011 Mekanda Robot ( 合身戦隊メカンダーロボ )

Mekanda Robot (or 合身戦隊メカンダーロボ , or Mechander Robo, or Mekander) was, after UFO Grendaizer, my favorite giant robot. I loved the shark missiles that would shoot out of his feet.

Other than those missiles, and the fact that the pilots has to shut down the robot at the end of almost every episode so that it didn't get hit by the Omega Missile, I remember very little of the actual show. After this show came on T.V. in the Philippines, I stopped drawing Voltes V and Mazinga Z in chalk on the road, and started drawing Mekanda as often as I could. I especially liked doing the boots...something about that tiered front, behind which lurked the shark missiles, I found very compelling. Also, love the spiked shields. Just a fantastic design. 

The poster is a little more beat up than the others, and I'm not a huge fan of this particular rendition of Mekanda...but it does show off the full design of the robot really well. 

 Sold for $100. 

010 Millennium Falcon (1979)

I'm pretty sure I got this from Santa for Christmas in 1979 (though it may have been '80, post-Empire), after we'd been back in the U.S. for a few months.

 

This was easily one of my favorite toys, and it shows. Well played with, but 95% complete with no broken pieces. I seem to recall that it stopped making the electronic sounds pretty early into its career, but have never had any reason (other than this toy) to buy D batteries, so have never tested it to verify my memory. 

Otherwise, just a few dried up and missing stickers, and a missing light-saber-practice-sphere-and-stick (which I'm told is one of the more commonly missing pieces in this vintage toy). Also, they're not broken, but the pegs in the rear legs were never the best at keeping the legs as supportive stand (they're now augmented with some wads of paper--see the photo).

The plastic of the body's exterior is much more yellowed than is evident in the photos, but I think it's just enough to add to the sense of "dirty tech" that one might expect of a toy from the original Star Wars films. The interior floors could do with a little sponging, though; I'm pretty sure those stains are from my friends' kid playing with it when he visits. This goes for $50 to $120 or so on Ebay...so I've found it more worthwhile to keep as a display piece.

 

009 Yellow Dog Comics #13 (1969)

I didn't acquire this until early 2012, and not purposefully. It was shuffled into a collection of old National Lampoon magazines that I bought. It appears to be a first printing (there's no indication otherwise), and it's in good shape (possibly very good, for a comic from 1969). You can see the bend in the front cover, and the nick in the bottom right.

  

Interior Front Cover

Interior Back Cover

On the back cover, there's also a little fold what's slightly nicked in the top left corner, but otherwise the book is in good shape.  It features art by Robert Crumb, Rory Hayes, Victor Moscoso, Rick Griffin, and S. Clay Wilson (amongst others).

Asking prices are anywhere from $5 to $75 online,  but I'd be surprised if anyone paid more than $1 for this.

008 Voltes V - ボルテスＶ

Another poster from The Philippines, circa 1978. This is Voltes V (or Super Electromagnetic Machine Voltes Five or 超電磁マシーン ボルテスＶ), and the first of two posters I have of this venerable mecha. 
 

This one is in good condition, but like the Aphrodite A poster, it's bothered me since day one.The "horizon" lines for the Z axis are all over the place. The vanishing points for the X and Y axis are also off, but...well...it's just a mess, really. The artist obviously used a straight edge of some sort in the creation of this art, so it's always bothered me that s/he didn't bother to work out the vanishing point. Other than that, I love the choice to go duotone, the display of tech, and the whole maintenance bay theme.

 The lattice work inside the chest piece was always a bit bothersome, too. It's a real challenge to the imagination to figure out how this internal structure could allow for the elongating sword. But the faults I've listed are just nagging annoyances in what is otherwise a joy to my eyes and heart. It brings back memories of drawing Voltes V in chalk on the street outside my family's house in Manilla.

Sold for $100.

