Conan O'Brien Drops in on the Victorian Doll Museum...

...in a very funny opening to his new gig: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

As reported by several news outlets, Conan's gag "run" from NY to LA included a stop at the Victorian Doll Museum in North Chili, NY.

Of course, I had to check out that museum & learn more about Victorian dolls. Note, I was not alone in that interest!

To begin with, this is a very well-established museum. In 2007, founder Linda Greenfield celebrated 40 years in business. According this 10/28/2007 article in The Westside News:

"In 1967 Linda Greenfield established the Chili Doll Hospital.... In 1970 she moved into the historic 'red building' on Buffalo Road, in North Chili and created a unique doll wonderland.

"This year Linda celebrated her 40th year in business as a 'Doll Doctor!' She specializes in the restoration of antique to modern dolls. A wide selection of costumes, doll shoes and socks, wigs, stands and doll books are available. She is also curator of her own Victorian Doll Museum, which is located on the premises. Approximately 3,000 dolls are on permanent exhibit as well as toys and several dollhouses. An audio tour of the museum exhibits enhances the experience and is quite educational...."

Here's more information about the Museum's collection:

"A treasury of memories best describes this outstanding collection of antique to modern dolls. One can view yesteryear dolls of bisque, china, wood, wax, metal, felt, ivory & papier mache. There are French and German bisque dolls, Bye-Lo babies, Kewpies, Schoenhut dolls & Toy Circus, Noah's Ark with animals, an electrified marionette show. There are dolls representing famous personalities of comics, literature, movies, history, medicine, fashion and advertising. The museum also has contemporary dolls from the 1920's to the present, including boudoir dolls, Patsy, Shirley Temple, Dionne Quints, and dolls by Madame Alexander, Effanbee and Vogue. Several dollhouses, children's china tea sets and paper dolls are also on display."

Hey, checking out this museum sounds like an fun trip to take over the summer, doesn't it?

[The photo above comes from the Museum's website. It shows just a few of the "...dolls in the collection, on permanent display, behind floor-to-ceiling glass cases."]

"Tea time wasn't only for adults"

As you may know, I collect children's dishes. Currently, that collection contains just a couple of tea sets designed for children.

But collectibles writer Sandy Erdman not only thoroughly described these charming dishes, her article (in the Rochester MN Postbulletin), also made me want to expand my collection!

"Some of the first records of children's tea sets appeared in the 16th century. They were made in pewter and copper, and came from Germany, a country well-known for producing toys in wood and metal. European china companies, such as Haviland, Wedgwood, Minton and R.S. Prussia, have produced miniature tableware for several hundred years, with some dishes dating back to the 1700s.

"During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, children took their tea in the nursery with their nanny. Simple sandwiches or plain cake was served, along with black tea laced with milk and sugar, plain milk or lemonade. The dishes used were not originally intended to be used as playthings, but instead as jewels for the elite. Tea time continued well into the 1800s as a fashionable pastime.

"In the 1900s, more affordable Japanese imports became widely available and advances in manufacturing equipment allowed small-scale tableware to move from the china cabinet to the playroom with Japanese porcelain canisters and bowls, as well as Lustreware tea sets. Fostoria, Imperial, Anchor-Hocking and other American manufactures of moderately priced dishes and glasses, known collectively as Depression glass, were introduced during World War I and II.

"Among the many American Depression glass companies catering to children's dishware was Akro Agate. The West Virginia Company started as a marble making business, but competition in the 1920s spurred experimentation with soap dishes, ashtrays, vases and other home accessories. Then a designer got the idea to recycle toothpick holder molds to create tiny tumblers and fashion petite pitchers from flowerpot molds.

[snip]

"Single piece dishes versus a complete set can be found more easily at flea markets, antique shops, estate and garage sales, grandma's attic and Internet auctions. Before venturing into this market and spending big bucks, get to know exactly what to look for to avoid reproductions.

"A good resource is the Collector's Encyclopedia of Children's Dishes: An Illustrated Value Guide, by Margaret and Ken Whitmyer. This book includes sections on glass, China, metal, stoneware and plastic, in a color illustrated format."

