Show your Americana / Non-Sports Memorabilia

[GrayGhost]

Wow again. My father is big into reading on Zeppelins. Great Hindenburg stuff too.

[David Atkatz]

Here are two duralumin girder fragments from the Hindenburg:
(Please forgive the display-case reflections.)



And, in honor of Tim Burton's new "Alice," a note from the original's creator:

[perezfan]

Jimmy:

I should have placed a quarter or something in the photo along with the Graf Zeppelin Bank... It's only about 7" long (but is pretty heavy for the small size).

I also have a "post crash" press photo of the Hindenburg Pilot, but it's a bit too graphic to post... really pretty morbid. He was burnt to hell, but somehow managed to survive the disaster.

[GrayGhost]

It was a horrible tragedy, w 35-40 people being killed, I believe? Still, it could have even been a lot more. Its hard to believe so many survived.

[RichardSimon]

Part of my Kennedy collection:
JFK Inauguration signed photo, signed by Earl Warren, Wm. O. Douglas, John Sparkman, John McCormack, Henry Jackson, Dean Rusk and a couple more.
White House TLS.
Bacharach portrait of a young John Kennedy.
Autograph album page signed by John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Ted Kennedy.

[RichardSimon]

More from my Kennedy collection

Clay Shaw signed letter, Shaw was the one put on trial by Jim Garrison.
Robert Kennedy inscribed and signed photo.
Jack Ruby signed check.
A sheet signed by many of the witnesses to the assassination and also signed by Marina Oswald and Jim Leavelle, the cop who was handcuffed to Oswald, when he was shot.

[GrayGhost]

Awesome Richard! That Album page is one of the few "John" signatures I have seen when Ive seen his examples. Most of ones Ive seen are like the standard signature on the ALS.

All the association items r really cool too.

[Kawika]

The photo of young JFK is a haunting and remarkable image.

[mark evans]

Remarkable stuff -- particularly appreciate JFK, Beatles and Houdini.

[thekingofclout]

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[J.McMurry]

She had hair like JEANNIE SHRIMPTON back in 1965
She had legs that never ended
I wuz halfway paralyzed.

-The Smithereens


Sorry, Everytime I hear a Jeannie Shrimpton reference this song starts playing in my head.

Otherwise, very cool stuff. Especially the WW2 stuff.

[thekingofclout]

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[Bicem]

[Ladder7]

Jeff, Your sig reminded me of my kid, calling home after driving off the road into the brush, in his first car. "Dad... Okay, I wasn't in an accident -per see."

And yep, totaled.

Canaveral LEMSIM facility, Neil and Buzz. 0-120hrs and counting. Official NASA t1.

[TheBig6]

What time is it kids?

[thekingofclout]

Original TYPE I Photograph. Date Stamp Oct. 12, 1969 and Caption on the Back.

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And a pair of signed cuts. Half way there.

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[Ladder7]

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." Admiral Yamamoto IJN

May 8, 1941

[IronHorse2130]

Two Superman comics published during WW2.

[ramram]

Other than early baseball, my big collecting passion is historically interesting diaries. I started with Civil War diaries and then moved into many other areas including; WWI and WWII soldiers, naval men and aviator diaries (including those from other countries), Oregon Trail diaries and other historically interesting ones including a hippie from 1967 who hitch hiked to San Fransisco and hung out at Haight/Ashbury during the "Summer of Love".

Seeing some of the great military items, in particular the B-29 material, got me looking through my diaries. Below is an entry from a B-29 radio operator writing about the great/terrible low altitude incendiary bombing raid of Tokyo. He even claims (and several others from this raid said the same thing) that they "could smell Jap flesh burning at 7,000 feet". Because of the tremendous fires and the low level at which they were bombing, the turbulence threw them all over the place when they released their bombs. Parts of the planes came off and the men were thrown all over the plane.

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[GrayGhost]

Everyone please keep posting. This is my favorite thread on here, other than the new Memorabilia pickups every month.

[3and2]

ramram,

that is really neat to collect diaries. if you get a chance share some more.

