Tique Talk by Marianne Dow

Today's Treasure: Newspaper Comics ASHTRAY Moon Mullins

Nodder Newspaper Comics Character ASHTRAY Moon Mullins Germany

Also called KNOTTER because head is KNOTTED on -- it doesn't "bobble" around -- see close up pic of knotted string in his neck -- head turns to side - knot is firm/tight, head is not loose
Colorful painted bisque ceramic figurine screwed into orange art deco ashtray / pin tray base -- overall height approx. 4-1/2" -- made with a wooden stick cigar glued in his mouth -- made with a hole in the top of his hat -- why?
Back is marked MOON MULLINS GERMANY and base marked GERMANY
MOON MULLINS -- "Moon" was short for "Moonshine", which in the Prohibition Era meant Mr. Mullins was a drinking man.
Medium: Newspaper Comics // Distributed by: Chicago Tribune Syndicate // First Appeared: 1923 // Creator: Frank Willard
Great collection of Moon Mullins items here!
More info on this excellent website -- http://www.toonopedia.com/moon.htm

Just wanted to share this neat character ashtray that got a final bid of $45.75 when I sold it on eBay years ago!

The Magic of Blue Willow China

I just have to share this gorgeous MAGIC POSTER. It is so cool. First off, I love the Blue Willow China plates with the Magician's face on them. And then there's the tragic story of Chung Ling Soo's death.

The story behind the traditional Blue Willow China pattern tells a timeless, tragic tale of forbidden, star-crossed lovers. It was originally created in 1780 in England. It features a wealthy Mandarin’s daughter, Koong-see, who falls in love with her father's poor clerk, Chang. The story recounts their forbidden romance, their dramatic escape, and their transformation by the gods into immortal doves.

It's a great story, but pales next to Chung Ling Soo's death story:

" ... "The Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" known as Chung Ling Soo was actually the stage name of an American stage magician: William Ellsworth Robinson (1861-1918), who appropriated his persona-as well as a number of famous tricks-with slight variation from a Chinese magician named Ching Ling Foo (1854-1922).

Robinson maintained his role scrupulously, never speaking onstage and always using an interpreter when he spoke to journalists. Only his friends and other magicians knew the truth.

Soo's most famous trick-primarily because he perished while performing it-was "Condemned to Death by the Boxers," in which his assistants-dressed as boxers-brought two guns to the stage.

After audience members marked a bullet, it was loaded into one of the guns and fired at Soo, who seemed to catch the bullets and drop them onto a plate. In truth, he had palmed the projectiles during their examination and marking. The muzzle-loaded guns were rigged such that the gunpowder charge fired in the chamber and the bullet would drop into the barrel below, never really leaving the gun.

The trick went tragically wrong at the Wood Green Empire in London on March 23, 1918. Robinson had never cleaned the gun properly and over time, the gap that allowed the bullet to drop slowly clogged with gunpowder residue.

On that fateful night, the bullet remained in the barrel and was fired in the normal way, hitting Soo in the chest. His last words were spoken on stage: "Oh my God. Something's happened. Lower the curtain." It was the first-and last-time in nineteen years that William "Chung Ling Soo" Robinson had spoken English in public. "

See more images of Chung Ling Soo's gorgeous magic posters here.

Tales of GI Joe and the Rooster Man : Vintage Postcards Researched

Today's show'n'tell goodies are postcards. I always enjoy listing postcards, because I learn a little something about a variety of subjects. Hope you like them too.

1909 Seattle Washington Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition OFFICIAL Postcard

Read the history of this World's Fair here .

1907 Del Monte Hotel MAZE Monterey California Postcard

The hotel is now owned by the Navy, and the Maze is a parking lot.

1906 Rookwood Pottery Buildings Cincinnatti Ohio OH Hand colored Tinted Postcard

Read the history of Rookwood pottery.

The original building is now a restaurant - see pix of how you sit inside the kiln to dine.

1910s Roller Coaster Luna Park Mansfield Ohio Amusement Park Ride Postcard

You can read the history of the LUNA PARK name here.

And here's a great book, all about Mansfield, illustrated with vintage postcards, including pix of Luna Park.

1943 WWII Military Comic Cartoon sgnd Sgt David Breger Postcard

Copyright 1942 KING FEATURES , with date stamp on back, 1943
Cartoonist Breger is the originator of the term GI JOE
Read his bio here. -- There are tons of websites with more info online.

Political Cartoon Rooster Man Comic Egg Tariffs Depression Postcard

Cartoon of a man in a chicken/rooster outfit. Card is not dated, but I'd put it in the 1920s based on my research of the subject.
Some quick research found there was a lot of controversy about egg prices and competition and tariffs, which grew until the Smoot-Hawley act was passed, which contributed to the causes of the 1930s Great Depression.
More history of eggs, chickens, and tariffs, check out this book: The Chicken Book -- read the chapter on eggs and tariffs through google books here.

See what I mean -- a variety pack of subjects. Part of the fun of postcard collecting. I buy the card because I think the image is interesting, and then when I find out more about it, it is fascinating. I mean, I doubt I'd have ever researched egg tariffs and GI Joe any other way.

Touchdown! Collecting Vintage Football Super Bowl Pennants

I went to some garage sales over Labor Day weekend. Pretty slim pickings around my area, except for one "guy" sale. But I was desperate for an antiquing fix, so I checked it out...

I am not a sports fan, but I did buy this vintage pennant because I've watched enough Road Shows to know that vintage sports memorabilia is hot.

I realize that 1973 may not qualify as "vintage" enough for some, but as it is the year I graduated from high school, this one caught my attention. I decided to roll the dice, and bought it.

As you can see, it's for the Washington Redskins 1973 Super Bowl Game.

And it says they were the "Champs". I didn't know any differently, until I googled the game, and discovered that the Redskins lost to the Miami Dolphins!

Super Bowl VII -- From Wikipedia -- says:

The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins (17-0) defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins (13-4), 14–7, and became the first, and presently the only team in the NFL to complete a perfect, undefeated season.

So-- does this mean my pennant is -- dare I say it -- rare?
I searched game pennants on ebay, and did not find one like mine. So I take that as a good sign.
I googled it, too, and couldn't find anything about my pennant. They probably made winner versions for both teams to sell to everyone after the game. Maybe they were supposed to destroy the incorrect ones, and someone saved this one.

This one brought $96, including shipping. This one has the same wording as mine does, only the Dolphins actually won.

Here are some related Redskins and Dolphins pennants that sold on ebay recently:

This one brought $19, including shipping.

This one brought $24, including shipping.

This one brought $35, including shipping.

This one brought $94, including shipping. Notice it doesn't say "Champs".

This one brought $94, including shipping.

My Dentist Trauma Illustrated with Vintage Novelty Dental Collectibles

Well, let me tell you my story about my recent trip to the dentist...

Like the sign says, I thought I'd "feel spiffy in a jiffy"...

But let me tell you, it was no joke! So NOT painless!

I had a tooth pulled. And I mean PULLED-- Twisted, Yanked -- and Forcefully!

I mean, look at these pages from a 1917 dental manual. The "tools of the trade" have hardly changed. A century later, and pliers are still pliers. Yikes!

This was me, before I begged for that extra shot of novacaine. I guess I should be grateful for that-- they might not have used any in 1917!

But I am finally recovering, there's less throbbing pain, and I can get back to my antiquing!

So I'll end with a pretty picture...