RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1481

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2015 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  I have a vintage four-wheeled, red wagon that looks similar to the famed Radio Flyer wagons that were popular in the mid-20th century.  A white logo reading “Thunderbird” is silkscreened over the red body paint.   Beneath the logo is “United.”  The following is an approximation of the logo font:  

The wheel hub caps are stamped “USC.”  The body of the wagon measures 35 inches in length.  Based on the name on the wagon and the age of the first owner, the wagon probably dates from around 1950.  Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. – FP, Email Question

ANSWER:  In order to identify the wagon manufacturer, I contacted Gordon Westover, author of “Coasting on Wheels: Vintage Toy Wagons,” published by Schiffer Publishing in 2014.  Gordon identified the wagon as a 1950s/1960s Mercury-type wagon made by the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company located in Cleveland, Ohio, and later Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.

J. W. Murray founded the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company in 1919.  Its first products, fenders and gas tanks, were purchased by automobile manufacturers.  In 1923, Murray introduced its Steelcraft Steel toy line that featured juvenile vehicles such as pedal cars and wagons.  During the Depression, Murray expanded its line to include bicycles.

During the 1930s, Murray assigned a variety of names to its wagons – Murray, Playboy, Speed Boy, Silver Streak, and Steelcraft.  Murray also produced individual brand products for stores and catalog manufacturers such as Sears, Roebuck, and Company and for toy wholesalers.  This policy continued in the post-World War II period.

Murray hired Viktor Schreckengost as an industrial designer.  While there is no direct proof he is responsible for the design of the Murray-type wagon, its streamline appearance suggests his influence.

In the mid-1950s, Murray moved its operations from Cleveland, Ohio, to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.  Production began in Lawrenceburg in 1956.  In 1998, Murray was acquired by Tomkins PLC.  The ownership of the company changed several times in the 1990s.  Bicycle production ceased in 1999.  On September 30, 2005, when the Lawrenceburg plant closed, it was producing lawn mowers.

Gordon and I were not able to associate the “Thunderbird” branding logo with a specific distributor or the meaning of the initials on the hub cabs.  We agree that a late 1950s date is appropriate for your wagon’s manufacture.  If there is a tie-in with Ford’s Thunderbird, which first appeared in 1955, we were unable to ascertain it.

Your wagon is in poor to fair condition.  It needs a major restoration.  As such, its value is between $20.00 and $25.00.  Checkout www.wagonmastercoaster.com to see examples of restored wagons.

QUESTION:   I am seeking information on the WearEver Company.  I have two pans, #170 and #171, known as “Monkey Pots” because the handles are shaped like a monkey’s head.  The WearEver company site was not helpful in providing information.  Can you help? – DW, Silverton, OR, Email Question

ANSWER:  WearEver cookware traces its origin to the discovery by Charles Martin Hall of Oberlin, Ohio in 1888, of an inexpensive way to smelt aluminum using an electrochemical reduction process to remove aluminum from bauxite ore.  Hall partnered with Alfred E. Hunt, a Pittsburg metallurgist, to form the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which later became ALCOA.  WearEver cookware [Ever-Wear Aluminum Inc., a subsidiary of ALCOA] was chosen as a method to generate quick market interest among the general public and manufacturers for this “new” aluminum.  Strong interest led to increased production, thus reducing the unit cost.

20,000 door-to-door salesmen, ranging from part-time college students to fulltime individuals, and large quantity group sales to non-profits and other organizations were responsible for most of the early sales.  Eventually, WearEver appeared in department and general stores and mail order catalogs.  In 1909, WearEver cookware was among the equipment used by Admiral Richard Perry on his North Pole expedition.  In 1912, the United States Marines used WearEver aluminum for its standard issue utensils.  [See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wearever_Cookware]

By the end of the 1930s, WearEver cookware accounted for 40 percent of all aluminum cookware sold in America.  When aluminum was needed for the war effort in the first half of the 1940s, WearEver’s Arthur Miller created a prepayment plan for housewives which guaranteed delivery of their cookware as soon as the war ended.  WearEver introduced its NAD (New Anodized Design) heavy duty cookware in 1950.  In the 1960s, WearEver introduced clad cookware.
[See: http://www.wearever.com/AboutUs/Pages/Brand History.aspx]

Although examining several dozen WearEver advertisements on eBay, I was not able to date your monkey handle pots.  My intuition favors the early 1950s.  However, the late 1930s also is a possibility.

The two pots had lids.  You did not indicate in your email whether the lids have survived.  In a world where anyone can ask any price they want for something, an eBay seller has a “Buy It Now” price of $345.00 listed for a No. 170 WearEver Monkey pot with a lid.  I tried my best not to laugh when I saw it.  In January 2015, an eBay seller failed to realize $49.00 for a No. 170 pot without a lid.  Without a lid, a realistic value for your two monkey handled pots is between $25.00 and $35.00.  Double these prices if you have the lids.

QUESTION:  I have several Minolta 35mm cameras.  The arrival of digital cameras appears to have eliminated the secondary market for 35mm cameras.  Other than giving them away or discarding them, what choices do I have to dispose of them? – DW, Reading, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  The two critical elements involving the sale of your Minolta camera and lenses, or any 35mm cameras for that matter, are the model number and whether the lens are fixed or detachable.  The assumption is that your cameras and lens are in fine or better condition – minimal ware and no other defects.

Start by checking your camera model and lens on eBay.  Cut all “Buy It Now” prices in half.  I usually reduce them by two-thirds.  Make note of the shipping costs being asked.

Even if the bodies of your cameras have minimal value, there still may be substantial value in your lenses.  Some lens can be converted to use on a digital camera.

Visit the Minolta section on the website www.cameta.com.  It has a “Sell Used Equipment” feature.  There are other websites similar to Cameta Camera.

Another selling alternative is to take your cameras to a large camera store in your area.  When I lived in Emmaus, I bought my camera equipment from Dan’s Camera City.  In Grand Rapids, I use Norman’s Cameras.  Each shop has one or more display cases devoted to used camera equipment.  If I remember correctly, Dan’s took merchandise on consignment, refusing to accept cameras that had limited secondary market interest.

If all else fails, consider a local auction.  Your camera and lenses most likely will be sold as a box lot.  Even if you only realize a few dollars, it is more than you had, and you no longer have the problem of ownership.  I sent my old Nikon equipment to auction.  I received pennies on the dollar versus what I paid for new.  The actual value I received was from the images I took with the equipment and used in articles, books, and personal use.

QUESTION:  I have a World War II bayonet that has descended through my family.  The blade is marked UFH / UOS / 1943.  What is its value? – C, Belgrade, MI

ANSWER:   Based on the information you provided, I can only point you to resources to help you better identify what you own.  During World War II, there were two bayonet types used with the Girard MI rifle.  The M1905 model was a large bayonet, heavily favored by troops serving in the Pacific.  In 1943, the military issued a shorter (10 inch) M1 bayonet.

Given the limited information you provided, I am assuming you own the later M1 model.  You did not indicate if you have the scabbard, an element that is critical to determining value. 
Also, you made no mention of condition.

The UFH stands for the United Fork and Hoe Company, a manufacturer of tools and farm implements located in Columbus, Ohio.  For more information, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M_series_bayonet; https://www.thegca.org/pdfs/Bayonets409.pdf; and http://quanonline.com/military/military_reference/ american/wwii_edge/m1b.php.

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.