Fire Alarm Telegraph
Not immediately clear what this is, but the second photo helps. A product of the Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company, founded in 1879. I’m guessing… Read More »Fire Alarm Telegraph
TIL
Lewis Chessmen
These are reproductions of the famous Lewis Chessmen, 12th century walrus ivory game pieces found on the island of Lewis in Scotland in 1831. At… Read More »Lewis Chessmen
100,000 shares of Atari stock
This is not merely a huge chunk of Atari stock. The certificate is made out to Jack Tramiel, “a Polish American businessman and Holocaust survivor,… Read More »100,000 shares of Atari stock
Extremely friendly octopus netsuke – 蛸と海女
“The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife [by Hokusai] is not the only work of Edo-period art to depict erotic relations between a woman and an… Read More »Extremely friendly octopus netsuke – 蛸と海女
Waring MiXOR
Fred Waring was a musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality… and also a promoter, financial backer and eponym of the Waring Blendor, the first… Read More »Waring MiXOR
Antisemitic Vichy Dollar Bill
This is quite a crazy thing. The Nazis apparently dropped these ‘dollar bills’ from planes over France. They unfold so that the hidden inside has… Read More »Antisemitic Vichy Dollar Bill
Burgess Shale Chandelier
This looks like someone made a chandelier out of gluing strange Cambrian beasties from the Burgess Shale together. Photo by Palm Springs Estate Sale Company.
Spaceballs: the Book, by… RL Stine? WTF
Forget how absurd it is that there is a novelization of Spaceballs, but author Jovial Bob Stine is none other than RL Stine. Before Goosebumps… Read More »Spaceballs: the Book, by… RL Stine? WTF
1962 Rose Bowl
As a Bruin, I don’t need a reminder of a Rose Bowl loss, but this is still quite a souvenir. Gopher quarterback Sandy Stephens was… Read More »1962 Rose Bowl
Whistle Soda Elf
Whistle Soda got its start with the Vess Beverage Company in St. Louis in 1925. I gather that most of their sodas were branded as… Read More »Whistle Soda Elf