1939 just before his family was imprisoned by the Nazi's and killed in a concentration camp. The Observatory survives today, and in 1989 was re-named after it's founder. You can read more about Archenhold here. And you can read more about the Einstein connection here.

PETA - We Have A Problem...

2011-05-31T23:18:00.001-04:00


Unicorn-holders

Spotted by my friend Tony at a tag sale in the Albany NY area, he had to capture it. When they start using harmless animals as everyday appliances, well, we've clearly lost site of our animal neighbors on this planet. What's next? A Polar Bear freezer? Giraffe ladders? I for one plan to introduce a petition for a Bill to forbid the use of animals as models for appliances and recommend replacing them with fictional creatures. Wouldn't you rather dry your hair with a dragon shaped dryer? Or, hold your hot corn with these?

Actually, the best hair dryer is the one the not only drys the water in your hair, but frightens it off as well.

Now, that's what I call some clear thinking!

Memorial Day: A look back at MAS*H

2011-05-30T00:08:00.002-04:00

On this Memorial Day weekend I don't want to diminish the efforts of the current soldiers fighting for America at home and abroad, by just prattling on about the treasure I found, or didn't find while on my mission. In fact, now is a good time to speak about the thousands of men and women who have been serving in the military and are coming home to recuperate and assimilate back in to society (including veterans from previous wars). It won't be easy. War is hell, and the psychological trauma of wondering what's around the corner, or what's along that roadside, for 1 or more tours of duty, isn't something you "get over." They have given up more than their time and one can only hope that in time those veterans suffering from the effects of PTSD, and other combat injuries can be helped with the right therapy. I will be continuing the "DVDs For Troops" campaign we started at work in 2009 (so far: over 1900 DVDs shipped to troops overseas). If you want more information about helping U.S. war verterans go here.

Now I will prattle on about my latest find. You never know what your going to find when you start climbing that driveway or stairs, and following the signs to the entrance you think is the right one. That may be the key to the fun of it all. A little mystery, high expectation, and a low probability of danger adds up to some pretty good odds for a positive experience. Add to that the social factor, or the opportunity to benefit your community - as in the relocation of junk, or the boost to a hyper-local economy, and it begins to sound like I am writing a sermon on the benefits of tag sale-ing!

I really want to talk more about the Karma of hitting the sales. It is a typical occurrence to find the same item pop up numerous times at different sales. For example; at 3 separate sales on Saturday I kept seeing books by American humorist, Erma Bombeck. I don't know why, or if it was a sign, but is certainly struck me funny. Sometimes it's a board game, other times it's a glass doorknob. These I refer to as "theme" days, where suddenly the tag-sale holders of the world wake up and unconsciously all decide to sell the spare tires for the car they no longer own.

On this Memorial Day weekend I didn't really expect to find much, I mean, who really wants to have a tag sale when they could be planning or going to some kind of cook-out, parade, or some other kick-off to the unofficial start of summer. The last thing I expected to find would be something to remind me of the troops:

To say I liked this show would be an understatement - I grew up on this show and idolized Alan Alda's "Hawkeye Pierce." It was by no means a perfect show and had episodes that didn't ring with me, but it endured and then managed to find closure. Great writing, excellent comedy, memorable lines: "We're already at the Front! What are they going to do? Put us in front of the Front?" So, finding a commemorative piece of the Bar, or supply building, frequented by the characters throughout the series is a unique find. This was sold during the addition of the "Swamp," the tent of the main characters during the series, to the Smithsonian around 1983. I have no idea what "Binding up the wounds" means in relation to this piece of the set, but it doesn't really matter. I found the "find" I was looking for this weekend. If you want to get your "fix" of M*A*S*H facts and info, go here.

Old Soda: Sweetie & Sticky

2011-05-27T23:25:00.003-04:00

I used to be a collector...of just a few kinds of things. It started with beer cans and brewerina. It was a natural progression from looking through junk piles while walking to and from elementary school. "Up hill! Both ways!" I tell my daughter. My interest with beer must have had something to do with the double standard being too young to drink it, but not too young to collect it. Somewhere in high school someone in my family bought me a six-pack of beers from around the world. Fortunately alcaholism didn't run in my family (though it may have stumbled all over the place and then feel down on its face). A devotee of canned and bottled beer, I even joined the Beer Can Collectors of America (which is now called something else). That is a story for another day. It was what I found while looking for beer cans, that was also interesting to me. Not just the styles and designs of beer logos, but soda fascinated me as well.

