Catalog: Popular Collectibles (243)

Measuring 4.25 x 4 x 1 inches, this all original cardboard display contains 24, full, bakelite capsules or tubes of EVERSHARPE RED TOP pencil-lead!

Interestingly, this display was found among the contents of an old North Carolina country store.

This product was made in the 1940's in the USA with tubes originally selling for 15 cents per tube. Each bakelite capsule or tube contains 45 sticks of "Q-15 Soft Standard" pieces of pencil-lead.

As seen in the photos, the red caps of the bakelite containers are brittle from age and are in varying states of "wholeness"--some intact and some not.

An interesting and unusual item to add to one's advertising or olde school collection!

Offered is a beautiful, C1930s, hand-woven basket plate or tray from the Hausa People of Nigeria, Africa, measuring approximately 13 inches in diameter.

Baskets such as these are made by the women in the Hausa tradition utilizing vegetable fiber, grasses and straw, all of which are typically harvested in the summer. The top of the basket is very smooth, while the base is rougher and unfinished in appearance.

These baskets are often given as wedding gifts and are traditionally used to store grain.

In addition to the natural color of straw, these baskets generally include the colors brown, red, and green, as does this one, which features two individuals joined together (celebrating marriage) as well as colorful triangular figures, one atop the other, representing the joining of two homes or families.

Condition is very good with just four single stitches missing along the basket rim (see photos).

Wonderful vintage 1940s hand-made sewing needle case of a little black girl with yellow bows in her braided hair and a pumpkin colored dress. Front of dress lifts up and there are two flaps for storing sewing needles. Very nicely made with fine detailing to face and hair construction--her little curls are tiny French knots. Excellent condition. Measures 6" long by 3" at the widest.

Offered is a rarely found, Ca 1890s, celluloid and brass mourning brooch featuring a handsome, young African American man.

Housed in an ornate, brass frame, the mourning pin measures 1 1/8th inch in diameter.

The celluloid image is quite crisp with some staining evident in left lower and side edges that do not obstruct the gentleman's image. The magnified photos emphasize this staining to a much greater degree than what is evident when viewed with just the naked eye. The brooch is missing its backside pin.

Offered is a highly-collectible and seldom-found, circa 1850's, Staffordshire, England, earthenware, pictorial ABC plate featuring a Southern US slavery theme: slaves picking cotton.

Entitled "Gathering Cotton", the plate depicts eight slaves, including two children, picking cotton and placing it in woven straw baskets.

Plates such as this, particularly those with the alphabet embossed around the rim, were produced for use by children as subtle educational tools. England was well ahead of the United States in recognizing the moral evils of slavery abolishing it in 1833, but continued to produce slavery-themed plates for the American market.

This plate measures only a diminutive 5 1/2 inches in diameter, and the interior is decorated with the black transfer-printed scene which was then hand-painted in colors prior to firing. The rim is embossed with decorative swirls as well as the alphabet in capital letters.

Condition of the plate is quite good. It has a use/age-related spider-crack that is visible on the backside of the plate and is also partially visible on the front side. (see photos) This spider-crack is quite tight and does not pose any concern to the structural integrity of the plate. Also noted is some subtle edge roughness which occurred during firing; hardly noticeable when the plate is displayed on a stand. This plate has graced my collection for the past 30 years!

Despite its age-related imperfections, this plate displays absolutely beautifully, and for those collectors who are interested in slavery-related artifacts, this would be a noteworthy and visually-appealing addition to one's collection.

Measuring approximately 23 inches high X 18 inches wide, this heavy cardboard restaurant menu from the 1940’s has never been used! This menu board was designed by the manufacturer to be a consumable, throw-away --- for jotting down the ever-changing, daily menu “Specials”!

Featuring a delightful, cartoon-like caricature of a black man, this board is in very good condition with minor edge wear, slight age-discoloration and a teeny missing piece of the front rim of the hat.

An interesting, seldom-found piece of Black Memorabilia!

Please disregard reflections in photos that are due to the presence of protective plastic wrap.

Manufactured circa 1920's by the Wurts Creation Company, this scarcely-found, Black Chef, kitchen collectible doubles as both a string holder and a grocery list memo board!

Constructed of painted wood that is nailed and glued together, this vintage collectible retains quite a few of its original but yellowed-with-age grocery shopping list pages. The holder/board retains a ball of string and a stub of an older, red pencil. It also has an inkwell cut-out that would have accommodated a bottle of ink; presumably, an inkwell pen once resided beside it versus the current pencil.

The holder/board remains in all original condition with no repaint or repair. The black chef is not painted on but is a decal--all original. The pale blue paint has appropriate, minor, age-related wear as noted in photos.

Has great visual appeal and displays wonderfully!

Another delightful example of an Olde School House collectible-a tiny metal Student Merit Award Pin which is designed in the shape of a circular olive branch crown with the word "REWARD" on a blue enameled open textbook and the date "1924" inscribed on a white enameled scroll.

Items such as this were given to worthy students by their appreciative school teachers at the end of a term for a variety of reasons not the least of which were scholarship, attendance, and deportment.

This sweet little pin is in excellent, all original condition retaining its original and quite functional clasp! It measures 1/2 inch in diameter.

A darling little addition to one's Olde School House Collection!

This vintage 1920's Austrian, cast iron figural group is an authentic piece that was carefully hand-painted some 100 years ago! Austrian pieces of this era were known for their fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The darling boy and girl seated on a tree stump measures 2 3/8 inches high. With the exception of the girl's missing right leg, this seldom-found piece is in overall fine condition with age-related paint scrapes here and there. (please see all photos)

A very unusual and interesting figure group that displays exceedingly well!