Lets
take a look at what this February 14th
may bring us.
Me
To You
The Me To You ranged is based on Tatty Teddy – the famous bear
with the blue nose and patches, and is produced by Collectible
World Studios.
As well as being one of the hottest collectables around at the
moment the range is also the perfect
Valentine gift. Pictured above right are You’ve Got My Heart and
above left Dreaming of Love.
Visit https://www.collectibleworld.com
for more details.
Lorna
Bailey
Lorna
Bailey Artware have several Valentine editions including an exclusice
Valentine Cat that can be personalized to your Valentine, and
a brand new pattern especially for Valentine’s 2005 – Valentine
Drive.
Pictured above left is the Valentine Cat and pictured right is
a Small Oval Vase featuring the Valentine Drive pattern.
Visit https://www.lorna-bailey.co.uk
for more details.
Tuskers
The
Tuskers range is produced by Country Artists who are world renowned
for their detailed animal sculptures. The Tuskers range celebrates
Elephants and their friends in all manner of situations and the
range celebrates its 10th Anniversary in 2005.
Pictured above left is Love is a Rose and pictured right is Love
is a Rose.
Visit https://www.countryartists.co.uk
for more details.
Harmony
Kingdom and Disney
Harmony Kingdom have produced an excellent timed edition for Disney
Auctions called Cupid Stitch.
The piece is designed by Theresa Miller and is being produced
in an edition size of 500.
Cupid Sticth is pictured left.
Visit https://www.harmongkingdom.com
or https://www.disneyauctions.com
for more details.
Swarovski
Swarovski have some great items including the 2005 Swarovski Heart,
crystal bouquets and jewellery.
The 2005 Swarovski Heart is pictured right.
Visit Swarovski
for more details.
Have a Happy Valentines from WCN.
Random Collecting Feature
Children’s Books of the 1940s
During the Wartime years of the 1940s, and for a few years afterwards, books for adults and children alike were economy editions, due to paper shortages and restrictions.
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Collectables
Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. To mark 60 years of The Queen’s reign the Diamond Jubilee celebrations will centre around an extended weekend in 2012 on 2, 3, 4 and 5 June. Pictured right: A selection of Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Collectables As with many Royal events collectable companies, gift producers and memorabilia makers have been working over time to produce a wide range of collectables for collectors. World Collectors Net takes a look at some gifts on offer. Lilliput Lane Lilliput Lane has taken the opportunity of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to revitalize their popular Britain’s Heritage™ collection to incorporate Jubilee celebrations. The four Jubilee pieces are: Jubilee Tower Bridge, Jubilee Big Ben, Jubilee Tower of London and Jubilee at Windsor Round Tower. Pictured right: Jubilee at the Crown Inn and Jubilee at the Windsor Round Tower These iconic landmarks have been adorned with bunting, flags, gems and a commemorative plaque. All of these superb miniatures of our finest buildings will only be available during 2012 and are produced in a Limited Edition of 2,012 pieces each. Another special cottage has been produced to celebrate Her Majesty’s sixty-year reign, again only available during 2012. Picked for its name, The Crown Inn — a delightful eighteenth-century pub from St Ewe, Cornwall — has inspired the 2012 Anniversary Cottage, Jubilee at The Crown Inn. Caverswall English Fine Bone China Caverswall China was founded in 1973 and is starting to gain an excellent reputation for its Commemorative Ware. In 2011 they produced a number of pieces for the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Pictured right: A selection of Caverswall China celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Caverswall China have created a 10″ plate, 8″ coupe, Edinburgh Mug, 3″ round box, 4″ round sweet dish, a lionhead beaker and an excellent Durham Vase. Border Fine Arts Border Fine Arts have introduced three models featuring the Queen. As with all Border Fine Arts models their is great attention to detail and the models show the Queen at various times during her reign including Trooping the Colour in 1952, Newly