I am finally parting with these special cards, so if any of you are interested in them, please note that they’re for sale! I am sad to get rid of them but really, what do I have to do with them? Someone should buy them and do something crafty. The illustrations are seriously unreal. So stinkin’ cute!
-Sarah
Wifey
This is, hands down, one of my favorite ever greeting card finds. These fold-out cards seem to have been popular in the 1950s. I found a ton of them from “Jim” to his “honey” (AKA Goldie) and vice versa, back when I unearthed that giant lot of greeting cards a very long time ago. They were all kept in envelopes so that’s why they’re in such good shape.
Even though it’s sexist and all, I still love it. It captures the time period perfectly, and I just adore the design style that was popular during this time period. I also love that almost all cards to and from adults contained cartoon animals in clothes.
-Sarah
Money Maker: Rudolph the Rubber Face Reindeer
Sarah and I stopped at a random estate sale in Midland, MI on our way home from Traverse City a couple weeks ago. It was nothing to write home, or blog, about. For example, here is an empty Spode box they were trying to sell for $1.
It kind of looks like there is something inside, but that is the plastic packaging. Trust me, I checked.
What I also found for $1, and decided to buy, was a rubber face plush Rudolph. I’m not entirely sure why I grabbed it, but I think because it was old, and because so far I had found no other treasures.
He is kind of cute, but kind of looks like he might kill you while you sleep. For $1 though, he was worth a shot.
So it turns out that Rudolph man sold for FIFTY DOLLARS on ebay. I couldn’t believe it when he got 1 bid, let alone enough bids to get him to fifty bucks (ha, bucks…no pun intended).
I did some research on old rubber face toys from the 1950s and 60s, and it turns out that they are quite collectible! Some of the most well-known of these toys were by Rushton Toy Co. Here are some examples from a fellow treasure hunter’s blog:
What I also found out in my research is that Sarah actually owns a Rushton Toy Co. Santa Claus, and she doesn’t even know it! She got him at a sale recently (maybe even the same one I got my Rudolph at).
I think she will be happy to know that he is most likely a money maker too!
-Erin
Update from Sarah: WHOA. Erin is the best. That is totally my bro! Actually two that are identical to him sold for the higher end of that range up there, so I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed! Double win because it could actually also be featured on Things That Freak Your Husband Out. So Adam will be thrilled if it is no longer hanging out on our kitchen table.
Strange coincidence: I also discovered The Rushton Toy Co. today–I was browsing eBay to try to figure out why Erin’s reindeer sold for so much. Check out THIS one.