Showing the painted-on shoulder sleeve insignia of the 6th Marine Division (source: eBay).

Showing the left side of the 1945 Okinawa pith (source: eBay).

In a recent online auction, an amazing example of a veteran-painted pith helmet sold for less than $150. Had this helmet been a period correct M1 helmet, there is no telling how much attention it would have drawn or what incredible amount of money it would have fetched.

Showing the rear of the pith with the painted "USMC" (source: eBay).

A close-up of the 6th Marine Division insignia (source: eBay).

Hawley Products Company, one of the manufacturers of M1 helmet liners, made these fiberboard headgear “sun” helmets for use as protection from the intense sunlight and torrential downpours of the South Pacific tropical islands. Due to their lightweight design and construction, the term helmet hardly seems applicable when compared to the beefy, bulky nature of the steel pot.

Here is a very nice example of a painted pith helmet with the Marine's name stenciled across the bill.

Piths were issued to all branches and were available in two colors or tones. Green was predominantly issued to naval personnel while khaki or light brown went to army and army air forces people. Marines could be seen wearing either color as they were issued whatever was available in the supply system (or they adapted to the limited stores-issue and found creative ways to requisition them).

Though not as nicely embellished as the Okinawa pith, this Gaudalcanal helmet would be a great addition to any collection.

As with any creative service member deployed away from loved ones and home, artistic expression or outpouring tended to be revealed on available mediums. Piths, not meant for combat, were viable canvases for these artists to modify with their own personal embellishments. Wearers tended to be rear echelon service-members rather than front-line combatants, but some did don the helmet near the fight.

A close-up of the Guadalcanal Pith and the EGA.

Showing the top of the Guadalcanal pith helmet.

If you’re seeking to add a visually stunning helmet to your collection but can’t afford to splurge for the painted steel pot, these pith will certainly add diversity and originality to any display. With patience and diligence applied to your searching techniques or saved searches, you will find the perfect addition.

Dean Martin's Custom Ghia L6.4 sold this past week for $199,500.

Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford are collectively known as the Rat Pack even though they only ever referred to themselves as the Summit or the Clan. Whatever you want to call these guys, they established a definition for cool that continues to influence trends today. The way they dressed, how they played, who they played with and what they drove were all in the public eye and continue to make news decades after their time.

This past week, Dean Martin’s name was back in the news as his 1962 Dual Ghia L6.4 sold on Ebay for $199,500.  The L6.4 had the heart of the 1953 Chrysler concept car, the Firearrow and the seductive beauty from the talented team at Ghia. For Dean Martin, this wasn’t enough, so he had George Barris tweak the car even further.

For those who don’t know him, George Barris had been supplying cars to Hollywood for movies since 1958 and is responsible for such classic cars as the TV version of the Batmobile, the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard and the Munster Coach from The Munsters. Barris worked on cars for Elvis, John Wayne and other celebrities over the years. I’m happy to say he’s still working on cars but this story isn’t about him so you’ll have to wait for a future article for more depth into this legendary designer.

Frank Sinatra with his 1962 Dual Ghia L6.4 but no hat.

Let’s get back to the cool of the Ghia. A lot of what made this car what it is owes thanks to the effort put into the Chrysler Firearrow concept car. This wasn’t your typical shell of a car designed to be put on display at some auto show with some simple motor to get it on and off the stage. Betty Skelton (who I think was all sorts of awesome), wearing a dress and heels, accomplished 143.44 miles per hour at the newly opened Chrysler proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan (side note: I made it up to 170 mph in a Dodge Viper at the very same track, my personal record for high speed).

When Chrysler decided not to put this fantastic car into production, Gene Casaroll stepped up and formed Dual Ghia to make sure these impressive cars made their way into the garages of worthy patrons. Dual Ghia produced only 117 cars during its short time as a company and only 26 of these cars were L6.4s. These were the cars of the rich and famous of the era. Ronald Regan lost his to the acting president, Lyndon Johnson in a  poker game. Desi Arnaz made the car even more rare by crashing his. Dean Martin included his in the movie, Kiss Me, Stupid.

