270. Keep on Truckin': FARGO TOY WOODEN TRUCK

I chanced upon an amazing vintage toy shop at the famed Cubao Expo just 3 weeks ago--and boy, was I in luck! It was on a Sunday, and the store was supposed to be closed--but by chance, the shop owner was around, about to be interviewed for some TV feature.Seeing the door open, I insinuated myself in while the TV crew was preparing their equipment. Immediately, I saw this wooden blue and red truck, with handwritten sign that identified it as belonging to Fargo Trucking.

It assumed that this nice toy truck was an advertising giveaway of some sorts, a premium given to loyal clients. I tried googling the company name, but couldn't find this trucking that touted its incredible delivery destinations with confidence-- "Manila--to Any Point on Earth!". It's a well-made toy, with wooden wheels that roll perfectly and with an open-box bed hinged at the rear that can be lifted. I would probably date this to the 70s, an example of a rare advertising premium made in the Philippines!

269. ROBBIN'S COIN BANK

ROBBIN' COINS & SAVIN' THEM. A plastic collectible advertising giveaway in the shape of a company mascot. ca. 1970s.

Now, here's a mystery company mascot that I've been trying to identify. I got this 6.5 inch advertising giveawwy at a new, funky vintage store in Cubao recently, and I've been googling all over the net just to identify it--with no luck. This is a figural plastic coin bank of a man with a Cheshire cat grin, wearing a boat hat and holding on to a book.

It is marked "Robbin's", but other than that, his identification eludes me. I thought he had some connection with a fastfood chain. Maybe he's even a trade character for a bank. Any clues?

268. All Bottled Up: POLAK & SCHWARZ COBALT BLUE

The first vintage items I collected were cobalt blue bottles, because not only were they cheap (Milk of Magnolia bottles cost Php40 for a set of 3 in the '80s) but their intense blue coloring had lots of visual appeal. They were colored like so because they held contents (oils, poisons, medicines)  that were sensitive and could be rendered ineffective when exposed to light.

Recently, a cache of old cobalt blue bottles surfaced in Manila and found their way in antique shops and online stores. These Polak and Schwarz's cobalt blue bottles were made to contain oil essences for the Philippine market.

Founded in 1889 by Leopold Schwarz. and his brother in law, Joseph Polak, the company produced-Fruit Flavors, Gift Free Dyes and Aether Oils. The factory moved in 1896 to Zaandam under the name NV Polak & Schwarz's Essence Factories.

In 1930 the essence factory of Polak and Schwarz was build on the Provinciale weg in Zaanstad and became the most important essence producer in Europe before the second World War.  After the war the company moved to Hilversum and then merged with an American company to become International Flavors and Fagrances (IFF).

My 10 inch tall example still has its original paper label intact. I have seen unopened bottles stoppered with cork holding their original content. There are other bigger bottles of amber color from the same firm, containing spirits and gin. Cobalt blue bottles are among the most desirable and most expensive in the bottle collecting world, so the prices of these bottles are expected to rise as the stocks dwindle.

267. A Grate Collectible: ANTIQUE KUDKURAN

Now here's a fanciful kitchen collectible that I chanced upon at the famed Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. It's an old coconut grater carved in the shape of a man on all fours. The metal grater itself protrudes from the man's mouth. Coconut graters are found all over Asia, as the coconut was a staple food in this region. To remove the flesh off the shells, a half-coconut was scraped against a sharp-edged metal spur, while seated on the kudkuran's body.

Most Philippine kudkurans had a basic shape--just a paddle shaped seat to sit on with a metal grater screwed or nailed in the narrow portion of the seat. Others took on more figurative shapes--graters fashioned from tree stumps often took the form of 4-legged animals, like a horse. This example. made of heavy wood, is a more creative example--the crouching man even grasps a ball on one hand--playing while he works!

With the advent of motorized graters, the folksy kudkuran had all but disappeared in Philippine kitchens. I know a friend who collects them and displays them as sculptural pieces--and that s exactly how I will display my antique kudkuran.

266. Sulit Kitsch: 50s LADY HEAD BUSTS

Don't you just love sulit.com.ph? The country's biggest online sell-trade-buy marketplace has the widest, weirdest, funkiest assortment of goodies any collector would go crazy for. One of my most recent unexpected finds is this pair of small busts, made of plaster, representing 2 fashionable ladies from the 50s. All of 6 inches tall, they realistically represent the midecentury look gal--from the puffed hairdo, to their mod, stylish clothes.

The first lady head bust looks almost Oriental, with rosy cheeks, red lips and puffed up hair held with a green bandanna tied in a knot under her chin. She wears a green blazer with padded shoulders, over a cream colored blouse, a style so much in vogue in the war and early post-war years.

The second lady wears a more daring outfit, with a plunging neckline, accessorized by a flower on her puff-swept hair. With her heavy make up, she looks like she's ready to paint the town red!

The back of the plaster busts are incised with what looked like scripts in gibberish, but upon closer examination, I recognized them as Burmese letters--which I can't read anyway. Maybe these ladies represent important women from Burma--actresses maybe, but Ican't be sure. What I am certain is that this kitschy pair are worthy collectibles, flash from the 50s golden period of Hollywood glamor and style.

265. A Pressing Issue: COLLECTING OLD FLAT IRONS

I don't know for what reason, but one of my very first antique purchase were these flat irons or "prensa" or "plantsa" made of brass (Php100 in 1985).  I think I was attracted to their utilitarian value more than their antiquity, a reminder of the hard work that went into perfect homemaking. Early presses used heat to iron out wrinkles on clothes and fabric--the above example is called "plantsa korona" as it had an open circular top over which live coals were placed. Held by a wooden handle (now gone), the "plantsa" is then made to slide over clothing over and over again, to remove and smoothen out creases. Made of brass, these 'plantsa koronas' were tricky to use, as sparks would fly from the uncovered top and could singe the fabric.

Later plantsas were streamlined in shape, closer to how modern flat irons look like. They were made with a top cover where charchoals could be place into the 'plantsa's" hollow body that had vents to draw off excess heat. "Plantsang de uling", these were called, and these examples are what are usually found in antique shops today. The above 'plantsa' is Philippine made and dates back to the early 50s.

Antique flat irons from the Asian region looked very similar, although many integrated local designs onto the body. This brass example, from Thailand, has incised designs on the rims, and the wooden handle is supported securely with two brass prongs mounted directly on the body of the flat iron. The cost of antique flat irons remain steady in the Philippine antique market with a price range of Php 1500-3000 for the 'plantsa korona', depending on the size. Plantsang de uling could be had for under a thousand bucks. It's all up to you how to display them--I once used my plantsas as book-ends, as a vase holder, or a desk accent to contain paper clips, staples and post-its. You can even use them for their intended purpose, but do learn how not to burn.

264. Childhood Reads: CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED COMICS

When I saw these Classics Illustrated comic books for sale in a Cubao thrift shop, I was transported back to my younger days when I read and collected every issue I could afford of these popular reading materials. They had no back covers but the pages were all intact; at Php100 apiece (a brand new one cost me 80 centavos in the 70s), they were pricey indeed. But nostalgia got the better of me and I ended up bringing home over 20 issues of these comics. I still have a long way to go towards re-building my collection but with all these great finds recently, I am getting there.

These comics were adaptations of literary classics such as Silas Marner, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and The Iliad. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication in 1941 and finished its first run in 1971, producing 169 issues. Gilberton Company published these classics, including the Classic Illustrated Junior, a series of fairy tale comics that debuted in 1953.