Recent Sales on eBay

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Todd

Every once and a while on this blog I like to take a look at what is selling on eBay.  Recently, there have been some interesting results that are definitely worth noting…and some sales that frankly have me scratching my head.

NT0646

NT0646 – Donald at Sacre Coeur

To start off, poketdvd recently offered a number of rare cards for sale (and some are up right now).  Of note were two French cards (NT 0646 and NT0647) that he offered a couple of weeks ago.  I have personally never seen one of these cards for sale.  Now, to be sure, I may have missed something, but suffice it to say that these are very rare cards indeed.  I was actually a little surprised to see one, or perhaps both, get no bidders on the first go around at a start of $50.  (I may have this wrong…but I am pretty sure that one of them did originally end with no bidders at $50).  As is often the case on eBay however…if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  On the next round, both cards sold for ~$60 each.  There are 20
cards in this series…gathering them together from scratch is going to be a tall order, and a bit pricey too.

Jumbo_J4_resized

J-4 Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

The Jumbo J-4 Sleeping Beauty castle card was, at first a bit of a mystery to me.  Why did this card go for $92?  When I pulled out my Nickel Tour book and it wasn’t there, then the picture became a little more clear.  Not only that, the card is not on disneylandpostcards.net either.  So…this is a rare card as well.

NT0010

NT0010 – A Tahitian Village…

Finally for the head scratchers.  NT0002, NT0010 and NT0021 were all sold by the same seller for $49.99 each.  Maybe the buyer is new to the hobby and thought these cards were really hard to come by.  I don’t know, but $49.99 is a little steep for these cards in my humble opinion.

And that is an excellent segue into an update on the enhancements to my site.  Things are progressing nicely and I have had a look at the “beta” of the code.  If all goes well, I think it could be up for “beta” testing in a few weeks.  The enhancements to the site will allow far easier access to the type of information I have been talking about here tonight.  But it won’t be possible without your help.  I am providing the raw materials, but I will need your help to build the building.

Until next time…

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Sometimes, you see the strangest stuff…

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Todd

WCJones_rackI was poking around eBay tonight and came across an auction for this post card rack.  It is apparently a rack used for the W.C. Jones 3D cards that feature mostly Jungle Book scenes and a few other random scenes.

The cards (NT0609 thru NT0622A) were printed in 1967 in Japan, according to the Nickel Tour. I don’t have a complete set of these, but they are indeed very hefty cards.  And while this rack pictured here is no doubt rather rare, it would have to be the collector with just that perfect spot on the wall to want to shell out $500 to pick up this item.

If you are that collector…now is the time!  I suspect that this rack is unique.  I am amazed it has survived this long.

Until next time…

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More Origins of the Hobby etc.

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Todd
Susan Ferdig's "The History of Disney Postcards" v6#1

Susan Ferdig’s “The History of Disney Postcards” v6#1

A few weeks ago, you may recall that I posted on the history of this hobby, citing Nick Farago and Roger LeRoque’s guide of cards from the 1970’s and the “original” collector, Vernon Orr.  Well, I recently picked up several issues of a different guide from the 1990’s…another attempt by someone to catalog the cards form Disneyland.  Her name is Susan Ferdig.

The issues that I have are all from the 5th and 6th volume…so this publication was around for a while.  Each card is listed with the number printed on the card, a number which appears to correlate with the Nickel Tour number, and then a third number, which I believe was either created by Susan, or is somehow related to a Tomart guide.  Either way…it’s not a common numbering system.

Included in the lot were a few lists of cards that were for sale by the publisher.  What was interesting about these is the prices.  Not a lot has changed for most of the cards in the last 15 years.  People are still paying about the the same for a lot of these, in non-inflation adjusted dollars, so you can actually argue that things are cheaper today.

At the end of the day, I think what Susan was trying to do is create a list not unlike that made by Messrs. Farago and LeRoque, but with photos.  If any of you out there have more information on how this publication came to an end, or if Susan is still collecting, I would love to hear about it.  Ultimately, once the Nickel Tour was published, this work was for all practical purposes made obsolete…but not entirely.  The text on the back of the cards is all published here, making this guide more comprehensive.

