1894 Doctrines and Discipline of the United Evangelical Church

Today’s item of the day is which is up for bid on eBay. It has a very reasonable starting price of just $39.95

The seller tells us that this rare piece of antique/vintage Ephemera is a book entitled “The Doctrines and Discipline of the United Evangelical Church, Formulated by The General Conference of 1894″ which was held in Naperville, Ill.”. He tells us that the condition is:

• 1911 Board of Publication of the United Evangelical Church
• Black Cloth Hardcover
• 5 3/4″ x 4″
• 192 Pages
• Tight, Clean, Unmarked Copy w/ a Few Spots of Light Foxing
• Short Ink Line on Titlepage
• Covers w/ Light Shelfwear

To own this amazing piece of ephemera, click the link above and place your winning bid.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

Have a look at my Ephemera store
or have a look at my eBay Auction site

Technorati tags: Evangelical Church, Naperville, I;, Ephemera 1894

It’s unusual for us to talk about non-ephemera items here.. but we’ll tie it back later in the article.

I recently listed, on eBay, a very old Dinky car known as the “Studebaker State Commander”.  This particular item (Dinky number 24O) is somewhat unique as it was built by Meccano France… as opposed to the original British toy company that was established in 1908 by a gentleman named Frank Hornby.  During the 1920s and 1930s it became the biggest toy manufacturer in Britain and produced three of the most popular lines of toys in the twentieth century: Meccano, Hornby Model Railways and Dinky Toys.

In 1912 Hornby set up an office in Paris to import Meccano into France and by 1921 the French market had proved so successful that production began at the newly opened factory in Paris with another plant opening in 1929 where production of the Dinky Toys would be based.

During the Second World War the Meccano factories were commandered by the invading Germans and used in the Nazi war effort, as well as production of model vehicles in the German Marklin range. Then, in the early post-war years the model vehicles were forced to be shod with metal wheels due to Nazi activity during the war which had virtually cut off supplies of rubber to France.  Rubber tyres were not fitted again on models until 1950.

By the 1950s the French Dinky Toys began concentrating on the products of the French motor manufacturers; Citroen, Renault, Peugeot and Simca, along with examples of American cars which were popular at that time on mainland Europe.  Some models such as the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia were produced both in France and in Great Britain.  By the 1960s the vast majority of the French Dinky range were only available in the home market although a few models did make it across the English Channel to be sold in Britain. The French factory closed in 1970 and a Spanish company produced some Dinky models which were originally sold as French Dinky Toys until the end of the decade.

So the Dinky I listed was made in France during the period of 1949-50 and has the metal wheels mentioned above.  It has a typical Dinky cast body with a black sheet metal base.  While the car has obvious signs of wear, it is still in the original cream color, i.e. not restored.  Values on Dinky Toys vary, as do all collectible items, but we would expect this auction item to end at several hundred dollars due to its age and condition.

Click here to have a look at this wonderful item!

If you are more interested in the Studebaker line of cars.. than the Dinky toys, you may want to look at this link which takes you to a wonderful site all about the memorable Studebakers.  There are hundreds of pictures, and even some EPHEMERA ads for the cars during the war period.  You will soon find that Studebaker was involved in more than just manufacturing automobiles.

So there you have it.  A brief into to the Meccano company, some information on the Dinky Studebaker State Commander.. and even some information about Studebakers in general.

I hope you can find something here to whet you whistle.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Meccano, Dinky, Studebaker

Thanks for visiting!

I must admit, I had never heard of “Sweet Scotch Snuff” until today.

But a quick search of Wikipedia tells me that “Snuff is ground or pulverized tobacco, which is generally inhaled or “snuffed” through the nose.”  That much of course I knew.

What I did not know was that snuff basically comes in two versions… the (primarily) European version, which is dry  and usually scented or flavored and is intended to be sniffed through the nose.   And then there is moist snuff – often called American Snuff  – which tends to be applied to the gums, rather than sniffed. It’s sometimes called dipping tobacco, and like the European versions, comes in many varieties and flavours.  There is yet another type of snuff, unique to India, called “creamy snuff” which is more of a paste sold in toothpaste tubes… and marketed mainly to women.

I became aware of “Sweet Scotch Snuff” when I saw this small piece of vintage ephemera on a blog which is interestingly titled “Paper Dolls for Boys“.  Despite its title, the blog does occasionally display a number of interesting pieces of ephemera.  They are generally part of a weekly category called “vintage photo friday”.

