Questions and Answers

QUESTION: I would like some information on a Jaymar child’s piano.  I have one in its period box.  The price tag reads “$34.99,” but there is no date.  Does it have value?  --  RH, E-mail Question

ANSWER: In the early 1980s, I began a project whereby members of the Rinker Enterprises staff made photocopies of lead articles from the dozens of trade papers and periodicals we received each month.  This information then was filed by collecting category.  Many of the trade papers and periodicals have vanished from the scene or been consolidated into other publications.

An article entitled “Jaymar Wood” appeared in the November/December 1993 issue of Collectors’ Showcase.  It contained the following: “Every collector of 20th Century tin toys knows the name Louis Marx, founder and builder of the world’s largest toy manufacturing company during the period 1925-1965.  But how many collectors know the name of his father and the toy company he built during the time the son ruled the toy universe?  The father’s name was Jacob Marx and his company was Jaymar Specialty Co.

“Jacob, a tailor by trade, had three children: Rose, Louis and David.  Sometime in the late 1920’s, after Louis Marx Co. had become firmly established as America’s premier toy manufacturer with Louis as president and David as vice-president, Jacob founded his company with his daughter Rose as partner….Both Marx-managed companies from their very beginnings and throughout their corporate lives were family affairs.  The two companies were never competitors but rather worked closely, shared office space, salesmen and distributors.  Louis Marx, clearly the dominant force in the business, was very helpful in establishing a market niche for Jaymar, conceding to Jaymar and lining up contracts for the production of toys and playthings, using wood, paper or cloth….

“During the early years of the Jaymar company, another family, the Kaufman’s (brothers Joseph and Henry) of Pittsfield, Mass., were operating a company which distributed candy as its main business and plush toys as a sideline.  In 1944, Ralph Kaufman, the oldest son of Joseph, married Dorothy Borden, granddaughter of Jacob Marx and daughter of Rose, Jacob’s partner in Jaymar.  As a result of this union, the Marx and Kaufman families became well-acquainted and a close friendship developed between Louis Marx and Joseph Kaufman….

“After the war all three companies grew and expanded with the return to peacetime prosperity.  Louis Marx was the undisputed toy king; Jaymar had a major market niche making jigsaw puzzles, wooden toy pianos, figures, and many other products; and the Kaufman Brothers toy distribution business eclipsed its candy business….”

Your piano most likely dates from the 1950s or early 1960s.  Jaymar made several piano variations ranging from baby grands to upright models.  Key count varied from 25 to 37.

Jaymar children’s pianos appear regularly for sale on eBay.  Closing values begin in the mid-thirty dollar range for commonly found models; $75.00 to $90.00 for harder to find examples.  Because of their size and weight, shipping charges easily can add another $15.00 to $25.00 to the total.

In order for a piano to have value, it must be in working order.  If the period box features a picture of the piano or a child playing the piano, it will increase the value by $15.00 to $20.00.  If the box is plain, its impact on value is negligible.

QUESTION: I am not a toy collector.  However, lately I have had an urge to acquire a toy from my past.  In the early to mid-seventies, when I was in grade school, I had some cars that I believe were called “SST.”  They were about 8 1/2in long, made out of plastic, and had a flywheel inside.  A T-handle came with them that you inserted into the center of the car.  A quick pull got the flywheel going.  The car took off like a shot.  They had demolition derby examples in the form of a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad.  There was a plunger on the front so that when they crashed the doors flew off and the hood went up.  There also were regular cars as well that went that fast.  My dilemma is that I am looking for them on the Internet and cannot come up with the right name.  Help!  --  SB, E-mail Question

ANSWER: The key to searching the Internet is to ask the right questions.  First, you have the initials wrong.  You want to search under “SSP,” not “SST.”  Second, you will find the car you seek if you search under “smash-up derby.”  Make certain to enclose the phrase in quotation marks when doing your search.

Kenner was the manufacturer of Smash-Up Derby sets.  Al, Phil, and Joe Steiner founded Kenner in 1947.  The company’s name came from its location, Kenner Street in Cincinnati.  General Mills bought the company in 1967.  Kenner’s golden years occurred during the 1980s when it held a Star Wars license and was one of the leading producers of action figures.  Kenner eventually found its way into Hasbro’s stable of toy brands.

