RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1471

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  In going through my parents’ things, I came across a flip book.  It features a man smoking a cigar.  It measures 1 1/2  inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. When you flip the pictures with your thumb, the action becomes animated.  The photographs making up the flip book are held together with an embossed metal frame that reads “Biofix.”  The back of the last photograph notes: “Biofix / THE NEW CRAZE / 50 Strand.”  My attempts to research this failed.  What do I have? – JH, Reading, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  On my third attempt to research your Biofix flip book, I found the website http://www.flipbook.info/history.php.  First, although familiar with flip books, I had no idea about their long and fascinating history.  As of April 6, 2015, the individuals who created the site have 7,997 flip books.  The information that follows is from the website.

Flip books are a global phenomenon.  In France, flip books are known as folioscope,  kineograph, feulletoscope or cinéma de poche.  British refer to them as flick or flicker books.  The German name is Abblätter or Daumenkino.  While Americans prefer flip book, they also use flip movie, finger tip movie, riffle book, or hand cinema.

The Biofix photo laboratories (studios located at 56 Strand in London, 53 rue de la Madelein in Brussels, and 23 bd Poissonière in Paris) were established just prior to World War I.  Individuals entered a small studio, described by one 1914 participant as a “kind of wooden hut covered half of silvery cardboard, half zinc, with the back behind us made of corrugated iron, we hardly had enough room to move.”  Staying motionless was not an option.  Participants had to create motion, either by doing something or talking to each other if more than one person was involved.  The action was filmed, the film developed, and each frame printed to create the flip book. Biofix appears not to have retained the film.

The critical question is whether or not duplicates were made.  The brief research that I did on the internet suggests that each Biofix flip book is one-of-a-kind. If this is true, value depends on two key variables.  First, is the identity of the individual known?  If known, is the person famous?  The identity of the subject increases the value by fifty percent or more.  If the person is famous, the value will double, perhaps even triple.  Second, what action is involved?   Conversation, smoking, and drinking are common.  The appearance of a pet could easily double the value.

The “50” on the back of your flip book is actually “56.”  The top part of the six has been worn off from use.

Internet listings offering Biofix flip books for sale occasionally appear.  I located several, most of which indicated the Biofix flip book has been sold.  I did find an example with an asking price of $200.00, which seems high to me.  As always, I advise you to think conservatively -- $100.00 to $125.00.

QUESTION:  I have a 1960s Lilly Daché woman’s hat that was purchased at Hess Brothers, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania.  The hat is a summer straw hat with a wide brim and domed center.  Flowers are attached to the domed section.  What is the value of my hat? – M, Quakertown, PA

ANSWER:  Lilly Daché (1898-1989), born in Bègles, Gironde, France, immigrated to the United States in 1919 or 1924, historical accounts differ.  In March 1931, Lilly married Jean Despres, a top executive at Coty, Inc.

Daché was one of the most famous milliners of the mid-20th century.  According to her Wikipedia biography: “Her major contributions to millinery were draped turbans, brimmed hats molded to the head, half hats, visored caps for war workers, colored snood, and romantic massed-flower shapes.  By 1949, she was designing dresses to go with her hats, as well as lingerie, loungewear, gloves, hosiery, and a wired strapless bra.”  When Daché retired, her daughter Suzanne Dachè assumed control of the millinery business.  [See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Dach%C3%A9]

Max Hess, owner of Hess Brothers, was fashion conscious.  He sold designer clothing and accessories, often staging fashion shows to introduce his latest “finds” to his customers.  Daché’s designs also were mass produced.

Lilly Daché hats are eagerly sought by collectors of vintage clothing.  Licensed examples sell between $25.00 and $50.00 on websites such as eBay.com and etsy.com.  Her individually designed hats sell in the lower to middle hundreds of dollars.  Examples from the 1930s to 1950s appear to command a premium price.

