New Hub for Sundry Collectibles!

Hi everyone.  A super quick note to let you know that I have generated a new hub for my multiple blogs!  You can check it out (and the blogs linked there) at sundrycollectibles.net.  Here you will find links to my Disneyland postcard site, my vintage aviation paper site, and my "Comics Data" site (I am excited about this one!)

I will occasionally come back here to point people to my new stuff...but this newly revamped site is now my "official" hub.  

Until next time...

Disney Postcard Database is Active!

Hi folks...I have been pretty much ignoring this blog recently (ignored but not forgotten!) as I work on my Disney Postcard blog and checklist.  I just recently made the searchable checklist live...so check it out!

You can see it at Disney Postcards - Checklist (New!)

Until next time...

P.S.  This is a WDW card of the Tahitian Village (0100-10212)...sweet!

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

One of the things that I really enjoy doing is browsing through book stores.  As a collector, sometimes I am looking for something rare (as you may have guessed by some of the posts on this blog).  Sometimes, I am looking for something very specific, in a very specific category.  And sometimes, I am just looking...period.  But the cool part about a book store and book collecting is that it is such a rich hobby.  You can collect from any number of authors or subjects, art books, first editions, or even just collect bindings and fore-edge paintings.  Some people collect books about books...and that gets us to this book featured here, "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much", by Allison Hoover Bartlett.

A couple of years ago I got this for Christmas and it really was a great read.  It is a thriller, a mystery and a book about collecting all wrapped into one.  The true story of a man who...well, I don't really want to give it away, but the title says enough...he loved books too much.  

The problem chronicled in this book is not an uncommon one.  Criminals steal paintings from galleries, comic art at comic conventions, small antiques from mall dealers and high end dealers, and yes, they steal rare books.  A while ago, a comic dealer friend of mine had some original art stolen from his store.  My original thought was (and actually still is), "What an idiot!"  You can't display it and share it with people, there is only one...and for high end comic art, there are sites that track stolen work.  At the end of the day, collectibles are meant to be shared and enjoyed with other people...not holed up secretly where only one person can see them.  (Reminds me of the Getty Museum in LA...now THAT is the way to share a collection!)

Anyway...I have updated my Amazon recommended list to the right if you want to find a copy of this read.  I highly recommend it for book lovers and even non-book lovers.  It's an interesting peak into the whole world of rare books and rare book dealers.  

Until next time..(hopefully sooner rather than later)

Famous Funnies 212 - Another Frazetta masterpiece

When you go to a great restaurant, and have a great meal...maybe a really fabulous rack of lamb, or a particularly great salmon fillet, or maybe a great glass of wine...unless you are a professional, you may not be able to say why you liked it.  At the end of the day, it was just, well, REALLY good.  With wine, I like a good glass as much as the next person, but I can't tell if it is because of a great nose of earthy notes with a hint of cinnamon, or whatever...I just know, after having had quite a few bottles in my time...what is good and what isn't.

Well...this cover is a great example of that same sentiment.  I am not an artist.  I can't necessarily speak to you about the technical aspects of what is an is not great composition or what specific aspects of a pictures execution make it better than the next.  I might try, but at at the end of the day, I know what I like...and I can usually tell when an artist is committed to their craft.

Frazetta had command on this cover and the others in the series.  And while I am not an artist...I know well drawn figures when I see them.  And while I may not be trained, I think I have a sense for good composition...for good story telling that is accomplished without words.  Everyone knows today that people can't just float around in space...I suspect they knew that back in the early 1950's too...but that doesn't matter here.  The beautiful girl in distress, our fearless hero (Buck Rogers), the lunatic alien thugs and their fleet of ships.  The image is bold and dynamic.  It moves.  It brings back images in my mind of Mystery in Space #1...also a classic black covered sci-fi book from the early 1950's with cover art by Carmine Infantino.

So there it is...classic 1950's sci-fi that is really timeless.  Why?  Because these artists were serious about what they were doing and were not just turning the crank.  Thanks fellas!

Until next time...

Superman #252 - DC Super Spectacular

In the early 1970's, DC printed 100 page versions of a lot of it's titles and labeled them as "Super Spectacular" issues.  These issues are fairly collectible today and are often hard to find in decent shape due to the square binding. They started publication in the summer of 1971 with issue number 4 and went to issue number 22.  The books contained all reprints from earlier DC issues.

