Collecting News Briefs

English Book-Plates, Ancient and Modern (1893) | The Public Domain Review

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 10:09:00 -0400

English Book-Plates, Ancient and Modern (1893) | The Public Domain Review: "A marvellous book all about the bookplate, or ex-libris, the small and often highly decorative label pasted into a book, most usually on the inside front cover, to indicate its owner. Although the earliest known marks of ownership of books or documents dates from the latter years of Ancient Egypt, and people would mark ownership in the Middle Ages with simple inscriptions, it wasn’t until the advent of printing in 15th-century Germany that we see the development of bookplates in their more modern decorative form."

'via Blog this'

Tetris™ Light #Tetris #Videogame light fixture

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Thu, 15 May 2014 13:13:00 -0400

Tetris™ Light:

Stands 11" tall - arrange in any combination

New Set of Simpsons Lego #Minifigs + #Lego #Simpsons Episode May 4

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:37:00 -0400

Announced on Leg Godt, the new minifig set from the Simpsons will be released to coincide with the special co-branded lego episode of the Simpsons that airs on May 4 (Fox TV) at 8PM. Sixteen characters of all done with high-resolution details. This set differs from the earlier minifig set where all the characters have half-open eyes, dubbed the "stoned Simpsons".

The New 16 Lego Simpsons Minifigs Are Awesome: (Leg Godt)

The "stoned Simpsons" minifigs come with the Lego Simpsons House, which is going for a reasonably low price as of March 27th. Check out my article about Funko Pop Simpson toy figures and other TV show characters that sell for $12 or less.

Image via CamelCamelCamel app for Chrome

Recent Sales from Mysterious World of Alchemy on Zazzle.com

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 11:33:00 -0400

You recently sold 1 copy(s) of your product, Alchemy Lab Postcard.

Unicorn and Stag Postcard by alchemical

You recently sold 3 copies of your product, Unicorn and Stag.

Beck's Paris Métro Map - icons of graphic design

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 13:00:00 -0500

Beck's Tube map was voted the second-most iconic example of British design in 2006. Introduced in 1931, Beck's Tube map of London revolutionised the design of urban transport mapping by sacrificing geographic accuracy for diagrammatical simplicity. His colour-coded Paris Tube map, all straight lines and fixed distances between stops, owed more to electric circuit boards than to the London street map.

When Harry Met Paris: Beck's Métro Map | Strange Maps

New York City Street and Subway Maps

View the series of five Historic New York City Subway Maps (and subway tokens) from 1925 to the present day. Learn about current travel information about subway fare "Metrocards" and destinations traveling to Manhattan.

Atlas of True place Names in Britain, Europe and the United States

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:07:00 -0400

Atlas of True Names uses etymology to give us an unusual insight into familiar geographical names.

Atlas of True Names - British Isles Map

There are plenty of competing theories, such as Bishop Diego de Landa's story that it's a Hispanicized version of Ci uthan, meaning "they say it." Or perhaps it's from Nahuatl Yokatlan "place of riches" (disputed here), or from a word meaning "massacre" (from yuka "to kill" and yeta "many" — so says Adrian Room's Place Names of the World). Even Hormes and Peust give another possibility: Nahuatl yuhcatlan "abandoned place".

The Atlas of True Names replaces the traditional names of the world's cities, countries, rivers and mountains with new ones to reflect their origins and literal meaning.

The Great Land of the Tattooed (Great Britain), now features such cities as Hillfort (London), Bear Guard Home (Birmingham), Choked Pool (Liverpool) and Slopecastle (Edinburgh).

Related story:

Oswald's Stone, the Lost Palladium of Middlesex

Millions live in or near Ossulstone, but only a handful have ever heard of it. Why and how has this place disappeared from common memory? Perhaps the when is easier to trace - to 1869, the year in which the mysterious object that lent its name to the area was stolen.
read more...

Andy Warhol / silver screen. Can't tell 'em apart at all => Unseen Andy

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:10:00 -0400

Unseen Andy - Interview Magazine:
... now the 37-unit building at 345 West 14th Street is dedicating half of its ground floor to a temporary exhibition of never-before-seen portraits of Andy Warhol, photographed by Steve Wood.

Exhibit at 345 Meatpacking (nyc), May 3-12

Andy, lost at the Deauville American Film Festival

Wood spent a free afternoon photographing the then-53-year-old—and notoriously guarded—Warhol, capturing an openness and vulnerability the artist rarely exhibited. "He seemed to be quite pleased with the way I looked at the light," Wood recalls. "I suppose I photograph people the way he himself would like to be photographed: clear and crisp with no veil.