[The Moderntone Little Hostess Burgandy & Green tea set shown above was for sale at the delightful My Vintage Toy Tea Sets store. The set -- which sold for $250! -- was described as: "Hazel Atlas Co. 16 Piece Little Hostess Party Set. Circa late 40's to early 50's. A four-color set with place settings in maroon, dark green, gray, and chartreuse. The teapot and lid are maroon and the sugar and creamer are chartreuse. Good condition on the tea set, poor condition on the box, but still displays very well!"]

Craigslist Collectible: "LusterWare Tea Set - $60"

I found this week's Craigslist Collectible posted in the Chicago collectibles section:

"Reply to: sale-2y72y-1194079223@craigslist.org

"Date: 2009-05-28, 7:28PM CDT

"Service for 6 tea set from the 40's, 6 cups and saucers, 6 dessert plates, tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl.

"All is in fantastic condition except for a small chip on the underside of 1 plate. CASH only, local buyers 708-508-6969.

"Location: Barrington"

[Photo on the left came from the original Chicago Craigslist posting. Of course, you can find more collectibles posted for Chicago here.]

"This collector has the write stuff"

A great story from the Kansas Salina Journal describes what Paul Dahlberg, 81, has accomplish-ed in just 12 years of collecting:

"Local retiree Paul Dahlberg has amassed a collection of 152 miniature tape measures, 209 money clips and 21,000 ballpoint pens. Obviously, he's no Mickey Mouse collector. Actually, he is.

"'Mickey and I have something in common,' Dahlberg said. 'I was born in 1928. We share the same birth year, so I started to pick up Mickey Mouse memorabilia.'

"Although he's been on the lookout for Mickey merchandise for only a couple of years, he already has a curio cabinet in his living room full of collectables bearing the image of Walt Disney's lovable rodent. One coveted object is a Mickey Mouse watch Dahlberg acquired from a fellow Lindsborg resident for $50. It was made by Ingersoll and has its own case.

"By far his pride and joy is his pen collection. Dahlberg was a Kansas insurance inspector and often found himself on the receiving end of free pens.

[snip]

"At first, Dahlberg tossed the freebies aside when he got home and forgot about them. Later, he called on a client in Wichita who had an impressive pen collection.

"'I couldn't believe what I saw,' he said. 'The walls were covered in ballpoint pens.'

[snip]

"So, the obvious question is: does he have a Mickey Mouse pen?

"Dahlberg slumped in disappointment. 'No.' Then he brightened. 'Wait a minute. Yes.'"

BTW, see a photo of the world's largest collection of 220,000+ ball-point pens compiled by Angelika Unverhau of Germany...!

[The image above comes from this completed eBay auction: "Mickey Mouse Pen Colibri 1995 with case ballpoint." The seller described it as: "a vintage Mickey & Co pen...from 7/95." The pen is silver-colored with black Mickey Mouse ears & gold-colored highlights. Three bidders & 8 bids later, the pen -- with it's original box -- sold for $31.00.]

"Antiques people love"

Don't you love stumbling across a real find when you're on the way to someplace else?

This article from Ohio's Marietta Times totally reminded me of that fun!

Many years ago, I used take road trips that took me near the stretches of Route 66 that still exist. I loved getting off the highway just to see what I could see. Not only did I get great photos of those small towns, I also found some wonderful collectibles.

Fiesta, of course, & for very good prices. Beautiful 1940s tablecloths too. And then that Texas store where I bought a dramatic cow skull. With huge horns. Ah, good times, good times....

But back to the antiques (& friendly dealers), you can find in Marietta, OH:

"When it comes to antiques, Marie Seevers believes in Marietta and that this quaint city nestled along the banks of the Ohio River has a corner on quality and selection.

"Most local people have no idea how far and wide Marietta's reputation for fine antiques extends, she said.

"'My best sales are people from out of town,' said Seevers, owner, with husband Tom, of Antiques & Needful Things, 166 Front St. 'Just this week I had two couples come in, one from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the other from Elkins, (W.Va.). They both bought furniture.'
The North Carolina couple was just passing through the area on the way to a bluegrass concert, she said.