QUESTION:  I have a number of items from the Spanish American War that belonged to my grandfather. One is a ribbon that measures about 30 inches long.  It says: “St. Paul Welcomes Home the 14th Reg. Minnesota Vols.”  The medal features a cross with “Souvenir” on it and “Camp Thomas, Chickamauga, GA.”  Accompanying this material are two photographs.  The first is an image featuring three soldiers.  My grandfather, age 19, sits on the cannon.  The soldiers are dressed in a khaki-type uniforms similar to that worn by the Rough Riders.  The second features my grandfather in his blue dress uniform standing in front of his house.  His corporal stripes are easy to detect.  What is the value of this collection of material? – HD, Email Question.

ANSWER:  The primary value is family value, a value that is not monetary but emotional and sentimental.  This is a collection of items that should remain in the family, especially since the identity of one of the soldiers in the images is known.

Minnesota provided three regiments, the 12th, 13th, and 14th.  The 13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry fought in the Philippines.  [http://www.spanamwar.com/13mn.htm].  The 14th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was mustered into service in St. Paul on May 8, 1898.  It left St. Paul on May 16 and arrived at Chickamauga, Georgia, on May 19.  The regiment moved to Knoxville on August 25 and returned to St. Paul on September 23.  It was mustered out of service on November 18, 1898, never having left the United States.  Nine enlisted men died of disease and three deserted.  [http://www.fortwiki.com/14th_Minnesota_Volunteer_Infantry]

Your ribbon is worth around $75.00 in Minnesota.  Elsewhere, its value is closer to $35.00 to $40.00.  The medal is worth between $20.00 and $25.00.  The photographs have an aggregate value of $25.00.  The grouping is worth between $80.00 and $100.00.

QUESTION:  I have two 1970s Pennsylvania lottery tickets.  The tickets are attached.  Do they have any value? – Kent, Fleetwood, PA

ANSWER:  Before I answered no off the top of my head, I decided to do some research based on the theory that there is at least one collector for everything.  Researching questions such as this supports my “learn something new every day” approach to life.

As a paper ephemera collector, I associate American lottery tickets with the early 19th century.  My canal collection contained several lottery tickets, the funds from which financed the American canal expansion.  The famed Louisiana Lottery Company, which operated initially illegally, obtained a 25-year license from the State of Louisiana in 1868.  Modern state lotteries began in 1964 when New Hampshire established its state lottery.   [For a detailed history of American lotteries, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotteries_in_the_United_States.]

TRIVIA QUIZ:  What are the six states that do not have lotteries?

Lottery collectors are organized.  Lottery collecting is known as lotology.  Collectors are lotologists.  The Global Lottery Collectors’ Society’s website is www.lotterycollectors.com.  The focus of the group appears to be modern lottery tickets.

In the course of my research, I came across Robert W. Benjamin’s article entitled “Instant Lottery Tickets – How To Make Money With Losing Lottery Tickets,” which focuses on instant lottery tickets [http://www.makemoney17ways.com/page7.html].  Benjamin sold his “worthless” lottery tickets on eBay.  A “used lottery tickets” eBay search on April 6, 2015, showed 358 listings.  Most listings consisted of large lots, often uncounted, for example, “Used $10,000 Worth of PA Lottery Tickets, Scratched, Non-Winning, Mixed 2014-2015” for a “Buy It Now” price of $39.00.  Even 1970s lottery tickets are offered for sale in lots rather than individually.

In scrolling through eBay.com, I was surprised to see so many foreign lottery tickets offered for sale.  There is global interest.

The question at hand is whether collecting lottery tickets will follow the same pattern as collecting telephone cards or take a different colleting approach.  Given the increasing number of styles, I suspect the market already is flooded.  Discussion on www.lotterycollectors.com offering to swap rather than buy supports my position.

Given the above, is there some collector interest in your 1970s PA lottery tickets?  Yes.  Is anyone willing to pay for them?  Maybe, but do not get your hopes up.  If maybe, how much?  A dollar or less.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Selected letters will be answered in this column.  Harry cannot provide personal answers.  Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned.  Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512.  You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.