-Anthony

[Ladder7]

Inspiring Patriots.

[ramram]

Here's some diary entries from an observer/gunner on a WWI bomber. In the first entry he is flying in a British made Handley Page bomber. In the second entry he is flying in an Italian made Caproni bomber.

Aug. 10, 1918 – “During the morning I took some pictures of the drome and around camp and in afternoon took a walk out to the wireless station. I was on orders to go over the lines tonight in 4581 [a Handley Page - he was flying as an understudy with the British at this point] with Lieut. Nichols pilot and Lieut. Bowen observer and raid the patrol boat shelters at Blankenberg. The front was very quiet tonight but the A.A. barrage at Ostend, Bruges and Zeebrugge was very intense and nearly twice as many search lights were operating in anticipation of our big 1660 pound bomb raid. The visibility was not very good and we had to glide in from the sea at 10,000 ft. to 4,000 ft. The lights did not get us and the shells burst over us and we saw no enemy scouts. I dropped two large rocks for I was in the rear cockpit and I had no bombs. Must give em something.”

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In a later entry he writes:

Aug. 22 & 23, 1918 – “This morning we were very sorry to learn that Lieut. Fletcher had been killed when shot down off Ostend while acting as observer in the H.P. machine which Lieut. Hetherington piloting and Kennedy U.S. was gunner. During the day I was busy chasing around the drome getting my end of the Caproni ready for tonight and I had a hard job getting two English deflector bags. We stood by till eleven o’clock for the weather to clear and then pushed off on what was to be the last trip for B5 machine and Ensign Fahy and I for a time. Cheer-eo we made a good get away. We continued on our way to Zeebrugge and during the first half hour of this morning engine was so bad when we reached the lines that we made for Mardyck beach to land. Ensign Fahy told me to remain in the [gunner’s] cage, fortunately. We failed to straighten out in time and crashed on the beach. The noise of the crumbling machine is all I remember until I found myself staggering around on the beach and I caught a glimpse of the ruined machine out of my right eye, the left was completely closed up and the darkness and silence around the machine gave me fear that Taber and Fahy were badly injured until I heard Taber call to me and learned that Fahy was not seriously injured and Taber was o.k. We were carried to Queen Alexandera Hospital and as soon as I saw Sister Evans well cheer-eo.”

Caproni bomber:
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[ramram]

Another interesting but sad piece from a WWII B-17 pilot:

Sept. 30th “….We all felt mighty low tonight because something entirely unnecessary happened, and as a consequence two crews and a navigator on another are no longer with us.. Now I’m sure the grace of God is with me because Treece went down without a chance and had I flown in his place [the diarist was supposed to be on this flight]…. Here’s the story…Over the target Love (leading the high element) didn’t fan out far enough so that LaFlance (flying his left wing) was clear of Treece who was leading the low (#4)…As a result, LaFlance dropped all 10 of their 500# bombs right down poor Treece’s back. They never had a chance because they blew up right away. The explosion was so great that LaFlance went down in pieces.. a piece of Treece’s ship tore thru the nose of Love’s ship, hitting poor Hughes right in the groin (he died before they landed)..Shelinski’s ship was a wreck (he brought it home tho) and all in all, practically every ship in the whole squadron suffered battle damage (old 310 had a hit in the induction of #4 & the main wing spar)…Gosh, but things are getting rough over here. All our buddies are getting it! Treece had only one more mission to go too! Whatta break…”

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[3and2]

Andy Warhol a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art.

Original Photo...

[Ladder7]

USS Maine (BB-2), Havana Harbor Nov 1898. 260 Sailors and Marines killed. 9x7;


Ghost image;

photo credit USN archives

[GrayGhost]

Thanks Ladder for re opening this thread.

[mcgwirecom]

from the UPI ticker

[milkit1]

Couple of my faves

George Harrison that I got through the mail in about 1992 and my Marx Brothers signed photo collage with the earliest Harpo ive ever seen

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[milkit1]

Love the original Red Rose Speedway photo and the John Leibowitz shot!

