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Category Archives: Historical
A Patriotic Ribbon From 1863 Tells the Story of an Important Fourth of July
Happy Fourth of July 1863! Actually it’s one month, two days, and one hundred and fifty-two years ago as I write this. We apologize for posting our Fourth of July article so late, but a big storm in June zapped … Continue reading
Posted in 1800's, Americana, Ephemera, Historical, Holiday, Jim, Political
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2014 Road Trip Blog: Scrappy the GI Mascot and Other WWII Collectibles
World War II home front collectibles have become a growing interest for Jim and me, so we were very happy to add a few new items to our collection during the course of our road trip. Pictured is a grouping … Continue reading
Posted in 1940's, Americana, Carol, Comic Characters, Historical, Humor, Road Trip, Weird, WWII
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Shoe Shine Boxes – Part II – More Shine Is Just Fine
Just over two years ago, I wrote my first article about shoe shine boxes, those humble survivors of life in urban America. Since that time I have added a few more examples to my collection which I would like to … Continue reading
Posted in 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, Advertising, Americana, Hand Made, Historical, Jim, Uncategorized
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Fighting the War in Europe on the Homefront With Humor – Poking Fun at Hitler
Today marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a somber yet triumphant anniversary to be sure. Thousands of American troops became casualties as they stormed the beaches of Normandy in a successful effort to wrest control of Europe from Hitler and … Continue reading
Posted in 1940's, Americana, Carol, Historical, Humor, WWII
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Disney Pin-ups.
As a long time Disney collector, I have learned that there is a ton of junk on the market with Disney characters on it. At this point it takes a special or rare piece of Disneyana to get me excited. … Continue reading
Collecting JFK – Fifty Years Later
This month is the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I remember that day well, as does anyone else who happened to be alive at the time. Perhaps it’s because I was a kid – in … Continue reading
Posted in 1960's, Americana, Historical, Jim, Political
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Giraffe-Neck Women from Burma Circus Poster
My apologies on the flash flare. This thing wasn’t easy to photograph! It probably isn’t much of a secret that circuses would sometimes exaggerate in their advertising. A case in point is the subject of this article. Were the Giraffe-Neck … Continue reading
Posted in 1930's, Advertising, Americana, Ephemera, Historical, Humor, Jim, Signs, Weird
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Uncle Sam – He Collects From Us So Why Not Collect Him?
It might be more appropriate to talk about Uncle Sam around the Fourth of July, when symbols of patriotism abound. He dresses in red, white, and blue, after all, and sometimes has stars on the brim of his hat and … Continue reading
The Le Macabre Skull
It seems like ages since I have written an article for The Collector Gene, so I wanted to come back with one of my favorite pieces from my collection. I have been waiting to write about this one for a … Continue reading
Posted in 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, Advertising, Amy, English, Foreign, Halloween, Historical, Humor, Monsters, Signs, Weird
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The Michelin Advertising Figure – Rollin to the “Roadshow” with Bibendum
The seventeenth season of PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” just started recently. I have to admit that of all the shows dealing with antiques that have aired over the years, I still like this one the best. Based on the even longer … Continue reading
Posted in 1800's, 1900's, 1910's, 1920's, Advertising, Foreign, Historical, Jim, Weird
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