This one is from the 50's or 60's and was in a pile of discarded cans and bottles. when I found it, it may have been there for 15 or 20 years.

I have 2 of these "newer" swirl Pepsi bottles large and small. I have no idea why I have hung on to them. They were still in a box in the garage and were the "keepers" from the last move.

I always liked 7-ups old tag line: You Like it It Likes You. How the well can I drink something that claims to like me. Seems just a bit morose. The last item up for display is a window decal from - my favorite place to find things - a random box of papers.

I can't find anything but a few bottles of this soda for sale online. No history. No backstory. If you know of the history of Sweetie Soda, or just want to make something up, I'm all ears.

Dig Report: Find a box of junk and you might pin down a Republican

2011-05-26T00:27:00.002-04:00

Progeny and I didn't have a lot of time on Saturday. As much as I might like to hit every sale, I can't and often don't. I don't have a wall map with a sea of push pins, nor do I make good use of the Yard sale finder -which has now moved to the left side border in my new design. To plan the attack, I will glance through whatever list of sales I can find looking for either estate sales or sales that have key words that I latch on to.

This past Saturday after finally mowing an over-grown lawn that 7 days of rain kept me from doing, we headed out to a sale that boasted drafting tables. The is one of my key words. Someone who owns drafting tables is either an artist or an engineer/architect. Unless they painted clowns on black velvet, or built trailer parks, they are gong to be selling some precision instruments. Hopefully, drawing implements. Pens and pencils, if they are good, will last forever. As someone who likes to draw, finding something different and unique, or antique, can inspire or at least hope to quell a case of artist's cramp.

The sale was in Ridgefield, CT in a fairly modern house that looked as though it was built with good intentions and then never completely finished. These houses always raise more questions then they answer: What happened to the owners? What did they do? Why didn't they finished this house? What happened in 2006 when all the calendars and magazines seem to freeze in time? I often question what I am doing in the middle of a stranger's house...but then I remember - that is the eternal question. There is a reason for everything, it's up to you if you want to spend the time to find out. When I found nothing like I had hoped, I ended up standing and scanning over a box of junk in the garage.

"You can have it." The nice lady from "Recycle Again" estate sale service said to me. Now, anyone could look at this and see junk; I see a dig in a box. I had asked about writing implements, but one glance and I knew that this would be all there was for pens or pencils if there was any at all. Well there were some writing implements:

There were about thirty of these lead refill packs, all anyone could ever want. Too many of them were red and a few were green. Naive as it sounds, I've never seen red and green leads for a mechanical pencil...until now. What a sheltered life I've lead. (pun intended). Although the digging was the prize in itself, there was one interesting thing I found aside from the random bits of hardware, bolts, screws, keys to nowhere, all inside way too many General Foods International Coffee cans.

I know I've posted other campaign and Party items, usually from just one party. If you think I am leaning in favor of that party, all I can say is: Don't pin it on me! Didn't the Dems ever even make stuff to hand out? Either someone is hoarding ,or I'm not looking hard enough. One final note, as the card says "Your leadership is building a better America..." - When are they going to finish building this place?

Great Tag Sale Book Titles: Aim Low!

2011-05-23T00:30:00.002-04:00

Shopping for essentials at tag sales used to be a great way to save money, but it, too, has become expensive. As part of the new economy for the 21st century, I have decided to start a new trend by photographing the things I want to buy. Hey, it's just like owning it! It's what I call a "virtual possession" or "E-Ownership." I can enjoy all it's aesthetic beauty and utility and store it on my E-shelf where it only takes up a few hundred kilobytes. In those terms I now own this copy of Writing Good English. "Bah!" you say, "You can't open it and read it, so you don't really own it!" On the contrary, Sir, what about the your copy of Moby Dick on the kindle, in the cloud? Have you ever opened that? "Well, no, but I plan to...er, someday." Ah Ha! "Same thing." I reply.

Actually, I whipped out my camera at an Estate sale this weekend because the contradiction of the title immediately struck me as funny. I constantly need to check my command of the English language because I write what I think, and while that may sound good in my head, it doesn't always work out that way. You can ponder the correctness of the title, I searched for an online grammar check, who could only tell me that the adverb "well" should be used with "Writing." Their solution was to correct it to Writing Well English. My suggestion for the correct title probably wouldn't fly either: Writing English Well. Rather than promising readers a mediocre goal for their language skills, the author should have kept it simple and offered Writing Correct English.