[thekingofclout]

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[Exhibitman]

I collect Academy Awards tickets and related memorabilia. Here is a collage of some tickets and a few close-ups:

[milkit1]

Great Lennon pictures. Sad knowing he would be dead in a few hours. John didn't die from stupidity like Hendrix and joplin and so many other rocker stars. Those pictures really show how alive and ready to work he was.
Nice academy tix. I got to pick up tix for a producer one time and it was really cool hearing who the other people in line were picking up for. The person in front of me was getting Owen wilsons ticket for example

[BBSD]

Original proposed drawing of the Golden Gate Bride. Thank goodness they decided to tweak the design.

[thxforthebp]

Found this in a box of misc. cabinet photos.... Comanche Jack Stilwell indian fighter and US Scout. I guess you could say a pretty famous western personality in his own right, his less famous brother Frank was involed in the shooting of Morgan Earp, and was ambushed and killed by Wyatt, his brother Warren and Doc Holliday. Jack then lead an unsucessful hunt of Wyatt to avenge his brothers death. I have only ever seen one other photo of Jack Stilwell so I dont know that much about this one. The photos found with this were all signed military officers on the back so I have a feeling this might be Jacks own signature.

[sylbry]

Great thread!

Although I am not much of a non-sport collector, I do have a few things that would be considered Americana. Sorry for the poor pics. Just took them with my blackberry.

Old coke machine. Still works but just sits in my garage.



World War 2 newspapers.




And there has got to be some American Muscle in this thread. 1970 Olds 442 convert. Still a work in process.

[thekingofclout]

WOW! That 442 is SWEET!

[mr2686]

Coca Cola and Muscle Cars...doesn't get more American than that!

[Ladder7]

Crager SS's are still the sweetest rims.

Medallion minted in part, from pieces of the Command Module and the LEM. c1970

[ksfarmboy]

A couple of "trophys" brought back by U.S. servicemen. 9mm artillery model Luger used in WW1 and a .25 cal. Walther model 8 used in WW2.

[Barfvader]

[RichardSimon]

I just started to collect Teddy Roosevelt items after reading a 600 pg biography and visiting his birthplace/museum in NYC at 28 W. 20 St
--

[canjond]

It's been over a year since we bumped this thread (and it is still one of my favorite threads we've ever had). So, I'll kick it off...

Very happy to add this to my collection...

[Exhibitman]

Xavier Cugat:



Desi Arnaz:



Cab Calloway:



Ringo Starr:

[David Atkatz]

As it's comin' on Halloween...









One of the rarest horror autographs, Dwight Frye.

[Runscott]

1920's pool cue:

[Jcfowler6]

I don't have much. Please don't read into this to much.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Jcfowler6

I don't have much. Please don't read into this to much.

LOL

[71buc]

I seldom venture out from baseball but occasionally I will pick up a Type 1 photo of a historical figure that interests me. I couldnt resist this image tonight (hence the water mark). It does include Jesse Owens so it isn't necessarily a non-sports item but the combination of the Cotton Club, Bo Jangels and Owens were too much fun to pass on. The other image is from 1914 and depicts Pancho Villa on an Indian Motorcycle. He fascinates me. Obviously he isnt an American so this may not qualify for the post. My great grandfather rode with him (on horses) so there is a familial connection. Perhaps I should have waited for a Mexicana post?

[Scott Garner]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I've always enjoyed this unpublished photo of Gene Autry (The Singing Cowboy), president Richard Nixon and some guy named Nolan Ryan yucking it up in Gene's "luxury suite" on opening day 1973. To put things in historical perspective, this was during the Watergate era and Nixon was close to impeachment.

As many of you may know, Nixon was a HUGE baseball fan and lived in south Orange County (San Clemente- the "Western White House"). He was close friends with Gene Autry and would sneak in an Angels game whenever he had the chance.

I've never shared this photo before with anyone other than Jimmy C., The King of Clout, on net54. Not early vintage, but pretty cool in its own right...