370. PATRIOTIC AND POLITICAL PINBACKS

Buttons up!
A handful of pinbacks and buttons mostly with nationalistic and poltical themes--TOP: A Philippine seal enamel button (1960s), a Red Cross button (1920s), a LABAN sign pin (1980s), Teves for Senator pinback (Lorenzo Teves, elected as senator in 1967, appointed governor of Negros Oriental in 1978), and "Iboto Natin si Mercado" (unidentified political candidate, 1960s.).

367. NEEDFUL THINGS

An old and small glass-fronted counter cabinet makes an excellent display to my miniatures, figurines, and small collectibles--bottle, bisque dolls, advertising premiums, coin banks, cake toppers. Whenever I go home with small, but precious finds, I dunk everything in here. Space-saving and neat!!Now where did I put my car keys??

365. Collectibles Ahoy! S.S.PRES. MCKINLEY SOUVENIR INKWELL & MENU CARD

S.S.President McKinley was a president liner operated by the Dollar Steamship Lines that served the world--from Boston in the U.S., Asia and Europe--under Commander Robert E.Carey U.S.N.R.. The passenger ship also served Manila, and to to go from the Philippines to the U.S. in the 1930, a passenger had to board the ship in the capital city, then proceed to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kobe, Yokohama, Honolulu, Seattle, then to San Francisco. To get to the East Coast, the ship had to proceed down to Balboa,through the Panama Canal, then Havana and finally to New York or Boston.

The long and arduous trip was somehow made pleasant with a delicious all-day menu that featured an array of breakfast items--fresh Philippine mangos and rice included.

A souvenir inkwell was presented to passengers--made from real Philippine shells. The figure of the sailing steamship is hand-painted on a mother-of-pearl shell backdrop, while the inkbottle rests on a sandy base, with more shells--small tritons and clams. Found in an estate sale, these 1930s  transport collectibles are nostalgic mementos of the great era of shipping---when the most adventurous way to see the world was to get on board a ship, and sail the seas!!

347. Advertique: ROYAL TRU-ORANGE SIGNBOARD

Now here's a great advertising sign that's truly Pinoy--a wooden signboard for Royal Tru-Orange that dates from the 60s. Royal Tru-Orange was originally formulated and sold commercially in 1922 by San Miguel Brewery before it was eventually bought by Coca-Cola. The brand name is silkscreened in bold colors on a lawanit (pressed wood pulp) board that was a cheaper alternative than conventional tin. This must have been for indoor use--say, a canteen or a large grocery store--as lawanit is not water-proofed.

Some of the memorable campaigns of Royal Tru-Orange emerged from the 1960s and 70s--harping on the natural ingredients of the popular orange soda drink: "Kitang-kita ang ebidensya---'yung may pulp bits syempre!" (You can see the evidence--the one with real orange pulp bits). The 70s gave us "Come Taste and Love It" and in the 80s, the "Royal--Natural, Ganito Talaga ang Buhay!" campaign starring RJ Ledesma, all done by McCann Erickson.

345. I'm A Little Teapot: 50sTOY TEA SET

I don't remember where I got this complete set of "Made in Japan" toy tea set, with its  box intact. Probably from Makati Cinema Square. Since I have so much pet cats, I thought the "kitty tea set" would be a nice addition to my feline collection.

Children's toys such as these were widely available in bazaars everywhere in the Philippines as they were cheaply made. Unfortunately, they were also well-loved and much-played with, that often resulted in broken and missing pieces. That is why, I am lucky to have found this miniature play pieces in unused condition. Maybe one of these days, I'll treat my friends to tea and sconces, using my 50 year old plus tea ware, and hold the nicest tea party in the house.

344. Who You Gonna Collect?: GHOSTBUSTER WATER ZAPPER & NUTRONA BLASTER

In 1984, a film about three weird New York parapsychologists opening a ghost-catching business too the theaters by storm. "Ghostbusters", starring  Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis set out to clear an uptown high-rise apartment building of ghosts linked to the ancient god Gozer. Armed with an assortment of ghostbusting weapons, the trio' starts their quest to stop the spirits and their ghoulish attempt to overwhelm the entire world.

The hit movie generated licensed merchandise such as these--replicates of the Ghostbusters wacky weaponry. They were all made by Kenner and dates to the 80s. The Water Zapper sprays up to 20 feet to clear up the neighborhood of ghosts. All one had to do was fill up the zapper with water then you're ready to "soak" every ghost in sight!

The Nutrn Blaster, which dates from 1989, zaps ghosts by generating Nutrona Rays, a state-of-the-art styro foam "proton stream" gun. One had to turn the handle to spin the beam and zap the ghost--just like how the Ghostbusters did it. These two toys complete with their boxes were found in pristine condition at a local general merchandise store that still carried these old stocks that are almost 30 years old! Amazing isn't it? So if there's something strange in your neighborhood--go check it out! It may be an obscure store selling old stocks of toys such as these Ghostbuster blasters!!