1970s toys are one of the hot collecting categories.  Recently a four-car Chevy and VW promotion 70 SSP Smash-Up Demolition Derby set sold on eBay for $147.50.  The set included two 1970s Chevrolet pick-up trucks and two 1960 Volkswagen Beetles.  The set still had all its interchangeable fly-off parts—doors, hoods, trunks, and eight black tires.  The eBay listing stated the set still contained its paper instructions, which the seller noted are “always missing.”

An eBay “smash-up derby” search turned up nine listings.  One listing featured a four car Chevy-Ford Promo 70 SSP Smash-Up Demolition Derby set with an opening bid request of $149.99 and a “Buy It Now” price of $175.99.  Other sets appear to be selling at far more reasonable prices, i.e., between $65.00 and $85.00.

There also seems to be a viable market for accessories and partial sets.  Although most sets appear to date from the early 1970s, an Australian dealer listed a set that he dated from the 1990s.

Your interest in 1970s toys is clearly a harbinger of the future.  Prices for toys of this era already are on the rise.  I expect them to climb even higher in the decade ahead.

QUESTION: I have a set of Johnson Brothers’ English Chippendale pattern dinnerware in the rose or pink floral pattern.  My set includes plates, cups, saucers, platters, serving bowls, and a pitcher.  How much of a demand for this pattern is there?  Where can I determine its value?  -- LB, Nazareth, PA

ANSWER: You will find information about Johnson Brothers’ English Chippendale dinnerware in my Dinnerware of the 20th Century: The Top 500 Patterns (House of Collectibles, 1997; 305 pages, out-of-print).

Alfred, Frederick, and Henry Johnson purchased the bankrupt J. W. Pankhurst Company, a tableware manufactory in Hanley, Staffordshire, England, in 1883 and established Johnson Brothers.  By 1914 Johnson Brothers owned and operated five additional manufacturing plants scattered throughout Hanley, Tunstall, and Burslem.  During the 1960s, Johnson Brothers acquired plants in Hamilton, Canada, and Croydon, Australia.  Johnson Brothers became part of the Wedgwood Group in 1968.

Keep in mind that the prices found in my Dinnerware of the 20th Century: The Top 500 Patterns reflect the retail prices asked by replacement services who sell individual pieces on an “as needed” basis.  A 10in dinner plate lists at $25.00 and a 12in oval platter at $65.00.

As always, these prices need to be tested against sales on the Internet, especially eBay.  Several hundred lots of Johnson Brothers’ English Chippendale dinnerware appear for sale on eBay each month.  Recently a set of twelve red/rose dinner plates sold for $62.75, an average cost of just over $5.00 per plate.  A lot featuring two sets of cups and saucers brought $25.00, $12.50 per cup and saucer.  As you can see, Internet final sales are substantially below book price.

In this case, you can discount shipping cost as a factor because a buyer would have to pay shipping costs in both instances, i.e., purchased from a replacement service or Internet.

While demand for your pattern apparently is high, so also is supply.  Because of the latter, prices are low and likely to remain so.

QUESTION: I am looking for information about an old prophylactic vending machine that my deceased husband brought home about thirty or forty years ago.  It stands two feet tall and has a manufacturer’s label for Bluff City Vending.  Thank you for any information you may be able to provide. – MK, E-mail Question

ANSWER: Bill Enes’ Silent Salesmen Too (Walsworth Publishing Co., 1995; 316 pages, $39.95) contains this information about a “STOP VD” machine: “Bluff City Mfg. made three different models.  Pictured here is the L-25 constructed of sheet metal that held 25 prophylactics.  The L-50 held 50 pieces and was twice as tall as the L-25.  While the L-100 was twice as tall as the L-50 and held 100 pieces.  Bluff City Mfg.”  Enes values the smallest machine at $100.00.

I was not able to locate any information on Bluff City Manufacturing.  While several states feature communities called Bluff City, the best know is Bluff City, located near Memphis, Tennessee.

You did not provide the model number of your machine.  I am assuming it is one of the models listed above.  If so, it dates from the 1950s or 1960s.

Call information and obtain the telephone number for the reference librarian of the Bluff City or Memphis public library.  Call and ask if they can locate a listing for the company in a 1950s or 1960s city directory.  If yes, ask if they have additional information about the company or can direct you to someone who has.

If any of my readers are familiar with the company, please e-mail me at rinkeron@fast.net or send information to Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA  18049.  As always, I will pass along any information I receive in a future column.

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.

Home & Garden Television (HGTV) currently lists COLLECTOR INSPECTOR as on hiatus from January 1 through March 30, 2005.  Whether or not it returns as reruns in April depends entirely on HGTV.
 

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