– KT, Adamstown, PA, via e-mail

ANSWER: Mention Rin Tin Tin and the first image that comes to my mind is “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” a 166-episode television show that aired on ABC between Oct. 15, 1954 and May 8, 1959. The show starred Lee Aeker as Rusty and James Brown as Lt. Ripley “Rip” Masters. “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin” was ABC’s answer to CBS’s “Lassie.”

Rin Tin Tin’s history begins near the end of World War I. Lee Duncan, an American serviceman, found a litter of shell-shocked five-day old German shepherd pups in a bombed-out dog kennel in Lorraine, France on Sept. 15, 1918. Betty des Flandres was the mother, Fritz de la Chasse Royale was the father. Duncan adopted a male and female, naming them Rintintin and Nanette after children’s puppets.

Duncan received permission to bring the dogs to the United States. Nanette became ill during the ocean voyage and died shortly after arrival. In February 1922, following an unsanctioned two-day Shepherd Dog Club of America show, Charles Jones made a film of Rin Tin Tin, which he then sold to the Novograph Picture Company. The company offered Duncan $350 to shoot a second film. Duncan’s initial attempts to locate a studio to star Rin Tin Tin in feature films failed. Eventually, he encountered a Warner Brothers crew trying to shoot a scene with a very uncooperative wolf. Duncan convinced them to use Rin Tin Tin instead. When Rin Tin Tin died on August 10, 1932, he had appeared in 26 pictures. At his peak, he received 10,000 fan letters a week. Rin Tin Tin silent films, such as “Where the North Begins” (1923), “Shadows of the North” (1923), “Clash of the Wolves” (1925), “A Dog of the Regiment” (1927), and “Tiger Rose” (1929) received worldwide distribution, including Germany.

TRIVA QUIZ: Rin Tin Tin is reputed to have died in the arms of what famous Hollywood actress? (answer below)

Duncan toured during the 1930s with Rin Tin Tin Junior. During World War II, he and Rin Tin Tin III worked with the U.S. Army at Camp Hahn to train German shepherds for wartime use. After the war, Duncan worked to untrain the dogs and return them to civilian life. The Rin Tin Tin bloodline survives today thanks to the efforts of Lee Duncan, Jannettia Brodsgaard Propps and Daphne Hereford.

The Russians captured Vienna in a fierce battle in the first half of April 1945. Following the war, Austria was declared a “neutral” country. Displaced person camps were created in Austria, Great Britain and West Germany for WWII refugees, primarily from Eastern Europe, and many of whom were Jewish.

I have handled dozens of prisoner-of war-artifacts, some dating as early as the Napoleonic War, during my career. My favorites are from the WWII German POW camps that were scattered along the West Coast and throughout the Southwestern and Midwest U.S.

POWs and displaced persons had plenty of leisure time. Many traded handmade products, paintings and artwork for cigarettes, food and other supplies. Chances of identifying the carver of your plaque are miniscule. Based on your description, the individual was talented. Hence, your plaque is not the only one that he made. How it came to the United States is and likely will remain a mystery.

There are multiple buyers for your plaque. Its value to a German shepherd or a WWII displaced person artwork collector is between $35 and $45. Add another 10 to 15 dollars if sold to a folk-art collector. A Rin Tin Tin collector would pay $50 or more, but only if facing strong competition from another collector.

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QUESTION: We own a 1910 Coca-Cola advertising poster showing a young lady wearing a duster and sitting at the wheel of a car with a bottle of Coca-Cola in her right hand. “Drink the Best” is printed across the top. Printed in the lower left corner is a diamond-shaped advertisement for Goldelle Ginger Ale, another Coca-Cola product. Our research only uncovered reproductions. We believe our example is period, coming out of a box of belongings bought near Kutztown, Pa. It is beautiful, but is it worth keeping, especially if it is a reproduction?

– D&RO, Anderson, CA, via e-mail

ANSWER: Early 20th-century Coca-Cola posters were lithographs, i.e., printed by layering one color on top of another. Using a five- to ten-power loupe, examine the image. If it breaks into dots, it is a reproduction. If the colors are solid, it is a lithograph, albeit not necessarily period. The lithograph printing process is still used today.

The colors need to be extremely bright. Early lithograph dyes retain their period colors. If there is mellowing, it must be very slight. The lines between colors need to be sharp and distinct. If the lines are fuzzy (one color blending into another) or there is an overall softness to the print, this is a negative.

