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!

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!

Disney Postcards New Blog!

For my 100th post, Sundry Collectibles is announcing a change in direction!

I have been thinking for a while now that I actually needed to start a seperate blog for some of my interests.  Not all of you after all want to hear my ramblings on airliner postcards, if all you are really interested in is Disney stuff.

So...from now on I am going to post all of my Disney Postcard related posts on, you guessed it, disneypostcards.com!  I have just put up my first post there, so check it out.

I am still trying to figure out what to do on the comic side, but expect to see a seperate comic blog as well.  I will continue to post here as well, using this for the truly "sundry" aspects of my collection.

Until next time...

D23 Radiator Springs Postcard

I recently received the fall 2012 copy of the Disneyland Fan magazine, Disney twenty three.  Another great magazine this quarter full of articles on all things Disney...including a brief but very interesting article by Marty Sklar on Ray Bradbury.  I was frankly unaware of Mr. Bradbury's involvement with Disney until reading this article.

But I digress.  The feature of the magazine was the newly revamped California Adventure park and specifically Cars Land and the new Buena Vista Street.  I have not had the chance to visit yet - I am headed there in October.  But...along with the magazine came this special Radiator Springs magnetic postcard issued for members of D23.

It's pretty much the same card that you will see on eBay...but I don't think the regular card is magnetic.  Not sure though.  Either way...a worthy addition to the shoe box (er....boxes)  that contain my collection!

Until next time...

Spin, Marty and Annette - Four Color 826

The Adventures of Spin and Marty was a serial in the 1950's that was part of the Mickey Mouse Club television show.  It featured two boys who were involved in various adventures at the Triple R ranch.  There were three different series of the serial, with the ever popular Mouseketeer Annette Funicello showing up in the second and third series.  This comic book is from 1957 and features Spin, Marty and Annette on the cover.

The fact that Annette Funicello is on the cover of this magazine will prove enough for most collectors.  But for a comic collector this book has an added bonus.  Inside we get treated to Dan Spiegle art!  Spiegle was great at these books, and while he may not have been the absolute best, he is, I think,  under appreciated.  His work speaks for itself...below are a couple of panels from this story.  His use of light an shadow, and the way he architected a page was outstanding.

The latest issue of the D23 Disney Fan Club magazine, Disney twenty three, has a lengthy article on Annette Funicello's history with Disney and talks about her battle with multiple sclerosis.  She was an iconic Disney actress in her time and is still loved by many, many fans today.

Until next time...

Walt Disney's Christmas in Disneyland!

Dell comics in the 1950's are a real treat to any Disney fan.  Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, Four Color comics, and a host of other character titled comics (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, etc...) were all part of the universe of Disney comics at the time.  

Occasionally though, special issues would be published.  One of these special issues, Walt Disney's Christmas in Disneyland, is a Dell Giant Comic from 1957.  Even though we are in the middle of summer (in the Northern hemisphere at least)...anytime is a good time to look at this holiday classic!  This book is "Giant" becaue it has about a hundred pages and is packed with stories and games for kids of all ages to enjoy.  

Several separate stories are featured, all essentially "told" by Santa Claus to two kids who have hitched a ride with him to Disneyland on Christmas eve.  The general order of the book is as follows:

• Santa takes the boy and girl (Taffie and Timmie) to Disneyland where they land in Adventureland and board an explorers boat.  This is followed by Santa telling the story of Donald Duck in The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama...another awesome Carl Barks story! 

• They next ride the Stagecoach in Frontierland, where Santa tells them the Mickey Mouse story The Iron Horse to Lonesome Gulch.
• They move on to the Rocket Ship ride and Santa tells them a story with Chip'n Dale called Christmas Spirit.
• Heading over to the Skyway, Santa tells the kids a Scamp story...you know Lady and the Tramp's pup Scamp.  The story is called The Hero.

• The Casey Jr. Train is up next where Santa tells a Li'l Bad Wolf story called Zeke's Sledmobile.
• In one of the highlights of the book (I think) they then ride Peter Pan's flight, where Santa tells a Peter Pan story where Hook Catches Santa.  

• The Mine Train is next, where the Snow White and Seven Dwarfs tale is told, Good Deeds.
• Finally, Santa takes the kids home and the comic book closes with several puzzles, games and craft ideas for the holidays.

All told...a packed issue to keep the kids and family entertained for hours...all for 25 cents (well, more than that today, but still)!!

Until next time...

The Original Disneyland Cards vs. the D23 Reproductions

D23 is the official Disney fan club.  It gets its name from the year 1923, when Walt and his brother Roy started the Disney Studio.  For a fee, you can join the club and attend their special events held throughout the year.  At these events, they will give out collectible "members only" items for the fans as a reward for their loyalty.

A few years back, someone at D23 thought it would be a great idea to reproduce the original 23 postcards that were published for the opening of Disneyland.  When I first heard about this set, and saw it for the first time, I was a tad dismayed.  Below are two scans, one of the original P11876 card, the other of the D23 reproduction.