Crowned in 1953 and the Her Majesty at Balmoral. Pictured left: Trooping the Colour 1952 – Celebrating the Queen’s sixty-year reign, the figurine depicts Her Majesty at the Trooping the Colour parade of 1952, her first as Sovereign. Wearing the scarlet tunic of the Colonel-in-Chief of the Scots Guards and the blue ribbon of the Order of the Garter, Her Majesty is elegantly poised on her chestnut horse, Winston. The black plume on her tricorn hat is in remembrance of her father, His Majesty King George VI, who died four months previously. Pictured right: Her Majesty at Balmoral – This delightful figurine depicts Her Majesty in a relaxed pose at the Balmoral Estate, where she can unwind and enjoy some of her favourite things. Here, her beloved corgis are never far from her side and many have been recorded on what can only be considered some of the most endearing photographs ever taken of the Queen. Tiny is on her knee and Brush is at her feet. Caithness Glass Caithness Glass have produced a number of editions including the fabulous Limited Edition Elizabeth Rose Garland paperweight (Pink and red roses with entwined stems sit alongside sprigs of myrtle in this diamond shaped weight) and Magnum paperweight (Shimmering sand and dichroic shards of glass to form the internal design inside this magnum sized paperweight). Pictured left and right: Elizabeth Rose Garland Limited Edition Paperweight and Magnum – Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Limited Edition Paperweight Also available is the Crown paperweight, Rose paperweight, Elizabeth Rose Garland paperweight, Coat of Arms paperweight, Sand Rose paperweight and Penny Black Sandcast paperweight. Carters Teapots Tony Carter the UK’s leading teapot designer and created two new teapots and two new mugs for the event. The teapots include the Heart Diamond Jubilee Teapot and Diamond Jubilee Flag Teapot. Pictured left and right: Tony Carter’s Diamond Jubilee Flag Teapot and the Heart Diamond Jubilee Teapot The pottery is known as one of England’s leading makers of handmade collectable teapots, supplying shops and stores throughout the UK with over 70% of the pottery/output exported throughout the world. Each collectable teapot is cast and painted by hand, resulting in no two teapots being exactly the same.
Charlot Byj
Charlot Byj (pronounced by or bye or buy) joined the Goebel Company in the late 1940’s after Franz Goebel noticed some of her artwork while on a visit to New Your City where she was living at the time. Miss Byj soon began designing the little redheaded figurines that are so collectable today today. Pictured left: Charlot Byj Goebel Plaque. The first figurine was copyrighted in 1957 with the figurine known as “Strike” featuring a little redheaded boy bowling. Pictured right: Strike. The series ended production in 1988 with the last collectible figurine being numbered Byj 109 – “A Special Friend”. Pictured left: A Special Friend. The last number in the series was Byj 110 – “Communion” but this figurine was produced in prototype form only with a total of four pieces being produced. The series includes redheaded children as well as quite a few blonde children. Some were extremely popular and were also produced as brunettes. Black children were included in the series although their numbers are quite small. The redheads were always mischievous while the blondes were more serene or religious in appearance. Pictured right: Little Prayers are Best figurine. A new book featuring Miss Byj’s works is to be available in December or early January 2001. Rocky Rockholt is the author – the book being published and distributed by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. Pictured left: Print of Bless Us All. The book will include full color photographs of all the figurines as well as Christmas plates and ornaments. The book also deals with the collectibility of the series created by Miss Byj, her wonderful prints, dolls, detailed description of all items, pricing history and a collectors value price guide. Pictured right: Bless Us All figurine. The book will retail for $19.95 or may be purchased from the author for $23.15 each delivered by priority mail to customers in the USA and slightly higher to customers outside the USA. The World Collectors Net Hummel & Goebel information pages.