The other day a friend of mine gave me this comic as payback for a bottle of wine I had bought for him.  This particular issue is interesting for the Neal Adams wrap around cover.  A close inspection of the cover will show that Hawkman and Hawkgirl are on the cover twice, but DC aficionados will tell you that these are Earth 1 and Earth 2 representations of these characters...keep your lore straight!  And their is a funky looking flying doctor guy at the top "right" of the wrap around cover...not being a DC expert, I had to do do a little research on this one.  Thanks to "Giant Size Geek" for pointing out that there is a key to who all the character's are in the back of the magazine itself.  He reprints it on his blog.  (Turns out the funky looking doctor guy is "Mr. Keeper", by the way!)

     

Neal Adams was know for great work on Batman, Superman and Green Arrow.  This cover is a great example of that work...but do check out his Batman and Brave and the Bold covers.  They are some of the best work to come out of the 1960's and 1970's, in my humble opinion.

So...not a bad trade for a decent Beauregard Pinot Noir from Santa Cruz County.  Not a bad trade at all!

Until next time...

Disneyland Postcard Price Guide Completed!

When I first started this blog, I was talking about all of my collectibles in one space.  And I was diligent...in a manner of speaking.  Everyday for about 5 months I was bringing everything from sand to Star Wars cards to comic and postcards.  (That's nothing compared to Gorillas Don't Blog though....he started up and ever since day one hasn't quit for almost six years...really impressive).  Anyway, I finally decided to break out the Disneyland postcard stuff to its own site because it is a rather "nichy" collection.

Last night, I finally finished the price guide for all of the cards listed in the Nickel Tour reference book!  So...if you want to check it out, go to disneypostcards.com.  This effort has kept me from more frequent posts here...but keep your eyes out...I have plenty more non-Disney related stuff to talk about!

Until next time...

Postcard Booklets from the Past!

A couple weeks back, i saw this lot on eBay for a bunch of old postcard booklets.  These are about 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches and they can have some great vintage images in them.  I was mostly interested in the Disneyland HiLite book...I already have it, but the price was right for this lot so I threw in the one and only bid it took to win.

Shown here are the ten books in the lot.  Everything from Jackson Hole to the Ozarks to Hollywood!

Taking a look inside, there are a many interesting shots, but I will show just a couple here.  First off, a view of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood, California.  The NBC studio is there in all of it's mid-century glory.  I am guessing this image is early 1950's based on all the cars and the two women in the picture.  You need a magnifier, but they look to be in their early 1950's casual daywear!

Next is a shot from Mitchell, South Dakota.  The Corn Palace is a multi-purpose arena that still exists today and hosts concerts and events for the good folks of Mitchell and the surrounding area. It is of "Moorish Revival" architecture and built in 1921 after several predecessors.  The domes were added in 1937.  This photo appears to have been taken in the late 1950's...maybe even 1960.  The car on the far right looks like a Chevrolet Impala from that era or something very similar.  A rather interesting building to be sure!

So there you have it...a bunch of cool little postcard booklets from mid-twentieth century America!

Mystery in Space #33

Well, I have recently been blogging primarily on my Disney Postcard site, and have neglected my blogs here.  But today we will remedy this with a quick look at this great Mystery in Space book from the summer of 1956!

It's the 27th century and wood has grown very scarce on planet earth.  With the discovery of new and more exotic materials, and presumably an exploding population, forests have been mowed down and replaced by huge structures.  Finally, one day, an alert goes out to destroy all things made from wood because it is determined that a deadly gas can be released from the material which will kill all living things near by.

When an alien fleet arrives to take over planet earth (just after all the last bits of wood have been destroyed), the earthlings realize that the deadly gas was a ploy to get them to destroy their remaining wood....the alien ray guns can easily handle the advanced materials, but cannot destroy wood!!  But have no fear!  A curator at an aviation museum has secretly preserved three old WWI fighter planes made from spruce wood...the old aircraft are retrofitted with new radiation canons and the aliens are defeated!!

Classic mid-century sci-fi!

Until next time...(sooner rather than later)

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

Saturday Evening Post - May 29, 1948

All I can say about this amazing issue of the Saturday Evening Post is, where to begin?  This thing is absolutely loaded with nostalgic advertising and some great articles and writing from the mid twentieth century.  I'll get to the primary reason I bought this magazine in a bit, but there is so much fantastic advertising that I had to share it here.