"What people want and are seeking in antiques and collectibles is as individual and capricious as the people themselves.

"Staffordshire and Limoges china, Depression and Carnival glass, toy metal banks, Civil War memorabilia, porcelain dolls, Shaker chairs, cookie jars, clocks, coins, and decorative plates are all sought after - depending on the time and place.

[snip]

"Across the bridge and around the corner at 249 Second St. in Marietta, River City Antique Emporium owner Jeff Greenlees considers his business the keeper of the most vintage glassware in the region. There are 64 dealers representing dozens of states, mostly east of the Mississippi.

"'Fenton is always No. 1 with us,' he said.

[snip]

"Riverview Antiques owner William Dorsey calls Marietta a 'tourist town, and said people come from out of town into the antique shops searching for the perfect item to take home. That special item could be glassware, silver, a small collectible, a dining room cupboard, sideboard or table and chairs.

"'People look for something nice to remember their trip,' Dorsey said."

Yep, I'm proof of that!

[That lovely photo above came from this completed eBay auction, Sadly, the "Fenton footed console bowl in the Stag & Holly pattern" did not garner any bids. Perhaps the starting bid of $49.99 was a tad high?]

"Large Collection of Star Trek collectables"

When I moved recently, I had to get serious about downsizing some collections. Yeah, it was painful!

So I know how this poster to LA Weekly 's Back Page probably felt:

Large Collection of Star Trek collectables
posted: May 18, 2009, 08:10 PM

"I have ten years worth of Star Trek collectable goods that I need to sell off to pay for some outstanding bills. My collection includes everything from entire series of DVD collections of all the Star Trek's series to replica hand phasers and Models of the various starships including the USS Enterprise, Romulan Warbird and Klingon Bird of Prey.

"I have listed everything on my Star Trek fans site, http://www.dominionspace.com/.

"My prized piece will also be auctioned off, a detailed replica of the star base Deep Space Nine. If you love Star Trek like I do, be sure to stop by and see everything I have collected over the years."

Let's hope the opening of the new Star Trek movie (which I cannot wait to see!), encourages high prices for these auctions.

BTW, I had great fun looking through Christie's 2006 auction titled 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection. Actual items used in the original series & the shows that followed garnered high prices!

[The colorful image above is from one of this person's auctions: Star Trek Klingon Empire Patch. Described as a "Fully embroidered 4" patch in unused NEW condition," the eBay BuyItNow price is set at $7.99.]

About.com Collectibles: "$500. Cereal Boxes?"

I always enjoy the off-beat items found by About.com's Collectibles Guide Barbara Crews.

And she's surprised me once again, this time with collectible cereal boxes!

"Collecting doesn't always have to be expensive, but sometimes cashing in can be good. As an example - think cereal boxes. As kids you ate the cereal and threw away the box. Unless that is you saved those unusual boxes featuring your cowboy heroes or cartoon characters. I recently updated the page with a few more cereal box prices and was surprised at some of the prices from recent auctions. Over $500.00 each for a Cheerios Lone Rangers, a 1970s Quisp and a 1970s Quangaroos box."

Here's the cereal box price guide. Find more About.com articles about cereal box collecting here. And lots of links to websites all about Cereal Box Collecting & Collectors here.

Found a fascinating 1940s marketing idea for Cheerios made real at the Lone Ranger Frontier Town Cheerios Cereal Premium page:

"My husband's father faithfully ate enough Cheerios in 1948 to help him collect the entire Lone Ranger Frontier Town.

"This required 9 different Cheerios cereal boxes just for the extra structures, each cereal box back containing a few of the 71 possible pieces needed to fill up the four section maps. Each section map (Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, or Northeast) was obtained for 10 cents plus a Cheerios box top.

"When each piece was cut out and assembled, a miniature structure resulted, making it possible to follow the radio stories of the Lone Ranger with a tangible, touchable item to look at when Brace Beemer on the radio show mentioned the specific places the Lone Ranger went."

