189. 1964 MISS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SHEET

Fresh from my Kamuning thrift shopping comes this memento of Gemma Cruz's Miss International triumph in Long Beach. The first ever global beauty winner from the Philippines, Gemma redefined the Filipina beauty stereotype with her victory; after all, she had distinct Malayan looks (mestizas like Lalaine Bennett and Josephine Estrada were the rage at that time) and was a woman of culture and intellect (she played the nose flute in the local contest and was already working at the National Museum). To top it all, she had a national hero--Dr. Jose Rizal, no less, as a relative!

When she left to compete in the U.S., she was sent off with only a few relatives and 10 friends (Ten-tacles, she called them), but when she came back as Miss International, the whole country embraced her! She was given tributes of all sorts and this musical composition of Alice Doria Gamilla is just one example. "My Wonderful World Is You" was composed for the piano by Gamilla, who would also find fame as the composer of Pilita Corrales's signature hit, "A Million Thanks To You", that was even recorded by famous international artists like Bobbi Martin and translated in 7 languages!

Shamcey Supsup's recent Miss Universe 3rd runner up win also has interesting parallels with Gemma's Miss International experience. Soothsayers predicted that she will be a "thank you, girl", while others talk of the so-called "UP curse" that plagued brainy UP winners of Bb. Pilipinas Universe--all losers in the contest. Like Gemma, Shamcey left with little publicity. Like Gemma, she came back to an adoring nation, was paraded, serenaded and even met Pres. Noynoy. Shamcey seems to have it all for now...but like Gemma, will she have her own special music sheet entitled "My Wonderful Universe Is You?". I wonder.

188. Head's Up: BOY'S HEAD VASE

Male head vases are rarer than ladies', so when I saw this 50s boy's floral head vase at a Kamuning thrift shop, I just had to bring it home. I don't know, but there seems to be a certain holiday feel to this ceramic vase--maybe I could use it this coming Xmas. This, by the way, was made by Relpo, and is about 7 inches high. Relpo was a leading maker of quality decoratives in the 50s and it identified its works with a paper label--which remains intact on the bottom of this vase. This head vase is well-made and delicately painted. I looked up the value of this vase in a 1998 price guide, and was surprised that it already cost $65 in pristine condition 13 years ago. Of course, I got my flower boy for half of that. You should see how much head vases go for now--at www.antiqueheadvases.com, there's one priced at $1,600 and a couple more at $1200, $800! Crazy but true. Definitely, my head-hunting days aren't over!

187. CORONATION COLORING BOOKS

On 2 February 1953, Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, and named as Head of the Commonwealth after her father's death, the late King George VI, on 2 June 1952. Over eight thousand invited guests attended the historic coronation at the Westminster Abbey. Commemorative souvenirs were made by the hundreds of thousand to mark the ascension of a new monarch--and this very nice coloring book was just one example produced in the U.S. The Coronation Coloring Book has the painted portait of the new Queen on the front cover, while inside, there are pages and pages of illustrations of the various stages of coronation for kids to color.

This second example is an unauthorized 50s edition paint book that features generic coronation scenes, obviously capitalizing on the Queen Elizabeth fever. It is a thin book, made in Britain, and most likely cost a pence or so. Royal commemoratives are making a comeback after the recent wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleston this year. They may have mugs, plates, tea sets, key chains and coins--but did they have coloring books? I bet none!

186. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTIE

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had its beginning in 1873, when the Canadian Government organized the North-West Mounted Police to maintain peace and order from the western border of Manitoba to the Rockies and the far north. Through the years, the RCMP, handsome in their red uniforms and hats, patrolled the sweeping wilds of Canada in their horses--and this image of them has become perpetuated in many collectibles that honor their legacy. This ceramic RCMP figurine holder is one such mid-century example. It shows a Mountie astride his horse, with the RCMP initials on the base to signify that this was an authorized edition collectible. I can't recall where I found this, but it still is in goood shape--no cracks or chips--after all these years. Today, the RCMP continue to be a part of the Canadian safekeeping forces, with their own website that sells licensed collectibles.

185. PEN AND INK FOLK ART

Now here are two nice finds from a Mabini antique shop: two calligraphic illustrations in their original frames, charming examples of turn-of-the century folk art, each dedicated by the maker to their object of affection. The first one is a birthday greeting for Pering, bearing the inscription:
"Happy Birthday, Pering. 26 July 1916". A heart shaped cut-out in the middle of the rose originally contained the picture of Pering, now lost. The colored paper art included a rustic scene in the foreground.

The second example carries a more profound, if not verbose, sentiments: "Anching, In your moments of meditation, let me be the subject of your inspiration with my most and sincere appreciation. Lucien. 18 Dec. 1934, Tuesday". Perhaps to balance this, the sender illustrated his paper tribute more simply, but using the same device of a flower with a cut-out center where a picture of Anching used to be. Drawn calendar pages are used to put in the sender's greetings.

Handmade paper greetings such as these went out of style with the coming of commercially printed greeting cards. But hopefully, with the renewed interest in scrapbooking, this paper art tradition can be revived and made popular again!

184. Made in Occupied Japan: NUBIAN FIGURINES

After World War II, from 1945 to1952, items imported from Japan to the U.S. had to be marked with "Made in Occupied Japan" or "Occupied Japan", to denote America's conquest of the Oriental power. These 2 decorative figurines, depicting Nubian court musicians, are from that period in our war history, stamped with the Occupied Japan mark. These may have come from a set. Black figurines are very desirable for Occupied Japan collectors as only a few were made. Popular figurines often depicted Asian ethnic stereotypes, European court characters as well as animal figures.

183. PLASTERCAST ASIAN FIGURAL LAMPS

Here are three kitschy lamp finds from the scroungers' capital of the world--Bangkal, Makati. I remember handcarrying the two his 'n hers matching mandarin lamps made of heavy plaster--from Evangelista all the way to my office. I couldn't find a darn cab!! They are, however, well-made and complete--only needing a pair of lampshades. I have since rewired them and they now occupy a special place in my 50s-furnished house. The middle, equally tacky lamp is Art Deco-inspired, showing an Oriental woman and her feline friend--a leopard, I think. My pet cat however, dislodged the lamp from its small table, damaging the escayola nose of the poor feline. Other than that slight defect, the lamp just works fine. Who would have thought that there would be a second life for these cheap, American-made accent lamps--now avidly collected by 'mid-century moderne' collectors--when tacky was the new 50s fad?