Sunderland Lustreware and Sunderland Pottery
Sunderland lustre (luster and lusterware in North America) is a general name given to a type of pottery with a pink lustre glaze made by a number of potteries in the 19th century including Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bristol and Swansea but principally and most famously by a number of potteries in the Sunderland and Wear area. The wares produced are also called Sunderland pink, pink lustre and even purple lustre. The ‘colour was originally derived from and tin powdered compound known as purple or cassius’ 1. Adding lustre to pottery was not a new method and examples of the lustring technique can be seen in wares from the middle east in the 9th and 10th century. Wedgwood used the technique on their Moonlight Lustre from 1805 to 1815 and later on their famous Fairyland lustre pieces in the 1920s. According to Michael Gibson 2 and The Sunderland Site 3 there were 16 potteries in Sunderland of which 7 are known to have produced lustrewares. These seven potteries also produced items under multiple names and include: Garrison Pottery; Dixon & Co; Dixon Phillips & Co; Dixon & Austin; Anthony Scott & Co.; Anthony Scott & Sons; Ball, William; Dawson, John; Dawson & Co.; Dawson’s Pottery; Dawson’s Low Ford Pottery; Thomas Dawson & Co.; Deptford Pottery; Dixon & Co.; Dixon Austin & Co.; Dixon, Austin, Phillips & Co.; Dixon, Phillips & Co.; Dixon, Robert; Garrison Pottery; Hylton Pot Works; Maling, William (the Maling Pottery was established at North Hylton, near Sunderland, in 1762 but moved to the Newcastle area in 1817); Messrs. Dawson & Co.; S. Moore & Co.; Moore’s Pottery; North Hylton Pottery; Olde Sanders Low Ford Pottery; Phillips & Co.; Scott Brothers & Co.; Scott’s Pottery; Snowball, Thomas; Southwick Pottery; The Sunderland Pottery; Thomas Snowball’s High Southwick Pottery;and the Wear Pottery. Many Sunderland lustre pieces are often difficult to attribute as they were unmarked. The pink lustre was that associated with Sunderland was added to many gift items such jugs, mugs, chamber pots, and wall plaques and often decorated with black transfer prints. A large number of items were commerorative wares and gifts for sailors and featured many repeated scenes including: the Wearmouth bridge, Ironbridge, symbols of Freemansonry, the Sailor’s Farewell and the Sailor’s Return, and countless sailing ships. Other items with lustre include watch-stands, rolling-pins, puzzle-jugs, frog mugs and carpet bowls. Sunderland Lustre and Pottery Reference 1 Collecting for Pleasure China introduced by Tony Curtis 2 19th Century Lustreware by Michael Gibson 3 The Sunderland Site – a really excellent web reference on the industrial history of Sunderland with a number of pages devoted to Sunderland Pottery. Collecting Frog Mugs – A Nice Surprise!
Antique American-made Miniature Stoves Collectors’ Delight
Collectors of antique American-made miniature stoves are in for a real treat. These little beauties were made by some of the top toymakers of their time, and today they are highly sought after by collectors. If you’re lucky enough to own one, you know just how special they are. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular brands of antique miniature stoves from the late 19th century to the 1920s, and we’ll learn about some of the companies who made them. Introducing Antique American-made Miniature Stoves For the collector of American-made miniature stoves, there is no greater prize than an antique. While some mass-produced models can still be found, it is the handmade examples that are most prized by collectors. Each one is a unique work of art, with its own intricate details and charming features. The history of the American miniature stove dates back to the early 19th century, when they were first created as playthings for children. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that they began to be mass-produced by toy companies such as Kenton and Hubley, and by the early 1900s there were dozens of companies making them. However, the Great Depression put an end to most of these businesses, and with the rise of electric ovens from the 1920s, the manufacture of cast iron toy stoves declined even further. These diminutive replicas of 19th-century stoves are carefully crafted from metals such as brass, iron, and tin. Many are painstakingly detailed, with realistic features such as doors that open and shut, removable lids, and ash pans. Others are more whimsical in design, with colorful enamel finishes and fanciful flourishes. Some Famous Brands of Antique Miniature Stoves The majority of the early toy stoves were designed by stove manufacturers like The Philadelphia Stove Works, which created the Little Fanny Stove; and J & E Stevens of Cromwell, Connecticut who manufactured a stove called The Rival. While there are many different brands of antique miniature stoves, we look at a few brands in particular that stand out for their quality and uniqueness. First on the list is the American-made Arcade Manufacturing Company. Founded in 1885, the Arcade Manufacturing Company produced some of the most intricate and well-crafted miniature stoves of the time. Their designs were often inspired by full-size cast iron stoves, and many of their models featured detailed relief work and other ornate embellishments. Cussing was founded in 1868 by John Cussing, an enterprising tinsmith from Connecticut. Cussing’s first miniature toy stove, the “Cooker,” quickly became a best-seller. The company went on to produce a wide variety of other miniature stoves over the years, including several that were designed to look like real-life appliances. Many of Cussing’s stove models are now highly prized by collectors. The Kenton Toy Company was founded in the late 19th century, and soon became known for its high-quality toy stoves. The company’s most popular product was the Pet Stove, a miniature stove that was designed to look like a real wood-burning stove. The Pet Stove was made from cast iron and was painted to resemble a real stove, complete with a chimney and flue. The stove had four tiny burners that could be lit with a match and came with a set of miniature pots and pans. The Kenton Toy Company continued to produce the Pet Stove until the early 20th century. Today, the Kenton Toy Company’s Pet Stoves are highly sought-after by collectors and can fetch hundreds of dollars at auction. Were Miniature Stoves Samples or Toys? Antique American-made miniature stoves can be found in a variety of sizes and styles, from simple cast-iron models to more ornate tin or brass stoves. While most were undoubtedly made as toys, it is possible that some were actually salesman samples. These diminutive stoves would have been the perfect way for a salesman to demonstrate the features of a full-sized stove without having to lug around a bulky piece of equipment. In addition, the small size of the stoves would have made them easy to transport from one store to another. Antique American-made Miniature Stoves Price Guide / Value Guide Late 19th century American-made Miniature Stoves in excellent order and having the potential to work can range $600-$800 for a Philadelphia Stove Works “Little Fanny” to $3000-$4000 for one of the most desirable for collectors the J & E Stevens “The Rival”. Condition is very important and as many of the stove could actual work most are in a lesser condition. Factors affecting the variance in price include: the maker, size and style and the level of detailing on the stove. We include a few examples in the article along with their value at auction.