007 Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook (1980)

So, my mom, my godmother, and I were in Columbia Mall in 1980, and I saw this book. I asked my mom to buy it, but she refused. As we continued shopping, my godmother conspiratorially leaned into me, handing me $20: "Don't tell your mother. You go buy that book."

 

Published in 1980, this book contains lots of cool examples of design progression. As a budding artist, it was my invaluable first example of how ideas can change over time, and how your first rendering of a concept isn't always your best (and in some cases, what ends up as the final product isn't as cool as some of the preliminary ideas). For example, I prefer the helmet on this snow trooper. 

And this snow speeder looks like what eventually became the A-Wing fighter. I guess another example of how even an initially unused idea can be recycled into future creative efforts. The snow speeder that ended up on film was my favorite of all the ship designs in the Star Wars saga, but this is a close second.

Wait! I lied. The Slave I was my favorite...until I found out it didn't fly in the same way that it docked (I've rotated the picture to how I thought it would fly). Rumored(?) to be based upon the shape of a streetlamp, this was another great lesson in art: Inspiration for design may be found anywhere.

In decent shape for a well read 32 year old book.

006 Ceramic Mushroom Cookie Jar

So, I don't know what to call this, and I didn't know when it was from until my girlfriend just turned it over to show me the artist signature and date (FC '72 - see Detail 4). I wouldn't have thought to include this as a collectible, except a friend of mine who's into the kitsch stuff says this sort of ceramic ware is sought after, so I'm trusting her to know. I just liked the mushroom motif, which is why I kept it when presented with the remnants of my grandmother's hoard.

There's not much to say for this, really. It's in perfect shape; no chips, scratches, or anything like that (knock on wood). I mean, I guess I can see why it would be collectible, as this sort of ceramic stuff isn't really produced anymore, but I can also see why this sort of ceramic stuff isn't produced anymore. Thank goodness an ironic sense of taste is considered stylish.

Detail 1 - Lid handle is a 'shroom!

Doing a quick internet search came up with eBay listings for "sears mushroom cookie jar" that look like the same ceramic piece, but from 1976 or later, and with a different style of surface glaze/painting. A mystery! The prices for those pieces are also around $20-30, so I don't know if I'd consider this collectible, exactly, as that's what you might expect to pay for something like this new.

Detail 2 - More 'shrooms on the back

Detail 3 - Interior of jar and lid

That begs the question, though: What makes something collectible? Is it a dollar value, or is it sentimental? I'd always equated collectability with money, but I guess that's not really the case...like collecting sea shells or interesting looking rocks. The smartest thing to do, if you're just interested in making a hobby of it (not for profit margin), is to find something that costs little per piece, and for which nobody else in the world has any interest.

Detail 4 - Artist's initials and date

For $20 I'll keep this on my end table.

005 Watchmen - The Comedian's Smiley Face Badge (1986)

This is the original Watchmen/Comedian button purchased in 1986. It's seen quite a deal of wear, having resided on my backpacks for several years of schooling. I had no concept of collectibles outside of the actual comic books themselves until the late '90s, which resulted in the trashing, giving away, and destruction of many books and toys.

004 Russian Devils

Around 1976 my grandmother on my dad's side visited our family in Moscow, U.S.S.R., and purchased these two little devils. However, I don't recall seeing them until the early 90s, while visiting her in a Maryland retirement home.

I loved them the second I saw them. I don't know anything about the history of this sort of thing in Russia, though it immediately brings back memories of reading The Master and Margarita, a surreal Russian novel in which The Devil plays a primary role. I love the role of Satan as Jester; it takes a lot of the scary out of the threat of eternal damnation.

These are both forged from some heavy, sturdy metal. The black surface seems very resilient to chipping (none having occurred in over 30 years), and shows no signs of wear or rust. They could be made of magical space metal for all I know, or have been forged in the pit fires of Hell itself. 

003 The Uncanny X-Men #97 & #99 (Philippino Reprint)

These two issues of X-Men were purchased around '78 in The Philippines, two years after their U.S. publication dates. I suspect they'd actually been sitting on the shelf where I found them for at least a year, though it's possible they had a later publication date (though none is listed).
  