You know what? I'm already tired of my E-ownership of this book. I think I'll just E-rase it.

In Support of the Arts

2011-05-21T09:01:00.001-04:00

As you can tell by the title of this blog, I haven't exactly settled on what I am going to write about. Sure, it will likely be Urban Archeology (read: treasure hunting) See! I did it again! I took an ambiguous phrase I coined and used another ambiguous phrase to describe it. Truthfully, If you've landed here because of the many odd items, gadgets, antique document, or other miscellanea I have found (or created) you will also get a text-full of my observations and rantings about the shiny (and not so shiny) things that fascinate me. I thank you in advance for sticking with me, even through this paragraph/disclaimer.

"An artist's life has so few rewards."

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So there I was last Saturday, with my 7-year-old partner in crime trying to catch the vibe for which way the best tag sale might be. We were really on our way to the fist annual arts festival at Harrybrooke Park in New Milford, CT. If you don't know about this park, you are not alone. It is a 41 acre private/public park for New Milford residents left decades ago by an eccentric millionaire linen manufacturer, who built the property for his wife who died of cancer before they could fully enjoy it. The Home and estate have been preserved and cared for through money he left in trust. Money, which is now dwindling because of the poor economy. The local lions Club and several other New Milford-ites have formed a committee to maintain and preserve its beauty and its usefulness by raising funds through events, such as the Arts Festival, held at the park May 14th.

Amethyst and I stopped at a sale, which didn't quite have the vibe I was looking for, but it did have items that both I and my daughter pondered over. We left, to her dismay, with 2 promises - that I would think about what she wanted,

My partner and I got to make art too!

and that we would come back later to see if it was still there. At the Arts Festival, we enjoyed visiting several booths and watching the many performers. The team from my new favorite arts & literature magazine The Newtowner were there and presented poetry by the falls. Amethyst especially liked throwing a flower into the water to join in the Blessing of the Still River. She, like any kid, will throw anything into a moving body of water. She was spoiled by ice cream, and sand art, and even got to play on the playground and draw with chalk. The weather held on this Saturday in the middle of a rainy spring, but unfortunately, so did the crowds. We left after making one more go-round.

As promised, we returned to the tag sale and even though I prayed for rain, or for the object of her affection to be gone - it was still there, and now belongs to her. Where do you keep a 2' x 2' complete Playmobil Pyramid play set without angering your wife? I guess in the same place you hide the full sized artist easel that was also still at the sale. I love to draw (read: doodle), but I questioned my purchase because it is so damned complicated to unfold this thing that it almost intimidates me. But when I asked an artist friend at the Art Show how much these things go for ($70-$120), I knew I would get it if it was still there when we returned. It was still there, and for $10 I couldn't pass it up.

This will be supporting my art as soon as I can sneak it out of the garage, past my wife, and into the house. Please consider clicking on any of the links above and supporting the arts (or a place for the arts) as well. And don't forget about the Flagpole Radio Cafe Tonight!

Which Wizard of Oz Character are You? Turns out... I'm the Tin, Man!

2011-05-17T23:39:00.001-04:00

Well, it's not every day you go to an estate sale and find something with your name on it. It was actually just one day many years ago driving through Bethel CT and looking for a sign. This had to be a sign. No, it really just turned out to be a cool way to wrap a gift for my parents. Recently, while visiting my Mom over vacation, turns out the coolness wore off and 8,9, or maybe ten years later she offered it up for the Blog.

Sadly, not unlike my own name, I know very little about the tin. About 6" x 6" it was likely a souvenir of the famous port city in Belgium. "De Roem of Van Antwerpen" translates to "The Celebrity of Antwerp" and the lower text is "Antwerp Hands." The images are taken from the work of J. Leseul, a painter I can also find nothing about.

If I could find the painter's bio I may be able to put a date on the tin. Though a guess would estimate it around 1950 -1960. The name, Antwerp has several origins, some based in folklore: the tossing of an evil severed giant's hand - ant (hand) + verpen (throw), or the other meaning - At the Warf. Right now, I'm really more interested in the tin than my lineage. Anyway, if you can help me with its history, or mine, please leave a message in the comments.