Hagen-Renaker & Disney – DISNEYLAND AND THE 1950’s
The opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955 opened the door to worldwide recognition of Hagen-Renaker’s craftsmanship. By the Fall of 1955, the first of the Hagen-Renaker “Disney” pieces were released. Walt Disney is quoted as saying, “they made the finest three-dimensional reproductions of the drawings he ever saw”. In the ensuing years, until 1965 or 1966, the “Disney series” was expanded to include most of the leading characters from “ Lady and the Tramp”, ,“Alice in Wonderland”, “Cinderella”, “Bambi”, “Dumbo”, “Pinocchio”, “Snow White”, and “ Mickey Mouse and Friends”. In 1982 a second series of Hagen-Renaker “Disney” pieces were introduced based upon “Fantasia”. Fantasia just happens to be one of John Renaker’s favorites. These were the last of the figurines that Hagen- Renaker did specifically for Disney, although for years, their standard Miniatures were featured in the Emporium and other shops at Disneyland. The Hagen-Renaker “Disney” pieces were both miniatures, i.e., 1” to 2”, or a larger series, 3” to 6” in size. Today all pieces are prized by collectors of Disney and command prices several hundreds of dollars over their original cost. The Disney experience carried over in the evolution of the Hagen-Renaker line. Many new miniatures, expressing the whimsical nature of animated cartoons such as Disney’s, began to find their way into the line. Circus sets, bug bands, and animals dancing, just to name a few. And if look closely at the line today, you’ll notice a marked resemblance to “Thumper” in Brother Rabbit, and both of their small deer, lying or standing, definitely remind you of “Bambi”. Care has been taken, however, not to violate any licensing of copyright with any of the Hagen-Renaker line, but once you like something it’s hard to completely erase it from your creative vision. Hagen-Renaker Related Hagen-Renaker Information
Carnival Glass – The American Influence?
The United States was the home of Carnival Glass. It was developed there, and though other countries soon began to produce their own versions, most collectors today begin with American glass as it is the easiest to obtain. A previous article described the manufacture and appearance of this beautiful product, but briefly, it is a living glass – vibrant and bright – which reflects colour rather like spilt oil on water. Although the patterns are formed in a mould, unlike pressed glass Carnival Glass needs a lot of hand- finishing and decorating, and the iridescence (created by adding metallic oxides to the hot glass) means that the finished product doesn’t have that somewhat flat appearance often noticed in pressed glass. Pictured left is a Northwood fruit and flowers electric cable ice blue small bowl. Carnival Glass didn’t really become of interest to collectors until the late 1950s, and consequently the history of many of the early companies is still not fully-researched, so many dates are vague. A trawl through textbooks throws up a variety of dates – it seems that no-one is absolutely certain when the various manufacturers first developed their Carnival Glass products, though it is known that by 1905 the first cheap, iridised glass to rival the expensive Tiffany’s was in production. Pictured right is a Noryhwood Rosette rare green bowl. The Northwood Glass Company was founded by English-born Harry Northwood, son of a talented glass manufacturer. Harry left England to work in America in 1880, when he was twenty years old, and founded his own factory in 1887 in Ohio, before eventually moving to Wheeling, West Virginia. Many people believe that it was Harry who brought the technique of iridisation to the USA, having seen it at his father’s glassworks. By 1908 he was producing a range of iridised glass, using moulds from earlier pressed glass. He began by making a range of marigold Carnival Glass, which he called ‘Golden Iris’. Iris is from the Greek word for rainbow, and Harry thought that this was a good name for a glass which seemed to contain and reflect so many colours. Pictured left is a Northwood grape and cable plate.. Northwood proved to be a very productive factory, introducing designs such as grape and cable, fine cut and rose, beaded cable, wild rose, singing birds, peacock at the fountain, leaf and beads, nippon and rosette. Of all its designs, grape and cable was the most popular, and at one time could be obtained in over seventy shapes of dishes, vases, plates and bowls. Other companies, noting the popularity, copied the designs, which seemed to be quite a common practice at the time. Harry Northwood also introduced some lovely pastel carnival glass, which came in delicate shades of ice