A Rolls-Royce mustache mug. Photos by author.
Automobilia comes in a variety of forms, with the most common items being vintage signs, scale models, license plates, gas pumps and oil cans. But there’s more. Much more.
I have a special cabinet that my father built in shop class when he was in high school back in the 1940s that I use to house many of my oddball automobilia collectibles. Whether or not they are true collectibles I don’t know, nor do I care. I bought these objects because I liked them, not because they were valuable, and they were cheap. They include glasses, coffee mugs, ashtrays, a pitcher, framed illustrations, tiles, a bottle of wine, and even a mixer; oh, there are others, too. The one unifying theme is that they are all illustrated with old cars in some form.
I found most of these objects at antique flea markets such as Brimfield in Massachusetts, but also in antique stores in Vermont, at Hershey, at a flea market in Rome, and even at my local Salvation Army store here in South Florida. No matter where you live or travel there’s an antique store or flea market near you that has something old-car related.
So here’s a small sampling of some of those objects that I couldn’t resist buying, and what you too should consider collecting. You’ll be amazed as to what’s out there, and just how inexpensive most pieces are.
Drink Mixer
I found this 1950s-era drink mixer with cap at Brimfield; I think it cost me $8. It depicts six cars: 1903 Ford, 1910 Hudson, 1910 Buick, 1915 Studebaker, 1914 Stutz, and a 1913 Chevrolet. All the tops cars are yellow and black while the bottom cars are red and black. It’s 6.5 inches tall; there are no manufacturer markings. Drink mixers were very popular back in the 1940s and ‘50s, so to find one with old cars makes it a must-have.
Ceramic Tile
This decorative ceramic tile features a fairly well-defined 1903 Cadillac in four colors – green, yellow, gray and black. Measuring 6 x 6 inches, there’s a small hole in the back so that it could be hung on the wall; there no manufacturers markings. I found it an antique flea market for the pricey sum of $3.
Ashtray
This ceramic piece has the look of ashtrays that were produced back in the 1950s and early ‘60s. Trimmed in gold around the edge and measuring six inches in diameter, the car illustrated is a bullnose Morris, which I guess to be from the late teens. It features a light gray body with green fenders and a light yellow top with a red interior. For $3, I just couldn’t pass it by.
Tea Cup
Crafted in Staffordshire, England by the Crown company, this teacup features a colorful and highly detailed illustration of a 1893 Duryea. It depicts two men in the background, which I guess are the Duryea brothers, Charles and Frank. The flea market vendor only had this one cup, but for a mere $4 it had to go home with me.
Pitcher
While walking through the huge Brimfield antique fair in south central Massachusetts a few years ago I stumbled upon this vendor’s table with a sign that read: All items on this table $5 each. Sitting there was this shapely, nine-inch tall white ceramic pitcher with a nicely done illustration of a 1930 Studebaker Commander 8 Coupe on it. That five-dollar bill left my wallet in a millisecond.
Mustache Mug
Here’s another $3 flea market find, pictured at the top of this article. A small silver tag on the bottom reveals it was made by the Lofton company, but that’s all I know about it. The car is a 1904 Rolls-Royce 10 that is finely finished in orange, red, gray, yellow and black. The rim and base are trimmed in gold. It costs less than a pint of beer at the pub.
Wine
Being a Triumph Spitfire owner I was happy to have been given this bottle of Spitfire wine. It was a gift from two members of the Adirondack Triumph Association who visited my house in Vermont one day to learn details on how I was restoring one of my Spitfires. The label reads: “Bottled by Kuperberg & Snack, West Sand Lake, New York. That was about eight years ago and I still haven’t opened the bottle, and don’t plan to. It’s a great conversation piece as is.
Cologne
I received this bottle of Lamborghini cologne as a Christmas present back in the ‘90s. The four-ounce bottle has a gold embossed label that has the Lamborghini badge on it, with the words Lamborghini G.T. There’s an atomizer on top of the bottle and the smell isn’t bad, although my wife doesn’t care for it so it sits on the shelf among my set of Automobile Quarterly books.
from Hemmings Daily – News for the collector car enthusiast http://ift.tt/1nYOTaU
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