I checked the reproductions, most of which dated from the 1970s and 1980s. While I found the image, I did not find an exact reproduction of your poster. This is a good sign. The image on your poster first appeared as a postcard sometime between 1911 and 1913. Again, the postcards did not contain the “Drink the Best” slogan. Collectors refer to the image as the Duster/Motor Girl.

I researched the slogan “Drink the Best.” The phrase was part of a longer slogan in 1913. However, I did not find the exact phrase listed on any Coca-Cola advertising slogan website or home page. This is troubling. In the good news department, I did not find it on any of the reproductions, either. I found a few references to Godelle Ginger Ale, but would have been happier had I found more.

An article in “Antiques and the Arts” reporting on Randy Inman’s Oct. 12-14, 2001 auction notes:

“a very rare 1913 soft drink ad jointly promoting Coca-Cola and Goldelle Ginger Ale took $7,700, a fine result for a paper roll-down sign.”

This example was in fine condition. The photographs attached to your e-mail indicate your example has water stains, especially noticeable along the bottom portion of the left and right edges. As a result, it is in fair condition at best.

I e-mailed the photograph of your poster William Bateman and Randy Schaeffer, two Coca-Cola collectors who live near Kutztown. Bill responded: “It appears to be period, but of course, damaged significantly. As you know condition means a lot in today’s market. We have one of the Duster Girl posters without the ginger ale marking in near perfect shape. Allan Petretti puts posters in mint condition from that time period from $4,000 to $7,000. With the damage, I could cut that number by half or more.”

Assuming it stands the test I have given you and turns out to be period, it certainly is worth keeping. Given its value, consider taking it to a paper conservator to see if you can have the water stains lessened. Make certain the paper conservator is a member of American Institute of Conservators. Ask to see credentials and examples of work completed.

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QUESTION: Is it safe to eat off collector plates? I relish the idea of eating off these tacky items.

– BM, via e-mail

ANSWER: Collector plates, also known as collection edition plates, were manufactured for display purposes. I do not recall in advertising or the literature that accompanied them the suggestion that they also had a functional use as dinnerware.

Here are three considerations before adopting a “why not” approach. First, they may not be dishwasher safe. Manufacturers expected them to be dusted not washed. Second, modern knife blades, especially those with serrated edges, may damage the glaze. Third, the glaze most likely has a high lead content, albeit I have no proof.

Your proposal has a sense of practicality and humor. After all, a plate is a plate is a plate. Functionally, there is no reason why you cannot use them for eating purposes. The thought of cutting a medium rare steak resting on top of Vivien Leigh or another “Gone with the Wind” series collector plate has appeal.

When confronted with a collector plate at an appraisal clinic, my stock questions is: “Do you like to play Frisbee?” Now I will start saying: “If all else fails, you always can eat off of it.”

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QUESTION: I have my aunt’s collection of old plaster food productions, ranging from meats, such as steaks and bacon, to milk bottles and cartoons of eggs. They are at least 50 years old. I have no idea how she acquired them, but suspect they were used as display items for some food related businesses. What are they worth?

– PS, via e-mail

ANSWER: You have fake (faux) food props, a business which is alive, well and thriving. Do a Google “fake food props” search.

Fake food props are used in interior design displays, film, television, theater, trade shows, restaurants, stores and dozens of other areas. Just Dough It! offers artificial food that “looks good enough to eat” in categories such as breads and cheeses, breakfast foods and beverages, cakes, cupcakes and tarts, Christmas specials, cookies and donuts, fruits and vegetables, ice cream, popcorn, specials, spills and novelties, tea and others beverages, and wine, beers and mixed drinks.

Your examples are primitive compared to modern day examples. Yet, their very crudeness makes them fun. Value for individual pieces will range from $4-$5 to $12-$15, the higher values for those pieces with the greatest conversation/fun value.

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TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWER: Jean Harlow.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected letters will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2009

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Buckles Woodcock, who hosts Buckles Blog, working with elephants in the 108th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Circus blogs are an open window to the circus worlds of today and yesterday. The best of these blogs is Buckles Blog, which is updated every day. When searching for the latest and most exciting circus news, those in the know go to Buckles Blog first.

William “Buckles” Woodcock, a legendary elephant trainer whose circus family tree’s roots date back to Hiram Orton’s circus in Wisconsin in 1854. He launched his blog in 2004 and keeps it up to date with daily circus talk from around the world.