Spin the Bottle....a family game?

2011-05-15T13:04:00.001-04:00

DIG REPORT 5/14/11: TRUMBULL ESTATE SALE

Fortunately for my marriage, I don't buy everything I see. This weekend, however, I did come across a stash of toys from the 60's that were really tempting. As I was about to consider buying, I thought, "Wait. I'm not going to Ebay this, and if I buy it, I'm going to have to put it somewhere..." And then I remembered the camera on my I-pod and came up with a way to build commentary for this blog without always having to buy. Here's the item:

Think back to your teen-age years... ever play this game? No, I don't mean this exact game, I am talking about the savvy friend at the teen mixer that steps into the group and says, "Wanna play Spin the Bottle?" Then everyone looks around furtively and does a quick accounting of the sexes. Do I want to kiss her? Does she want to kiss me? Is there an even number? Seems like an imbalance would cause some one to speak up to the negative. Those were the days when a teen had to make a decision and the peer pressure was simple. Today's teen has the weight of a dock and 4 boats on them if they choose poorly - I call it Pier Pressure. Few would want to be the spoiler anyway, so, off they go into a right of passage. Spin the Bottle was (and maybe still is) a pretty innocent game, and I don't think anyone ever got pregnant from playing it, though I may be revealing too much here about the lame-ness of my teen years. As I recall, it was a wine bottle and spinning it so you could tell who it pointed to, and without injuring someone's ankle seemed a true challenge. I had no idea that Hasbro manufactured a board game version of this boy-meets-girl, boy-awkwardly-kisses-girl game.

I photographed the box because I had to ask, as I often do, "What were they thinking?

I'll take a stab at it - Hasbro Game Developer: "I've got it! If kids are going to play spin the bottle anyway, let's make a family version so the kids will stay at home and play it in the safety of the family rumpus room with mom and dad. It'll keep 'em from pairing off and doing god-knows-what before they're married." That strategy probably worked on Mom and Dad, but I'm pretty sure that no kid would be caught dead playing this with their parents. I'm looking at the image and trying to guess what's going on. In this version, you spun a bottle-shaped piece of cardboard and picked up cards that had odd physical challenges, sometimes involving the other players. I didn't look at all the cards, just enough to make sure this was based on the game I remembered....It was:

Well, if it had been in a little better shape I would have bought it, because the whole awkward-inappropriateness of it all is still making me chuckle. I wonder if the young kid playing the game there on the box had to ask the question, "Umm, Dad? What is sex?...and which is the opposite one I'm supposed to kiss?"

Flagpole Radio Cafe Season Finale: Whether you see it or not...you'll have the Blues!

2011-05-11T20:07:00.002-04:00

Unless you are reading this post from far away, you have no reason to miss the next and last Flagpole Radio Cafe (this season). There are too few venues in Western CT where you can see Music, Comedy, and Variety all in the same night. They put on a good show and I have been lucky enough to make myself a part of each one. On Saturday, May 21st you can spend a nice evening at a nice sized venue called the Edmond Town Hall Theater. The special musical guest is Blues/Folk artist, and raconteur Guy Davis, and he has good long bio that you can read here. Or take a look at this short video:

There ain't a bad seat in da house! For tickets and more information clik the poster above or go here.

It's Mothers Day!.... Let's Pick on Mom!

2011-05-08T01:15:00.001-04:00

I have to chime in on the whole Osama thing...or is it Usama? ( You say Usama! I say Osama...Let's call the whole thing off! ) Anyway, after seeing several Networks portray the whole event, or whatever part of it they could get their hands on to portray...Enough! I don't care if he was living in Pakistan, I don't care if the Pakistani leadership, or military knew...or some knew..and some didn't...but should have. I don't care about the the picture of his corpse. I don't care about the video of him watching himself on TV, or that he dyed his hair to improve his image (whom did he need to impress?) I don't care if this will guarantee Obama his re-election, or that it would have tanked it if the Navy Seals had done another "Jimmy Carter" in the desert. The news is so formulaic now that it is possible to guess what will happen next and how the painfully few network "voices" will portray it. News is best consumed like the items in a bakery; a little from each shelf in equal amounts, and then some from your own kitchen...and then don't consume any more News for another whole week. You'll feel better, trust me.