In reading the small ticket, which offered a “lady’s fine linen handkerchief” which normally sells “for 25 cents”, I began to look into just what is “Blue Ribbon Sweet Scotch Snuff” but did not find a whole lot. It’s interesting that back then, and I can’t seem to find a date for the Handkerchief Ticket, a man (presumably) was offered a fine linen hankie for his lady, as part of a “reward” (?) for buying four tins of snuff.

I did find the tin on the right, a different brand, offered on Etsy.  The description reads:

From what I can tell this has never been opened. It is Helme quality snuff. The paper label is in very good condition, a couple of very small spots. My pictures show the front and back of the label.

This tin is approx. 2 1/4 inches tall and 1 3/4 across.

It’s listed at a mere $8.00 which somewhat surprised me.

I am assuming that there is a group of “snuff tin” collectors out there.. there seem to be collectors of almost everything these days.  I am wondering if there is also a group who collects ephemera related to snuff?

How about YOU?  Do you collect either snuff ephemera, tins of snuff – or anything that might fit into both the  general category of “snuff” and “ephemera”?  I’d like to hear from you.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom

Take a look at my current Bonanzle items or
Visit my storefront.

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Snuff, Tobacco, Blue Ribbon Snuff

Yesterday afternoon, for those of you who may have missed it, Wally Kolenda, better known as “Auction Wally” ran what I believe was the very first LIVE Auction on Bonanzle!

Wally, for those of you who don’t know him, is a licensed Massachsetts auctioneer who’s been building a brand online for quite a while now. If you Google AuctionWally, you’ll see what I mean… or you can visit his homepage here.

The Bonanzle Auction started at 1:00 PM Eastern time and was preceded by an hour’s preview session where Wally audibly went through and described each lot, and answered any questions that those in the auction house may have had.

You ask – “what auction house” – and “how was it live, how did he describe the items, how did one hear the previews”. Admittedly it took a bit of hacking together and some skills to really “go to” the auction. But none of it was above the skills of anyone here. If you are able to list an item in your Bonanzle booth, have a speaker on your computer, and just a few minutes patience… you can do it. I did and really enjoyed both setting it up… and of course, participating in the LIVE Auction

It seems to me that it works best if you have two browser windows open on your computer. I had one open looking at Wally’s booth on Bonanzle (http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/auctionwally). In the second window I had Wally’s TalkShoe feed and this is where you could hear Wally’s auctioneer’s chant. (The rhythmic chant used by most auctioneers is aimed at holding the attention of the audience and keeping the auction moving at a steady pace. The chant is a series of numbers (dollar amounts) connected by “filler” words to give the buyer time to think between bids). You can even go to TalkShoe now and download a recording of yesterday’s full event. So essentially you listened to Wally on TalkShoe… and you placed your bids in the Bonanzle chat window in Wally’s booth. – Simple!

Despite a few minor technical difficulties at the start, all went extremely well. The overall session, including the one hour preview went for some three and one-half hours. During that time there were as many as 50 “buyers” in Wally’s both at one point and he sold some 14-15 lots – even a few items of Ephemera – at prices that honestly in some cases amazed me!

Even I entered the excitement and placed a bit on several items…. one of which I won for a very fair $19. Just like a real live auction, you had to be quick, you had to listen carefully, and you had to pick your moment to bid… all of which added to the fun of the LIVE Auction.

From what I have heard since the LIVE Auction ended, Mark Dorsey of Bonanzle even stopped in on the LIVE Auction at one point.. and is now back at work with his team in Bonanzle HQ finding a way to more seamlessly integrate the audio, the bidding, and the selling into the Bonanzle platform. Let’s hope he is successful… and speedy.

If you missed the excitement.. and it WAS exciting… Wally has scheduled another LIVE Auction for Saturday February 7th at the same time – 1:00 PM Eastern. Based on the response yesterday, I’d expect another very successful event. So take some time over the next few days to get familiar with TalkShoe, the chat room in Wally’s booth, and the preview of items that he will be putting up on the next auction block.

I’ll be there.. I hope to see you there as well!

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Click here to see my current Bonanzle items

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Auction Wally, Bonanzle

After several years, and two different attempts, my time with eBay Stores has come to an end.

My first store was relatively successful but I had to close it due to being out of the country for several months.  My second store was less successful, partially due I suppose to the economy, and partially due to eBay’s focus on the larger marketeers.. at the expense of the small sellers.

