eBay Watch - 1968 Kenner Toy Catalog

Per the comment by DoctorKent about the relative rarity of catalogs from small shops vs. the Big Dogs of Hasbro, Kenner and Mattel, I felt compelled to post this odd little 1968 Kenner catalog today. It was a simpler time for the company, before their profits soared to a galaxy far, far away (I almost bet that was used in the 1981 book...). This is a catalog of Spiroman and the Easy Bake Oven - and actually a bunch of other rocking '60s gear you should be sure to check out! Click through to the auction listing, and see the generous number of pics that the seller has provided to give a real flavor for this book. An elegant catalog, for a more civilized age...



Posted by charlie on May 16th 2012, 09:43 PM
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eBay Watch - 1988 Parker Bros Toy Fair Catalog

I'm convinced that the recent spate of toy catalogs available on eBay, and their subsequent lofty selling prices, has ushered in a lovely renaissance of such sales! I'm seeing odds and ends pop up from across a number of different brands, one of which being Parker Bros! Here is their 1988 Toy Fair catalog, and the giant, gesticulating Daddy Moneybags on the cover made it a shoe-in for the front page of the Preserve today!



Posted by charlie on May 15th 2012, 09:33 PM
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eBay Watch - Gadget Mobile

It's something of a disaster, how fond I've lately become of the 1993 Inspector Gadget figures. In particular, the Gadget Mobile, which is proving to be as rare and exciting to search for as the famous Snarlie Narlie! While several beautiful boxed examples have passed through our digital fingertips over the past year and change, here is a loose example that comes with Yellow Gadget, and still selling for $300! Maybe I just need to watch a few episodes of the show and clear my head - it's probably been 15 years since I have, if it's been a day!



Posted by charlie on May 14th 2012, 09:28 PM
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eBay Watch - RCA Studio II Set

We'll wrap up another slim week here at the Preserve with a big lot of one of my favorite lesser-known gaming consoles - the RCA Studio II. I know I've talked about it before, but there are only so many things I can watch like a hawk every day, and this is one of them!

This lot has two main problems:

• The deck doesn't power on
• It is missing one of the key games: Biorhythm

Otherwise, it's a good looking collection of gaming paraphernalia that is slowly inching up in price, a little every month. At the current price of $20 that's still well worth it for those complete games alone!



Posted by charlie on May 11th 2012, 10:01 PM
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eBay Watch - Air Raiders Battle Dashers

Fluctuating in value here and there, but always an important part of the small yet much adored (around here anyway) Air Raiders line, the Battle Dashers were fun in feature and form factor. Here is nearly a complete set, but the photo was so pretty I just had to give the seller credit for their effort, and feature their sale! Sure they are a little pricey, with no packaging or instructions but that picture speaks 1000 words. Good thing too, since the pack-in comic pages are missing as well!



Posted by charlie on May 10th 2012, 10:19 PM
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eBay Watch - Rufus and Mr. The Kid

It's almost certainly the case that it is too late on a weeknight, and that I have spend too many consecutive hours writing code into this little glowing machine, but something about this picture of Rufus and Billy (Mr.) the Kid seems infinitely sad. While the seller did a good job of highlighting the positive (with tons of accessories), the angle they achieved in the photo looks like the two remaining from the band of adventurers are looking forlornly down at the tokens of their lost or missing comrades. One imagines a Bill and Ted 3 which never came to pass! Come on Alex Winter, let's see if you can still rock that bare midriff shirt at 50!


Looks like this seller, while brand new and with only 1 feedback, has over 70 active auctions featuring all sorts of different stuff. In particular, DoctorKent, be sure to see his Power Lords set!

Posted by charlie on May 9th 2012, 09:22 PM
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eBay Watch - Warrior Beasts: Guana

I am so fascinated by these Warrior Beasts figures that Remco released around 1982 - I think probably because I don't have any of them in my collection, and only recently have become a student of their particular place in '80s toy history.

Of course, having said that, I fully expect that I do in fact have some of them, but that they have been lost to the sands of time and bad memory, buried completely by a decade of He-Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe that was just about to unfold while these were on drugstore and impulse buy pegs.

So today, be sure to check out Guana, on card! The seller was even nice enough to include a great shot of the back of the package, so we can see all the cross-sells for the rest of the line (and you know how I'm all about the packaging!). The price is still rock bottom after 30 years (anniversary year!) though I will note that the "$1.99 Clearance!" sticker is a nice touch. Maybe one of us should start a Warrior Beasts collection today!





Posted by charlie on May 8th 2012, 08:57 PM
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eBay Watch - Epic Toy Catalog Auction

There was, simply put, an epic auction of toy catalogs this evening. I saved you from yourselves by not mentioning it until it was over, or you would have, like me, sat huddled around your computers, throwing a few hopeful bids towards some of the simply amazing and rare books, only to see your hopes dashed at the last second. The feeling of certainty that you should have gone a dollar higher the instant the auction ends is both folly and unavoidable - human nature being what it is. Thankfully, one of the books I wanted spiked over $180 at the last moment, which makes me feel a little better about missing it, but it was truly a shame.

I just wish I'd had the gumption to bid a little higher, since all I want to do is share the content with all of us here! Now I fear these gems will go off to someone's closet, never again to see the light of day...well, so would mine, but they would end up here first!

Well, since I'm a sore loser, and since the seller really did a wonderful job of posting pictures of his catalogs, I snagged a few shots from the two books I really wanted to win - and of course did not. They were Schaper 1986 (Filmation Ghostbusters) and Panosh Place 1986 (Voltron). Here are some images - the last we'll ever see of these books.














That last picture is sort of how I feel now (though obviously I am not as incredible as that picture) - after watching 1 hour+ of auctions whiz by, with little to show for it. What I did manage to coax away from the real players, will hopefully give us some new content here at the Preserve in a few weeks!

Posted by charlie on May 7th 2012, 09:46 PM
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eBay Watch - Jumpin' Jacks EM (1952)

My standing search for cool arcade stuff near my house has been ringing off the hook this week, so I am compelled to share another fine, classic solid wood electromechanical gem with you all today! Here we have Jumpin' Jacks by Genco from 1952. It is an interesting and novel layout, featuring a vertical playfield, and some nightmare-fodder clowns! The peeling paint really helps with the effect - I couldn't really deal with them on the front page, so do be sure to check out the actual auction for some more fantastic pictures of this bargain basement piece of history!



Posted by charlie on May 4th 2012, 09:08 PM
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eBay Watch - Troll Force: Medieval Warriors

Ahh, Troll Force. A great illustration of what happens when a madly successful fad tries to masquerade as something with longevity. Angry Birds Space - I'm looking at you, by way of a contemporary example. Of course, since it was pre-2000 toy time, the figure is still colorful, fun and well packaged, so had no trouble making it to the front page of the Preserve!



Posted by charlie on May 3rd 2012, 07:07 PM
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