Catalog: Popular Collectibles: Memorabilia (187)

In the mid-1800's, an unknown artist painted the face of a young Black boy in warm, soft colors, and unbeknown to the artist, forever immortalized the young boy's image! Since that time a variety of items were been produced in the image of the "Young Black boy with the Torn Hat" or "Johnny Griffin".

This circa 1920-30's Johnny Griffin item is constructed in solid brass and is known as a document clip used to hold together important papers. It remains functional for such use today or may be simply used as an attractive desk paperweight!

It is in all original condition with delightful patina- not a reproduction- no replaced parts- and measures 4 1/8 inches long x 2 3/8 inches wide. It does not retain any marking other than a mold number 5241.

Johnny Griffin Black Americana collectibles should form the cornerstone of any serious Black Memorabilia collection!

To see all of the Johnny Griffin items currently available for sale, simply type “Johnny Griffin” into the search box on our web home page.

Measuring 6 1/2 x 11 3/4, this lovely, early 1900's, Black subject die cut by Enoch Morgan & Sons, England, features three individual Sapolio Soap die cuts used to advertise the company product. Each die cut features the head of a young black boy centered inside a piece of fruit or vegetable- a cabbage, a watermelon and a (?) pear.

Sapolio was a brand of soap noted for its unique and clever advertising, led by Artemas Ward from 1883–1908. Bret Harte, an American short story writer and poet, wrote jingles for the brand, and the sales force also included King Camp Gillette, who went on to create the fabulously successful Gillette safety razor and the razor and blades business model. Time magazine described Sapolio as "probably the world's best-advertised product" of its time period!

This pleasant trio of Sapolio Soap die cuts is in excellent condition and comes protected in an attractive, walnut-toned, oak decorative frame!

This very rarely found advertising trio together create quite a visually appealing decorative piece!

Measuring 1 7/8 inches in diameter x 1/4 of an inch high, this seldom-found, circa 1920’s, dexterity game depicts a surprised or startled African baby. Likely German-made, the puzzle has no markings. It contains the 3 tiny metal balls, that with the proper manual dexterity, are to be placed in the baby’s mouth and two eyes. Two of the balls are currently fixed in place, likely due to the metal backing being very subtly pushed in.

Constructed of tin with tin back and a cardboard lithographed image and a glass cover, the puzzle is in all-original condition with some tiny crimps to the edges as noted in photos. (Please disregard any light or shiny spots in photos which are due to flash reflection off of the glass.)

An interesting image and a delightful piece of early Black Memorabilia!

In the mid-1800's, an unknown artist painted the face of a young Black boy in warm, soft colors, and unbeknown to the artist, forever immortalized the young boy's image! Since that time a variety of items were been produced in the image of the "Young Black boy with the Torn Hat" or "Johnny Griffin".

This circa 1920-30's Johnny Griffin inkwell is constructed in solid brass and has a hole for both placement of pen and glass insert for ink. This piece is offered without the pen and glass ink insert.

It is in all original condition with delightful patina- not a reproduction- no replaced parts- and measures 6 inches long x 3.25 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. It does not retain any marking other than a mold number 4557.

Johnny Griffin Black Americana collectibles should form the cornerstone of any serious Black Memorabilia collection!

To see all of the Johnny Griffin items currently available for sale, simply type “Johnny Griffin” into the search box on our web home page.

Measuring 3 1/4 inches long, this circa 1920s, miniature, Black Mammy doll is unique in construction- its head and body have been fashioned from an old rubber baby nursing nipple!

Mammy’s sweet little face has been carefully hand-painted, and she has been nicely dressed in a red dress with blue oval designs, a linen apron and red and black head scarf.

Condition of this wonderful miniature Mammy is very good! With the exception of her nipple face which has contorted a bit due to the ravages of time, she is in delightful condition!

Measuring 1 3/4 inches in diameter x 3/8 of an inch high, this circa 1920’s, dexterity game puzzle depicts a fancily dressed and top-hatted black man! Likely German-made, the puzzle is without markings. Vibrant color and detailing! The puzzle contains 4 tiny white balls, that with the proper manual dexterity, are to be placed in the gent’s mouth, eyes and bow tie!

Constructed of tin with a cardboard lithographed image and a glass cover, this game is backed with its original mirror. The puzzle is in all-original condition with the lithographed graphic remaining free of scratches and abrasions. The glass is rippled but is not damaged as it remains smooth to the touch. A "defective" piece of glass was likely just simply chosen for use in what was once an inexpensive penny game!. The mirror shows some tiny bits of loss to silvering as noted in photos. (Please disregard any light or shiny spots in photos which are due to flash reflection off of the glass.)

An interesting image and a delightful piece of early Black Memorabilia!

Offered is a rarely found, Ca 1920s, celluloid mourning pin back brooch featuring a young African American man.

Constructed of celluloid with a metal back and pin to allow attachment to one's clothing, this diminutive mourning pin measures just 7/8th inch in diameter.