He and his wife Barbara were honored as Circus Celebrities by the Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, Fla., and Buckles was inducted into the Circus Hall of Fame in Peru, Ind. in 1995 and the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota in 1997. He retired from performing in 2004.

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Below is an alphabetical list of other circus blogs. If you know of any others that should be added to this list, please leave a comment below.

The Balloon Man: In his profile Dick Dykes reveals he has been a producer, promoter, booking agent, billposter and more, but the one thing that is closest to his heart is the souvenir business. He peddled balloons once, hence, the blog’s name. The blog is dedicated to anything having to do with the outdoor entertainment industry.

The Circus “No Spin Zone”: This blog has an emphasis on circuses, zoos, animal training and animal welfare/husbandry. Many of the blog entries feature videos of animals performing. The blog is maintained by Wade Burke, an accomplished animal trainer, who has worked with many animals including whales. Burke’s tiger act was featured with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in the 1980s and 90s.

A Mudshow Season: Ben Trumble is the author of this blog. He works in circuses and carnivals and lists his addresses as Everywhere, United States. He has worked at a little bit of everything, from a circus ringmaster to media relations person. The blog is about his day-by-day travels with the circus with frequent updates. His archives include entries while traveling with Carson & Barnes Circus. More recent blogs chronicle events on the road with Culpepper & Merriweather’s Great Combined Circus. It’s an interesting look at daily life on a circus.

My Days Are Circus Days: This blog belongs to Jim Peterson, who says, “If you know me, no explanation is necessary, and if you don’t know me, it doesn’t matter!” The site has lots of photos, but many are not identified. In following this blog, it helps to have some knowledge of the circus business.

Perky’s Home: Tim Perkins lives in Baraboo, Wis., and his blog centers around the activities at the Circus World Museum in Baraboo. Many of his blog entries include photos of restoration work on historic wagons at the Museum.

Raffael De Ritis’ Novelties and Wonders: Blog contents are odd and unusual—an eclectic collection of entries, making it quite fascinating to read. Raffael has worked with circuses, festivals, operas and magic shows throughout Europe. He is an avid collector and historian of circus and magic. In 1999-2000 he directed the critically acclaimed Feld Entertainment production of Barnum’s Kaleidoscape, and the following year a production of Big Apple Circus in Lincoln Center. Raffael is the author of a number of books on circus, magic and theatre written in Italian, among them “Storia del circo- Dagli acrobati egizi al Cirque du Soleil (History of the Circus – Acrobats from the Egyptians to Cirque du Soleil).”

Random Circus: Many photos and videos are featured on this blog maintained by DanTheBooker@gmail.com. Though there are no historical images, the blog highlights newer photographs, primarily from circuses currently performing.

Showbiz David: Author David Lewis Hammarstrom maintains this blog. He is the author of numerous books, including “Fall of the Big Top: The Vanishing American Circus,” and “Behind the Big Top, Circus Rings around Russia and Big Top Boss: John Ringling North and the Circus.” Hammarstrom has also written books about Broadway and his love of Broadway is a frequent topic on his blog.

Yesterday’s Towns: Bill Strong, who resides in Gibsonton, Fla., an area filled with carnival and circus people, hosts this circus blog. It is filled with historic images and you will spend hours browsing his monthly archives that go back to April 2006.

Larry Kellogg is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in circus memorabilia.

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The original Merry-Go-Round at the Lakeside Amusement Park was located outside. It would eventually be housed in three different buildings since the park opened in 1908.

Adjacent to Lake Rhode in Lakeside, Colo., gleams the Tower of Jewels, a 150-foot-tall wooden tower built in 1907 originally fitted with 5,000 lights. It is the centerpiece for the Lakeside Amusement Park, a family fun place that opened in 1908 and is still going strong more than 100 years later.

Today, the Lakeside Amusement Park features a total of 37 rides, including a large Ferris wheel, water rides, three roller coasters, a miniature railway, and the Merry-Go-Round—a carousel that has been with the amusement park since it opened in 1908.

“This carousel is in its third building and its second location,” says Rhoda Krasner, whose family has owned and operated the amusement park since 1935.

“It’s the most unusual carousel I’ve ever seen. Well, it’s really more like folk art,” says Barbara Charles, who has created a census of carousels in the United States.

The individual carvings on the Lakeside carousel quite unusual in that they are boxy, particularly the horses, and generally have little to no additional decoration as seen on other carousels of the era.

