Disneyland Jumbo Card J-3: Matterhorn, Monorail and Autopia

Here is another transfer post from my old blog…so, if  it sounds familiar, you may have seen it before on Sundry Collectibles.

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Last week I was poking around on eBay and discovered a seller who was getting rid of some pretty decent older cards (the seller was actually the daughter of Roger Le Roque…of “The Nickel Tour”).  There were a number of jumbo cards being auctioned off, and some other interesting paper items.  I ended up bidding on this J-3 card from the late 1950’s.  It features an early view of the Matterhorn, the Alweg monorail, and Autopia.  If you look very carefully, you can see that the Autopia cars are one of the early versions (I think these are Mark II’s…but not sure) that ran with bumpers all around the car in an open lane.  Other early cards show this more clearly.

I have read that the Matterhorn (which was built in 1959) is actually the first roller coaster to employ continuos tubular steel track.  Walt was after a very smooth ride…and he got it!  It’s remarkable to think that these days almost every roller coaster uses tubular steel track to transport the car and riders.

For a look at a bunch of vintage shots of the Matterhorn and other Disneyland rides, check out DavelandWeb.  You can even order high resolution images to hang on your wall!

Until next time…

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Mr. Lincoln and Disneyland “on high”

So, as I have mentioned before, when you are shopping for postcards on eBay, you inevitably get used postcards in the lots that you win.  Some collectors shy away from these cards…but I think they have a certain “patina” to them, if you will.

Take these two cards for example.  The first one from New Years Eve 1971, is a common NT #0673 card of “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”.  The author of the card summed up his sentiment with a simple statement, “Ah yes, Mr. Lincoln”.  That always makes me smile!

Secondly is a super common NT #1109 card from May 3, 1959.  As far as I can tell, Bernice is using some mid-century lingo that is frankly lost on me.  I think the letter in quotes is a capital “D”, which implies Disneyland.  Apparently, Stevie and Larry are doing “D” on high, while Lu, Helen and Bernice are in low.  Fantastic!  I have no idea what Bernice is saying, but it conjures up images of a small “Rat-Pack” like group of folks at Disneyland.  Note also that it was important for the receiver to “Save This Card”.  Well…it defiantly got saved.  If you care to take a crack at interpreting this card…let me know!

Until next time…

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The Original Disneyland Cards vs. the D23 Reproductions

Here is a post that I had on my original blog which is definately worth repeating.  If you have ever wondered what the deal was with these reproduction cards, you can rest assured that they are rather easy to tell apart from the originals.  I just wish that they said “reproduction” or something.  But they don’t…so that’s the way it is!

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D23 is the official Disney fan club.  It gets its name from the year 1923, when Walt and his brother Roy started the Disney Studio.  For a fee, you can join the club and attend their special events held throughout the year.  At these events, they will give out collectible “members only” items for the fans as a reward for their loyalty.

A few years back, someone at D23 thought it would be a great idea to reproduce the original 23 postcards that were published for the opening of Disneyland.  When I first heard about this set, and saw it for the first time, I was a tad dismayed.  Below are two scans, one of the original P11876 card, the other of the D23 reproduction.

While at first glance this could be disturbing, the Disney postcard collector need not panic!  There are several characteristics that help distinguish between the cards.

This is the original card P11876 (NT card #0001)

This is the reproduction D23 card

First of all, if you look closely, you’ll note that the reproduction card has been cropped in a little closer.  This is the case on most of the D23 cards…but with some of the cards, it is rather subtle.  So, if you have the card in front of you, the next clue is the card stock.  The original card isn’t your standard postcard stock like the original, but feels thinner and more flexible.

Finally, there is a semi-gloss finish on the reproduction card.  It is semi-gloss on both sides.  The original card can have a very high gloss on the front if in excellent condition, but will be a matte finish on the back.

So there you have it.  For all of you out there who collect these cards, rest assured that passing one of the newer cards off as an older one is “not in the cards”!  (Sorry…that was pretty bad.)

Until next time…

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The Nickel Tour Checklist!

Thanks to a fellow collector, the entire checklist from the Nickel Tour has been typed into a spread sheet and is now available for download!  This is a big day for those of us out there who have wanted something like this online for sometime now.  I hope, if you are a collector of these cards, that you will find it useful.

To access the checklist, just click on the separate page link above.

In conjunction with this list, please visit Ken Eslick’s site, disneylandpostcards.net.  As you may or may not know, Ken passed away suddenly a few weeks ago.  His site stands as a testimony to his passion for this hobby and puts pictures along with all the data in the checklist.  I do not know what the future holds for that site, hopefully it will stay up.  Either way, I think he would be pleased to see other folks enjoying the hobby that he did a lot to promote while he was alive.

Until next time…

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U.S. Route 70 to Disneyland

I posted this card a while ago on Sundry Collectibles…reposting here.

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Once Disneyland became a well established tourist destination…which, if you think about it, was really from it’s opening day onward…it started appearing on other tourist marketing brochures and the like.  This card, an advertisement for the U.S. route 70 freeway, is one such example.

The caption near the bottom of the card sold me: “2926 MILES ALL PAVED”!!

I had never seen this card up until a couple weeks ago when one popped up on eBay.  Maybe I wasn’t looking very hard, because there is another one there now.  A worthy addition to the collection.