The image remains quite crisp with surface crackling of the celluloid that does not effect the integrity of the overall structure of the pin. In the highly magnified photos, the crackling appears much, much more intrusive to the eye than when viewed simply with one's eyes, alone.

The backside of the pin carries the maker's mark and manufacturing locations, some of which is partially obscured: "T. J. M..., Dearborn, Chicago".

This unusually diminutive, vintage, C1920s, Black Valentine Cupid die cut is protected in a 4 x 6 inch, decorative wood frame, surrounded by a gold foil mat featuring white foil roses. Additional tiny die cuts of pink roses are placed at each corner.

This adorable, smiling Valentine cupid die cut is in very good condition. Two very teeny fold lines are present that are very difficult to see unless using magnification (see closeup photo) - one in the left arm and another in the left wing. Otherwise, perfect!

A very unusual, vintage, Valentine's Day find!

Measuring 5 inches wide x 4.5 inches long, this 1920's, brass ashtray represents a very seldom-found offering of vintage Black Americana!

This piece was actually created to serve as an ashtray! It depicts a delightful image of a young black boy in a wide-brimmed straw hat!

In wonderful condition, this piece is stamped "LL" on back.

An uncommon piece of Black Americana that should not be overlooked!

Measuring 12 inches high x 9 3/4 inches long x 6 inches wide, this extraordinarily rare, circa 1920's, Black Americana, wooden pull toy is called Shufflin' Sam!

Demonstrating some degree of age-related paint loss as seen in photos, Shufflin' Sam remains fully functional, shuffling his feet and twirling his blue umbrella when he is gently pulled along a flat surface. His manufacturer is unknown. On his base is written in ink, a very OLD price of $22.00!

The paint loss imperfections do not interfere with the toy's overall charming visual appeal! This exceptional toy has never been repaired or repainted; it remains in all-original condition!

Wooden toys were produced with less frequency than their tin counterparts and also tended to be less hardy, and thus, a far fewer number of them survive today as compared to the more frequently discovered tin and metal toys of the same era.

"Shufflin' Sam" is very RARELY found (The FIRST time I have ever been able to offer him!!!), and the opportunity to acquire him should not be overlooked!

Measuring 4 inches long, this circa 1920s, miniature, Black Mammy doll is unique in construction- its head and body have been fashioned from an old rubber baby nursing nipple!

Mammy’s sweet little face has been carefully hand-painted, and she has been nicely dressed in a red dress featuring flowers and watering cans, a linen apron, a linen under-slip(not usually found on nipple dolls) and a red head scarf. Her apron is entirely hand-sewn as is the hem of her dress which is also atypical.

Condition of this wonderful miniature Mammy is very good! With the exception of her nipple face which has dried out a bit due to the ravages of time making her look very much the old-aged mammy, she is in delightful condition!

(It was difficult to get a good photo of the nipple base due to the unusual addition of the linen under-skirt which made it impossible to turn the skirt completely inside out.)

This wonderfully rare, 1920s piece of Black Memorabilia ephemera is in utterly fabulous condition!

Measuring 7.50 inches long x 3.25 inches wide, this Belgian cigarette or cigar, heavy paper/cardboard box features a fabulous litho of a very dapper Black Gentleman smoking one of the "JOHN" cigarettes. Its small size offers many options for display including framing for shelf or wall enjoyment.

A truly scarce find in phenomenal condition!

Measuring only 2.75 inches high, this darling 1920's Black Memorabilia souvenir piece is in amazing condition considering its delicate, sea shell construction.

A tiny bisque black boy holding a watermelon slice is seated on a throne of sea shells. The name of the location that this sea shell souvenir was meant to commemorate is worn and is no longer readable.

Two very minor chips are present as shown in photos which do not detract from the beauty of this piece!

Offered is the 1928, 2nd edition of Helen Bannerman's, Little Black Sambo book published by the Platt & Munk Company of New York and illustrated by one of P & M's noted artists, Eulalie. The Platt & Munk Company was renown for hiring highly talented artists and illustrators, all of whom who contributed to the company's reputation for publishing exquisitely illustrated children's books.

This story is a much-beloved children's classic written in the early 1900's by Englishwoman, Helen Bannerman, for her two daughters while they lived in India. Sambo, in the original Bannerman tale, was an Indian boy and not an African-American child. He was converted to this race overtime, however, by subsequent story tellers and illustrators. This age-old tale tells of Little Black Sambo and his frightening tiger encounter, which fortunately, has a happy ending!

In very fine condition with the only flaws noted to this hardcover book being extremely minor corner edge wear, what appears to be a blue ink stain on one page (see photos), one small 1/2" long tear on the page "Oh, Please Mr. Tiger, DOn't eat me up", and what looks to be an oil stain beginning at the edge of the inside of the front cover, continuing to about the middle of the book. However, the stain is smaller and smaller with each successive page. The colored illustrations are beautifully vibrant, with both the black line drawings and color illustrations demonstrating the superb artistic talent of the illustrator, Eulalie! Unnumbered pages alternate between color and black line illustrations. No creases. Nice, tight binding.