343. Pickin' Place: NORTHWEST ESTATE & COLLECTIBLES

This must be the happiest pickin' place on earth!! Northwest Estate and Collectibles--a collectible heaven that has managed to transport the ebay experience to the Philippines. That's because most of the collectibles that you will find here are all culled from garage sales and flea markets from the U.S., shipped here regularly by the enterprising proprietor, U.S. based Jose Canimo...chosen specially for rabid collectors like me!!

I first discovered Northwest Estate and Collectibles on facebook, of all places. Service is impeccable--all done online. Pictures are posted, and you inquire about the size and condition--and if interested, you just either have the item reserved or you can check it out at their Manila address.

Just take a look at the breadth and depth of the stuff--from very desirable vintage toys (like these 1960s Ken by Mattel), collectible tin and diecast toys like Tonkas, Hotwheels, Matchbox, U-Haul trucks to old bottles, shelves and shelves of vinyl records, action figures, sports and political memorabilia, period jewelry, comic books (they even have silver age editions!), even old carpentry tools, glassware, and an old parking meter!

An amazing assortment of disposable Americana! I went there recently for a second visit to get my reserved stuff--4 vintage Barbies with clothes and plastic cases, in great condition. It can't get any better than that! The pricing is flexible--you can haggle. Better yet, wait for their sale periods--where they give discounts ranging from 25 to a whopping 50% percent!

The items are one-of-a-kind, so prepare to shell out money when you go there--the place is a residential area, no banks in sight! Even then, Northwest Estate promises to give you an experience which you last felt when you were a 10 year old kid! So why ebay, when you can go Northwest--where there's something for everyone!!

342. Boxed: THE FLYING NUN VINYL LUNCH BOX

Now here's a lunch box that's flying high on the collectible list. A rare vinyl box of Sister Bertrille of "The Flying Nun" fame. This American TV hit was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book The Fifteenth Pelican, by Tere Rios. It starred Sally Field--the future Oscar winner. The series originally ran on ABC from 7 Sep. 1967, to 3 Apr. 1970,

The most common lunchbox was made of tin, but this one is made of vinyl. An even more valuable version is an oval vinyl box with a strap and a matching thermos. A great memento from a TV show that defined the simple comic entertainment of the 70s, revolving around the misadventures of a nun in convent San Tanco!

341. On My Honor: 1965 GIRLS SCOUT BROWNIE DOLL

A very nice vinyl doll from 1965, made by the famed doll manfacturer, Effanbee. The 8 inch, all-vinyl doll represents a Brownie Scout. It is fully jointed and has sleep eyes, and comes with accessories like a brown belt, orange kerchief and shoes. This is an official doll made for the Girl Scouts of America, and they were first made together with a Junior Girl Sout version. The Brownie Girl Scout doll was a brunette, and the Junior Girl Scout was a blonde. Both were individually boxed with a clear acetate cover  imprinted with the Girl Scout trademark, catalog number, and price.

340. Smallville Treasures: VINTAGE BISQUE DOLLS

An assortment of tiny bisque dolls picked from a local thrift shop, sold as a lot. The most precious is the 2nd Made-in-Japan doll with strung bent limbs and head, dressed in an original crochet dress (missing one sock)-- just a mere 3.5 inches tall! Even smaller is the first doll with a polka-dotted dress with sewn-on clothes, maybe part of a dollhouse family. A newer doll with an antique look is this 2 in. souvenir baby dressed in a baptismal outfit, with the name of the recipient attached to the dress. It came with a tiny stroller of woven bamboo. When it comes to dollies, artistry knows no size!

339. Worth Flipping Over: FARRAH FAWCETT GLAMOUR CENTER

You can't miss those flyaway bangs and that wind-tousled hairdo. It's Farrah  Fawcett! The beautiful star who gained worldwide stardom in the hit TV crime series, "Charlie's Angels" first aired in 1976. Farrah was cast as one of 3 crime-busting beauties (Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson were the other 2) working for big boss, Charlie. As Jill Munroe, Farrah captivated the audience with her beautiful sunshiny looks--and locks--that had every girl  styling their hair in a Farrah Flip.

Soon, many toy companies began taking note of Farrah's strong following and in no time at all, acquired licenses to make 'Charlie's Angel" action figures and a separate Farrah Fawcett fashion doll, all capturing her distinct square-jawed face and thick, flyaway mane. . 