Until next time….

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Jumbo Main Street U.S.A Postcard J-1

When I first stumbled across a set of old Disney postcards at an estate sale about 10 years ago, I bought them because I thought they were interesting and because I figured they might have some value.  The set was made up of a number of Jumbo cards and some other regular sized chrome cards.

At the time I was more interested in the value of the cards and I didn’t plan on keeping them.  But I didn’t know “boo” about these things so I went around to some local dealers and asked questions.  One of the guys (he was in a shop that I think is long gone now), said, “Oh…Jumbo’s, those are worth something”.  Eventually I found the Nickel Tour book, read through that, saw a few sales on eBay…and then (unfortunately) sold all the cards from that lot.

Ever since then I have been recovering Jumbo cards that I had in that lot…and also acquiring ones I didn’t have.  This is one such card.  It is not common, at least not on eBay.  So when one popped up last week I had to get it.  A rather rare card…and some great shots of Main Street, U.S.A. !

Until next time…

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The First Disney World Postcards

On October 1st 1971, The Magic Kingdom (aka Walt Disney World) opened it’s doors to the public.  Prior to opening day, a number of promotional postcards were produced that showcased via conceptual artwork the attractions that could be experienced at the park in Florida.  This was not unlike the early Disneyland cards that I have spoken about in my Sundry Collectibles blog.  The cards were given out prior to opening day, but also were available afterwards as indicated by the card I show here, postmarked on February 21(?), 1972.

While I do not actively collect these cards, I do keep my eye out for them on eBay or elsewhere.  The full set is made up of ten different cards (that doesn’t include variations).  To see what the rest of them look like, check out this WDW Postcards site.

Until next time…

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The Disney Family Museum

It’s been a while since I visited the Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, even though I live quite close to it.  It really is a great place.  One thing I always tell people though…it’s not the Disney “Family Museum”, but the “Disney Family” Museum.  That is to say…the museum is more geared to adults, than kids.  It has a lot of great things for the kids to look at…but let’s face it, it is a museum…and you know how kids can be in a museum!

Well..all that to say I picked up these cards when I was there.  They have this amazing diorama of Disneyland there, and three of these cards show close up views of that.  The other card is of the restored Presidio building where the museum resides.

       

If you ever get a chance to visit here, make sure you walk up to the top of the parking area.  There is an old officers club there, and part of the structure is the oldest building in San Francisco dating from the mid 18th century.

Until next time…

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The $153 Disneyland Postcard

I put this post up on the old blog, Sundry Collectibles, after losing this auction on eBay.  The thing with this hobby is, that there aren’t that many people into it…just a small fanatical few.  I wonder what would happen if the same card was up again…would it fetch the same price??

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One thing about collecting is knowing your subject…well.  Time and time again I see people who have bought stuff on eBay or at a show who pay WAY too much for something that was touted as “RARE” or “SCARCE”.  Those are two of the most over-used words in collecting.

But this observation works in reverse as well.  Sometimes stuff really is rare.  And while I have a pretty good sense of the landscape of the hobbies I am involved in, I am occasionally surprised by an auction result on eBay or elsewhere.  Today was one of those days.

This card sold on eBay today for $153.  Sounds like a lot (and it is) for a postcard.  It’s a picture of the interior of the Nautilus Submarine from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea exhibit.  I knew it was not common, so I bid something like $20 for the card…but, that didn’t quite cut it I’m afraid!  This exhibit was around for over 10 years at Disneyland (1955 to 1966)…not sure why the card is so rare.

The most I have ever seen paid for a Disneyland card is ~$250.  And that is one of the reasons I love this hobby (aside from the fact that it doesn’t take much space!).  The “Holy Grail” of the collection is not in the stratosphere price wise.  A collector can have a lot of fun and put an impressive collection together for under a dollar a card if you are patient.

Until next time….

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Disneyland, Monsanto, and the Los Angeles Dodgers

I posted this post on my old blog a few weeks back and got quite a bit of interest in it.  Not sure if it was the Dodgers mention, the Angels, or what exactly.  Either way, I love used cards…in some ways more than un-used…see below for more!

One of the side benefits of collecting Disneyland post cards is that you can often get an interesting glimpse into someone’s vacation if the card you have has been used.  More often than not, people comment on the great weather in California and all the fun stuff there is to do.  But occasionally, you get the random comment about last nights meatloaf at Marge’s house, or the new baby that they saw at the relatives house.

The card I feature today is (from a collectibility standpoint) totally unremarkable.  Monsanto had the Hall of Chemistry at Disneyland, along with the House of the Future and other exhibits in the early days of the park.  These post cards must have been free, because even today they are easily found and at any given time there are many of them available on eBay (usually overpriced).

But this particular card is interesting because of the reference to the Los Angeles Dodgers on the back.  The card is dated and post-marked October 9th, 1957.  The Dodgers played their last game at Brooklyn’s Ebbets field on September 24th, 1957, by which time the ownership of the team had already made the decision to move to LA.  This card gives one fans reaction…and the added note that they hoped the team would be named the Angels!  (See the link for the rather interesting history of the name and origins of the present day Angels in Anaheim)

Some collectors shy away from used cards, but sometimes the brief peek into history can be rather interesting!

Until next time…

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