Charles is referring to the menagerie of horses, dogs, goats, monkeys, hippos, pigs and, perhaps, a panther created in the factory of C.W. Parker, a carousel maker in Kansas who usually specialized in only horses. I say perhaps, because each of the individual carvings are quite unusual in that they are boxy, particularly the horses, and generally have little to no additional decoration similar to other carousels of the era, except for a carved face in a saddle or the growl of a dog or two. These are the kind of embellishments not usually associated with the carousel carvings of master craftsmen, but they have a gentle folk art beauty nevertheless.

“Parker makes his first carousel in 1901; he’s been repairing other ones before that,” Charles says. “This ride is 1908. It’s really in what I call the first generation of Parker’s where he’s trying to find his style. And this ride is really the biggest one he ever made. And so it’s really his showpiece, you might say, for that first generation of rides for him.” In fact, of the 1,000 or so carousels built by C.W. Parker, only 16 are known to be in operation today and Lakeside’s is the only menagerie left.

For years no one thought that the little animals came from the Parker factory at all, but Charles found evidence that they did in her collection of Parker company early photographs. His factory first operated in Abilene, Kansas, then moved to Leavenworth in 1911, where he continued producing more colorful and decorative carousels until his death in 1935.

“It’s hard to tell you how unbelievable it was when I first saw this carousel. I didn’t know what it was. It was just so wild, with these figures! I’d never seen anything like it. It’s truly one of the great carousels of America and you just have to treasure it. For Parker, it’s a star. It’s a gem,” says Charles.

The current Merry-Go-Round house at Lakeside Amusement Park.

The Krasner has preserved a slice of Americana in the heart of the city. And you can help preserve all our national carousel treasures, too, through the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum website.

To watch a video showing the Lakeside Merry-Go-Round, click here: Colorado’s Historic Carousels – Lakeside Merry-Go-Round

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

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The original carousel house at Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver Colo.

“It’s an unbelievable place where you can sit and ride and dream and dream.”

It was one of the most popular rides at the original Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colo. It goes up and down and round and round, but it isn’t the Boomerang, the Half Pipe or the Twister roller coaster. It is simply known as the Carousel.

For more than 80 years, the Elitch Gardens carousel, with its hand-sculpted and hand-painted horses in grand colors and wonderfully expressive features, has entertained generations of children and adults alike. Still operating in what was the original Elitch Gardens amusement park from 1890 to 1994, the carousel was bought by Mary Elitch in 1928 from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, maker of elaborate mechanical carousels.

“They got this magical world,” said Barbara Charles, nationally known expert on historic carousels. “Every surface is covered, the lights, the mirrors, even inside the trappings of the outside scenery, it’s an unbelievable place where you can sit and ride and dream and dream.

“The chariots on this carousel are particularly interesting,” added Charles. “Probably carved as many as eight or 10 years earlier, at the height of World War I, the patriotism is reflected in ‘Miss Columbia’ and the flags and the overall motif of them.”

Carver John Zalar, who worked for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, honed his skill creating religious works for churches in Austria, created each of the two horses on both chariots. While no one knows who carved the elaborate Roman-style chariots, they are still what most people come to see.

All of the horses on the Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel #51, as the Elitch Gardens carousel is known, were hand-carved by master Old World craftsmen. The “PTC” initials are visible on the horse’s shoulder.

All of the horses in PTC Carousel #51, as the Elitch Gardens carousel is known, were hand-carved by master Old World craftsmen such as Frank Caretta from Italy. As head carver for the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Caretta, a former furniture maker, created the patterns for the horses on the Elitch Gardens carousel. He used bold colors, fanciful expressions with gold and aluminum leaf, particularly on the armored lead horse that bears the company’s initials “PTC.”

From 1904 to 1934, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, based in Hatfield, Pa., manufactured the Cadillac of hand-carved elaborate carousels, like #51. While they also manufactured wooden roller coasters, the coaster cars and even skee ball machines, it is the beautiful carousels that made them famous. Today, only 28 of the elaborate, hand-carved carousels are left. At least nine were destroyed by fire, and others, particularly the elaborate ones, may have been split up and sold. Still, may PTC carousels are still operating across the United States and in Australia, a tribute to their impressive craftsmanship of their master carvers and mechanical engineers.

The current carousel house at Elitch Gardens, where the merry-go-round has been in service for more than 80 years.

So, next time you ride a carousel, think of carousel carvers John Zalar, Frank Caretta and others like them. Could they possibly have known how much pleasure their work would bring? Just how much pleasure could that be? A billion miles and smile, or more? Enough distance to travel from here to the moon? The answer isn’t in numbers. It is in the eyes of a child on the back of his chosen steed. That’s the pleasure a carousel brings.