Frank Sinatra had a bit more involvement with the production of the L6.4. The roof line of the Firearrow was raised two inches because he wanted to sit comfortably in the Dual Ghia while wearing his hat. Frank took delivery of the very first L6.4 and drove it until he hit his mid-life crisis and bought a ’65 Mustang that ended up being graced by the hand of George Barris.

Peter Lawford's Dual Ghia L6.4 in the background of The Iron Mistress from the Thin Man series.

With Frank and Dean both driving Dual Ghias, Peter Lawford also decided this was the car to be seen in. Sadly, Peter’s life isn’t quite as well documented as Frank’s so it is hard to piece together his car ownership history. Watching old episodes of The Thin Man it’s easy to see that Peter, like Frank, didn’t have the original car modified like Dean did by looking at the round headlights rather than the oval headlights featured on the Barris modified cars (there were 8 of them). One note that interests me is that Casaroll personally decided whether a celebrity was eligible to purchase an L6.4 or not. All reports I’ve read indicate that Peter Lawford was originally turned down when he tried to purchase one of the Dual Ghias directly from Casaroll so I’m not sure how he ended up in possession of his. My guess is that Frank stepped in with a kind word or something like that.

Corgi Dual Ghia L6.4

This car isn’t only rare as as original vehicle. For diecast collectors, the only example I’ve been able to find is the 1:43 scale model from Corgi produced between 1963 and 1969. Surprisingly, I found one in “played with” condition for just over $20 on Ebay the other day (yeah, I bought it… good luck finding your own).  For collectors who insist on the best of condition, check out this beautiful example being offered for $250 on Ebay

The Dark Knight Rises will be coming out on July 20, 2012, and regular readers of CQ know that I’m a super huge Batman nerd. So, I’m pretty excited about it. Sure, I’ve never been a fan of Bane in the comics, and I’m even less of a fan of whatever Christopher Nolan did to his weird mask, but it’s Batman. It’s Christian Bale’s Cookie Monster-voiced Batman. I’ll take whatever excuse I can find to say “Batman”.

Today’s coolest Batman / Dark Knight thing comes from Ata-Boy. Even if you’ve never heard the name, you’ve seen their stuff: neat magnets with goofy catch phrases and visual jokes, pop culture keychains, mugs, and my favorite kind of quick-’n'-easy collectible, buttons.

Ata-Boy showcases a huge range of Batman logos in their 1″ button line, many of which express the Bat-logo throughout its comic history. As someone whose man-purse has been adorned with a hundred different Batman buttons (many at the same time), I really appreciate what Ata-Boy is doing with this particular line of logo pins.

The image above is a small part of assortment of the huge range of these buttons, but you can see a handful of Warholian pop-colored logo pins, a Batman-and-skull logo from an indeterminate storyline, a weird Xeroxed logo, a digital wavelength logo from another obscure story, a graffiti-like logo which uses the letters of ‘Batman’ to form the bat, and (finally) two familiar ones as well: the Batman logo launched with Batman #241 (May 1972) and the squarish-lettered Shadow of the Bat #50 (May 1996) logo font.

As you can see in the above image, there are many more logos from different eras, from the original Golden Age to the Silver Age’s Brave & the Bold, and stuff from the ’70s, ’80s, and beyond. It’s a pretty solid (though not 100% complete) evolution of the logo as it appeared on DC Comics covers. For a long time, I made a point of having a Batman from every decade plastered on my bag, so these are a perfect accent to the whole nerdly ensemble.

Unfortunately, you can’t buy these from Ata-Boy directly, but you can compel your local comic shop to carry these. I don’t think I’ve been to a reputable comic shop which is without Ata-Boy’s awesome stuff, but these Batman pins are what I want to see behind the counter. And all over my body. And I have a lot of body to cover.