I'll start off with the cover which has a nice painted piece by an artist unknown to me, Mead Schaeffer. There are wikipedia articles on him, and you can see other samples of his work online.  I have to believe that back in the day, getting the opportunity to have your work published on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post was a huge deal.  

Inside, we'll start out with this great American Airlines advertisement.  This was 1948.  Commercial air travel was still in its infancy for the most part (OK...maybe it was a toddler) and this ad was addressing some concerns as well as making air travel look cool.  Read it for yourself, but I find the last panel interesting.  Not only was air travel making our businessman friend hip and efficient, but it was appropriate for the mother and young baby as well as the elderly couple.  And get a load of all that leg room!

Next up is this magnificent centerfold advertisement for Mobil De Luxe Tires and Mobilgas.  This piece is unsigned, but it has that Norman Rockwell feel to it (pretty sure it's not him though).  The "girls" are off to the side with mom trying to quiet the young one while dad fixes the tire....but to no avail because the dog is wreaking havoc.  Just brilliant.  

Another great double page spread is this 7-Up add.  7-Up was created in 1929...this was 1948, so a mere 19 years into the life of the product.  "You like it - it likes you"...they don't mention it here, but 7-Up is not a caffeinated drink.  I suspect it was not then either.  But somehow I suspect that this is not why they say "it likes you"...probably just marketing speak for "buy this drink"!

Finally I come to the reason I bought this magazine in the first place (only a few bucks on eBay...by the way).  Look at the double page spread above.  Notice the tiny cartoon on the bottom left hand page? This is Charles Schulz's first published work in a national magazine.  While Li'l Folks had been published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press since 1947, this was Schulz's first nationally published work.  The rest, as they say, is history!

Until next time....

Flying Aces Magazine - 1941

If you have read this blog for any amount of time...you know that the one thing that ties most of my collectibles together is the medium on which they were produced...that being paper.  Paper collectibles...or ephemera...have always been interesting to me.  Most paper items are produced to serve a purpose and then were usually not taken care of and/or thrown away.  Whether it was a tourist pamphlet, an early comic book, or, in the case of today's item, a magazine...printed paper items always offer great insight into the culture of the era.

Flying Aces was a popular aviation magazine from the early 20th century.  This issue is from 1941 and is loaded with factual articles on aircraft of the day, fictional stories, and model building tips for kids and adults wanting to try their hand at the design and build of model aircraft.

I particularly thought the image here was interesting.  The P-38 Lighting, as you are probably aware, went on to become one of the most fabled aircraft of WWII.  And the P-40 also saw a significant amount of service all over the world, perhaps most notably as the "Flying Tiger" in China.

As an aside...I couldn't resist including the back cover.  Build planes...get a girl...I love it!

Until next time...

The Savage Sword of Conan!

Back in the 1970's when the comics code was still mostly in force and there were restrictions on what comic book companies could and could not publish, regular magazine sized comic books were published by a number of different publishers that fell outside of the code...and allowed the artists and writers a freer hand.  This magazine, The Savage Sword of Conan, was one such magazine.

This magazine (issue #2 shown here) was put out by a group called Magazine Management Company, but it drew from artists that were all well known at the time.  This cover is by Neil Adams.  The art director for the magazine was John Romita.  Interior art is by John Buscema, Gil Kane and Howard Chaykin.  The book is a little edgier than the standard comics of the time...but the work is of a high quality, and all true to the Robert E. Howard Conan of yore.

The best part about these books??  They are available cheap!!  Nominally...issues after #5 or so are available for a few dollars each.  So...if you are a Conan fan like me...these are must haves!

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

X-Men #101 - The Phoenix!

When the new X-Men were introduced in 1975 in Giant Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94, a really great ride awaited the readers over the next 40 or so issues.   It's actually been quite some time since I read a lot of this stuff, but I remember reading it for the first time and being captivated by the quality of the Chris Claremont story and Dave Cockrum art together as one cohesive and integrated story telling entity.  And this issue was the real beginning of it all...the rise of the Phoenix!

I am not going to rehash the story which can be found in innumerable places, including an adaptation of sorts in the X-Men movies.  Instead, I thought I would share this cover and splash page by Dave Cockrum.  Easily my favorite X-Men splash page from this era...and one of the better covers as well.