To view a video on the Elitch Gardens Carousel, click here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects, including vexillology, or the study of flags.

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“Wings”
The 1927 Paramount release starring Clara Bow—the “It” girl—received the award for Best Production at the first Academy Award ceremony in 1929. The Academy itself possesses one of only two known original Style A one sheets for “Wings.” When a post-awards 1929 reissue came up for auction in 2006 it brought in more than $18,000, while a unique 26″ X 40.25″ Style D, the only one known to exist, auctioned for more than $86,000 in 2005.

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
This powerful anti-war film was named Best Picture at the third annual Academy Awards in 1930. (Two Academy Award ceremonies were held in 1930—one in April, and a second in November.) A very rare 22″ X 28″ half sheet featuring a shell-shocked Lew Ayres brought more than $6,500 at auction in 2008.

“Cimarron”
The 1931 RKO release was the first Western to win an Oscar. An 11″ X 14″ lobby card of stars Richard Dix and Irene Dunne auctioned for more than $3,000 in 2007.

“Grand Hotel”
MGM’s star-studded feature took the 1932 Best Picture award. The extremely rare one sheet (27″ X 41″) sold for $48,000 in 2006.

“It Happened One Night”
The Frank Capra classic starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert was the first film to sweep the five major Oscars, including Best Actor, Actress, Picture, Director and Screenplay. The only known 3 sheet (41″ X 81″) Style B sold for $35,850 in 2008.

“Mutiny on the Bounty”
The 1935 Best Picture winner was the only film to ever have three different actors nominated for Best Actor: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, and Franchot Tone. Paper from this movie has not fetched huge prices in the past, but is on the increase. A one sheet (27″ X 41″) sold for better than $2,500 in 2002, while a 14″ X 36″ insert sold for nearly $3,000 in 2008.

“Gone With the Wind”
The 1939 Oscar winner is one of the most beloved movies of all time—and its paper fetches some of the highest prices in the marketplace. An original Style C one sheet showing Scarlet running through a burning Atlanta sold for $20,700 in 2006, and a rare “plume” style CF 27″ X 41″ one sheet sold for better than $8,000 in 2008.

“Mrs. Miniver”
Greer Garson won Best Actress for this 1942 MGM hit, which also took Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright). One sheets are rare for this film but 22″ X 28″ half sheets are selling in the $3-5,000 range.

“Casablanca”
Original posters from the 1943 Best Picture winner consistently bring some of the highest prices in the marketplace. An original release one sheet (27″ X 41″) brought $25,300 in 2005, while a Style B half sheet (22″ X 28″), a rare version showing all the film’s main characters, sold for nearly $39,000 last year.

“Lawrence of Arabia”
One sheets (27″ X 41″) of the “camel” Style A with art by Howard Terpning—the most sought after poster of the 1962 Best Picture winner—brought $11,000 and $14,000 at two auctions in 2008.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in Hollywood and movie memorabilia.

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This phenomenal sale includes items that represent more than 70 years of music history from the jazz-age greats to rock-’n’-roll legends. An extensive amount of Rolling Stones and Beatles memorabilia tops the list along with guitars played onstage by David Bowie and Eric Clapton. There are also recording contracts signed by Frank Sinatra and Elton John, and Bob Dylan memorabilia.

Lot 3 hits the auction running with signatures from two highly marketable icons. Madonna and Andy Warhol autographed the 1985 issue of “Interview” magazine in which she was interviewed by actor Harry Dean Stanton. It was big year for the Material Girl. She married Sean Penn and made her acting debut in “Desperately Seeking Susan.” Madonna told Stanton, “I’ve had enough blasphemous photographs. Everyone knows I am a bad girl.” “Interview,” founded in 1969 by Warhol, was dedicated to the cult of personality with celebrities interviewing celebrities. The estimate is a low starter of $800-$1,200.

"Interview" magazine

Lot 4, a Police-signed Fender Stratocaster. This guitar has the signatures of members of the band, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland. In 2003, Police was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2007, the band celebrated the 30th anniversary of the song, “Roxanne,” which got them their contract with A&M Records. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000.

Fender Stratocaster

Police signatures

Lot 102, an Elvis Presley handwritten speech. With an estimate of $2,000 to $4,000, this rare handwritten document on personalized stationary reads, “And these gentlemen here, these type people, who care. They’re dedicated, you realize they might be building the Kingdom of heaven right here, it’s not hard to believe that.” The letter measures 5 inches by 5 inches” and is in excellent condition.