[Product graciously provided by Ata-Boy!]

Wifey and I enjoy live theater, from renowned Broadway plays like Annie or Phantom, performed by great talent, to local productions of light-hearted farce. Joined by friends and usually followed by a late dinner, the entertainment value is money well spent, and supports our local arts community.

Playbill - Footlights, Sunset Playhouse Elm Grove, WI

Leaving the last performance at one of our favorite little playhouses, and with no forethought, I stuck the playbill in my blazer pocket and placed it on my desk when I arrived home. Do I now have a future collectible?

If memory serves, my first experience selling one of these little booklets was from a find (we would call it a PICK today, thanks to Mike and Frank) at a distinguished Milwaukee lakefront mansion estate sale. Stuck inside a box with all sorts of ephemera, mostly dealing with the Milwaukee brewing industry, I found a stack of playbills stretching over a fifteen year period, mostly from theaters in Chicago or New York.  All but a few have attracted buyers from our Internet sales, so I’m never sure what the attraction was for each buyer.

Playbills from the 1950s & 60s

Could it be the play itself, the theater now long gone, the stars of the show, or an unknown cast member at the time that made it big on Broadway or in Hollywood? Or was the reason to purchase an old handbill beyond the scope of theater itself and centered around all the advertising in these vintage pages? Even in this very small booklets, advertisers are hoping to attract the attention of one more customer and promote continuing enjoyment of the live stage.

If I could name every collectible category on just one piece of paper it would stretch many thousands of miles. When selling antiques and collectibles on the Internet, the personal interaction is mostly gone unless you have the ability to see past purchases to confirm a buyer’s trend.  At antique shows, I often ask what my prospective customer collects. This has led to varied, often vague answers: “What hits my eye”, “I have just the perfect place for that”, “My mother always had these”,  or “I just like its looks.”

I’m left with no choice. I have to sell what no one collects but still wants to buy.

Documenting the Star Spangled Banner: Because of its size and the confined space of the lab, the flag could not be photographed as a whole. This is a composite of seventy-three separate images (source: Smithsonian Institute).

The first step on the path to recovery is admitting that you suffer from vexillology. Let’s say it together, “I am a vexillogist.” Great, now that we have that out of the way, we can begin to examine this illness and the diagnosis and treatment relationship.

By now, I am sure that you’ve already sought the definition of the term and know that vexillology is neither a medical or psychological condition requiring any sort of treatment. Many of you would hardly fancy yourselves as vexillologists, yet you do have interest in the subject matter. For me, I only dabble and have a specific, myopic interest as it pertains to my own militaria focus. For those of you who decided to forgo your own online search (knowing that I would eventually get to it), Merriam-Webster defines vexillology very simply as, “the study of flags.”  I’ll leave the etymology of the (relatively new) term for you hardcore folks.

A beautiful example of a WWII Pacific Theater submarine battle flag from the USS Blackfin (source: Naval Historic & Heritage Command).

My post today really isn’t about the study of flags per se, but it does play into what I want to share with you. Learning where to turn for sound research and trusted sources is highly important to verifying details as to the authenticity of a flag: the maker, when it was made, who it was made for, etcetera.

From the Battle of Manila Bay, this flag flew over the USS Olympia (Source: Naval Historical & Heritage Command).

Flags play a significant role in militaria collecting. While creating a display with period-correct items, collectors may seek a flag that would provide an appropriate accent or aesthetic value. For a World War II display, the requisite 48-star flag would be fairly easy to source. Or, perhaps a captured German or Japanese flag would be fitting? Acquiring flags that look correct is one thing but buying the real thing requires due diligence and still might not guarantee an authentic flag purchase.

Canvas Bag - the Armistead family kept the Star-Spangled Banner in this large canvas bag (source: Smithsonian institute).