So…this website hopes to pick up where Vernon, Nick, Roger, Susan, Ken and the Nickel Tour left off.  Providing a place where not only the cards are discussed…but ultimately where a more complete checklist and guide will be made available to the community.

And that brings me to the “etc.” of the post.  My work to update the web-site with a few more features is chugging along!  I have a coder helping me get the thing all put together, so stay tuned for further developments!  It’s going to be cool if I can get the vision implemented!

Until next time…

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NT1686 and the Spanish Main!

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Todd

NT1686I decided to just reach into one of my boxes tonight and blog on whatever I pulled out. Turns out the lucky card was NT1686, Swashbucklers of the Spanish Main!  This card has a few things worthy of discussion actually, and a few questions that it raises as well.

The 00100 cards are, according to the NT1686_0001Nickel Tour, all re-issues of the 0100 cards.
This card is a continental sized card (4 X 6 inches), same as the the 0100 card would have been.  And this card came in two varieties that, while called out in the Nickel Tour, they are not treated with seperate numbers.  One has no Disneyland logo, the other (this one) does.  So, while both cards are considered to be NT1686, there is that difference.

Spanish Main

From the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL

Reading the caption on the back got me thinking;  What exactly is, the Spanish “Main”?  The Main what?  Main ships?  Main naval force?  Until tonight I have to confess to ignorance.  Well…in fact…neither guess is correct.  The Spanish Main was considered to be the geographical area of land that enclosed the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.  So, present day south-eastern United States, eastern Mexico, and the eastern and northern portions of Central and South America respectively would have made up the Spanish Main.

So…there you have it…not only is collecting Disney post cards fun, but you can actually learn something every now and then!

Until next time…

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Wonderful World of Color

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Todd

World_Of_ColorA couple of posts ago I mentioned that I had acquired a “Wonderful World of Color” post card with Ludwig von Drake featured on the front.  This is not technically a post card, I think.  But whoever designed it figured they would put some markings on the back to make so that it could be used as a post card if so desired.  And this card is certainly not in the Nickel Tour as it was not a card sold in the park.

World_Of_Color_0001I suspect this card was given out by NBC…perhaps at the studio in Burbank.  But that is just a guess.  Either way…it’s a great memento from a time when color television was brand new, and Disney was exploiting it to the hilt.  If you didn’t get a chance to catch the video I linked to in the Ludwig von Drake squeaker post, definitely check it out…clearly a promotion for color TV.

By the way…the card does say “Copyright 1961 WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS” on the front.  So, that does support the idea that this card was put out by the NBC right when the “Wonderful World of Color” first aired on TV.  For a modern day interpretation of the “World of Color”, you’ll have to go see the light show at Disney California Adventure…that is quite a show!

Until next time…

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NT0592 – Chip n’ Dale on the River

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Todd

NT0592NT0592_0001I recently went to one of the local paper and post card shows in the area, and as I mentioned in a previous post, got a chance to meet Nick Farago…one of the “elder statesmen” of this hobby.  He had a number of cards for sale that were rather rare…I think he had four or five copies each of NT0576 and NT0577, for example.  These were a tad rich for my blood at the moment…I mostly just wanted to ask him questions, but also buy a few cards.  I walked out with a several panoramas, and this card; NT0592.

I don’t think I have ever seen this card on eBay, so I was glad to find it.  It’s weird, you see certain Art Corner cards all the time…and some, are just not seen that often.  I guess I can understand why more people would buy Tinkerbell, or Donald Duck, or the Goofy postcards when they were on sale at the Art Corner…but were Chip and Dale that much less popular back in the day?  I don’t know…

Anyway, this particular example has clearly spent some time in a photo album, but I was still glad to get it.  With post cards, I am not really that critical of condition.  As long as the card isn’t really creased and the main image is not affected, it’s all the same to me.  But that’s just me…

Until next time…

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NT0542 – Professor Von Drake Squeaker

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Todd

NT0542I decided to repost this entry – after rereading my original post from the other day…I thought it was dumb!  So I re-wrote this post to be a little more informative.  Enjoy!