Lot 101, Guns N’ Roses original cover art. Drawn by Billy White Jr. in 1987, this original pencil-on-paper drawing was used as the album cover image for Guns N’ Roses’ “Appetite For Destruction.” It was the band’s first release and catapulted them into stardom. The album has gone platinum 18 times. Estimate: $2,000-$4,000.

Album cover from pencil drawing

Neil Diamond, voted this Grammys’ person of the year, has donated his 1956 vintage Ford Thunderbird convertible. Lot 87A is a fully loaded gem, which was Ford’s answer to Chevrolet’s Corvette. Included with this mint-condition vehicle is the original license plate, which reads “Eice.” Diamond had considered using Eice Charry as his stage name. This classic car has the not-surprising estimate of $50,000 to $60,000. This one’s going to go through the roof.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

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The Style A poster for the 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” done in different sizes, depicts the wheel-shaped Space Station One, is the most common.

Science fiction superstar Isaac Asimov once called Bob McCall “the nearest thing we have to an artist-in-residence in outer space.”

Starting off with a love of aviation and a desire to draw, McCall has become one of the foremost illustrators of the history of aviation, documenting space missions, designing commemorative stamps and patches for space shuttle crews.

If you have been to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, you probably recall his magnificent six-story tall mural depicting man’s conquest of the Moon that dominates one wall of the main floor.

McCall excelled at painting the future. As a young commercial illustrator, his work appeared in leading magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post and Popular Science. Then, in the early ’60s, Life asked him to illustrate an article on future spacecraft.

His visionary work on this project led to an invitation from Stanley Kubrick to come to England to paint advertising posters for the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” (MGM, 1968). The posters he produced for Kubrick, depicting the technology of the future, are highly collectible today. Three different one sheets are in circulation.

The Style B poster from “2001: A Space Odyssey” shows men working on the Moon.

Style A, done in different sizes, depicting the wheel shaped Space Station One, is the most common. An authentic 1968 poster in excellent condition sold for about $650 at auction last year. A similar poster was used for the 1980 rerelease of the film, and a version was adapted for the 2001 rerelease.

A French version of the 1968 one sheet (a one sheet is usually 27” by 41” vertical, the most common style of poster today) sold for $131.

Other sizes of this poster are even more desirable. A three sheet (a vertical poster 41” by 81”) of Style A sold for nearly $1,200 in 2008. A six sheet measuring 81 x 81 brought nearly $800.

A one sheet of Style B, showing men working on the Moon, sold this year for about $700, while a copy autographed by actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood brought about $950.

Style C, depicting the Centrifuge, is the rarest and most valuable of the McCall “2001” posters. It was designed specifically for the Cinerama version and was sent only to theaters equipped with the wide screen technology. A Style C one sheet sold at auction for over $4,000 in 2007.

The rarest of “2001: A Space Odyssey” posters is the Style C, depicting the Centrifuge. It was designed specifically for the Cinerama version and was sent only to theaters equipped with the wide screen technology.

One aspect of McCall’s work is its almost photographic quality. The Style C is an excellent example. Although it looks like a photograph or still from the film, it is in fact an illustration. McCall’s printed signature appears in the lower left corner.

A variety of other artwork McCall created for Kubrick’s epic is occasionally seen, including standees, banners, counter displays, insert posters (vertical, 14” by 36”, a format no longer seen, including some controversial “minty white” versions), lenticulars, lobby cards (11” by 14”), window cards, pressbooks (which contain stories, art, and posters available for advertising), movie stills and large format 40 x 60 glossy posters—all highly collectible.

A half sheet (horizontal, 22” by 28”) with McCall’s artwork recently brought nearly $800 at auction.

None of McCall’s “2001” artwork comes close in value to another “2001” movie poster, called “The Eye,” created for the 1969 launch of the 70mm version of the film. The psychedelic Eye, used primarily for “wild” posting on building sites and bulletin boards, was printed in far smaller quantities than any of the other posters, and typically brings upwards of $9,500 when one appears at auction.

McCall also created illustrated posters for the films “Ice Station Zebra” (MGM, 1968), “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (20th Century Fox, 1970), and “Juggernaut” (United Artists, 1974).

“The Eye,” created for the 1969 launch of the 70mm version of “2001” features the psychedelic Eye, used primarily for “wild” posting on building sites and bulletin boards.

