The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
QUESTION: Do you, or does anyone you know own any historical or Hollywood-related memorabilia? If so, what is it, and would you ever consider selling it?
Talk about it….
A year ago, at the concord flea market, I bought metal bathroom sign (white only) from the segregation era for $40. I turned about and sold it for $400 on eBay.
I have a copy of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, U.S.A. Sunday, December 7, 1941.
The headline reads:
WAR! OAHU, BOMBED BY JAPANESE PLANES.
I also have a 5’x3′ American flag with 48 stars.
And a German beer stein with the year stamped on the bottom,1756.
If I ever come across a museum that’s interested in the newspaper or the flag, I might donate them, but I’m keeping the beer stein. A few years ago, an antique shop offered to pay $350.00 for the stein, but I turned it down.
If anybody has any pictures of the Diablo Shadows neighborhood area before construction in the mid 70’s – please post or pass to the admins to post? TIA
We have aerial photos of Contra Costa from 1970 and the Diablo Shadows Development Brochure at Swan’s Fine Books. We’ve had other historical items, but they have either been sold or donated.
I have one baseball signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig–not for sale-
A brick from the Cowell Stack
Me, too
An Oakland A’s newspaper featuring Billy Martin on the cover.
I have a small ton of Star Trek stuff and boxes of various ST books. Not sure they count as much of anything let alone memorabilia.
Somewhere in the house are a few worthless beanie babies.
Seems wasn’t to long ago we did same type of water cooler…. I don’t remember what I had listed (and don’t want to be a broken record), but would never sell; family links, etc…
Always neat to see what Y’all come up with…. I hope this cooler gets lots on responses…….
🙂
When I first moved to the area, we were surprised to see a street in Walnut Creek with my mother’s maiden name. Every time Mom came to visit from my birth state of Michigan, she’d laugh as we passed it and said, “Oh, there’s our street.” At her funeral, her younger brother asked me if I lived anywhere near an area called Shadelands and related a story about the Ohio branch of the family buying up quite a bit of land there then deciding not to put a branch of the business in CA, after all. The uncle relating the story told me that although his uncle, a philanthropist who was very secretive and allowed his name on nothing, went through with the sale and allowed them to put the family name on one of the streets in case any family member ever moved to CA. Mother died never knowing that the street was, in fact, “our” street.
I have a Victorian bracelet made out of human hair.
A silk handkerchief with my dad’s face painted on it when he was in the Navy.
A piece of my wedding cake that’s 47 years old, lol
An 1888 curling iron heater that used kerosene to heat the iron.
Just to name a few of my treasures!!
Screen legend Anthony Quinn’s undershirt.
How did you get that t shirt?
A ring that was my great-great grandmothers c.1880’s
I have 2 tiny sealed bottles that contain wood from the last remaining remnants of the Murphy Cabin (Donner Party). At the Donner Memorial Park the giant statue of the Pioneers looking west was built with funds gathered in 1893 by auctioning off small bottles with the wood sealed inside. Years ago the Visitor Center at Donner was selling some of the bottles that someone had found in an attic. I purchased two of the bottles. Won’t ever sell them.
In the 1960’s I bought a German U-Boat Close Combat Award at a antiques shop in Illinois.
AD
Not historic or Hollywood related, BUT! when the new Apple Campus in Cupertino was completed Apple handed out about 20 jigsaw puzzles, to executives of the Apple construction team. It’s a puzzle depicting the new campus, in a custom tin with an image of the new campus on the tin. I opened the tin once, as there was nothing sealing the tin. I never opened the sealed bag with the puzzle pieces inside. I’ll pass it on for a couple generations and let them get it appraised some day.
I have an original San Francisco Chronicle Extra dated October 18, 1989
I had a copy of that paper too, but I don’t remember what happened to it. I also had a t-shirt commemorating the Loma Prieta earthquake. It had writing on it that read, “October 17, 1989. The Heart of Rock n Roll is in San Francisco.” Then in small print it read, “it’s not my fault.”
I have a small piece of the Berlin Wall my Dad got when he was there, on business, back in the early 90s. My Dad just gave me a small receipt book, dated 1938-39, from my Grandpa before they moved from the Oklahoma panhandle to California. My Grandpa was the school bus driver and earned $20 per month, teachers earned $45 a month.
Gift shop at Berlin Wall still sells those this many years later. I question how all of them can still be authentic as part of the walk still stands snd part is in a Berlin Museum
funny ConcordRez…I was in Berlin in the mid-late 90’s and they had kiosks selling bricks from the Wall…why, they even had certificates of authenticity. Yep, we did not buy them…
I have a few things. A very large piece of the Berlin Wall, a bible from 1812 loaded with all kinds of stuff. Old report cards, an article about Lincoln’s assassination, pieces of hair etc. A San Francisco newspaper dated 10 days after the 1906 earthquake. That’s really interesting to go through
I would love to see the sale ads, and the help wanted section from 1906.
A complete newspaper from the morning after President Kennedy’s assassination.
An original Wells Fargo strongbox with lock and key.
Also a 2″X 2″ brass Motor Vehicle Register Tag from California from 1914 with a registration number of 5500. I found this as a teenager on our homes property while digging out tree stumps.
Neat…. Keep’em coming….
Still have and have sold dozens of historical items at the bookstore.
108RS
I have a collection of about 150 35mm color slides of about every famous actor from the 1940’s to 1970’s. These were taken by a famous professional photographer and friend of the stars, not distance shots but up close. Many famous politicians, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Kissenger etc, Sports figures and TV personalities. They have been publically viewed only three times. I know that they are valuable and am willing to sell at some time in the future.
A complete set of both Mad Magazine and Panic comic books (when they were still comic book sized). The Will Elder artwork on the early Mad comics was absolutely incredible.
We may also have an autographed picture of Randolph Mantooth.
Yes. An authentic World War I Doughboy helmet that belonged to my great-great uncle. He fought in the trenches in France and survived.
A letter from Katharine Hepburn giving me acting advice on her letterhead.
I had something that was both! I had a Ronald Reagan for Governor placard that was signed by RR himself! I was at a rally in Pleasant Hill, just a youngster at the time… and I managed to work my way up to the stage determined to get his signature after the speech. When the speech ended I was getting squished against the stage by the crowd when Ron spotted me and hoisted me up onto the stage so that I wouldn’t die at his rally. The crowd cheered and he signed my placard. I had to sit there for a while till it was all over and my Dad took me down off the stage.
Copy (from that era) of famous picture of Apollo 11 team, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong (it is autographed, but via autopen, not a true signature). Also have a commemoration from President Gerald Ford for my Grandfather (I believe that should be an authentic signature, not that it matters)