Interview Magazine page on Facebook

Largest private Coca-Cola memorabilia collection in the world

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:22:00 -0400

My favorite part about collecting is the stories about how people started their collection. Bill Bateman and Randy Schaeffer have this to say about the origin of their world-class collection of Coca-cola memorabilia: A thirst for collecting:

According to Bill, a retired Kutztown professor, their mega collection can be traced back to modest beginnings - to a beer tray on the wall of a bar.
"It was about 1970," he recalled. "I bought an interest in a bar over near Lehigh University, and we thought if we put beer trays up, other people in the area would bring beer trays up and give them to us to put on the walls."
It didn't work.

On their own, Bill and Randy were able to collect a few hundred beer trays. But they become disillusioned with the idea after seeing some of the Coca-Cola advertising around at auctions.
"The Coca-Cola stuff was better done and usually showed a woman," Bill said. "The beer stuff showed a glass or beer, a bottle of beer, an old monk with a beer. Occasionally a woman, but not very attractive stuff."

They began trading their beer trays for Coca-Cola trays, purchasing their first - a 1953 tray - for $13 in Kempton.
"It took a long time before it was worth $13, but it did change our direction," Bill said. "We started collecting Coke stuff."Decades later, a Coca-Cola lamp hangs on the landing to their stairwell. The lamp dates back to 1911, when it hung in a drugstore in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
It's Bill's favorite piece in the house.

"There was a man who from the time he was a teenager until he had retired, had been a soda jerk there," Randy said. "He had been the guy serving sodas to people from the soda fountain, and when they were getting ready to tear down the building, they asked if he wanted any mementos of the place. This happened in the '50s or '60s, our guess was. And he said, 'You know, I've stood my entire life under that light, so I'd like it.' "

When the man died about 25-years-ago, Bill and Randy traveled to Ohio to purchase it during the nationally-advertised auction.

collection of ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs | Washington Post

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:36:00 -0400

Knock, knock. Who’s there? A collector of ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs. - The Washington Post:

Edoardo Flores is an expert in the art of DND designs. The 71-year-old Italian, who lives outside Turin, has collected thousands of examples both on his own travels and from friends’ trips. He displays the souvenirs at his e-museum, www.freewebs.com/dndcollector

Welcome to the first website devoted to the collection of

"Do Not Disturb" signs from hotels around the world

The DND collection is arranged by continent with at least 170 countries represented and countless number of signs. An avid collector, Edoardo has a marketplace page for trading or exchange for other collectibles including "Air sickness bags, Airline spoons, Tea bags, Transportation tickets, Banknotes and coins, Swizzle sticks, Advertising ballpoint pens, Luggage labels, Coasters, Toilet seat bands, Seat occupied signs, and lots more". That sounds like great collection of paper and memorabilia.

Tennis star Ivan Lendl’s unique Alfons Mucha collection in Prague

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:27:00 -0400

Lendl’s unique Mucha collection goes on show in Prague:

New Mucha exhibit appearing in the Prague Municipal Building (Obecní dům), where Mucha has several works permanently built-in to the surfaces. Tennis star Ivan Lendl was born in the Czech Republic and with the help of Alfons Mucha expert Jack Rennert, the pair has gathered all but three of the original 119 posters created by the master of Art Nouveau.

On vacation in Prague, called the "City of 100 Towers", I was stunned with the amount of Art Nouveau (Jugenstil) buildings. The Mayor's Office in Obecní dům is enough to bring a tear to your eyes, it's that gorgeous. The central train station, Novak Departement store (U Novaku) and Villa Henlenka are more of the completely awe-inspiring Art Nouveau building in town.

Kutna Hora is a small gold mining town near the capital city with a fair share of Art Nouveau style architecture and surface design. St. Vitus cathedral on the outskirts of town has stained glass windows by Mucha.

More of my architecture photo galleries ==>

G.I. Joe Collecting: More collector's origin stories and the Joeverse

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:26:00 -0400

Greg and Gavin are brothers. Greg is a DJ and promoter for Tune in Tokyo in Los Angeles. Gavin is a writer. He just released the novel, The Freak Table. They’re also lifelong G.I. Joe collectors.

