Monday, February 17, 2014

Miscellaneous Items

The post will showcase all of the miscellaneous items that we have collected for the house over the years. Over the years these pieces will eventually be restored and/or cleaned and placed in the permanent home once certain rooms are restored.

Two Ford gumball machines. The one on the left is the earlier style and dates to about 1926. The one on the right was made in 1946. Ford continued this gumball machine design well into the 1990s, meaning there is no shortage of parts for most variants of these machines.



These Ford gumball machines were one of my Christmas gifts for 2013 from my hubby. He restored these pieces. Out of respect for this piece he left some the patina and chipped paint around the movable pieces.This gumball dispenser will be placed in the basement with all of the arcade games and pinball machines.


A circa 1955 "Ask Swami" fortune teller napkin dispenser. These were manufactured by Shipman Manufacturing Company of Los Angeles, California. They began appearing in diners, restaurants, and bars across America around 1953 as a way for operators to offset the cost of napkins. A person would insert a penny into the top, press down the lever, and the machine would dispense a piece of paper with an answer to a "yes" or "no" question. Sort of like a Magic 8 Ball inside a napkin dispenser. These dispensers were advertised to establishment owners in Billboard magazine through 1958, though they could be found on tables across America for years afterward. My husband restored this for me as a Christmas gift in 2013.

A modified "Ask Swami" dispenser appeared in the Twilight Zone episode "Nick of Time" starring William Shatner. This episode originally aired on November 18, 1960, and propelled the "Ask Swami" (starring as the "Mystic Seer") into legendary status.




Yes, we collect old flashlights too! Check out the blog for future updates, pictures and descriptions about these flashlights.

We found this lovely lamp at an estate sale in our area. The estate sale consisted of you digging through everything and finding what you wanted and asking for a price (I don't mind digging through someone else trash to find a treasure). At first we only found the lamp base, but my husband was very determined to find the shade in the house and thankfully he did (it had migrated up to the attic while the base was on the first floor). We will have to replace two glass panels which will not be cheap due to the fact that the glass panels are bent at an angle and really thick. This is why I love antiques almost every piece is unique because people just believe in throwing away things instead of "recycling" them. Other than needing the glass and re-wired, this circa 1915 lamp is in good condition.






The pieces above are mostly ruby glass that were purchased as vacation souvenirs by folks that are long gone. Between the 1890s and the 1920s, it was very popular to bring back pieces of this glass from places that were visited. People brought them back for themselves and as gifts for family and friends. Most places that originally sold this glassware would customize it to say whatever the customer wanted. We've accumulated pieces from all over, but it seems like more of this glassware was sold on the New Jersey coast than anywhere else. Pieces from old resort towns like Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Holly Beach (absorbed by Wildwood in 1912), and Wildwood turn up often around here. We obtained most of these pieces at thrift store prices - some as little as $1.




Two views of a 1953 BMC pedal car that we picked up cheap at a flea market. BMC was short for Binghamton Manufacturing Corporation and this was one of the last cars they made before being purchased by AMF in 1954. This car was originally painted blue with white trim. It needs to be repainted and needs reproduction decals, but it's straight and doesn't have any significant rust. It's missing the steering wheel and windshield, but both of these parts have been reproduced for this car.


My husband has a lot of Pepsi and Coke memorabilia. A lot of these pieces will be relocated to the basement once it has been renovated.




Two views of a lighted Pepsi menu board. Circa 1955-1960.













1950 Westinghouse WD-12 Coca Cola cooler. The cooler needs work, but the compressor is good, which is the important part. The handle on the lid is not original.




1963 lighted 7up clock.




NuGrape lighted clock made by Swihart, circa 1955-1960.



Dr Pepper lighted clock made by the Pam Clock Co. Early 1960s.

These are a few random pictures but there are a lot more items located throughout the house. I have to take more pictures of other items when we straighten up. Again a few of these items will be placed in the basement.


Another random item is this dryer. I am not a fan of some older appliances but this is starting to grow on me. My husband found this little (I mean...big) treasure while looking for something else. The best then about this appliance is the little jingle at the end of the cycle. It actually plays the little jingle "How Dry I Am".  It needs to be wiped down and of course routine maintenance before we can use it but that is a future project. We do not have the washing machine but knowing my husband he will locate one soon. This is a 1954 Westinghouse.



























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