OBSOLETE OZ
What gems has Oz uncovered this month on his travels?
Hi folks! When you look back at life over the past fifty years or so it’s amazing how advances in technology have affected our lives so much. Especially digital technology. I had to laugh the other day when I snapped up a very early Rockwell 24 RD-II pocket calculator at a boot sale for a couple of quid. A ‘pocket’ calculator? It seemed massive! Although when new it would have been a ‘show off’ gadget and no doubt expensive to buy? It dates from the summer of 1976 which was the year of that hot summer when Denis Howell was appointed ‘Minister for Drought’. I remember my old man not being best pleased by the hose pipe ban and the subsequent scorched and parched state of his beloved lawn! Collecting gadgets like this seems to be a growing hobby, with early mobile phones now attracting the interest of collectors. No doubt one day we’ll see someone contribute an article to Collectors Gazette on the subject. I know there’s a fair few enthusiasts out there scouring boot sales for this type of stuff… they keep telling me my old phone is a collectors item! I just tell them that my old phone and my beloved old van are true reflections of me – old, simple, efficient and reliable!
Another slice of nostalgia that reminded me of past times was an unused bar of Fairy soap for which I paid a fiver, although it only cost sixpence back in the 1960s (that’s 2.5p in today’s money). How it has survived all those years without being used is truly amazing.
There’s a fair number of soap bar collectors’ out there who might be interested in buying it.
One of my best finds this month had to be a small button badge (or pin) advertising the Lone Star FLYERS Racing Club. It was a nice little find for a mere three quid and will go into my own badge collection. It’s getting harder and harder to find good badges these days so I was pleased as punch to find this one as I remember having quite a few of those Lone Star Impy racers back in the 1960s.
Still on the subject of diecast toys, a military articulated low loader turned up at the local car boot sale in great condition and had to be snapped up for a fiver. Not sure who made it, but I’m doing a bit of research. It’s not a toy I have ever owned in the past so it’s always nice to find something that needs a bit of research.
One of my most unusual finds was a packet of Premiers Medium cigarettes with a great picture of a pair of Royal Navy battleships in convoy out at sea. Amazingly it still had the original cigarettes tucked inside which is very rare. It was found at the big Newark Showground antique fair and cost me a tenner which was reasonable considering its rarity. This packet does turn up now and again but having the fags makes such a big difference.
On the selling front a lovely little tinplate clockwork duck soon found a buyer who collects penny toys who was willing to give me £35 for it. It’s marked ‘DRGM Made in US zone Germany’ and is in splendid condition complete with winding key. It looked great waddling along the kitchen table!
A scarce box of Nestles Winning Post chocolates soon attracted the eye of a collector who was willing to hand over a crisp twenty pound note in order to add it to his ever growing collection. It was not a brand I had heard of before and it transpires that ‘Winning Post’ chocolates were made predominantly for the New Zealand and Australian markets. It probably dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s.
A Matchbox 1-75 series diesel road roller in really nice, near mint condition, made a reasonable £18 and no doubt the buyer will be looking out for an original box to put it in. In many cases the boxes for these toys are now worth more than the actual models – if only we could turn back the clock as the first thing I did when I got a new Matchbox toy was throw away the box – most other collectors I know say the same thing. Then again they were never meant to be collectors’ items were they?
Another rare collectors’ item to find a happy new owner was a super old Quaker Oats tin showing the iconic Quaker man, so familiar on those hugely popular breakfast cereal boxes. It was a brand sold extensively around the British Empire with this tin dating from the First World War period. It sold for £40 which reflects its rarity and the fact that it was in such lovely condition for its age.
Last but not least a Monopoly board game produced by Parker Brothers sold for a tenner. It wasn’t the usual London based version but an American Real Estate Trading Game with streets such as Boardwalk, Baltic Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue replacing Mayfair, Old Kent Road and the likes. Just the thing for those long winter nights that lie ahead of us.
Well that’s about all for yet another month folks. Autumn is fast approaching so enjoy what’s left of summer as the days become shorter and, as always, be lucky!