A must have addition for the collector of Little Black Sambo books!

To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply type “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.

Published in 1926 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, this very rare, miniature-size, HARDCOVER book measuring just 4x5 inches, offers a very unique continuation of the original Little Black Sambo story! It is thought that this mini size Sambo book was manufactured as a salesman's sample edition, meant to be strictly used as a marketing prop to sell orders for the full-size edition of the same book.

Entitled A New Story of Little Black Sambo, this tale picks up the story with Little Sambo's mother, Black Mumbo, exclaiming that Sambo, after almost losing his best Sunday clothes to the tigers, would- from now on- only be allowed to wear his every day clothes. Now very unhappily dressed in only a grass skirt, a pouting and naughty Sambo decides to run off into the jungle once again without permission, and climbs a tree to gather coconuts. A tiger soon arrives threatening to eat Little Black Sambo, trapping him up in the tree for the entire day! Eventually, Tusker the Elephant arrives, successfully chasing off the tiger and saving Sambo. Sambo then returns home, where an angry Black Mumbo spanks him with a hairbrush for running off, despite the gift of coconuts Sambo hoped would appease his mother. The conclusion of the tale then moves forward one month later when the family goes to visit Little Black Sambo’s cousins, the Bimboes, who admire his fine Sunday best clothing that he was finally allowed to wear again!

Although no author is attributed, it is thought by some that the tale was co-authored by the book's two illustrators, Clara Bell Thurston, who rendered all of the lovely colored drawings and Earnest Vetsch, who rendered the "black and white" illustrations (which, actually, are done in navy blue ink) as well as the fancy hand-lettering of the text which further embellishes the book.

With 36 unnumbered pages which alternate between the superbly rendered color and navy blue line illustrations, this unique little book is in near mint condition. The original paper dust jacket is present and in wonderful condition, and at some point, it was protectively covered with a contemporary, clear, dust jacket protector that can be removed if so desired. No fading of color, no rips, creases or missing pages. Binding is tight with all three original staples present. Cover edges are subtly worn, and a one-time owner, Neva Merchant, signed her name on both front and back interior covers.

This very rarely-found, miniature-size edition of the continuation of the original Little Black Sambo story is a must have for the collector of Little Black Sambo books!

To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply type “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.

Measuring 3.25 inches high, this delightful English child or baby transfer porcelain mug is a quite rare find!

In excellent condition with the exception of some minor wear to the gilt rim and scripted banner, the cup or mug features two gentleman sharing a tub bath- one Caucasian and one African-American. The African-American gent is surrounded by musical notes indicating that he is doing quite a bit of whistling, while the Caucasian gent covers his ears in annoyance. The scripted banner above their heads reads, "Whistling Rufus." "There's music in the air."

The mug is signed in the lower right corner of the tub, "Copyright Sid Smith". The base bears the black crown and banner stamp of Allertons, England as well as the printed, red-inked number "2089".

Measuring 17 inches long, this delightful, folk-art styled, cloth, black Mammy doll was made circa 1920's.

Detailing in construction sets this mammy doll apart! Her creation was very carefully executed through a combination of hand and machine stitching. Mammy was lovingly dressed in clothing made from old, red, black, and white-patterned handkerchiefs, while both her body and her interesting pair of black pantaloons were constructed of old, black stockings. Detailing was clearly important to the creator--an additional and elegant surprise is the cream-colored, cotton petticoat edged with lace!

Mammy's face is hand-embroidered, and she wears brass-colored, plain, hoop earrings. Her body is machine-stitched together and is stuffed with cotton batting.

Mammy is in near perfect condition with the exception of minor wear (not holes) to her stocking-constructed left foot as well as the underside of her right, stocking-constructed hand. (This wear to the fabric may well be the very reason the stockings were used to construct Mammy as they may have been discarded from personal use. Please refer to photos to view wear.)

Mammy is simply full of charm with lovely and creative detailing! A quite difficult-to-find-in-this condition, 80+-year-old, cloth mammy doll!

Measuring 2 1/8 inches in diameter x 3/8 of an inch high, this rarely-found, circa 1910, dexterity game depicts a smiling Top-Hatted Dandy! The puzzle is quite colorful and is very visually appealing! The puzzle contains the 3 tiny metal balls along with one white ball of unknown material, that, with the proper manual dexterity, are to be placed in the Dandy’s eyes and as buttons on his shirt!

Constructed of tin with a cardboard lithographed image and a glass cover, this game has a mirrored back. The puzzle is in all-original condition with the Dandy graphic remaining free of scratches and abrasions, and design typical of turn-of-the-century puzzles. The mirrored back shows evidence of 2 tiny areas of subtle, minor chipping along the perimeter edge, and the glass front has a small, very shallow surface chip at the base of the Dandy's shirt and an even tinier one to the left of the top hat. Unless one applies hard pressure to the surface of this glass, I cannot ever imagine this front glass breaking or shattering. (Please disregard any light or shiny spots in photos which are due to flash reflection off of the glass.)

A detailed image and a delightful piece of very early Black Memorabilia!