But this Farrah Glamour Center beats them all. Made in HongKong in 1978, it features a vinyl bust of Farrah, with rooted synthetic hair that one can style to duplicate her famous flip--using rollers, combs, curlers and brushes. The likeness to the star is very good, but the soft vinyl used has a tendency to droop after some years, causing her chin to droop as well. Farrah--voted as one of the Top 50 TV Stars of All Time-- passed away in 2009 after a 3-year bout with cancer. Thankfully, glamorous bust will allow me to remember her and her famous Farrah Flip with every stroke of the brush.

338. He Is The Greatest Collectible: MUHAMMAD ALI BOXING PUPPET

A very amusing puppet I found on ebay--it's a plastic-headed boxing doll made in the likeness of Muhammad Ali or "Cassius Clay" in his younger days. Good thing the dealer was from the Philippines, so I coaxed him into pulling this out from the auction and selling it to me outright. Never mind if it's missing a glove. Made in Hong Kong in the late 60s, this mechanized puppet has a lever that you push hidden under his robe--that triggers him into a jabbing frenzy!

Boxing puppets like these are still being made today (I saw one recently, with the likeness of Saddam Hussein), but this vintage example has a charm that made me float like a butterfly and which stung me like a bee! :-). Muhammad Ali--you, indeed, are the greatest!

336. TUMBLING CLOWN ACROBATS

Look at these "Tumbling Clown" plastic acrobat mechanical toys that I found with original box intact. Dating from the 60s, they were made by a plastic toy firm in Malabon--proudly Philippine made!

The pieces are surprising intact after all these years, save for a missing plastic tab or two. The assembly is very simple--one had to snap together the plastic framework pieces to form a sort of a tower. 

Then, all you had to do was set the clowns--which were connected together with a see-saw-like crosspiece--on the topmost ramp of the tower. A little nudge will cause the clowns to "tumble" down in a teeter-totter motion, complete with a jingle-jangle sound--no batteries, no electricity needed! Just plain, simple fun! Just the way childhood should be!

Now, let me do that again....

334. Space Wars: BUCK ROGERS BOARDGAME

Buck Rogers first appeared in a short novel published by Philip Francis Nowlan in an August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine "Amazing Stories". Entitled  "Armageddon", it featured a hero,Anthony Rogers, later renamed Buck Rogers when it was bought by the  National Newspaper Syndicate. comic made its first newspaper appearance in 1929 . The adventures of Buck Rogers in comic strips, movies, radio and television became an important part of American popular culture. It's been credited with bringing into popular media the concept of space exploration. Buck Rogers' last incarnation was as a film in 1979 and as a TV series in 1981, starring Gil Gerard. Many merchandise such as toys and playthings were spawned by the TV serial--and this 1930s gameboard is just one of the hundreds of thousands that children played with. It's one of those basic "race" games--the movement is controlled by a throw of a dice or a spinner, with obstacles provided by "alien enemies" along the way.There were 3 game versions:"Cosmic Rocket Wars", "Search for the Secrets of Atlantis" and "The Siege of Gigantica".

330. Smokin'-Hot Collectibles: TOBACCO TINS

Packaging tins were first used to keep food in response to the public's acceptance of the germ theory of disease. Today, it is easy to dismiss canned or “processed” food as something people without access to fresh food eat. But in the late 1800s, food in tins was highly desirable. It was considered much more sanitary, and therefore healthier, than food offered in bins or barrels. Eventually, tin packaging was used in other consumer goods  like pipe tobacco. These two vintage examples in my collection are "home antiques", found  inside an 'aparador' (cabinet) of my grandfather. Dill's Best is the older one, from a company in Richmond, Virginia founded in 1849, The brand icon features a lady holding her hair up with a "come-hither" expression. The second example is the more popular Bond Street Pipe Tobacco, made by Philip Morris, which dates from the 1930s. Tobacco tins are always sought after by tobacciana collectors, and in this part of the world, are rarely seen. I have my grandpa to thank for, for these surviving examples--he is no longer with us, but I bet he is somewhere in a quiet corner in heaven, happily and peacefully smoking on his favorite pipe, plugged in with his favorite Bond Street and Dill's Best tobacco!

329. DAVY CROCKETT GLASS

Davy Crockett was Disney's hit TV series which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes, starring Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his friend, George Russel.The first 3 episodes were edited together as the 1955 theatrical film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, and rebroadcast in color in the 1960s when the Disney program went to NBC.This series and film are known for the catchy theme song, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett".

Disney capitalized on its success by licensing the sale of various types of Crockett paraphernalia, including coonskin caps, coloring books, bubble gum cards--and even 50s glassware such as this, which was part of a set that one had to collect.

