Elliot Handler, the inventor of Hot Wheels, co-founder of Mattel and wife of Ruth Handler (creator of the Barbie doll) died July 21, 2011. Author and jewlery expert Kathy Flood shares with us ten facts about the fascinating life and legacy Mr. Handler left on American pop culture … and the costume jewelry world.
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The Revell toy company was founded by Lewis H. Glaser circa 1950. One of Glaser’s first toys in 1951 was an inspired merger of two of young boys’ favorite playthings: cap guns and cars. The toy has a 1/16th-scale mid-‘teens Maxwell roadster that had a wire cable topped with a thumb-and-two-finger grab handle. Its chassis had a contact through which a roll of caps could be fed.
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Specialists of the South come July 30, 2011 is overseeing the massive collectibles estate sale of John and Jean Robertson, collectors who amassed a staggering number of items in a wide array of categories over the course of their rich lifetime together. Offered will be soda collectibles, advertising signs and clocks, radio tubes, vintage table radios, a gumball machine, vintage fans and hats, Shirley Temple memorabilia, Matchbox cars, Tonka toys, cigar boxes, American Fostoria, composite roosters, elegant etched glassware and china, children’s books, Rhine wine (Hock) glasses, Hummel figures, Haviland china and Christmas decorations.
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A May 28 auction includes several examples of mechanical toys that have held a well-documented fascination for the royal families of Europe and Asia for at least three centuries. The sale features a royal automaton in the form of a musical sewing necessaire with complement of gilt-metal tools and a mechanical seascape fitted into the lid. According to a period inscription on the underside, this luxurious toy was presented to the Duchess of York (later Queen Mary) by her friends.
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A “golden age of toy Santas” came when millions of Baby Boomer children (born 1946-1964) created an immense market for huggable, sturdy Santa toy dolls. About 100 toy companies in the United States and 12 in Canada were busy making them. Thanks to the boon times at the close of World War II, nations world wide capitalized on the soothing innocence of Santa’s image. Read More +
She is us—and we are her. That affinity—that strong emotional connection—is likely the main reason the Barbie doll has become a successful global brand and a cultural icon for more than 50 years. Read More +
Upon hearing the name Holly Hobbie, many children of the 1970s and ‘80s immediately associate her with ceramic and porcelain plates Read More +
From the moment I stepped out of my car onto the curb that marked the front doors of the Westin Hotel to the second I drove away from the event via Rhode Island Route 146, the 2010 International G.I. Joe Convention in Providence, R.I., provided a unique opportunity to congregate with like-minded G.I. Joe aficionados who share my “glorious obsession.” Read More +
LOS ANGELES – A trove of Marilyn Monroe’s personal and professional property including rare chest X-ray, the chair used by Marilyn in her final photo shoot, previously unreleased photographs of Monroe on her honeymoon with Joe DiMaggio including their visit to troops in Korea Read More +
Lots ranging from toys to fine art, vintage photographs and a 60,000-plus hoard of sports cards will be offered up in Collect.com’s Sports and Americana Auction. Read More +