Next time you watch an X-Men movie and find yourself asking questions about "the book"...head on down to your local comic shop...this story has been reprinted on several occasions and in several formats.  Like I said...it's a great read and a lot of fun.

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

The Douglas DC-7 - First East-to-West Coast Service Non-Stop

It's been a while since I have posted any aviation postcards here, so today we are going to look at this Douglas DC-7.  This aircraft was, as the card states, the world's fastest airliner for a time in the 1950's.   Built from 1953 to 1958, it was the last of the big turbo-charged propeller driven aircraft built by Douglas.  You may recall that the DC-8 was a jet aircraft that Douglas came out with starting in 1958 (oh the good old days...when you could develop new passenger aircraft in a few years!)

Anyway...when the plane was put into service in 1953, it offered the first non-stop airliner service from east coast to west coast.  It was eight hours, nominally, not the ~five and a half hour trip it is today.  (Note...if you have ever travelled east to west on a day when the gulf stream is really blowing...then you know that even in a modern jet, the trip can take up to 7 hours or more.)

According to the 1000 aircraft photos site (which has this exact postcard photo on its site) this particular aircraft served United Airlines until it was sold in 1964.  Eventually it was destroyed in a fire at a facility where it was being scrapped.  Not a very glorious finish for this plane I am afraid.

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

The Lyon Air Museum - One Man's Collection

As a collector, one of the things I like to do is see what other people collect.  When I walk in to someones house...maybe they have invited me and my family over for dinner...my eyes are always drawn to the book shelves, or the mantle...or maybe even the wals if there are interesting prints or paintings on them.

A friend of mine and his wife are really into photography.  The shots are almost always personal family photographs taken while on vacation...but done so in a very artistic and creative way.  This may not be a collection in the classic sense, but it really is not that different.

This past week I was on business travel to Anaheim in Southern California.  As the plane touched down, I noticed for not the first time a small air museum on the opposite side of the airfield:  The Lyon Air Museum.  In the afternoon I had a little time to go check it ut while I was waiting for my flight.

The man who started this museum is a collector...of motorcycles and airplanes.  How cool is that?  He needed a hanger to show his stuff...but it is quite a collection.  He has a B-17 bomber, a B-25Mitchell, an A-4 Skyhawk, an old American Airlines DC-3 (you can see the aft end of this plane in the photo above), a C-47 cargo plane in invasion stripes...and a bunch of motorcycles from Germany and America (the Indian above is magnificent).

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a quick stop at the Lyon Air Museum.  Even if you have only a passing interest in mid-20th century aircraft and mechanical machines...you will not be disappointed 

Until next time....

Rip Kirby by Alex Raymond

My daughter and I started reading Alex Raymond's Rip Kirby together tonight.  If you are not familiar with Rip Kirby, it is the strip that Alex Raymond started right after WWII.  Alex Raymond was a master...and you need only check out his Flash Gordon work to verify.  With Rip Kirby, which began in 1946, he starts with more great draughtsmanship.

These stories have all been collected and published by IDW as part of their "Library of American Comics".  These are fantastic books that are worth the price of entry (retail of $49.99...but you may find them cheaper).

Pick up a copy and settle in to a comfortable chair.  I guarantee a great ride!

Until next time...

Disney Dollars - The Currency of Disney

I wasn't sure whether to put this on this blog, or my other Disney Postcard blog tonight.  But, since it's not a postcard, and I haven't blogged here in a while (due to a trip to Disneyland and a few other things) I decided to put it here.

Disney Dollars have been around for 25 years now, and they are a great collectible for a couple of reasons.  Starting in 1987, the early bills are quite collectible and not that common.  A quick survey of eBay shows that while the early bills don't go for a ton...they go for way more than the original $1 it took to buy them.

Disney dollars usually come in $1, $5 or $10 denominations (like this 2008 $10 bill shown here).  They do not charge more than face value for the bills and they are "legal tender" at any Disney park...so, assuming you are at Disneyland, the worst you can do is lose a little interest from the time you bought it to the time you used it.

The most valuable bills are the $50 50th anniversary of Disneyland bills.  I had one of these once...but spent it!  They will go for as high as $700 or more depending on the version you have.