Gavin, who was credited as a consultant on the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero DVD collector’s set, can pinpoint the moment that he started collecting the toys. It was 1982, the year Hasbro began releasing 3 3/4″ figures. The brothers, who grew up in Denver, were in Texas visiting their grandparents. They went shopping at Target and Gavin picked up Stalker and Snake Eyes on sale. Like Greg, Gavin hasn’t parted with those figures. "

G.I. Joe Collecting: Inside Greg and Gavin Hignight's Joeverse: "

Napoleon's General Dejean - one of the greatest beetle collectors

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:35:00 -0400

Reviewing the work of one of the greatest beetle collectors: Napoleon's General Dejean

Napoleon was a big collector, mounting The Egyptian Campaign in 1799 to take Cairo and have a look at the Great Pyramids. He carried a force of 160 artists and scholars with him in the desert to complete the master work entitled Description de l'Égypte (Description of Egypt) in 37 volumes, filled with the most beautiful drawings of everything in the Great Pyramid complex - hieroglyphs, the sphinx – drawn with the greatest detail.

Napoleon in Cairo

General Dejean was also on the Egyptian Expedition with Napoleon, and he too was a collector – amassing more than 118,000 bugs in 30,000 species over his lifetime. He was known to interrupt his soldiering duties to pick up an interesting bug.

Scientists are currently editing Dejean's books to include the complete genus and species description for the specimens in his collection, which appears in three separate volumes.

New toys for Cut the Rope game app | Toy Fair 2013 #TF13

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:10:00 -0400

Cut the Rope was everywhere at Toy Fair this year. A new line of soft and squishy "Nommies" are available in blind bag sets of 3 and the carded 12 pack collector's kit.

These plushies have posable lips to make any grimace you can imagine. Another set of these plushies is reversible - the figure folds up into the center to create a plushy cube shape.

Dexter exclusives - blood splatter bobble heads HMV exclusive 2013

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:20:00 -0400

New Dexter figures, and some are going to be released as exclusives this year for fans of the Blood Splatter Analyst. The show gets more and more popular every year. On the subway, I just overheard someone saying how much they love the show.

Posters and DEXTER memorabilia Season 1 - 7 on Showtime
Do you have a taste for the macabre? Intrigued by the sight of blood? These original silk-screen posters and action figure toys were created especially for f...

LaQ - Snap-together construction toy kits

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 5 Mar 2013 22:28:00 -0500

Very cool modular block construction toys from LaQ with sets for girls and boys. Unique square and triangular puzzle pieces snap together easily and the instructions are easy to follow with exploded-view diagrams. The Q is for "kyuu" which means sphere in Japanese because these pieces can make all the platonic solids and more, even the dodecahedron. The freeform kits are my favorite.

LaQ Dinosaur World T-REX

LaQ Frog #toyfair animation: #frog bit.ly/15wpiYg vine.co/v/bHH5vaTLUbX
— Hobby collector (@collectinghobby) March 6, 2013

Sweet Collection Bunny

LaQ Freestyle sets

Children's Picture Books with Holes
Spend time with your family reading a whole genre of children's picture "Books With Holes". The holes or windows are there to let you peek through ...

Play-Deco paper and wood crafting construction kits

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 5 Mar 2013 13:23:00 -0500

This was my favorite group of products at the Toy Fair for 2013,

other than my first love for all things Funko.

Play-Deco by magnote.com

With a combination of light-weight bass wood and printed paper templates, these kits are reat gifts for office workers and I really want to get one of everything, so cool! Play-Deco kits come in 5 different single sets (Catherine, Tamaro, Break, Robosuke, Devio) and 5 combo sets (Postman and Wagon, Kenji & Airplane, Junko & Supercar, Nancy & Sexyshark, Owlman & Owlmobile).

Break and Robosuki

Brownie and Citron are fine-tuned robots that perform tasks at your desk

Hold 250 paper clips, 83 jelly beans, 92 M&M's ^®, sticky notes, and even hold notes and pens in the grips of their little robot hands. Combine stickers, bass wood and paper craft in one piece.

Catherine - loves music, nature and animals.
Her monkey and parrot always fight over the best spot (on top of her head)

Piperoids unique paper craft robot toys - Original paper toy kits for the office

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 5 Mar 2013 11:48:00 -0500

PIPEROID paper craft robots

The whole lineup of recently released Piperoid robot toys from magnote.com

First time I've seen these toys and I can't think of anything cooler to give my niece and nephew the next time they need something to do for an hour when they come to visit (their Dad needs some down-time while the kids play games) Octo (mischievous octopus) and Deca (mischievous crab) (not pictured) were released in time for Toy Fair. The rival chefs Salt & Pepper are great for any would-be connoisseur. "All you need is a pair of sissors." Check Magnote on facebook.

The webpage has full support for end-users with Instructions, Assembly Tips and an FAQ. In this case FAQ stands for Freekin' Awesome Quality toys - see the videos. All you get is several tubes of paper and pictographic instructions without many words. Yet, all these complicated toys with movable limbs and multi-points of articulation. These are so simple and cool as to be elegant.