So as of September 30th, my eBay store has closed and I have imported all of my inventory over to Bonanzle.  Their user base seems to be growing nicely with some 3,300+ users on a recent check.  At the same time their listings continue to grow, and most if not all are from small sellers… not the Best-Buys, Dell’s and other large name brands that are taking over eBay.

Bonanzle‘s visitor base continues to grow day by day as well and they are currently boasting some 4000 50,000 page views daily. And while I have yet to have a sale at Bonanzle, I am hedging my bet by also listing some of my more interesting items at Delcampe Auctions.

Moving my listings to Bonanzle was quite simple. They have an online import tool that works quite well.  Some of the html used in the eBay listings did not come across quite perfectly, but well enough for me go with it (even though Bonanzle recommends plain text).  In under 20 minutes I was able to import some 500+ items and almost immediately get them available on Bonanzle.

Another plus at Bonanzle is their forums.  There are lots of other users sharing tips, ideas and  offers to assist others.

With a fee structure that only charges once an item is sold, I am quite optimistic about greater sales and greater profit on this new site.  I’ll still use eBay for some of my auction item collectibles, but for store items I’m looking to Bonanzle as my new marketplace.

Now onto the job of moving all my links from this blog and other locations to Bonanzle.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the encore it deserves.

Tom
Click to see my current Bonanzle items

Technorati tags: Bonanzle, Encore Ephemera, Ephemera, The Ephemera Network, Delcampe Auctions

We recently were given 3 Sinatra albums to sell on eBay.  They are Softly as I leave you, Strangers in the night and My kind of Broadway.  All three are vintage 1964-66 and in great condition.

The one that caught my eye the most was the one with the same title as this post.  Turns out that back in 1964 Frank Sinatra released this album as his first attempt to come to terms with Rock & Roll.

At the time he was producing middle-of-the-road pop, featuring drum kits, backing vocals, and keyboards and this one song was intended to incorporate Rock and Roll into an album that was otherwise pieced together with leftovers from various early 1960s sessions.

The title track was the first of at least four attempts to mimic the chart success of Dean Martin’s #1 hit “Everybody Loves Somebody”, using a driving beat, heavy strings and choral tracks.

The tracks on this album were:

• Emily
• Here’s to the Losers
• Dear Heart
• Come Blow Your Horn
• Love Isn’t Just for the Young
• I Can’t Believe I’m Losing You
• Pass Me By
• Softly, As I Leave You
• Then Suddenly Love
• Available
• Talk to Me Baby
• The Look of Love

If you are a Sinatra lover you may want to take a look at this eBay offering.. or the other 2 and one Dean Martin one that I have featured.  They are definitely priced right!

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

American Academy Award-winning film and stage actor Henry Fonda, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists, also did a few print advertisements in his day.

This 1950s ad for Arrow Shirts shows Fonda with Marlon Brando’s older sister Jocelyn Brando.  It’s a 10″ by 13″ two page centerfold ad carefully removed from the Saturday Evening Post.

Arrow is a reflection of the American fashion over the course of three centuries. From a one-room workshop in Troy, NY in 1851 to an international corporation with distribution in more than 90 countries, it is too fine a heritage to be forgotten.

We continue to find interesting vintage advertising such as this.. and bring it back to you through our eBay store – “Encore-Ephemera .. and more”

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.

You may not recall that phrase.. but it was the first part of a jingle by Bucky Beaver.  You don’t remember him either?  Bucky was the marketing icon and mascot of Ipana toothpaste commercials from the 1950s. The slogan was “Brusha… Brusha… Brusha. Get the New Ipana – it’s dandy for your teeth!”

Ipana was a popular toothpaste in the 20th century having been first introduced in 1915,  It became a  sponsor on radio in 1923 with the program The Ipana Troubadors. Bristol-Myers’s Ipana was the most popular U.S. toothpaste or powder from 1936 to 1945. However, demand declined by the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the brand was eventually discontinued in the United States.  At present, the Ipana brand is a leading toothpaste in Turkey.

This ad (click it to enlarge), from the 1950s claimed to fight both tooth decay and gum troubles.  Obviously it also gave you a kissing fresh breath.

Healthier teeth, healthier gums.. Ipana for both!

See this ad and many others from the 1950s and earlier  at our eBay store.

I’m Tom Murphy and thanks for helping me give Ephemera the Encore it deserves.