RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1493

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2015 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  My father has a World War II game entitled “Bomb the Bullies.”  The top of the box features three cartoon faces—Hirohito, Hitler, and Mussolini—each with a wide open mouth.  The directions on the side of the box read: “THIS GAME MAY BE PLAYED TWO WAYS: / 1. PLACE TARGET ON FLOOR, STAND ABOVE, AND DROP BOMBS ON THE TARGET / 2. STAND ABOUT SIX FEET FROM THE TARGET AND TOSS BOMBS AT OPENINGS.”  The game cost 25¢.  There is no indication of a manufacturer.  Unfortunately the bombs have been lost.  Does the box alone have value? – GW, Pottsville, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  Because metals were restricted for war use, wood and paper became the key ingredients in the manufacture of World War II toys.  Anti-Axis themed toys are a subcategory of toys from that era.  Kindred Maclean & Co. produced “Bo-Lem-Ova,” a boxed game where upright cartoon figures for Hitler and Hirohito and their soldiers replaced the bowling pins.

Anti-Axis figurines and other material were commonplace.  There is a set of three ashtrays whose imagery closely resembles the three cartoon images on the lid of your “Bomb the Bullies” box.

My internet search for information about the game was unsuccessful.  Unfortunately, my copy of Jack Matthews’ “Toys Go to War: World War II Military, Toys, Games, Puzzles and Books” now resides with WorthPoint.com in Atlanta.

Based upon comparable anti-axis items for sale on the internet, your game box has a value between $35.00 and $45.00.  Complete with its bombs, the game’s value exceeds $50.00.

QUESTION:  I have a collection of old family photographs.  Unfortunately, one of my relatives identified the individuals by writing on the back with ink.  The ink has bled through and ruined the images.  Can anything be done?  What advice do you have for individuals who want to identify individuals in photographs but do not want to run the risk of damaging the photograph? – C, Reading, PA

ANSWER:  This past month I started organizing the family genealogical research that I have done off and on for more than 50 years and identifying the individuals in the family photographs that I inherited.  In reviewing materials, I found numerous instances where ink bled through paper, ink, especially early ball point ink, faded to the point where it is no longer readable, and ink writing mirror imaged on the back of the item placed on top of it.  Fortunately, I did not encounter photographs ruined by ink bleeding through to the front.

Thanks to modern digital technology, all is not lost.  Most camera shops and some photographers offer restoration services for torn and/or damaged photographs.  The photograph is scanned and then digitally corrected.  Since the process is labor intensive, it is not cheap.

Phototree.com, owned by Gary W. Clark, is one of the many websites that offers photograph restoration services.  It also publishes a “Kwik Guide” series—books that focus on nineteenth and early twentieth century photograph types, genealogy, and slide and photograph preservation.  Consider purchasing the “Photo Restoration KwikGuide: A Step-by-Step Guide to Repairing Photographs with Photoshop Elements.”  It is available in a hard copy and digital version.  Learning how to restore photographs is on my to-do list once I finish cataloging the objects I brought to Michigan.

I just finished identifying the individuals in over 100 family photographs.  I use a soft (No. 2) lead pencil to lightly print/write the information on the back of the photograph.  I put the image on a hard surface and make a point not to press hard, thus avoiding an impression of the information on the front surface.

I have encountered a problem with the back of some early 1950s/1960s color Kodak prints.  The back has a surface that is inhospitable to lead.  I considered using a Sharpie Permanent Marker but thought better of it.  I recently acquired a catalog from Hollinger Metal Edge Company (www.hollingermetaledge.com), a distributor of archival supplies. Hollinger offers “PhotoFile Photographic Storage Sleeves” with an extended fringe for identification information.  At a cost ranging from $1.00 to $3.00 each, depending on size, and available only in quantities of 25, the cost to provide a separate sleeve for each of the hundreds of family photographs that I own is prohibitive, especially since my ultimate goal is to scan each photograph and save it digitally.

The latter is critical because many of the color photographs have begun to fade.  If they are not digitally restored soon, the images will be lost.

Finally, I have no love for photographic albums with sticky pages, a favorite among the scrapbooking crowd.  If I use binders, I will select a three ring binder package with high quality plastic sleeves.  Again, Hollinger Metal Edge offers this type of product, but the cost is high.

Good luck and do not lose hope.  All is not lost.

QUESTION:  I have a 1943 bar of Ivory Soap.  What is it worth? – SF, Email Question

ANSWER:  The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) owns the personal care brand “Ivory.”  Besides the famous soap bar that floats, the Ivory name is linked with Ivory Snow (a mild laundry detergent that is not a soap), dish liquid, hair and body wash, and liquid hand soap.

J. B. Williams Company, founded in 1840 in Glastonbury, Connecticut, manufactured Ivorine, a men’s shaving soap.  When Proctor & Gamble purchased Ivorine, it renamed the product Ivory.

Although a myth, the story is that a company employee left a batch of soap for a longer period than normal in the mixing machine.  P&G decided to sell the batch because the added air did not affect the soap formula.  Within days, the company received dozens of letters requesting more of the floating soap.  The truth is that chemist James N. Gamble, the founder’s son, discovered the “floating” process and noted this in his research notes.

The famous “It Floats” slogan arrived in 1891.  “99 44/100 % Pure” joined “It Floats” in 1895.  The ivory formula was somewhat caustic, causing dryness of skin.  On the positive side, Ivory rinsed cleanly and attacked bacteria effectively.  In late 1992, P&G tested a new “skin care bar.”  It did not float.  The test failed.  Another test in the fall of 2001 also resulted in mixed results.

My mother favored Ivory Soap and Ivory Snow.  She did keep a bar of lye soap handy in case a member of the family was exposed to poison ivory.

Although there are more than a dozen different packaging variations for Ivory Soap, date plays a minor role in value.  For individuals willing to comparison shop and be patient, examples of antique and collectible bars can be purchased between $2.00 and $4.00.  Their primary use is in a bathroom display.

QUESTION:  I have a Twin Winton Monk “Thou Shalt Not Steal” cookie jar.  What is it worth? – B, Janesville, WI

ANSWER:  Don and Ross Winton, twin brothers, learned ceramic making while attending high school in Pasadena, California in the mid-1930s.  At the time, Pasadena was one of the ceramic manufacturing centers on the West Coast.  The brothers joined forces with Helen Burke and issued their first wares in 1936.  Success being what it is, Don and Ross ended their partnership with Helen and established their own ceramic firm in 1939.  After taking a break to serve in the Armed Forces during World War II, Don and Ross established Twin Winton Ceramics in 1946.  Their older brother Bruce joined them as the business manager.  Twin Winton specialized in kitchenware products—ashtrays, mugs, napkin rings, salt and pepper shakers, and spoon rests.  1951 marked the appearance of the first cookie jars.

In 1952, Don and Ross decided to pursue careers as independent designers and sold their interests to Bruce.  Bruce moved the manufacturing operation to El Monte, California and in 1964 to San Juan Capistrano, California.  When Twin Winton ceased operations in 1974, many of its molds were sold to Treasure Craft.  For more information, see: http://www.the-old-cookie-jar-shop.com/cookie_jars/twin_winton_cookie_jars,

One listing that I found for the Twin Winton “Thou Shalt Not Steal” cookie jar indicated it was marked “San Juan Capistrano, Calif., USA” on the bottom, thus dating it from the 1964 to 1974 period.  Another example was dated 1960, meaning the mold was used in production at the El Monte factory as well.

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.