Covers for X-Men 97 and 99 - note the size disparity

 

X-Men 97 - Detail 1

X-Men 99 - Detail 2 (note the pink hyphen)

Only one issue has a price on it, but I assume both cost 1.75 piaster. The faded nature of the coloring is how they have looked since I spotted them on the shelf in what I remember to be a department store. These were the only two copies of the only two issues (if I recall correctly) of X-Men on the shelf, interleaved with a chaotic jumble of other comics and magazines (notably a couple of copies of Marvel Triple Action). 

Purchased many years before I knew anything about collecting (or the caring/storage of collectibles), they've held up remarkably well. One might reasonably assume the fading and wear on the covers is from years of handling, but this is how they've always been. It's especially evident in #97 where they tried to save money by not doing full-color black. I've always been curious as to whether they are legal reprints, or pirated anomalies.

Interior Front Cover

Other than the differences in the photos, the content of the interior pages are exactly the same as in the original U.S. print run. The covers (both interior and exterior), and an addition to the publication information are the only notable changes. Though the printing is of a lower quality (did I mention faded?), the color registration is typically decent. 

Interior Detail - Publication Informat

These may have been purchased as late as 1979, because I do recall X-Men #115 (a comic from Nov. '78, with yet another tedious history) being my introduction to the "All-New, All-Different" version of the super-team. Note the detail of the back cover, below, where a young artist tries his hand at drawing from memory the essentials of Iceman's costume: belt, shorts, and boots.

Interior Back Cover

Back Cover

Back Cover - Detail 1

Back Cover - Detail 2

002 Grendaizer - UFOロボ·グレンダイザー

Another poster most likely acquired in '79 while in the Philippines, this one of UFO Grendaizer (or UFO Grendizer or UFOロボ·グレンダイザー), who somewhere between then and now lost an "a" in his name. 

UFO Grendaizer- The most awesomely coolest giant robot there is or ever was.

"None can defeat my codpiece!"

This is in great shape, except for a couple of tape marks at the top, left over from a nine year old's lack of forethought. This was absolutely my favorite robot, yet I never knew that he was considered to be a part of the Mazinger family until more than 30 years later. From the superhero-ish costume of the pilot to Grendaizer's main weapon, a pole-arm between those two shoulder blades (I never realized the visual pun until just typing that) ...and, of course, hole saw drill fists.

This looks like he's running from the obligations of a hero.

And who couldn't love a series in which the main villains are the Vegans (well, other than maybe vegans).  The only thing in the show I wasn't completely in love with was the UFO, which I always forget is a part of the title, as well. The ship design always seemed a little uninspired when placed beside the robot and the costume. It would be like Kim Kardashian wearing a potato sack.

Another priceless object. I was offered $150 for this, but decided to keep it.

001 Aphrodite A - アフロダイA

 A poster of Aphrodite A (or アフロダイA),, from the show Mazinger Z (or Mazinga Z or マジンガーＺ). This poster was purchased in The Philippines sometime between 1977 and 1979, and is still in surprisingly good condition. 

Aphrodite A poster in frame, hanging just to the left of my bed.

Sayaka day dreams.

I've always disliked this poster, even as a child, yet it currently hangs over my bed. The artwork is competent at best, with an inconsistent and confusing use of thick and thin lines, questionable composition, and strokes of color that clearly display a talent yet to be developed. Though it was inspiring to know that I might eventually find paying work as an artist without fully developing my own skills. 

Balls of pizza dough.

 Also, I always wished this displayed the larger missile breasts, and although I've grown equally fond of all breast sizes as I've aged, my dissatisfaction with the poster continues, as the artist managed to misshape these metallic mammaries. They look like well-aimed balls of dough, sticky remnants of a giant robot food fight.



 
What's it worth? Who knows? To the best of my knowledge, this is a unique survivor of history for which there is no market.

UPDATE - 11/14/12: Sold for $100.