Monster Factory plushies | Hobby Collecting News

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Mon, 4 Mar 2013 17:58:00 -0500

From Toronto comes the Monster Factory with an engaging lineup of characters with their own name and humorous write-up, a CV for monster toys. Check their website to get sale prices for imperfect monsters for a truly unique gift. "You can never have enough friends"

Doyle

Pax

Kyle

Funko Pop Muppets toy figures
Eight toy figures in the Funko Pop! series from Sesame Street, the pioneering kids show created by Jim Henson. Animal, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, Gonzo,...

Melissa & Doug Monster Plush Bowling GameCHECK PRICE

Sweet Rascals Rhedd Monster PlushCHECK PRICE

Rub a Dub Monsters in My TubCHECK PRICE

2013 #Toy Fair products #TF2013 #Tokidoki

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Mon, 4 Mar 2013 11:13:00 -0500

New Tokidoki Phonezies smartphone plugins, Punkstar and Cactus Friends

Plug Phonezies into the headphone port of any cellphone

Tokidoki Cactus Friends

Talking with the great crew at the tokidoki booth at the 2013 Toy Fair to learn about their new Phonezies products this year, and other new releases you can see at tokidoki.it . They said the headbands are very popular this year, the Punkstar pillow is awesome - all of their stuff is very creative and original, and from Italy (with a big influence from Japan).

Astro Boy action figures, toys and games
Astro Boy was the first popular anime character! In a world where androids co-exist with humans, The original cartoon robot fights alien invaders and bad guy...

Massive Hot Wheels & Tonka auction, mint Phillips 66 sign, toys, collectables | JJ's Auction Service

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 10:55:00 -0500

JJ's Auction Service: MADDIE AND ABBIE COLLECTION AND ANTIQUE AUCTION
AUCTION WILL START CLOSING ON MONDAY FEBRUARY 25TH STARTING @6:30

294 lots of toys and collectables from JJs.

Metal Phillips 66 sign in near mint condition - this one should go for big bucks ($33 on Feb 16 morning)

1998 FIRST EDITIONS PKG OF 3,#32,#30,#25

HOT WHEELS-SUPER RALLY CARRYING CASE

OLD CARDBOARD POSTER FOR JOHN DEERE DEALERSHIPS

METAL 57 CHEVROLET, MADE BY HOT WHEELS AND MATTEL

FISHER PRICE SKELETON AND CASE

Funko announces new product lines at ToyFair 2013

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:31:00 -0500

New Hobbit / Lord of the Rings LOTR plush dolls

DC Comics blind box mini assortment

Funko pencil tins Superhero - collectable treat tin

New Disney Mystery Mini figures blind box

Monsters Inc and Pooh Bear

FUNKO 2013 catalog @ Action Figure Insider

For hints on the new Funko products for 2013:
JustAnotherFunkoObserver Ron Cohen interview with Funko owner Brian Mariotti

FUNKO POP Vinyl Toy figures

Disney Pop! Action Figure Toys
48 incredible Disney characters from Funko, toy makers famous for collectable Wacky Wobbler bobble heads and plush toys. The best animated Disney films inspi...

Funko Star Wars Pop! Vinyl Figures
Collectable Star Wars Pop! Vinyl toys are incredibly detailed figures…
Funko Pop Heroes: Marvel Comics collectable toy figures
Marvel comic book heroes and villains - everyone from Wolverine…
Funko Pop Rocks toy figures: Legends of rock music
32 collectable rock and roll music toys celebrating legendary musicians…
Beatles Yellow Submarine Pop toys
The Beatles Yellow Submarine movie generated hundreds of toys and…
Funko Pop! Vinyl toy figures and bobble heads
Pop! Vinyl action figure toys created by Funko come in…
Funko Pop Television: Toys and plush dolls from TV shows
Funko Pop! Television toy figures from The Walking Dead, The…
DC Comics: Funko Pop Heroes Series 1 and 2
Heroes from from the pages of DC Universe comics created…

Horror movie toys: Funko Pop Movies
Action figure toys and plush dolls from current and classic movies (including some real horror shows) in this series of Pop! Movies figures made by Funko, fa...