Sorry, that's as opinionated as I will get on current events...and now for something really old:

Here is a stellar example of why we need a day like Mother's Day...no, not because we need to keep money flowing to the confectioner's and florists in the nation - there's Easter, birthdays and anniversaries for that. Somewhere in the past an advertising executive took the idea that women should be barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen and added: ridiculed by thoughtless loudmouth spouses. There! That oughta sell more product!

I feel so bad after reading this that I am going to surprise my wife with something regular every day. A soft voice, a warm smile, and respect for how well she is raising our daughter...despite my thoughtless loudmouth behavior.

Squished pennies, Safety Pins and Scenes from the 1939 World's Fair

2011-04-28T00:43:00.003-04:00

We seemed to be obsessed with trinkets and mementos of the the places we've been or the things we own...Why is that? You may not be one of the "we" I am referring to, but I am. Not to the point of obsession, I don't have the keyring with a thousand things, other than keys on it. The memento that never left my side was found on a set of keys someone had hidden in the backstage area of my high school auditorium. On it was a very unique safety pin. It amazed me because of its simple design: one piece of wire sharpened on one end and then wrapped and bent and twisted several times back on itself to complete this utilitarian product of early mechanized mass production...or so I believe. That pin stayed with me until just a few years ago (read: a looong time), and over the years saved my keys from the Atlantic clipped to my swim trunks through many a vacation. It finally succumbed to the salt water. I've always wanted to see the machine that made it, or the human equivalent. That pin served me as well as a Swiss Army knife.

So, as I make my way around an estate sale, or any other kind of sale, I look for these kinds of things. Simple, unique, and still retain some of the "neat-o" factor. A couple of months ago I found such a sale, in Danbury CT, on the western side of Candlewood Lake. Should have been a good dig, but I couldn't make a connection between the leftover junk and why I wanted any of it. Until I took a final look at the "Jewelry table." This is often where the expensive items are left close to the Estate sale service employees to thwart those with light fingers. Usually not my kind of stuff, but this time I saw a ring of keys.

The keys were unremarkable, but the flattened penny was gold - anything referring back to an early World's Fair is worth a second look. Blank on one side (not even the ghost imprint of the penny that was used!) On the reverse, the goddess Roma is perched above the colonnaded steps which featured a cascading waterfall. Inside were the products of Italy and, of course the opportunity to squish a penny as a memento. I wonder if it was like it is now - Did it cost a dollar to crank your own penny into a souvenir back then as well? There is more writing where the hole punch is, but it is too worn and missing for me to be sure. Probably the year, but there's something more.. Click here to see a similar penny on Ebay with a close-up on this area....I still can't make it out. Maybe you can?

In my research I did find someone's home movie IN COLOR of the 1939 world's fair. If you go to the 1:54 mark you will see the Italian Pavilion in all its glory...

Catsup King, Tomato Justice, or Tomato Rebellion?...You decide.

2011-04-22T00:35:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, all it takes is an envelope to get me going (Click for a larger size).

I first fell for the graphics and the color representation of the can. Cartoon-ish and innocent, with the "pyramid" of soup flavors, yes, they even had mulligatawny! I thought at first that this was a cute little vegetable packing company from the 30's, maybe Popeye got his spinach from this place.

Nope, nothing small about this place! Railways, shipping and no less that 10,000 employees. I know I don't know everything about everything, but shouldn't this have sounded a little familiar? I had to find out more.

The first stop was the Maryland Online Encyclopedia which tells the story of this company. I can summarize by saying that it was an Oyster packing company bought in 1902 by Levi Phillips and a partner named Winterbottom and then expanded by another member of the Philips family, Albanus Philips. Don't think I'd be telling this story if they'd put Winterbottom's name on the can. They seem to know how to control the farmers, take advantage of the railways for raw vegetables in and product out. Then they gained the lucrative (I suppose) army contract to feed the troops for WWI and WWII and were the largest packagers of the famous "C" rations. Albanus was somewhat of a baron of industry and didn't pay his workers well, or provide benefits, other than all the canned food you could buy at the company store, maybe. There were some famous clashes between striking workers and the police and other state organizations who tried to make peace (not canned peace!) between the 2 sides.

In hunting for more information about this company I came across a biography of Walter Chysler, who became fast friends with Albanus Phillips (Note the company address on the envelope). Aside from hunting and carousing they also enjoyed friendly wagers.

