RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1751

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2020

Questions and Answers

QUESTION: I have a Hubley P-38 Fighter in near mint condition in its period box. The wing and tail are painted red on the top and bottom. The body is painted red on the top and unpainted on the bottom. The box lid has a full color aerial combat scene featuring two P-38s, one of which is shooting down an enemy plane. The box contains a wealth of information including “No. 881,” “A MIGHTY METAL TOY,” and “MOVABLE PROP / RUBBER WHEELS / RETRACTABLE LANDING GEAR.” What is the value of my P-38 in its period box? – SG, Email Question

ANSWER: The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American World War II-era, piston engine, fighter aircraft. Lockheed developed the fighter for the US Army Air Corp. It was used most successfully in the China-Burma-India and Pacific theaters of operations. It also saw service in the European theater.

The plane had a unique shape – twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armaments. The Germans called it the Gabelschwaz-Teufil (forked tail devil) and the Japanese referred to it as “two planes, one pilot.” The P-38 served as a fighter-bomber, night fighter, and bomber-pathfinder for medium and heavy bombers. It was manufactured during the entire World War II period.

Dozens of toy manufacturers made toy replicas of the P-38 during World War II and in the post-war era. The P-38 still remains one of the more popular World War II plane model kits and toy replicas.

The Hubley Manufacturing Company, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, introduced the use of diecast zinc alloy (mazac) in the late 1930s. When World War II ended, Hubley was using the diecast process for most of its toy vehicles. Hubley desired to appeal to the hobbyist by issuing kits and finished toys for sale to youngsters. Your Lockheed P-38 dates from the 1950s. Hubley issued a “Kiddie Toy” line in the 1960s. This line featured a red painted P-38, only it had a star and stripe decal on the left wing.

Condition is critical in terms of the plane and box. While not near mint, the plane and box appear in very fine or slightly better condition.

WorthPoint.com lists the sale of a Hubley P-38 in its period box on eBay on May 25, 2018, that closed at $130.50. It is identical to your example.

WorthPoint.com has over 1,500 listings for the Hubley P-38. Apparently, Hubley used a variety of paint schemes for its P-38s, albeit some of those listed on eBay appear to be hobbyist paints. Using a “sale date” search, 2020 prices (heavily dependent on condition) for red scheme painted P-38s were $34.99, $117.50, $57.00, and $89.00. An example in good condition accompanied by its period box sold for $65.00 on March 21, 2020.

Your P-38 in its period box has a secondary market retail value between $125.00 and $150.00. Its condition is its principal value determinant.

QUESTION: In 1981, I purchased a Hopalong Cassidy clothes hamper for $5.00. I have moved it with my possessions numerous times. The clothes hamper appears to be in good to fair condition. I have looked at hundreds of Hopalong Cassidy items on eBay but have never seen a clothes hamper. In your book “Hopalong Cassidy: King of the Cowboy Merchandisers,” published by Schiffer Publishing in January 1997, you indicated that a clothes hamper in fine condition (note the condition criteria) was worth $175.00. Over 20 years have passed. What do think my Hopalong Cassidy clothes hamper in fair condition is worth? – JC, near Washington, DC, Email Question

ANSWER: Those who remember watching Hopalong Cassidy movies in movie theaters are in their mid-80s or later. Those who watched Hoppy on television in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, are in their 70s. Even though the Encore Western cable channel occasionally runs Hopalong Cassidy movies, most individuals under 50 have no idea who Hoppy was.

I wrote my book at the tail end of the 1950s television cowboy heroes collecting craze. By 2005, the secondary market for Gene, Hoppy, the Lone Ranger, and Roy was fading fast. The 2008-2009 Great Recession and COVID-19 crisis just nailed the secondary market coffin lid tighter for 1950s television cowboy memorabilia.

I sold my Hopalong Cassidy collection in 2011/2012. I kept a few favorite pieces, albeit not top-end items. When offered Hoppy items in fine or better condition, I tell sellers I will consider buying them at ten cents on the dollar based on the values in my book. Most sellers refuse; and, I am happy I do not have to buy.

I still track prices for 1950s television cowboy memorabilia, primarily because there are a few pieces that still sell to crossover collectors and others at prices far above what a modern Hopalong Cassidy or television cowboy collector would pay.

I did a WorthPoint.com “sale date” search for the Hopalong Cassidy clothes hamper. I was somewhat surprised by the prices. A red example (the clothes hamper also came in a tan/sand ground) in very good to fine condition closed on eBay on January 29, 2020 for $125.00. An example in fair condition closed on eBay on December 28, 2019, for $50.00.

The Hopalong Cassidy clothes hamper does not appear regularly on eBay. One to five examples are offered for sale each year. I suspect the pricing is driven by designers and others using the hamper as a decorative/conversation/nostalgia piece rather than by competition among Hoppy or other television cowboy collectors.

If you plan to sell your Hopalong Cassidy clothes hamper, the longer you wait, the less you will get. eBay is an option. Recent conversations with antiques and collectibles sellers suggest they are doing as well or better on Esty and Instagram. print apparently was a corporate giveaway. I was not able to determine the circumst

QUESTION: I found a cast metal statue of a seated greyhound in my parents’ attic. It is marked on the bottom “3333 / JB.” I would like to sell it but cannot find any comps. Can you provide a value? – JZ, Email Question

ANSWER: The “JB” indicates the figurine was made by the Jennings Brothers Manufacturing Company, located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Three Jennings brothers founded the company in 1890. It continued in business into the early 1900s.

Jennings Brothers made bookends, candlesticks, figurative items, jewelry boxes, and lamps. Jennings Brothers developed a reputation for producing high-quality pieces utilizing the skills of artists, metal smiths, and sculptors. “3333” is a factory or catalog number.

When Jennings Brothers ceased operations, its molds were purchased by a Philadelphia company. This company used the molds to make inexpensive reproductions.

Examples of your Jennings Brothers seated Whippet-Greyhound figure are common. When sold initially, it had an applied bronze finish. The bronze finish often is missing due to excessive cleaning.

Sell through prices on eBay for examples in very good or better condition range from $25.00 to $35.00. The value is up by a few dollars from examples that sold through five years ago. If the bronze finish is damaged, the figurine’s value is minimal. w

QUESTION: have a large collection of novelty salt and pepper shakers that I bought at garage sales. I have examples of every conceivable theme. Many of the older ones are marked “Made in Japan.” I love their kitsch look. Are people collecting these? Are they worth anything? –TD, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada, Email Question

ANSWER: The golden age of figural/novelty salt and pepper shakers ended in the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century.

Over the years, I enjoyed tracking the average price asked for these fun items. The average price started in the $8.00 to $12.00 range and reached a high of $17.50 to $22.50 in the mid-1990s. Today, the average secondary market price is closer to $10.00 a pair.

Three years ago, I visited an antiques mall in Houston. A former novelty salt and pepper shaker collector had rented a large booth in hopes of selling his collection. In spite of his low prices, the settled dust around his sets indicated that sales were slim.

The good news is that the Novelty Salt & Pepper Shakers Club (www.saltandpepperclub.com) still is active. I recommend joining. The club also has a Facebook page. They have an annual convention that features members selling and trading from their hotel rooms. There also are a number of local chapters, including one in Western Ontario.

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.