Funko Pop Disney Series 3
Funko Pop Disney Series 3 introduces 12 more characters from…
Batman Funko Pop! Heroes Series 1
Batman, Robin and Batgirl fight off the bad guys in…
Wreck-it Ralph toys and games
Disney just released their new Wreck-it Ralph Pop! Vinyl toys…
Comic-Con exclusive toys
Each year, toy companies create exclusive collectors items for customers…
Yo Gabba Gabba toys and games
The new series of Funko Pop! TV toys come from…
Diary of a Wimpy Kid toys and games
The seventh Diary of a Wimpy Kid book The Third…
Funko Pop Muppets toy figures
Eight toy figures in the Funko Pop! series from Sesame…

Action Figure Collecting Glossary
Get to know the terms you'll see when looking for rare toys at flea markets and auctions, or visiting online forums and participating in comic book conventio...

Funko Pocket God toys and comic books
Funko and Bolt Creative teamed up to introduce two new…
Pretty Uglydoll toys, mugs, cases and school supplies
See a whole new set of Funko Pop! Uglydoll toy…

Funko Toy Fair 2013 reveals new Pop! Vinyl, blind boxes, papercraft

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 10:22:00 -0500

Deadpool and Ghost Rider, Russel and Carl from the movie UP

Hannibal Lecter is awesome strapped onto his hand truck, Robocop is just the beginning of the famous robots from Funko this year (Iron Giant in the works!). The Alien from the movie of the same name is frightening to look at. Sandy is the only air-breathing character on Spongebob Squarepants. I love it when Bob has to wear a water bubble on his head when he's at Sandy's house.

Four of "those damn apes" from Planet of the Apes, and Funko continues there trend of making great electronic gadgets with the Batman portable speaker. Which is your favorite?

FUNKO 2013 - News from Toy Fair

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:07:00 -0500

Funko is diversifying, Wilky visits Toy Fair, 2013 Catalog is bursting at the seams.

Last year Funko introduced blind box figures and Blox papercraft toys. This year they have a new pencil case "can-tastic" loaded with stickers, pencils and erasers, and the Disney Pop Plush dolls are new this year. And the 2013 catalog is just filled more Walking Dead, more Disney, More Marvel and DC comics, and more surprises. Stay tuned for catalog pics and more from the showroom floor at the Javits.

Funko Creative director Wilky was at the Toy Fair today. I completely missed him - and the chance to get Anything autographed by him on the spot. Maybe he'll show up again tomorrow. Brian was talking to clients non-stop. Ron was there keeping the good vibes going. I saw Lev from Toy Tokyo and his team catching up on the new stuff this year. The booth was hoppin'.

New Disney figures from Funko Pop! are just outstanding - Brave and Rocketeer are so detailed. All the new Pop! Vinyl figures and bobbleheads are great. I've been waiting for the Yellow Submarine and Captain Fred for so long, and now they're here! There's a few more photos in the next post, but I'll be going back tomorrow for more. Pictures of Hannibal Lecter, Marry Poppins, Dumbo, and the beast from Alien coming up next.

Huge collectables auction closing today: Vintage Cameras, tin boxes, jewelry, dolls, 1928 card tricks, Redwing - Farm Fresh | JJ's Auction Service

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Mon, 4 Feb 2013 10:25:00 -0500

JJ's Auction Service:
One of the best auctions I've seen at JJs auction service in Minnesota - over 260 items up for grabs. Tons of collectables from Red Wing pottery, vintage books from the 1920s, lots of toy tractors, and the usual assortment of brick-a-brac for art projects (which is what I often get from these auctions). JJ couldn't be nicer, and it's easy to get shipping of any item.

Evolution of Bobs Big boy logo and collectables

noreply@blogger.com (dotpattern) — Wed, 5 Dec 2012 14:31:00 -0500

Newly acquired Big Boy Bank from 1999 made by Funko, who produced these souvenirs from '99 to 2003. This was the first job by the founder of the company, Mike Becker. The second figure is from the 1970's by the "Marriott Corporation", which must be the parent company of the restaurant chain.

Other toymakers have tried, but Funko makes the best Big Boy stuff. They also have a Freddy Big Boy bobblehead - merging the Big Boy mascot and the Funko Mascot together.

The original store and Bob Wian, inventor of "The Big Boy" double decker cheezeboiger.

The new restaurant at the original store location, now changed into the Los Angeles "Googie" style architecture

The original Big Boy got a job at the restaurant and was
soon immortalized with this early logo for the restaurant

Dave Frisch bought the rights to open his own francise of Big Boy restaurants from Bob Wian in 1946, starting with his first restaurant called the mainliner in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Bob's Big Boy logo ran through a different evolution than the Frisch's Big Boy.

Abandoned store mascots

Furry eyebrows

Collectable Figures

Skinny and Chubby Big Boy toy figures, matchbooks and seasoning salt

Tiny Two inch BIG BOY Doll 1984 Figure Toy Figurine RARE [ugly] collectable Bobs Frischs