Questions and Answers

QUESTION: I have a Charlie’s Angels pinball machine.  What is it worth? – TX, E-mail 

ANSWER: D. Gottlieb & Company introduced its Charlie’s Angels solid state pinball machine in December 1978.  The following is from Richard M. Bueschel’s Encyclopedia of Pinball, Volume 2 (Silverball Amusements, 1997; 252 pages, $49.95) which contains a detailed description of this machine:

“The top rated ‘T & A’ show on television in the late 1970s (‘T & A’ being television producer talk for ‘Tits and Ass’) was ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ with the unlikely premise that three utterly charming women would chase around, guns in hand, fighting crime under the direction of an unknown and unseen closet vigilante named Charles.  Jiggling all the way.  Who needed a premise.  They were beautiful.  The show was the brainstorm of producers Leonard Goldberg and Aaron Spelling, who first name the show ‘The Alley Cats.’…

“From the moment the Wednesday night ABC ‘Angels’ show went on the air September 22, 1976, it was a hit.  By November over half the television audience in the country was watching.  It was said that the men watched the girls, while the women watched the fashions….”

Gottlieb signed a deal in 1978 at the beginning of the show’s third season to produce a celebrity pinball game.  “The introductory flyers says ‘CHARLIE’S ANGELS featuring instant appeal of one of television’s highest rated program series!  Authentic graphics licensed by Spelling-Goldberg productions.’  The artwork is by Gordon Morison, and the ‘authentic graphics’ include the faces of Jackson, Smith, and Ladd surrounded by the silhouette trademark of the series.  When the game came out, Kate Jackson was still in the series.  By the fall, when it was still on location, she was out.  The game captures a moment in time.

“The asymmetrical playfield is uncomplicated and has little to do with the show other than repeat graphics of the three women.  Four rollovers at the top marked C-H-I-C left to right guide the ball, C-H going left and I-C going right.  Once in flipper shooting territory there is a bank of five drop targets to the left, three to the right, and two Pop Bumpers.  Bonus rollovers down field.  Bonus multiplier advances to 5X by making C-H-I-C or by hitting all red drop targets.  You get an extra ball for making H and dropping the three white targets.  An EM model was also produced, for which Gordon Morison had to do a complete repaint to get the three women on the glass pushed to the lower left.

“Show producer Aaron Spelling saw ‘Charlie’s Angels’ as the property that made his company and put money in the bank.  He has a CHARLIE’S ANGELS pinball game in his home to serve as a reminder of the achievement….”

Bueschel grades pinball machines into six classes ranging from C6, a professionally restored playable machine, to C1, a machine whose basic value is for salvageable parts.  You do not indicate in your e-mail whether or not your machine is working.  I am going to assume it does work, the back glass shows no deterioration (a major problem and deduction in value if it does), and that no professional restoration has been done—a condition grade between a C3 and C4 on Bueschel’s scale.

Gottlieb’s Charlie’s Angels pinball machine is common.  Examples regularly appear on the market.  Based on this and the assumptions above, your Charlie’s Angels machine is valued between $200.00 and $250.00 in the pinball market.

Would a Charlie’s Angels collector value it higher?  My first thought was to indicate yes.  Upon reflection, two facts make no the correct response.  First, the number of Charlie’s Angels collectors has peaked.  The category is attracting virtually no new collectors.  Second, I strongly suspect that those Charlie’s Angels collectors who want an example of the machine already have one in their collection.  Collecting is driven by supply and demand.  When one category of crossover collectors is removed from the market, demand diminishes.  In the pinball world, Gottlieb’s Charlie’s Angel pinball is just one more example of a TV licensed game.  It does not command a premium.

QUESTION: I have a two-transistor King boy’s radio in its carrying case.  It works but needs an antenna.  What is its value?  --  RZ, E-mail Question

ANSWER: David and Robert Lane’s Transistor Radios: A Collector’s Encyclopedia and Price Guide (Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1994; 170 pages, out-of-print) define a boy’s radio as: “Normally a two-transistor radio designed as a ‘toy’ and therefore not required to have ‘CD” marking.”

CD markings are an excellent way to date early transistor radios.  “CD markings were required on all radios sold in the United States between 1953 and 1963.  Virtually all transistor radios manufactured before 1964 contain CD markings….Some radios made prior to 1964 do not have CD markings.  Hitachi’s first set didn’t have them, and almost all ‘Boy’s Radios’ lacked CD markings.  On the other side of the ledger, many sets manufactured in Hong Kong retained CD markings for several years beyond 1965, and some used them as late as the 1970s.”

Transistor radios experienced a collecting craze in the early 1990s.  The market has cooled considerably since that time. Recently a Kentucky seller offered a King two-transistor boy’s radio on eBay with the following description: “This is a Boy’s radio, marked King, manufactured in Japan.  It is in excellent working condition and includes a vinyl case which is also in nice condition.  The case has a foldover flap which closes with a snap and the carrying handle is intact and unbroken.  The telescoping antenna has broken off at the base attachment on top of the radio, but is present and could be easily reattached (the base attachment unscrews for removal).  The radio works fine without the antenna and the volume and tuning dial controls operate fine.  I can find nothing wrong with the radio, other than a couple of faint scratches on the plastic case.”  The radio sold for a bid of $20.40 plus $4.30 shipping and handling.  A second example sold by a New Jersey seller only realized $12.38 plus $3.85 shipping and handling.