What an amazing testament to this 10-year-old's love of Cheerios & the Lone Ranger radio show that this remarkable item still exists! I really enjoyed the story & accompanying photos!

You can find more details & photos of another Cheerios Frontier Town set here.

And poptartsbox offers this fab photo set of collectible cereal items on Flickr here.

[That charming cereal box above illustrated a now-ended eBay auction. The "Booberry Cereal Box, original early 70s" sold for $204.50 after 11 spirited bids by 7 bidders. Wow!]

"Cowan's May 16 sale of shaving mugs reads like a job fair"

Found interesting info on Auction Central News about an upcoming event -- May 16th, 2009 -- from Cowan's Auctions, Inc.

Well, it's definitely interesting news for those who collect shaving mugs. And antique medical items:

"'The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.' Cowan's auction of occupational shaving mugs May 16 sounds like an early 1900s jobs fair. After the record-setting sale of the Henry Tolman antique shaving mug collection in 2007, Cowan's Auctions Inc. will sell another extensive collection of occupational shaving mugs May 16. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

"William and Phyllis Gilmore of Lancaster, Ohio, are selling their collection, which will be offered in approximately 220 lots. Within the collection is a wide selection representing various trades, including medical, house painters, railroad workers and barbers. Highlights include an unusual doctor's mug with full hand-painted skeleton and a steamship captain's mug. Another scarce shaving mug pictures an early motorist behind the wheel of an open touring car on a city street. This German-made mug has a $800-$1,500 estimate. Five mugs depicting various hunting scenes comprise one of the many group lots.

"The second half of the auction will include medical antiques and collectibles, much of them from a broad collection in Portage, Ohio. The collector's tastes were wide ranging, from leech jars, to surgical kits, dental keys, apothecary jars, and mortars and pestles.

[snip]

"View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to http://www.liveauctioneers.com/."

[I really like the Paper Hanger's Occupational Shaving Mug shown above. Described as "porcelain, with polychrome painted scene of gentleman hanging wallpaper with floral border design," the bid estimate is $500 - $700. Yowza!]

"Old movie posters mean big bucks for NJ collector"

I like this man's collecting verve! Read the full article about savvy collecting on Oklahoma City's Examiner.com:

"While many lose sleep over each twist and turn of today's economy, New Jersey collector Ralph DeLuca has found a hedge against the recession in the musty memorabilia of Hollywood's past.

"A former private investment consultant, DeLuca hardly batted an eye when he bought a vintage poster from the 1932 cult movie 'Freaks' at auction in March for more than $100,000. The poster had cost $10 in the early 1970s.

"A few minutes later he outbid competitors for a rare poster of the original 'Dracula' from 1931, owned by actor Nicolas Cage, snapping it up for more than $300,000.

[snip]

"DeLuca's first purchase was in the early 1990s - a poster for Mel Brooks' 'The Producers'. He figures he now owns tens of thousands of archival pieces, including rare photographs, original movie scripts and concert posters, for a collection worth upward of $10 million.

"Far fewer posters were printed in Hollywood's early years, he said, and often they were leased to the theaters and were not intended for public collecting in the same way as baseball cards or comic books. Consequently, finding posters can take years, even with the coming of online auction sites.

[snip]

"'All my friends said I was nuts, but I'd rather have this,' he said, gesturing toward the posters. 'It's tangible, it's here, it's rare. You buy a share of stock and you own one-millionth of one percent of some company that has 50 vice presidents they don't need. It's not worth it. I own a hundred percent of these, and they're not making any more of them.'"

[I support Wikipedia for many reasons, but I love the site's detailed information about great vintage movies. Like the entry for the startling film Freaks, including an image of the movie poster, a copy of which is shown above.]

"13-year-old has a passion for typewriters"

Love charming articles like this one published in the Charleston Daily Mail (West Virginia):

"Jett Morton stands among his Olivers, gesturing instructively toward this one or that as he tells their stories.

"'Well, these are your '30s,' he says. 'And this one was patented in 1898 but, actually, it was made in the 1900s. This one right here ...' He bends down to read an old inscription dulled by time. 'This one was Nov. 5, 1912.'