(Pokety was a hunting lodge.estate owner by Mr. Chrysler)

All along I had been wondering why this envelope had been kept among this box of papers that has now stretched over several posts. When I read the location of the lavish dinner that Chrysler had to hold (because he lost the "Tomato Justice" bet) at the Waldorf-Astoria, something clicked. I remembered seeing among the personal documents, an employee card.

It's a long shot. The ID card is from 1932, and the extravagant dinner at the Waldorf is 1935, and the envelope is from 1937. But seeing the occupation of the card holder it is possible to speculate that some connection likely existed between that famous dinner and the owner of the card and envelope.

The epilogue for the Philips company and its Baron of Catsup ends in the 1960's. In post WWII the Campbell's Soup company won over the consumer and the frozen food era signaled the end of many canned foods manufacturers.

Note: No Ketchup was spilled during the creation of this post.

Holy Matrimony!...It's time to face the music!

2011-04-19T23:29:00.002-04:00

I am the luckiest guy I know. How many wives allow their husbands to sneak around their backs, log on to the computer, and attempt to carry on a relationship with the rest of the blogging world? As I near 180 posts, and thank all the people that have stopped by to ogle my foolish rants about other peoples stuff, the one person I have to really thank is my wife. I have left her during the Oscars, at the top of the ninth inning during the play-offs, on the edge of her seat during "Rear Window," and out in the garden, while I send one more diatribe out in to the vast unknown 'net. God, I am such a heel, because here I am, at it again! Thanks, Honey! and a Special Thanks for 13 years of marriage (May 2nd).

So, maybe it's no wonder that I have an interest in other peoples documents of matrimony. This isn't the final post on the box of papers from the house on the peninsular corner/intersection of East Franklin St, and Main St. in Danbury, CT. More fun than other peoples mail, it's reading the forms and documents from long ago. The information that red tape generators of the world request are all too often revealing and potentially embarrassing. Maybe some of those blank form questions are there solely for the entertainment of the paper pushers.

You may need to squint to read some of the details from this form, but it does give a snapshot of Danbury at the start of a new century. There was a large Italian immigrant section of the city that I am only now learning about. I hope a reader will see this and be moved to guest author a post. In the meantime I have to draw out the naive question of the day: Did the groom marry his cousin, or his mother's cousin? Or maybe Lubova is just a common name in Italy.

My next document for this post is a gem of a marriage certificate which although may be more decorative that official, it really is a work of art. This was found at the tag sale that used to be held in the "off-season" at the old house located on the grounds for the Elephant's Trunk. I bought it because of its age (1875) and it was local (Woodbury weds Roxbury):

The final document has nothing to do with marriage at all. Just a terse reminder that if you are going to sign up for music lessons you must pay your 50 cents each week. That you don't show up is, "...no economy to us."

U.S. Citizenship?......you're gonna have to Behave!

2011-04-16T12:08:00.001-04:00

Still digging through the same box of papers....it's really not that deep, but the it does have a depth of variety. Most of the items are from the turn of the 19th century. Here is a cool document from 1896:

Click for a larger size. I would like to know more about the family, but I know the house where this came from and I am afraid they are long gone. I am surprised that this was not framed as a memento of the start of a new life, in a new country. Back when hope of a better life was escaping oppression, or just the conditions that would make you a senior citizen at 45. Of course, you couldn't just walk in the country, you had to agree to our conditions. One of my favorites:

If you've been in country for the past three years, and been a good boy...then maybe we'll let you stay. But wait! There's more! I realize that I haven't reviewed the citizenship documents for 2011, which may have similar language (doubt it, probably longer with more legalese). My second favorite clip is the one requsting said applicant renounce whomever they were "following."

Not an unreasonable request, but just who would have referred to themselves as a "Potentate" and not suffered the snickering of the proletariat?

Coming Next Time: You're a citizen! Now it's time to build a house and get married!

Dr Hoxie! The King of Remedies!...is not a quack.

2011-04-13T22:09:00.001-04:00

So, I found this box of old papers....stop me if you've heard this one before. Yes, Superman has his kryptonite, Achilles had his heel, and I hope to go down in history as being felled by a box of paper. I can't explain my obsession with the past, maybe it is my desire to know it, so I don't repeat it? Truthfully, I enjoy finding humor in everything around me. You may think that a useful trait, but it just means I spend a lot of time laughing at my own material. This is also the eternal quest for knowledge, or in my case, nocturnal. As promised, this post is a continuation of the previous post where I began peeling away layer after layer of old paper to discover what had not been tossed in the trash bin a hundred and ten years ago (this eases my mind for all the times I've forgotten to take out the trash). What I found was a small collection of trade cards.