Perhaps the ultimate American vexillological artifact is the subject of a bicentennial celebration this year. Two hundred years have passed since the last national conflict with Great Britain commenced – which is also the last time a foreign enemy invaded the home front (not counting the Confederate Northward invasion of 1863) – and there are celebrations and recognition events taking place throughout the United States. The most significant flag of the United States, The Star Spangled Banner, whose popularity stems from the Francis Scott Key poem of the same name, is also being recognized during these bicentennial celebrations, though two years premature (the Battle of Baltimore and the shelling of Fort McHenry occurred September 5-7, 1814).

The commander of Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead anticipated a British attack and desired to have an enormous American flag flown over the fort. The renowned flag maker, Mary Pickersgill, was contracted to construct the garrison flag that measured 30 by 42 feet. Pickersgill and her assistants spent seven weeks constructing the flag (along with a smaller, inclement weather or storm flag that measured 17’ x 25’). In the years following the battle, Armistead’s family kept the flag, passing it down two generations. 90 years after the Ft. McHenry bombardment, Key’s poem had gained incredible popularity and the legend of the flag blossomed. Armistead’s grandson, Eben Appleton, released the flag for public display during Baltimore’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1880. The flag then remained in locked storage (in a New York safe deposit box) as deterioration had become an issue. By 1912, the flag was permanently donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Appleton with the directive that it be forever viewable by the American public. The provenance for this flag is traceable and verifiable over the course of the last 198 years, making it truly priceless.

This small flag was used on one of the small boats from Dewey's flagship, the USS Olympia(Source: Naval Historical & Heritage Command).

In my collection, I have some significant flags that have more personal historical importance. I served aboard the Navy’s newest (at the time) cruiser, the first of its kind to serve in the Pacific Fleet. I was assigned to the ship 10 months prior to her commissioning. Because of the significant period of time spent with the ship as she was being completed, I developed quite a fondness for her and her legacy (three previous naval warships proudly carried the name). I suppose that my desire for the preservation of history was nurtured in these early years, prompting me to save a number of disposable artifacts.

This tattered example is the second Confederate flag (source: Naval Historical & Heritage Command).

Commissioning pennant from the WWII light cruiser, USS Vincennes CL-64.

I have yet to actively pursue any flag purchases, however during that time aboard my ship, five vexillological artifacts found their way into my collection. The most significant (to me, at least) was my ship’s very first commissioning pennant and the acquisition was a matter of happenstance.

This is the first commissioning pennant raised aboard the CG-49 on her commissioning day in 1985.

During our transit to our home port from Mississippi (where the ship was built and commissioned) a few weeks after the ship was placed into service, I found myself coming off a 4-8am watch, making my way back to the signal bridge to catch up with one of my friends who was a signalman. He was in the process of swapping out the grungy, grimy commissioning pennant with a brand new one, prompting me to ask if I could have it. My shipmate confirmed that the grayed and soiled pennant had flown since the commissioning ceremony and that it was destined for the shredder before I rescued it.

In addition to the pennant, I also have a standard (daily) ensign and union jack set that flew on the ship while in port in 1987. The other two flags were from the captain’s gig (ensign and jack), obtained when I was part of the boat crew serving as the rescue swimmer.

The ship was decommissioned a few years ago and subsequently scrapped, making these flags even more significant in my collection. As of yet, I have not affixed any documentation or description to provide provenance to the flags and pennants. If something should happen to me, these flags become nothing more than nice examples of naval flags. With the Star Spangled Banner, the flag was kept in a bag that possessed the documented provenance along with the narrative that was passed down from one generation to the next.

Flag Collecting Resources/References

• Flag-collecting terminology
• Collecting Antique American Flags
• AntiqueAmericanFlags.com
• American Flags Forum
• Q&A with Ben Zaricor, American flag collector
• A Banner Time for Flag Collecting

This commissioning pennant is from the heavy cruiser, USS San Francisco CA-38 (source: Naval Historical & Heritage Command).