"You nod and peer closely at a few old machines. 'So these are the Oliver Standard Visible Writer No. 3?' you say.

"'Yeah,' says Jett.

[snip]

"'I think I was 7 when I started (collecting). I can't remember exactly. But when I was young, my dad showed me what a typewriter was, and I was fascinated. At the time, I collected electrics (typewriters), but now, I don't even bother with them.'

"Jett's dad, Dennis, listening to his son's spiel, shakes his head and grins.

"'He's a nut!' he says.

[snip]

"'I've been to a meeting of other typewriter collectors. ETCetera is a magazine that everyone is involved with. There's one issue where I was in it on the back (cover). Let's see ...' He rifles through a cabinet. 'I don't think I have it displayed ...

"'Aha, right here!'

"Among the other photographs on the last page of the publication is one of Jett and Dennis. Collector Jett Morton and Dad, Dennis, amidst the Blicks.

"The Blicks?"

Yep, Blicks are the typewriters created by the Blickensderfer Typewriter Company.

[The photo above comes from The Virtual Typewriter Museum. Specifically the Oliver 3 Nickel base: "Beginning with the Oliver 3, all machines were painted with an olive green lacquer. However, the company made one exception. Machines that were produced for exports to warm and damp regions, like Latin America, were still nickel plated. The company apparently trusted the plating more than the paint.... Time has shown that this may not have been a very good idea. Today, on most antique typewriters, the paint is usually pretty much intact, but the plating is often eaten away by rust."]

Big and racy: "Hats of the Kentucky Derby"

I don't watch horse racing much. Okay, not at all.

But I do like the pageantry surrounding key races like the Kentucky Derby. Particularly the fancy hats!

So I grabbed this article in the Los Angeles Times all about Derby Hats...featuring lots of fab photos:

"Rachel Alexandra (that's a filly, not a woman) won the $554,500 Kentucky Oaks race Friday at Churchill Downs. Now, spectators and horse-racing fans turn their attention to today's 135th running of the Kentucky Derby.

"But for some, it's not just about the horses. Head-turning hats--from cheesy to classy--vie for attention at the event held every year in Louisville on the first Saturday in May. Check out a video and photographs of Derby hats at www.kentuckyderby.com/2009/."

All I know about collecting women's hats comes from The Collectors Weekly. And Alana's Vintage Collecting Blog! She has several very helpful posts about vintage hats.

[That intriguing "Limeade" hat above, created by Gena Conti Millinery, was chosen by the Kentucky Derby Museum for its 2006-2007 Derby Hat Exhibit. See more special Derby hats from Gena Conti Millinery here. Delish!]

"Dr Pepper artifact may reveal soft drink's origin"

This is a great "Look what I just found!" news story.

It's on the website for KTEN, a TV station that broadcasts to north Texas & southeastern Oklahoma:

"An Oklahoma man might have found an early version of the recipe for the popular soft drink Dr Pepper.

"Bill Waters was poking through an antiques store in the Texas Panhandle town of Shamrock last summer when the 59-year-old Tulsa man came across a tattered old ledger book filled with formulas.

"The book with yellowed pages stained brown on the edges was underneath a wooden medicine bottle crate in the store. Suspecting he could resell it for around $1,000, Waters paid $200.

"Waters eventually discovered the book came from the Waco, Texas, drugstore where Dr Pepper was invented and includes a recipe titled 'Dr. Peppers Pepsin Bitters.'

"He says when he saw the recipe, he began feeling like he'd found a national treasure. Dr Pepper first was served at the Waco drugstore in 1885.

"When the 8 1/2-by-15 1/2 inch book of more than 360 pages goes up for auction at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries on May 13, it's expected to sell for between $50,000 to $75,000."

Wow, the opening bid is $25,000! Great news for finder Bill Waters!

Of course, there are many more affordable Dr Pepper collectibles to be found. Lots of DP collectors too!

[Above is a photo of the "Dr. Pepper Pepsin Bitters" recipe from the hand-written ledger included in the May 13, 2009 auction listing. You can find more photos of the ledger's pages here & watch the bidding here.]