These are 2 x 2.5 inches and the one on the right is my only clue as to their age. The backs are calendars with a little advertising that has been cropped by my scanner.

Unfortunately, they were part of someone's album and the glue does not want to come off. This next set were larger.

Trade cards were all the rage in the later 19th century. Color lithography was the I-pad of its day in 1865. Interesting to look at, collect, yes even trade. Though I would guess that this is where the misconception of trading cards, and trade cards was born. You could trade trade cards, but these were trade cards because they advertised trades. Whew! Too many trades, I'm dizzy. These became popular by being tucked in products, handed out as gifts by businesses, or just left in small piles by the checkout.

Their condition keeps them from being a major score for treasure. Though worth something, without the glue marks and stains, they would sell for $15 -$25 each. An ad for Dr. Hoxie is invaluable for the name alone. Hoxie is not a quack, but could he be a hoax? Only his tar & featherer knows...

I've taken the train through Utica, New York and this dry goods establishment may have been amazing, but hardly one of the "real" attractions of the city. Though, in 1890, a place that sells carpet and sacks of rice? It must have been the Costco of its day.

Take care of your "Sen's" and the Yens will take care of themselves

2011-04-12T00:04:00.001-04:00

A few weeks back I hit the kind of estate sale that was truly a "dig." Lots of old paper and books, on lots of dusty shelves, inside room after room of a 110 year-old basement. I had the pleasure of just taking my time poking in every corner, looking at everything. It all seemed to have value, well, not all of it. I settled for a few good magazines, and one that seemed to cover all the entertainment of the day in 1916, including Stage, Screen, and Vaudeville:

This seems to cater to the fan of entertainment as much as it does to the purveyor of motion picture houses. I will post some of the pages in an upcoming article. Meanwhile, let me continue digging through this ancient basement. In a box that was suspiciously new (how long have they been brewing Bud Light?) there was a small stack of papers, old, odd, and likely moved from another holder and then never inspected. I took a look and then thought up a price, and then crossed my fingers. This day the person running the basement portion of the sale was looking to clear the stuff out and let me have my small heap for $5. Even if worthless, I had what I wanted: a dig in a box and at the bottom, I found the golden ticket!

I guessed Japanese yen and hoped I had found something rare. It looked rare enough. A quick check of Wikipedia and I knew I was looking at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, through the first Torii (great gate). A few more searches and I knew it was from approximately 1942-44. This is where i should have stopped, because the problem with researching treasure is that the more you know about something the lower in value it descends. The last stop was an auction site that lists the note between $70-$100....but in un-circulated condition! This was also not a 50 Yen note at all, but a "Sen" note. Sen notes are comparable in value to the Yen as the "penny" is to the dollar. So, I don't even have a whole Yen here, I have half. Like with most paper items, the poorer the condition the less you should pay for it. Unless you like how it looks, or came about it in the way that I did, then, to me, it's priceless. Not mention, easy to store, fun to hold, and examine. Like the magazine above, I will reveal more from this box at a later date.

Post Card from the other side of the tracks

2011-04-08T00:14:00.001-04:00

This is part of the collection of post cards I found at a Redding Estate sale last fall. They are all worth posting, but this one was unique.

All these cards involved correspondence involving a resident of my town and all were from the beginning of the 20th century. There were over 50 cards in the collection but only 2 of them had special attributes.

The "new" Bridgeport rail road station was new in 1905 because the old one had burned down a few years earlier. The unique aspect of this card was the lines of glitter some card manufacture employee took pains to lay down carefully to highlight different areas of the image. Take a look at the faux tilt-shift image I took to enhance it.

If you've never seen a tilt shift image, well, this is as close as I can get for now, but Tilt Shift has the ability to make a miniature scene look real and a wide angle live scene look like a miniature. Just search the term "Tilt Shift" in Google Images and you will get an eye full. My image of the RR gets close, and actually does make it pop out somewhat.

Next stop, more Estate Sale finds.