The other day I got rather lucky on eBay.  It was one of those times when you happen to be in the right place at the right time.  At the end of the day, I got this and another squeaker for a very reasonable price.  Filling holes in the collection cheaply is always a great feeling!

In case you were wondering, Professor von Drake first came on the scene in 1961, introduced as Donald’s uncle, he often hosted the Walt Disney Wonderful World of Color T.V. show.  The Wikipedia entry for the Professor says that he was named either after Ludwig von Mises, or Ludwig Beethoven.  As a mechanical engineer, and since von Drake is a scientist (among other things), I prefer to think it was
von Mises!

NT0542_0001I recently picked up another card on eBay, a Wonderful World of Color advertising card.  Once I get that in I will be sure to post it to the site.  If you want to see a clip of von Drake in action, try this one.   (I think maybe they were trying to sell color TVs here too!)

On another front, I am actively working to upgrade this site, shopping for the right talent to do the right job.  I can’t wait to see these ideas executed on the site…so stay tuned!

Until next time…

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NT0279 – Schweitzer Falls B-4

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Todd

NT0279_Schweitzer_Falls_B4When I was putting the price guide together, I was having to take a number of “wags” on price categories of some cards as I just did not have any data.  Some of you have graciously helped out with suggesting alternative price categories for some of the cards, and those have been implemented.  But where I can, I like to see actual “sold for” values to assign a price category.

Today on eBay I noticed this card going for well over the “Common” category that it is presently listed in.  So…given that, I decided to change this one to “Uncommon”.  Would it get the same price tomorrow if another were offered?  Unknown.  But, we can certainly keep our eyes out to see what happens.

Until next time…

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Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad Fold-out

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Todd

Santa_Fe_Post_CardHere’s is something you don’t see every day.  I don’t think it is that rare, as a couple of them have shown up on eBay over the last few weeks.  But when I saw this one pop up, I decided to get it, since it was something that was new to me.

This is one of those items that is sort of a post card, and sort of not.  It’s a fold out card, not unlike the Carnation Menu postcard.  But this card folds out to a larger size than the Carnation card…and I did not show all the details here.  Above and beyond what is shown here is a route map of the Sante Fe Railroad across the US, and pictures of the trains inside and out.

 

Santa_Fe_Post_Card_0002So…a pretty cool card from the the late 1950’s.  There have been a few of these up on eBay over the last few months…going price seems to be around $25 to $30.  So, if you don’t have one in your collection, it won’t break the bank.  Oh…one last thing.  Neither this card or the Carnation Menu card have an NT number.

Until next time…

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Origins of the Hobby

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Todd

Farago_LeRoque_ListWell its been a while since I have put anything up here…the new year has brought a fair bit of work at the “day job” along with other activities outside the normal work day.  I hope you are finding the new year to be a good one so far.

On the postcard front, my visit to the San Francisco vintage paper and postcard show was a success…mostly because I had the opportunity to meet and buy some cards from one of the founders of our hobby, Nick Farago.  I had spoken with him via e-mail in the past, but never actually met him.  If you take a look at the “Acknowledgments” page in the Nickel Tour, you will note that Vernon Orr can well and truly be credited with starting this hobby…and it was his collection that allowed Roger LeRoque and Nick Farago to create their 1979 checklist of cards for Disneyland postcards (pictured here).  This booklet is what inspired Bruce Gordon and Dave Mumford to collect the cards themselves, and then ultimately go on to write the Nickel Tour.

One of the goals of this site is to help advance this hobby.  I certainly cannot accomplish that goal on my own.  The community of collectors and fans, not the least of which are represented in the “Links” on this site, play important roles in that mission as well.

So…off we go into 2013.  I look forward to seeing where this site will be by the end of the year!

Until next time….

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