blue, ice green and white. Today, the pastels are highly sought after but are quite rare. White is perhaps the easiest to find and is very pretty with a delicate pearly sheen. Later, in 1915, a range of iridised custard glass appeared. This opaque and cream coloured glass has a pastel iridescent overlay, and is now very rare, commanding high prices. Most Carnival Glass is unmarked, but the Northwood company regularly marked their products with a letter ‘N’ in a circle, which makes them easily identifiable even by novice collectors. For a round ten years the Company was at the forefront of the Carnival Glass industry, but then, sadly, Harry contracted a fatal disease. He died in 1918, and without him the company seemed to lose direction, finally foundering to a halt in 1925. Harry Northwood at one time leased the Dugan Glass Company (when under a different name), and was related to Thomas Dugan, one of the managers. When Harry left, the name was changed to Dugan, and in 1910 the company began to produce Carnival Glass, often using old Northwood moulds. Normally it marked its pieces with a ‘D’ set inside a diamond shape, which is probably why, in 1913, it again changed its name, this time to the Diamond Glass Company. Based in Indiana Pennsylvania, Dugan was responsible for many wonderful pieces of iridescent glass with opalescent edges, using patterns such as fan, cherry, apple blossom twigs, butterfly and tulip, farmyard, fishnet, starfish stippled, pastel swans, raindrops and heavy grape. This company continued production right up until 1931, when the factory was destroyed by a disastrous fire. Pictured right is a Dugan grape delight amethyst rosebowl. The Imperial Glass Company, Ohio, was set up in the early 1900s, though the iridised glass didn’t appear till 1910 . Before then, it made pressed glass tumblers, water sets, cruets, pickle trays and other items of table ware. When the company finally introduced its range of Carnival Glass, it was an instant success and huge quantities were manufactured. It was so prolific in its output that most collectors today have some Imperial pieces in their collections. This company decided to specialise in geometric designs rather than the naturalistic patterns favoured by many of the other Carnival Glass companies, and it continued to produce items of practical use as opposed to the more decorative glassware which Northwood, Dugan, Fenton and Millersburg preferred. Pictured right is an Imperial grape marigold tumbler. Imperial experimented with many types of glass, often producing unusual base glass colours such as clambroth (a pale ginger-ale) and smoke (light blue-grey). They also managed to achieve an exceptionally brilliant iridescence on their wares, while their purple glass was a very deep, rich shade which no other manufacturer could accomplish. Much of their work resembles the Bohemian glass of the same period. At the time it was apparently quite common for a complete workshop group to decide to emigrate, and Imperial employed many Bohemian German-speaking workers who brought their expertise and ideas with them. The Company also produced a tremendous amount of marigold Carnival Glass, the commonest colour, and so one of the most affordable. Pictured left is an Imperial heavy grape one-handled dish. Glass from Imperial was sold […]
Collecting Pinky and Perky
Pinky and Perky were two adorable puppet characters that first appeared on the BBC in 1957. The two puppets starred in their own show which at its peak had a television audience of 15 million. In this Collecting Pinky and Perky feature, we take a brief look at how the puppets were created and explore some of the Pinky and Perky collectibles and Pinky and Perky merchandise over the years. The creation of Pinky and Perky In 1948, Jan and Vlasta Dalibor were living in London as Czech immigrants. Jan was a painter and sculptor and Vlasta an actress. Vlasta suggested that Jan created some pig puppets. Drawing inspiration from their homeland’s traditional puppetry, and where pigs were a symbol of good luck in Czechoslovakia, they created two pig characters initially called Pinky and Porky. The piglet puppets were party of a puppet show that appeared in the Summer Season ay Heysham. The show and the puppets Pinky and Porky were discovered by Margaret Potter, the wife of producer Trevor Hill. There was an issue around the name Porky and eventually, it was Margaret who renamed Porky to Perky. So the duo became Pinky and Perky. The show itself was set at their own fictional TV station “PPC TV” where they would sing, dance and perform comedy sketches usually with a human host. Actor John Slater worked with them as a straight man for many years, enduring