Video Martyr

LSD - Saves You Money! Fun British Ads

Embarassing Babies? Send them to the Hand cause the ears don't want to hear it!

Ad Quiz #15 - Solution - Dad's a junk food junkie

Stanley is soooo Steamed!

Ad Quiz #15 - Dad? ANYTHING?....... O RLY?

Danbury News 1861 - Would you store a Hippo in Hippodrome?

Connecticut Post Cards circa 1904-07

60 years later - this gum might leave more than a chicle in your throat

The rise and fail of Christmas cards

Could 2012 be the end?

How am I connected to a 70's football star? Through Batman, of course!

You're Cured! That'll be 50 cents, please.

Victorian -era fun - Savin Rock amuesment park

Were Victorian-Era Women Dangerous? ...You'll get the point...

Ad Quiz #14 SOLUTION: How do you flush a toilet mask?

Ad Quiz #14 Fad-ish or Fetish?

Happy Links-giving!

Who Shot JFK?

Ad Quiz #13 Solution - Andy Warhol knew the answer all along!

Ad Quiz #13 No Glue? Try Tomato Paste!

He Digs! He finds..Tackle!...He scores!

Practical Embalming...It's the only way.

Warning!: This Post May Contain Graphic Depictions of Sects!

Alfred, you really messed up the Bat Cave!!!

Albert Einstein's Business Card...relatively speaking

Now, THIS is a game for the Wii (pronounced WE as in We the people)

A little late for this invitation...but "Surprise!"

The dream "find" #1

Ad Quiz #13 SOLUTION - "Just ask Acetylene Jones"

Ad Quiz #13 Whatsamatta? Cat got your Breath?

Thin is in, but fat's where it's at!

An uncolored look back at the Great Danbury State Fair

Guest Author Bob Deakin wants you to meet: "Tony the Tagger"

Out to Lunch

Guest Author Bob Deakin Returns: Take a letter Maria...and read it!

Women can Fly?!? Airline tickets are $1?!? This I gotta see!

Time Clouds Early Aviator's Story

Why Did Mary Louise Sansom Stop Flying?

More: Before and After from 1927

Gadgetland 1958! The Tag Sale Inventory of Tomorrow!

Truth in Advertising - neither then nor now

I Love New York - A September 11 anniversary - UPDATED

Guests of the Video Martyr Blog stayed at the grand "Gray's Motor Village"

Indian Chewing Gum from 1930.....I have reservations about chewing it

School is in!...even for the backward child with no personality!

Ad Quiz #12 SOLUTION -The benefits of yeast are rising

Ad Quiz #12 - What does clemency taste like?

Give Blood...and blot up the mess

Local TV History: KDAL Rules!

The REAL 1892 Pencil Box of E.R. Rushmore

The 1892 Pencil Box of E.R. Rushmore - and the I-Phone of a Stranger

That's One Smokin' Hookah You Got There!

I'd Horse Whip Ya... If I had a horse...(old business invoices Pt 2)

Found: Front Door Key - 1850

Mattel Thingmaker.....Freaky Blogmaker Kit

What's on Your Stationery?

I Know from Shinola

Ad Quiz #11 Die! Hippie! Die! SOLUTION

Ad Quiz #11 Die! Hippie! Die!

Putting the "Me" in Media

Ad Quiz # 10 Solution - with Nervine: You'll love to see the children torture the dog!

Ad Quiz #10: Witch Mother Are You?

Yellow (ed) Journalism #1

Ad Quiz #9 - Solution - Fickle Deodorant...."VETOED"

Ad Quiz #9 Psst! Sally Stinks!

Turning a Negative into a Positive....for old times' sake

Money for Nothing....is Priceless!

This just in!!...Mixer's Panties in a Twist....Sends Craig's List Fist!

Ad Quiz #8 Solution...It's just a Vibrator...nothing to get hysterical about.

Ad Quiz #8 You can be like this man...

Ad Quiz #7: Answered!...It's Cherub Chow!

Ad Quiz #7: Why is this kid so happy?

There may be life on the Moon!...but the atmosphere's lousy

PETA - We Have A Problem...

Memorial Day: A look back at M*A*S*H

Old Soda: Sweetie & Sticky

Dig Report: Find a box of junk and you might pin down a Republican

Great Tag Sale Book Titles: Aim Low!

In Support of the Arts

Memorial Day: A look back at MAS*H