Anyway...next time you are at Disneyland...or the magic Kingdom...drop by the town hall and asked them what they have.  They are well produced and are a sure bet for collectibility.

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

Lord of the Rings TCG

A few posts ago I introduced TCG's and CCG's to this blog.  Over the years, as I mentioned, I have dabbled in this hobby.  Sometimes I collect the cards just for the cards sake...other times, I will find a few friends that are collecting also and we will play the game.

This game, The Lord of the Rings TCG, represents one of the games that I played and collected extensively.  Well...I didn't play that much, but I have a LOT of these cards floating around the nooks and crannies of my house...and even my office at work (another friend of mine and I would play a lunch!)

The game design is very well done.  You start out with a small "Fellowship" and travel through nine sites where your opponent(s) are given the opportunity to attack and defeat the fellowship on its journey.  When it is their turn...you act as the forces of Mordor.  

The cards are all based on the Peter Jackson film and are beautifully done, and as in most/all TCG's they come in Common, Uncommon and Rare varieties with different capabilities.  

You can still find these cards for sale on eBay...some sets going quite cheaply.  

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

Del Four Color 236 - Zane Grey

Four Color 236 is the product of an anonymous group of artists working in 1949 for Dell.  Sounds maybe a little crazy, but it's true.  If you go to the Grand Comic Book Database, or look at the Overstreet Price Guide, no one seems to be too sure who did the cover or the interior art.  There is a suggestion that Morris Gollub (never heard of him?...me either) did the painted cover, and only question marks for the interior art and story adaptation.

                   

That said...this is an adaptation of a Zane Grey story, one of several in the Four Color run.  I really like these books because they speak to the mid-century fascination with the old west...a fascination that was evident in comics, on TV and even at places like Disneyland when it opened in 1955 (Frontierland).  The painted wrap-around cover and the decent interior work make this a great addition to any collection of Golden Age books.

Thanks to Dell....for another "Good Comic"! (I'll explain why there are quotations there in my next post)

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

Colan and Palmer on Tomb of Dracula

On a post a couple of months ago, I briefly made reference to Gene Colan's work with the inker, Tom Palmer.  These two worked together quite a bit, but their longest run together was on Tomb of Dracula.  I have to admit, that this character and book are not my favorite, I much prefer Doctor Strange (where Colan and Palmer also worked together).  But, the quality of the work is so fantastic that I will happily admit to having a big pile of these books in my collection.

Gene "The Dean" Colan was born in 1926, in the Bronx, New York.  He started working in the comic book business in 1944 for Fiction House.  In the 1960's he had long stints on Daredevil, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, and Doctor Strange.  But Tomb of Dracula was the most successful run...and his teaming with Palmer was a big part of that equation.  I have not studied this topic in depth, but, for me, each man elevated the other.  Colan was less than half without Palmer...Palmer was not as good without Colan.  Again...my humble opinion.

                          

 

That said, today I am offering the cover of Tomb f Dracula issue #50...along with a brilliant interior page.  As I have said many times before...the craft that has been laid down on this page and on pages by other artists who took their work seriously, is clear.  It's just fantastic work.

Sometime soon I will make it a point to break out some Doctor Strange with Colan and Palmer.

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!

Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #2

I have mentioned in several previous posts that Alex Toth was one of the master comic illustrators to come out of the Golden Age.  He started working in the late 1940's and was active through the 1970's...with a smattering of books in the 80's and 90's.  He passed away not that long ago in Southern California.

                 

One of his earlier, and scarcer, books is The Adventure of Rex the Wonder Dog.  This is issue #2 from 1952.  The title alone smacks of early 1950's nostalgia!  The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide lists the first three books in the run as "scarce".  And the Gerber Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books says that these issues rate a 7 out of 10 on scarcity...so probably only about 20 to 50 copies remain.  Well...whether all that is true or not doesn't really matter...these are very cool books with great Alex Toth art!

I picked up this book at a Heritage Comics auction last week, and while the dog on the cover is perhaps a little stiff, the girl is pure Toth.  Where Toth excelled was in the layout of the page to communicate a story.  While this is not so much in evidence here or in the interior art of this book...by the late 1950's he had matured into a master graphical story teller.

Oh...the Daisy air rifle ad on the back is just a bonus!

Until next time...

Blogging here on Sundry Collectibles and at Disney Postcards on, you guessed it, Disney Postcards!