Posters from “Juggernaut” can be found for as little as $16, while “Ice Station Zebra” posters bring from $35-$85, depending on condition. McCall’s posters for “Tora! Tora! Tora!” go for around $100; a set of eight lobby cards, mostly illustrations, sold for $262 in 2008.

Other films that show McCall’s vision of future spacecraft and technology include the Disney film “The Black Hole” (1979), on which he served as art director, and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Paramount, 1979). Some of his illustrations were used on the lobby cards for these films, which average $250-$300 for a mint-condition 8-piece “Star Trek” set and $35-$65 for “The Black Hole” set. Examples of McCall’s original illustrations for these films can be seen online at www.mccallstudios.com.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in movie memorabilia.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Talk about life imitating art, or art imitating work, Dan Borsey was able to talk with film director and screenwriter Chris McCallion about his newest feature film, ‘Mothballs,’ depicting the glamorous and wondrous dealings of antique and collectibles dealers at Brimfield, Mass..

“I wanted to make an independent film, so I thought a great way of making the money to finance an independent film was to buy and sell antiques. So, I started buying and selling antiques and I said, hey, wait a minute, this could be a film in itself,” McCallion remembers. “I made this independent film about these two guys who decide to go into the antique business and they go to Brimfield. I shot multiple days here (in Brimfield) with my full cast. Then I also shot on my property. I set up 18 tents to make it look like Brimfield,” McCallion says.

There are quite a few characters in this full-length comedy that all antique dealers must deal with at one time or another. You know, the highly charged and fussy customer who is particularly looking for a bargain below the normal bargain and is willing to put the dealer through the ringer to get it. “I’m waiting,” he says with a singsong sigh and an expectant look, not being particularly subtle about it.

Another character may sound familiar, too, but he is the dealer who is rather succinct on how he prices items at his booth, “Always look at their shoes,” the character says. “That’ll tell you what the people are and what they’re going to buy. If they have nice leather shoes on I put the price up a bit, but if they got a poor set of shoes on, then I don’t charge them quite as much, but I sell them a whole lot of dollar stuff.” There is also a roving magic kangaroo that either you see or you don’t, and the odyssey of how one antique item changes hands many times throughout the film.

Sometimes, people come from all over to Brimfield, sometimes it’s from around the world and sometimes from outer space, or sometimes even from over the rainbow, according to a podcast done with McCallion.

The film premiered in January 2008 at the Southern Fried Flicks in Augusta, Georgia, where it took second place, and at the Trail Dance film festival in Oklahoma, where it won best featured comedy. The film has also been featured in Toronto, San Francisco and other film festivals across the country. In 2009, the film will return to Brimfield for its 50th Anniversary celebration for the dealers and the collectors to see it again.

While this comedy is a work of fiction, I can’t help thinking that it hits pretty close to home. I also can’t help but wonder if I can recognize anyone in it. I’ll see you at the movies when “Mothballs” comes to Brimfield. You bring the popcorn and I’ll bring other movie memorabilia to sell or trade.

Watch a video with Dan Borsey talking to Chris McCallion about “Mothballs” here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

Kit Carson County residents thought it to be quite the mistake. Buying a carousel? The very idea. But, the county commissioners thought otherwise and in 1928, bought the Ellich’s Zoological Garden’s carousel for $1,200. A good decision in hindsight, as the carousel is now a National Historic Landmark, called the “Jewel of American Carousels” and Colorado’s oldest carousel.

Ah, if you have youngsters or even slightly oldsters, the ring of the bell of the carousel brings back wonderful childhood memories of sitting on painted horses, going round and round, waving to Mom, Dad and grandparents.

Barbara Charles, a carousel historian responsible for the first national carousel census, found and photographed the Kit Carson carousel on one of her earlier visits there 25 years ago. She has original photographs of the horses and instantly can see that each are individually hand carved and hand painted without the use of commercial manufacturing methods. The Philadelphia Toboggan Company manufactured 74 carousels like this one, although fewer than 30 survive today.

The Kit Carson carousel is PTC #6, the sixth one to be handcrafted by the company in 1905. It is a menagerie, meaning that it has more than just horses to ride. It has giraffes, sea horses, lions and other fanciful animals. All are ornate, colorful and particularly unique. The antlers on the deer and the tails on the horses are all real. Eyes are made of glass, not painted wood. Because it is an earlier carousel, the animals don’t go up and down, but so what.