soakings from water pistols and similar pranks. Other human companions included Roger Moffat, Jimmy Thompson, Bryan Burdon and Fred Emney. The Pinky and Perky look and Sound Pinky and Perky looked exactly the same with Pinky sporting red clothes and Perky wearing blue. However, as the show was made in black and white, to differentiate the two, Perky would often wear hat. Pinky and Perky enjoyed a very successful recording career releasing a number of records. They used their high-pitched voices to lip-sync along with contemporary pop music. Pinky and Perky spoke and sang in high-pitched voices, created by re-playing original voice recordings at twice the original recorded speed; the vocals were sung by Mike Sammes while the backing track was played at half normal speed. Pinky and Perky and The Beatles Pinky and Perky also traveled overseas and had some success in the USA appearing on The Ed Sullivan show six times. In 1964 Pinky and Perky actually shared were on the same show as The Beatles, where they performed “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” and “Speedy Gonzalez”. The Pinky and Perky Show had various other puppets including a parody of The Beatles called The Beakles. These were an Avian looking band with Beatles style haircuts. Other puppets in the show included Topo Gigio. The show ran from 1957 to 1968 on the BBC and the moved to ITV from 1968-1972. A CGI Pinky and Perky show was released in 2008. The pair have had a influence on modern culture and have been referenced in TV shows such as The Good Life, The Goodies and Call the Midwife. For many people of a certain age, Pinky and Perky is a reminder of their childhood and a symbol of British culture. Pinky and Perky collectibles and Pinky and Perky merchandise In addition to their starring roles on television and their legendary music career, Pinky and Perky have also appeared on countless pieces of merchandise and collectibles over the years. From t-shirts and coffee mugs to lunch boxes and puppets, there’s no shortage of ways to show your love for these beloved characters.
Barbie Turns Fifty!
Barbara Millicent Roberts is fifty years old this year, yet she is looking younger and more glamorous than ever. How does she do it? It’s just not fair. This American icon, with her huge family of friends and relations, is famed world-wide and recently a megastore dedicated just to her opened in China. Blonde, beautiful, and above all, very pink, her wholesome image beams from toyshops, enticing even the youngest children to ‘want a Barbie’. Recently, a crowd of young upstart Bratz dolls tried to steal her thunder, and for a while they succeeded – but our heroine wasn’t having any of that. She took them to court and sued them. So, where did Barbie come from? Who dreamt her up? And why is she still so popular? Pictured right: 1959 Barbie Although this may sound a shocking thing to say about an international icon, Barbie’s origins are slightly salubrious, perhaps not as pure as she likes to make out. In the late 1950s, Ruth Handler, wife of Elliot Handler, a co-director of Mattel, was visiting Switzerland when she came across a kind of fantasy doll being sold in tobacconist shops. The dolls were sold to appeal to men, and were often used as mascots to adorn cars and trucks. They were based on a ‘good time girl’ who featured in a cartoon strip in ‘Bild’ newspaper, a German publication. The character’s name was Lilli. Today, collectors often refer to these very early figures as ‘Bild Lillis’. Ruth took back selection of the dolls to America, with the idea of producing a teen doll to appeal to girls. Mattel inspected the dolls, and from them created their own version, slightly less hard-faced and with less makeup. Ruth christened the doll Barbie, after her own daughter, and in 1959 launched her at the American toy fair. However, Barbie didn’t meet with much approval; the buyers for the stores demurred over introducing a glamour doll which had a voluptuous figure and pouting lips but which was intended for a young girl. Not wanting their new project to become a flop, Mattel screened a short black and white advertisement in the middle of a children’s television programme, which featured Barbie and her outfits. That was all it took – girls across America were hooked, suddenly they all wanted a Barbie doll of their own. In 1961 she acquired a boyfriend, Ken, and three years later, a younger sister, Skipper. Since then, many more additions to the Barbie family have been made. Pictured left: 1962 Barbie Pictured right: Barbie Can Can Even so, at first, not all the world was Barbie mad, and once Pedigree’s Sindy doll arrived in 1962, it was Sindy who was to dominate the teen doll market