Vintage Print Ads Make Awesome--and, yes!--Inexpensive Gifts

1942 Coca-Cola Vintage Print Ad

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

Smack dab in the midst of high school and college graduation season, with Father's Day and the 4th of July just around the corner, and with a myriad of birtdays, anniversaries, reunions with loved ones or fellow classmates of an honored alma mater, and other special occasions on the horizon, you're left wondering, What kind of gift can I get?

There's really no need to look any further. Take your pick of hundreds of gorgeous nostalgic options at http://stores.ebay.com/Lords-of-the-Fly/_i.html?_fsub=2623719010 .

What are vintage print ads? They're commercial advertisements carefully removed from old magazines--say, from the 1970's and earlier (although the term vintage is often loosely interpreted to include even more recent items). These ads are then placed in acid-free plastic sleeves along with acid-free backing boards and then mailed in large flat or padded envelopes to their respective customers.

The top photo is a great example of a potential gift for dear old Dad. It not only piques the nostalgic strings of an older generation's collective heart; it also has intrinsic value in a sub-niche of its own--Coke memorabilia.

Here are three more examples of ads from three different sub-categories--automobiles; World War II; and sporting goods.

1946 Ford Mercury Vintage Print Ad

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

1942 Lockheed Aircraft Corporation World War II Vintage Print Ad

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

1945 Wilson Sports Equipment Vintage Print Ad

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

Why settle for the old humdrum annual necktie, bottle of cologne, golf club, fishing pole, or stationery? Sure, these gifts are great, and we're certainly not knocking them. But if you're looking for that unique and very special item that's sure to elicit a grin from your favorite family patriarch immediately upon its removal from the envelope, we invite you to check out what might turn out to be the gift that special man remembers for years to come.

http://stores.ebay.com/Lords-of-the-Fly/_i.html?_fsub=2623719010

Who knows? In browsing through these lovely yesteryear memorabilia, you might very well develop an interest in becoming a collector of vintage ephemera. There's something very appealing about the way the ad agencies of the past combined gorgeous art and/or picturesque photographs with clever  text construction that you just don't find in today's high-tech advertisements.

Why Collect Vintage Print Ads?

• To preserve Americana
• To understand our heritage
• To appreciate our social, cultural, political, and economic roots
• To enhance our grasp of history
• To compare and contrast the past with the present
• To leave as a legacy for future generations
• To own as antique collectibles
• To acknowledge the art and artists of yesteryear
• To frame and craft into attractive gifts
• To utilize as decorative household pieces
• To buy, sell, and trade
• To enjoy a good return on investment

1946 National Confectioners Association Vintage Print Ad

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

The folks at eBay's Lords of the Fly store would be delighted to have you drop in for a visit. Browse through their vintage print ads selection and feel free to share your comments and questions with them. Their responses, like their delivery time, are prompt and courteous.

http://stores.ebay.com/Lords-of-the-Fly/_i.html?_fsub=2623719010

You'll find more information about this collectible gift specialty in the following articles. Thanks for dropping by, and--yes, by all means--your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.


http://hawaiianodysseus.hubpages.com/hub/VintageKeala

http://hawaiianodysseus.hubpages.com/hub/Raising-the-Baron-eBay

http://hawaiianodysseus.hubpages.com/hub/Giving-People-the-Time-of-Day-on-eBay

Meet CARY GRANITE--on eBay

A Piece of Rock I Dubbed Cary Granite

(Hawaiian Odysseus Photo)

An annual phenomenon on eBay is a noticeable slowdown of traffic, perhaps even to the point of a standstill for some sellers, a few days before and after the income tax return filing deadline. 

Rather than pull whatever remaining hair I have left on my coconut, I act the fool and do something off the wall--pupule, as Hawaiians would say--that will simultaneously provoke my competitors and, hopefully, amuse my viewers.

I posted the one week listing early this morning--an unconventional time for a Pacific Northwest eBay seller to submit a listing but, for the other side of the world, a most convenient and thoughtful act on my part. 

The rock is quite heavy, perhaps 5 pounds, and so I'm obliged to use USPS Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box shipping ($11.35 to US addresses; $47.95 to international destinations). 

In keeping with the crazy theme, I'm starting the auction out at a penny. Honestly, I'm gambling that this will also serve to invigorate the lackluster traffic. And if that doesn't work, placing the rock in a large jacket pocket and jumping into the Columbia River just might do the trick.

Then again...a five pound rock won't do diddly squat for my husky islander frame. (Husky sounds better than mildly obese. Yeah, I could've used bathroom scale-challenged, but I'm years away from evolving into a politically correct individual.)

Okay, where in the world was I? Oh, yeah...

If it's true that fads have a way of coming back every few decades or so, than it's high time the pet rock craze made a return, And how appropriate that the loosey-goosey Captain Jack Sparrow of the eBay waters--Hawaiian Odysseus--should be the one to mastermind its comeback. 

If you were able to get to this post prior to the end of the above-mentioned eBay listing (go to eBay and type the following item number into the search window: 160793425135), you'll be able to follow its progress. Or, if you find this blog entry within three months after that date, you'll still be able to search for that number to have a few grins over what ultimately happened with this harebrained scheme.

In any event, it's fun coming up with wild and crazy ways to make a living.

Only on eBay...

Only with yours truly...

Hawaiian Odysseus.

By the way, for more on this particular topic, check out my equally zany article on HubPages. Just click on the link below.

Mahalo!  

http://hawaiianodysseus.hubpages.com/_kauaiboy/hub/The-Crazy-Things-I-Do-on-eBay