If someone who visited the carousel when it was new in 1905 visited today, they wouldn’t see a thing out of place. The menagerie is still the same, the paint is original, the Wurlitzer Monster Military Band Organ, one of only three left intact in the world, still plays the same tunes (such as “Dixie,” “A Bicycle Built for Two,” and alike), and the oil paintings covering the machinery are all original, too. It is a work of art in motion and memory.

“This carousel is just a super example of what a community can do to save their own heritage,” Charles says. “It’s considered the pinnacle of preservation. It’s just loved by the community and it shows.”

Every year, the carousel volunteers tell the story of the brave county commissioners who saved the carousel for the community. After the commission bought the carousel, there was quite a bit of antagonism toward the commissions, as many in the community questioned the huge outlay of public money on a non-essential purchase. “Two of the commissioners lost their seats when they were up for election the next time, and a third person decided not to run, so the people got back at them that way,” a volunteer says. But at five cents a ride, the carousel paid for itself in just a couple of years. So there!

You don’t have to be a child to appreciate the carousel. But it does help to have a childlike appreciation for the color, the excitement, the possibilities of riding round and round on a golden lion or an effervescent seahorse somewhere in Middle America. The Kit County Carousel can still help create those possibilities for the next 100 years, if we wish to.

The Colorado Carousel Society provides the volunteers and the fundraising to help keep this unique American treasure in peak condition for newer generations to enjoy. You can help The Carousel Society’s mission to save and preserve America’s antique wooden carousels by sending contributions to the Colorado Carousel Society, 7061 South Quince Street, Englewood 80112.

Watch a video about the Kit Carson County Carousel here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

Collecting has gone global, thanks to the Internet. As a result, antiques and collectibles divide into two groups: (1) those that have a global market and (2) those with only a national or regional market. Beatles memorabilia and Royal Doulton are two examples of collecting categories that have a global market. Ceramic categories such as Hall, Hull, Roseville, Weller, etc., illustrate categories whose marketplace is limited to their country of origin.

America is the mother lode for antiques and collectibles. After World War I, during the Depression and in the two decades following World War II, American collectors and dealers raided the antiques and collectibles treasures of Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and other parts of the world.

Foreign items returning home

As the economic power of these countries increases, especially through the creation of a viable upper-middle and lower-upper class, private individuals and others are coming to American to buy back their historical heritage. Large quantities of Asian and European objects sold at auction are going back over the east or west horizon.

After World War II, the world was influenced by American movies, music and television. Licensed product associated with these three categories is collected worldwide. While some foreign licensed rights were issued, foreign collectors want the products sold in America, most of which did not appear abroad. A French Coca-Cola collector has far more American than French objects in his collection.

The trend toward investing in antiques and collectibles is increasing, thanks to the current world economic situation. Investors are moving from intangibles, such as bonds and stocks, to tangibles, such as gold and antiques and collectibles. Whereas Japanese investors played a significant role in the 1990s and early-21st-century market, today’s investors are likely to be from Arabic countries or Russia. These investors want the best of the best. They buy it wherever they find it, at home or abroad.

Online auctions broaden collectibles and antiques markets

Thanks to eBayliveauctions, no longer in business, worldwide collectors, dealers and investors want ready access to the American auction marketplace. Several firms, e.g., Artfact and Proxibid.com, have created platforms to replace eBayliveauctions. The viewing audience for these sites is smaller than for eBayliveauctions. The number will grow. Some sites will fall by the wayside; others merge. What will not change is the appetite of foreign buyers to play an active role in the American auction scene.

Some things sell better in one market than another, the result of personal preference and other considerations. When I visited antiques shops in Germany, I was astonished at the prices asked for pearl-handled fruit-knife sets, double to triple what they bring in the United States. Check out the clock and music box prices in Amsterdam’s antiques row, three to 10 times those for the same pieces in the United States market. Likewise, German collectors have little to no interest in late-19th/early-20th-century inkwells. Buy them in Germany, and sell them in the United States at triple what you paid.

Americans are jingoistic and isolationist when it comes to the antiques and collectibles marketplace. It is time to remove the blinders. The market is global. The next step is to determine the where, when and how.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected letters will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Meet Harry Rinker in person at the 8th Annual Northeastern Pennsylvania Home & Garden Show, Jan. 23-25, in Wilkes-Barre. He will also be appearing at the 8th Annual Southeast Pennsylvania Home & Garden Show, March 13-15, in Reading.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles