More Stuff From the Box
SAY! Howsabout more STUFF FROM THE BOX? This time the box, after exposure to gamma radiation, has morphed into a small 3X3X2 (inches) box that once held a Westinghouse Automobile Lamp Kit. Being so tiny, it doesn't hold a lot. Maybe I'll get four or five posts out of it.
Let's start with this high-relief sterling silver charm/pendant from Disneyland. Naturally there's no date on it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is from the 1960s, or possibly the 1970s. They've included such features as Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn, the Mark Twain, the Monorail, and a Submarine.
This tiny "play money" cent is a mystery to me; but it has FDR's likeness on it - my guess is that this was before his profile would grace the US dime (in which he is facing to the left). These are not rare, but I can't find any information about the origin.
This next one is pretty neat (and appropriate for mid-December) - it's a "Merry Christmas" badge from the Ford Motor Company, with Santa and his eight tiny reindeer. This badge is about 2.5" across, and stamped from surprisingly sturdy brass. The fact that the tab hasn't been bent is a bonus. Looking for info about these, one person online said that it could be from 1952, and the car outline is a '52 Ford Crestline Victoria (so maybe the badge is from 1951?).
Comparing the outline to this photo, it seems to check out!
Here's another mystery; I bought this at an antiques store, and the seller thought that the W/U stood for "Western Union", but I doubt it. After all, it has those atoms (our friends), and a red bolt of lightning. Willoughby's Uranium? Whitaker's Utilities? If you know, please tell me! Incidentally, this badge thingy has a back on it unlike anything I've seen before, perhaps it was supposed to fit into a lapel button hole.
And finally, here's a nice little employee pin celebrating somebody's 30 years of service. Impressive! This pin is only a bit larger than a dime, and is made of enameled brass. "Can I have a raise instead of this pin, boss?". Boss: HAHAHAHAHA!
Stay tuned for more STUFF FROM THE BOX!
8 comments:
Major-
The economy of detail used in the artwork of that Ford makes it nearly impossible to accurately pinpoint a year, but it could be a 1952, 1953, or 1954. And based on one tiny little detail of trim, just in front of the rear wheel, I'm calling it a 1954-! LOOK HERE.
The Westinghouse service pin is my favorite.
Thanks, Major.
Gamma rays, what would we do without them? A 1,001 uses!
The Disney pendant: Is that a waterfall on the side of the Matterhorn? It looks like an unopened lily blossom. I'm seeing a bunch of dents on the Castle, but I don't think any of them are The Dent.
I'm wondering just how "lucky" that play money is, if you happen to get caught trying to buy something with it?
Santa & his sleigh (built by Ford) - I just noticed how similar the 'Ford' font is to the 'Campbell's Soup' font. It's nice that the badge is sturdy, heavy brass.
I'm pretty sure the "W/U" badge is extraterrestrial. It's like the Star Trek Federation badge. The "W/U" isn't actually a "W" and a "U". Just like Superman's "S", it is written in an alien script.
Westinghouse pin: As I've said before, I like the gold and blue color combo, especially when it's metallic. But it's so small!
As for which one I like best today, I'm torn between the W/U badge and the Westinghouse pin. I guess I'll go with the W/U badge, mainly because of the mystery, and the orbiting electrons.
Major, maybe your little orange box is like Dr. Who's TARDIS... or Hermione Granger's 'go bag', where it's much larger on the inside that it looks on the outside.
Thanks for the Stuff.
I've looked at far too many of those merchandise items auctioned off in the past decade (far, far too many times) and I don't think I've seen that charm before. Imagine how much it's worth!
Darn those pesky gamma rays. Imagine the treasures this box could hold if it hadn’t shrunk.
The Disneyland charm looks like something my mom would have had. She had a charm bracelet with all sorts of little charms from different places we visited. I think I still have it, need to look for this item. I guess this isn’t a thing anymore as I don’t recall seeing charms anywhere lately?
The irony of FDR on play money is lost to time…
Willoughby’s Uranium was a fairly obscure supplier of uranium and radium to watch face manufacturers in the early 1950’s. This is a very rare item.
And of course, Westinghouse! They absorbed their competitors Eastinghouse and Northinghouse before emerging victorious as the premier heavy industrial manufacturer. Everything from electrical turbine generators to jet engines, to washing machines, the powerhouse of the Jet Age.
An amazing selection of goodies, Major! Thank you!
JG
Nanook, aha! The distinctive squirrel deflector on the side of the 1954 Crestline Victoria does seem to match!
JB, I honestly can’t tell if that blob is supposed to be a waterfall, or maybe the Astro Jets? When looking up that “play money” I was surprised how many of the coins are out there, maybe somebody DID try to use it for real. That “Ford Motorcar Company” script was used for years, but Campbell’s Soup has been around forever too. Who was first? Your theory about the W/U badge is interesting. Very interesting. My favorite today is the Ford badge, but the Westinghouse pin is super nice too! I actually found a grand piano inside that little orange box, so it is definitely bigger on the inside.
Jason Schultz, I’ve seen those charms once in a while, including a 14k gold version!
JG, most old Disneyland charms are pretty simple (the castle, Tinker Bell, the Mark Twain), but this one is fancy. It feels like quality too, nice and heavy. My dad had an old watch that must have used radium on the dial, I wish we’d kept it. As a kid I wanted to build a “cloud chamber” in the hopes of seeing the faint trails of radioactive particles, and I actually DID try to build one once. But it didn’t work. Westinghouse definitely ate up a lot of competitors!
Can I vote for the Westinghouse "Mazda Lamps" tin box?
Also, maybe that FDR penny was some kind of commentary on his confiscation of gold.
Dean Finder, you can vote for anything you like!
Dean Finder, you could be right, I was unable to find anything about where these coins came from or why they were made.
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