America was not the only country caught up in the portable transistor radio craze of the late 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s.  Japanese two-, four-, and six-transistor radios were sold worldwide.  I found several examples for sale on a German website, all priced at under $15.00.

The survival rate of transistor radios is high.  For whatever reason, people who owned them put them in drawers, closets, and other storage locations when the craze ended.  Further, transistor radios were manufactured in large quantities.  In 1959 more than six million Japanese transistor radios were sold in the American market.

Most buyers shy away from buying a damaged or non-working transistor radio.  Further, buyers prefer a radio that comes with its carrying case, presentation box, and paper literature (instructions, promotion brochure, etc.).  Again, a surprising number of transistor radios survive as complete boxed units.

QUESTION: I have a Trans Pacific pocket watch made by the Illinois Case Company, Elgin, Illinois.  It has a 21-jewel movement and a hunter’s case, one that opens in the front to reveal the face of the watch.  The case is gold and engraved with a dove, a small house, and other cosmetic designs on the front and back.  The watch was purchased in 1919 by my great grandfather.  The crystal is missing; otherwise the watch is in good shape.  What is its value?  --  KS, Stevens Point, WI

ANSWER: Roy Ehrhardt’s American Pocket Watch Identification and Price Guide, Book 2 (Heart of America Press, 1974, revised June 1980; 192 pages, out-of-print) contains a reprint of a page from the 1920 Spiegel catalog that shows Illinois railroad watches.  The advertisement reads: “The Only Watch Adjusted to 6 Positions.  The Illinois Railroad Watch has been adopted as the standard on all American railways, as well as on many European lines….The standards are higher than in any other factory.  The specifications for each part are more rigid and greater care is taken in assembling, adjusting and regulating.

“The Illinois Railroad Watch is the only watch in the world that is adjusted to six positions.  You cannot think of any position a watch could be in that is not covered by these six adjustments.”  In simple language, no matter how you hold or store the watch, it will keep perfect time.

The page shows a watchcase back identical to the one you describe.  The description reads: “Bunn Special / 20-Year Gold Filled / A handsome hand engraved 20-year bright polished case.  The case is double strata gold filled.  Fitted with the Bunn special movement, straw back and bezel, open face style, 16 size.”  The 21-jewel example retailed for $57.95 and the 23-jewel example for $63.50.

Whenever I want price information on American pocket watches, I turn to Cooksey Shugart, Tom Engle, and Richard E. Gilbert (edited by Martha Shugart)’s Complete Price Guide to Watches (Cooksey Shugart Publications, issued annually).  The book notes: “The Illinois Watch Co. used more names on its movements than any other watch manufacturer.”

As with so many letters and e-mails I receive, the information you provide only tells part of the story.  The serial number would have made researching the watch easier.  Is there a karat marking on the back cover?  The difference in value between a gold-filled case and a karat gold case is between $150.00 and $250.00.  What manufacturer’s name is on the watch’s works?

Replacing the crystal on your watch is not a problem.  A large specialty jewelry shop should be able to do it for you.

Because I am working with a minimum of information, I am going to be conservative in my value.  Assuming your watch is in good working order and has a gold-filled case, use a base value between $200.00 and $250.00.  If it has Bunn works, add another $100.00 to $150.00.  If the case is 10K or 12K, add another $150.00.

QUESTION: I received an all-steel, toy concrete mixer as a present some sixty-five years ago, probably around 1937.  There is some lettering on the yellow top bar of the frame, but it is no longer decipherable.  Can you tell me who manufactured this childhood treasure and what it might be worth today?  --  JS, Bethlehem, PA

ANSWER: Using the pictures that accompanied your letter, I was able to determine that your concrete mixer was made by Buddy L.  Albert W. McCollough’s The New Book of Buddy “L” Toys, Volume 1 (Greenburg Publishing, 1991; 190 pages, $49.95) provides this information about your toy: “CONCRETE MIXER, 1936-37, cataloged as No. 832 in 1938 and No. 932 in 1939-40.

 “Type I: 10 1/2 inches; similar to Nos. 2006 and 32 of 1930-35 except for colors: yellow-orange frame and base, red hopper and drum, black crank handle, green or black two-part steel wheels, green band around drum, green or yellow tilt lever.  Decals: BUDDY “L” on sides of base, BUDDY “L” CONCRETE MIXES on beam above drum.

“Type II: Same as type I except wheels are black rubber and dual (eight in all), 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  (This type is uncommon).”

Because your concrete mixer is in good condition, i.e., shows signs of heavy play, its value is between $125.00 and $150.00.  Restored to fine condition, its value would jump to $300.00.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth century.  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, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049.  You also can e-mail your questions to rinkeron@fast.net.  Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

Watch Harry as the COLLECTOR INSPECTOR on Friday evenings at 8:00 PM and 12:00 PM ET on Home & Garden Television (HGTV).  Check your local TV schedule for the exact time in other time zones.
 

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