for almost twenty years. Even so, when Barbie finally did find her foothold over here, she was adored by thousands of girls, many of whom were won over by her high heels, curves and sophistication, as opposed to Sindy’s sweet girl-next-door look. The very early Barbies still had a rather ‘hard’ look, with red pouting lips, black lining around the eyes and arched brows, even though they had been toned-down. Barbie’s first outfit was that, now iconic, black and white striped swimsuit, teamed with high heels and gold earrings. Initially, the dolls weren’t sold in Britain, but in 1967 a Hobbies Annual supplement contained a section devoted to Barbie which stated, ‘America’s most popular (and certainly the most heavily advertised) range of fashion dolls, has recently been introduced into Europe with amazing success. Barbie, her MOD cousin Francie and her younger sister Skipper, are a range of beautifully made dolls with the most exclusive wardrobes yet seen. Barbie and Francie can wear each other’s clothes, so start with either doll and add-to as you go along. All models supplied with a pedestal stand’. Over the years, Mattel softened the Barbie doll features more and more, making her appealing to youngsters, and, certainly by the 1980s, she had become very popular in Britain. Toyshops soon had aisles of Barbie pink boxes, and Barbie demonstrated her versatility as she became a doctor, a vet, a dentist, an Olympic ice skater, a swimmer, a fashion model, a rock star and an astronaut. She also appeared with James Bond, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and in Star Trek – all in miniature, of course. Above all, though, Barbie became a fashion icon. In 1984 she celebrated her 25th anniversary, and appeared in a special ‘Crystal Barbie’ outfit, a doll which every small girl wanted. The long dress was made of a kind of pearlised fabric which shimmered in the light, and Crystal Barbie became one of the decade’s best selling Barbies. A decade later, ‘Totally Hair’ Barbie was released, the biggest-selling Barbie to date. She wore a multicoloured mini dress and her hair reached down to ankles, measuring 10.5 inches, the longest-haired Barbie ever. Pictured left: Barbie Totally Hair At the end of the 1990s, the ‘Generation Girl’ series of Barbie and friends was introduced, showing Barbie as we had never seen her before, with a street fashion look. Barbie’s face has altered a lot over the years; today, she has a much softer, gentler look than the original 1959 doll. She has also extended her family circle considerably, acquiring sisters Skipper, Stacie, Kelly, Krissy, Tutti and brother Todd, as well as a myriad of friends and relations. Cleverly, Mattel began to issue special collectors’ editions, and top-of-the range Barbies, some of which sell for two or three times the price of a standard Barbie doll, while others, wearing outfits created by top designers, can cost hundreds of pounds. These are in addition to the basic ‘pink-box’ dolls, the dolls intended for children. Nowadays, the Barbie collectors’ market is booming, with a huge variety of fashion, retro and themed dolls being issued, most of them destined never to be played with – or indeed, never removed from their packaging. Naturally, to celebrate her fiftieth anniversary there are […]
Buddy Holly Memorabilia – The Day The Music Died A Look at Buddy Holly Collectibles
Charles Hardin Holley was born in Lubbock, Texas to Lawrence Odell Holley and Ella Pauline Drake on Labor Day, in 1936. The Holleys were a musical family and as a young boy Holley learned to play piano, guitar and violin (his brothers oiled the strings so much that no one could hear him play.) Pictured left: Buddy Holly – A Gold Record award, circa late 1950s, for Buddy Holly’s Peggy Sue. Presented in a glass enclosed, green velvet frame. 12 x 12 in. (30.4 x 30.4 cm.) sold for $11,875 against an estimate of $3,000 – $4,000 at Christies rock and pop memorabilia auction, 30 November 2007, New York, Rockefeller Plaza. He was always known as Buddy to his family. In 1949 Buddy made a recording of Hank Snow’s ‘My Two-Timin’ Woman’ on a wire recorder “borrowed” by a friend who worked in a music shop (not, as is often reported, a home tape recorder)[citation needed], his first known recording. During the fall of that year he met Bob Montgomery in Hutchinson Junior High School. They shared a common interest in music and soon teamed up as the duo “Buddy and Bob.” Initially influenced by bluegrass music, they sang harmony duets at local clubs and high school talent shows. In Lubbock, Holly attended Hutchinson Junior High School, which has a mural honoring him, and Lubbock High School, which has numerous features to honor the late