While at first glance this could be disturbing, the Disney postcard collector need not panic!  There are several characteristics that help distinguish between the cards.

First of all, if you look closely, you'll note that the reproduction card has been crop in a little closer.  This is the case on most of the D23 cards...but in some of the cases, it is rather subtle.  So, if you have the card in front of you, the next clue is the card stock.  The original card isn't your standard postcard stock like the original, but feels thinner and more flexible.

This is the original card P11876 (NT card #0001)

This is the reproduction D23 card P11876 (NT card #0001)

Finally, there is a semi-gloss finish on the reproduction card.  It is semi-gloss on both sides.  The original card can have a very high gloss on the front if in excellent condition, but will be a matte finish on the back.  

So there you have it.  For all of you out there who collect these cards, rest assured that passing one of the newer cards off as an older one is "not in the cards"!  (Sorry...that was pretty bad.)

Until next time...

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #29 - Minnie in Hollywood!

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories started out as a magazine that reprinted newspaper strips of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other characters from the Disney studios.  It began publication in 1940, and it is still being published today.  There were a few short breaks in that period...but that is an impressive run none-the-less.  Issue #24 saw the first original story done for the magazine, and issue #31 the first work by the great Carl Barks.  In between these two important issues, the magazine featured a few longer stories, more reprints, and some non-comic text articles that are pretty interesting.

Issue #29 is from February 1943 and contains all of the elements mentioned above.  Donald and the nephews are on this Walt Kelly cover and the feature length comics in the magazine have Mickey Mouse and Thumper (the rabbit from Bambi) as the main characters.

But, this particular issue also has an article "by" Minnie Mouse, called Hollywood Chatter.  In it, the stories of some of the more famous child actors of the day are recounted.  Roddy McDowall is featured here, while Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Lana Turner and Jackie Cooper are also all mentioned.

The cool part about these magazines is that they go back to a time when comics really did entertain a kid for a long time.  With the multiple text stories like this one, it takes the better part of an hour to read one of these books (compared to 10-15 minutes for most modern comics).  And the content is still entertaining today!

Until next time...

Disney Comics During World War II

During World War II comics were being published at an astonishing rate.  After all, the Golden Age of the comics began just before the the war...so people were looking for some fantasy to draw them away from the stark realities of what was happening around them.  As the war progressed, the comics fought along with our men in uniform.  Covers would show Superman beating up on a Japanese aircraft, or Captain America going after Hitler.

Disney did not shy away from doing their part.  In this cover from 1944, Donald Duck (dressed up like Uncle Sam) is promoting the purchase of war bonds.  This is not the only cover of it's kind as several wartime WDC&S covers depict the Disney characters supporting the war effort.  (But you will not find a cover of Goofy grinding away at Hitler's ankle!!)

One final note on this book...the inside back cover actually shows Disney themed insignia's used by various combat groups on their machinery.  I always wondered what Disney thought of these caricatures.  The fact that they are printed here says he approved!

Until next time...

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories: Carl Barks

Carl Barks was the master when it came to drawing, inking and scripting Donald Duck stories in the Golden Age of comics.  Think of him as the equivalent to Mel Blanc with regards to Looney Tunes.  Barks started creating for Disney with Four Color Comics #9, but his first work in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories started with issue 31.  He went on to create hundreds of stories for the magazine that remain fresh, funny and entertaining.

Shown here is Walt Disney's Comics and Stories issue #40 (v4 #4) from 1944.  The cover art is by Walt Kelly (another fantastic artist who I will feature in a later post) and an interior Donald Duck story by Barks.  In this story "the boys" (Huey, Dewey and Louie) want to go skiing, and talk Donald into buying some skis and hitting the slopes.  Of course he gets into a bit of a situation when he tries to break a record distance on the jump.

In the future I will post some more from WDC&S.  The Mickey Mouse stories by Floyd Gottfredson are also outstanding and worth looking into.

If you are interested in checking out Carl Barks for yourself, try the Donald Duck book recommended on my Amazon tab to the right.  The "Lost in the Andes" volume is very well done and has a forward by Donald Ault which talks about Barks and his work.  (I personally own all the stuff on my recommendation list)

Until next time...

From the Archive - The Reluctant Dragon

Four Color Comics was started in 1939 with the publication of a Dick Tracy comic.  Issue 4 saw the earliest Disney Four Color comic and featured Donald Duck.  Issue 13 (from 1941) was the next Disney comic in the Four Color series...the Reluctant Dragon.  This is a well written and funny story about a dragon and a knight who were far more interested in reciting poetry than fighting.  The book also features some pictures of Walt Disney and Ward Kimball from the Reluctant Dragon movie from the same era.  And from the cover, you can see that Donald Duck, Goofy and the lesser known Baby Weems also are in the issue.  Included as well...a few pages on Fantasia.  So a fantastic comic all around.

I got this copy about 10 years ago.  Currently the CGC database (www.cgccomics.com) shows only 20 graded copies.  I suspect there aren't more that 50 to 100 of these books still around.