Other Davy Crockett drinking glasses came free--in the form of packaging for Welch fruit jelly products. There were glasses of milk white color too, plus related items such as cups, saucers, plates and cereal bowls. This particular example is harder to find as the glass is fluted at the bottom and taller than most plain Crockett glasses.

Fess Parker claimed that his contract called for a percentage of the sales from Crockett collectibles but that this was voided by his contract being with Walt Disney personally,  rather than with the company, costing him millions of dollars of lost royalty from the huge success of Crockett merchandising. As King of the Wild Frontier, he could have gone on a wild rampage!

328. Boxed: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Little House on the Prairie was a popular U.S. western drama TV series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. Adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books, the regular series was preceded by the two-hour pilot movie, aired on March 30, 1974. The series began on the NBC network on September 11, 1974, and ended on May 10, 1982

Part of the merchandise generated by this highly-rated show was this metal lunchbox, produced in 1978, which shows great graphic portraits of the cast.

326. TV-BASED BOOKS: If You Can’t Watch ‘Em, Read ‘Em!

 My favorite bookstore isn’t one of those established but expensive bookshops with fancy book titles, but an unpretentious used-book sale chain that goes by the name—Book Sale. I tell you, everything with a ‘sale’ in its name has got to be my favorite. For in this messy jumble of books, one can find unexpected collectible titles—and my nifty collection of TV-base books is proof of that. Whenever I can’t get enough of my fave TV series, I buy their book counterparts, so I can read the story at my own pace; no commercials too!

 My treasure trove of pop culture books include those based on 60s spythriller “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that had Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Russian partner Ilya Kuryakin (David MacCallum) using gimmicky weapons against the evil THRUSH network. Also from the 60s is “Garrison’s Gorrilas”, a war drama about 4 convicts recruited to be commandos by Lt. Greg Garrison. Two favorite sci-fi series are: “Land of the Giants”, which features the story of survival of the Spindthrift spaceship that crashed in a planet full of giants; and “Space 1999”, that starred husband and wife team Martin Landau and Barbara Bain.

Jack Lord’s “Hawaii 5-O” initially got my interest with its catchy theme song, but I was not a big fan; I got the book anyway. Sonny and Cher had a TV show of the same name, so I got Cher’s book bio too. I could certainly relate to “James at 15” starring Lance Kerwin as I was still in my teens when the show aired. The plots revolved around teen angst, mostly, and James aged in the series, the title updated to “James at 16” on the next season. Last time I saw Kerwin, he was on the horror flick, Salem’s Lot. The last book is all about boy bands from the 60s—Monkees, Bee Gees and raiders. I can’t help but smile at the now-archaic buzz words that every teen spewed out in the 60s, like “outasite”, “groovy”, “freaky”, and “dig it!”

 Next time you’re in Book Sale, scrounge around and look for these classic TV-based books from the 60s and 70s. You can still enjoy them not just thru TV replays, but thru book reprints!

324. Lessons Learned from a Pioneer: DANIEL BOONE SCHOOL BINDER

Daniel Boone was an adventure series aired on NBC (from 1964-70) based on the life of the pioneer in Kentucky territory in the 1770s. It starred Fess Parker who, ten years earlier portrayed Davy Crockett on the “Disneyland”TV series. Many materials were produced and copyrighted by 20th Century-Fox TV.

An unusual item from the Daniel Boone era was this 3-ring plastic school binder I got pre-ebay, from the mail order auction, Hake’s Americana & Collectibles. Made of tan plastic, the front cover features the silkscreened photographic likeness of Fess Parker. Other than that, it is your typical binder with a sleeve inside to hold your various paper items. With your Daniel Boone cooncap and binder, you’re all set to conquer new frontiers in school

312. YOU'RE A KEWPIE DOLL!

"Cute as a Kewpie!"
Kewpies were initially conceived as comic strip characters by artist,  Rose O'Neill. The name "Kewpie" it is said, was derived from "Cupid"-- also depicted in mythology as a youn child, naked and winged. The cartoons began to gain popularity after the publication of O'Neill's comic strips in 1909, and thereafter, paper doll versions of the Kewpies were made. The characters were first produced as bisque dolls in Germany beginning in 1912, and became extremely popular in the early twentieth century.Later, they were made from composition, celluloid, hard plastic, soft rubber and vinyl.

KEWPIES made in Germany. With and without the identifying Kewpie heart label. PICTURE SOURCE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kewpie

The earlier bisque and composition versions of Kewpie dolls are widely sought-after by collectors--and this  7-inch German-made example was a prize find from a local antique shop. Versions were made without the identifying Kewpie heart label found on the doll's chest, but all have the same characteristics: protruding belly, googlie eyes, stubby arms and little back wings. Kewpies have become part of our pop culture--used as mascots, in advertising, art,  and even in songs!