musician. His musical interests grew throughout high school while singing in the Lubbock High School Choir. Autographs of Buddy Holly and The Crickets, in blue biro on a piece of paper additionally inscribed The Crickets, mounted with colour picture, 26.5 x 18cm (10½ x 7in) overall Sold for £478 at Bonhams – Rock and Roll and Film Memorabilia, 16 Nov 2004, Knightsbridge, London. Holly turned to rock music after seeing Elvis Presley sing live in Lubbock in early 1955. A few months later on October 15, he opened on the same bill with Presley, also in Lubbock, catching the eye of a Nashville talent scout. Holly’s transition to rock continued when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets at a local rock show organized by Eddie Crandall, who was also the manager for Marty Robbins. Buddy Holly – An ivory linen-effect two-piece stage suit, the jacket with deep patch pockets, the inside edge of the cuff on the right-hand sleeve showing signs of wear [presumably from playing the guitar]; the loose-fitting trousers with front pleats and narrow turn-ups, the right-hand trouser pocket inscribed inside in blue ballpoint pen, in an unidentified hand, Buddy Holly; accompanied by two corresponding black and white machine-print photographs of Holly on stage during the 1957 U.S. Tour (printed later), 11x16in.(28×40.2cm.) and 11x14in. (28×35.6cm.) sold for £10,575 at Christies pop and collectable guitars, 26 April 2001 London, South Kensington As a result of this performance, Holly was offered a contract with D ecca Records to work alone, which he accepted. According to the Amburn book, his public name changed from “Holley” to “Holly” on 8 February 1956, when the Decca contract he signed misspelled his last name. That spelling was then adopted for his professional career. Among the tracks recorded for Decca was an early version of “That’ll Be The Day”, which took its title from a phrase that John Wayne’s character said repeatedly in the 1956 film, The Searchers. Decca wouldn’t publish his recordings, though, and dropped his contract. But they also insisted he could not record the same songs for anyone else for five years. An autographed Buddy Holly and The Crickets UK Tour programme, 1958, the back cover signed in blue and black ballpoints by all three and the front additionally signed in blue ballpoint by Buddy Holly sold for £1,140 at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction, 18 Jun 2008 Back in Lubbock, Holly formed his own band, although at that time it had no name and would only later be called The Crickets and began recording at Norman Petty’s studios in Clovis, New Mexico. Norman had music industry contacts and believing that “That’ll Be the Day” would be a hit single, he contacted publishers and labels. Brunswick Records, a subsidiary of Decca, signed The Crickets. Soon after, they signed Holly as a solo artist on another Decca subsidiary Coral Records. This put Holly in the unusual position of having two record contracts at the same time. Before “That’ll Be The Day” had its nationwide release, Holly played lead guitar on the single “Starlight”, recorded in April 1957, featuring Jack Huddle. The initial, unsuccessful version of “That’ll Be The Day” played more slowly and about half an octave higher than the hit version. Holly managed to bridge some of the racial divide that marked rock n’ roll music. While Elvis made black music more acceptable to whites, Holly won over an all-black audience when the Crickets were booked at New York’s Apollo Theater (though, unlike the immediate response depicted in the 1978 movie The Buddy Holly Story, it actually took several performances for his talents to be appreciated). Buddy Holly’s electric guitar and amplifier, the 1953 Gibson Les Paul ‘gold-top’ model with maple top, mahogany back, neck and headstock, rosewood fingerboard with crown markers, Kluson machineheads with plastic tulip pegs, P90 pickups, trapeze wrapover tailpiece, in original Gibson case; and a Gibson Les Paul model ‘G’ amplifier, original Jensen speaker, Buddy Holley scratched into bacj from Bonham’s Rock n’ Roll & Film Memorabilia including James Bond, 16 Nov 2005, Knightsbridge. After the release of several highly successful songs in 1958, Holly and the Crickets toured Australia in January and later the United Kingdom. That same year, he met Maria Elena Santiago (born 1935 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) while she was working as a receptionist for Peer-Southern Music, a New York music publisher. According to a romanticised version of the truth encouraged by Maria Elena, he proposed to her on their very first date. She initially thought he was kidding, but they were married in Lubbock on […]