Tag: WWII

Nothing To Write Home About? Letters From WWII

In my post at Collectors Quest today, I share my disc-overy of WWII voice mail: audio letters sent during the war.

While I encourage you to read that history, I have two other items to share regarding that story.

First, in the January, 1946 issue of Audio Record (published by Audio Devices Inc., a manufacturer of blank discs used by the USO for the voice recordings), there was this cute story:

From a USO club in the South came the story of a man who made a special record for his family. His mother wrote back that when his pet dog heard the boy’s voice he sent up great bays of delight. So the soldier went back to the USO club ad made a whole recording just for his dog, Fido.

Since this is an industry publication, this heartwarming wartime story may be made up, simply propaganda — but it still works!

And that brings me to the very true fact stated by Letters on a Record Home, a documentary directed by John Kurash which focused on these Word War II recordings from the USO, Gem Blades, Pepsi and local radio stations:

At one point, over 25,000 letters on a record were sent home each month. Very few remain but what we have offers us insight into the lives of the soldiers and their families during the second world war. Most soldiers came back home to become part of the Greatest Generation. But not everyone comes home from war, not every soldier was able to keep their promise.

This short film is part of the GI Film Festival, and will be screened on Sunday, May 20, 2012.

Vintage Fashion Link Round-Up

Secrets In Lace 2012 Collector's Calendar

I’m sure by now that you heard that the Elizabeth Taylor auction set new auction records, but there’s other things to read in the world of collecting and vintage fashion…

Did you know the swimsuit worn by Farrah Fawcett in that ultimate 70s poster was made by Norma Kamali? It was! And now it’s in the Smithsonian.

A Slip Of A Girl tells you all you all about the Measurements You Need To Know When Buying Vintage Lingerie. (Also very useful in any vintage fashion hunt.) She also presents vintage lingerie designers who haven’t been given their due: Helen Hunt Bencker and Ralph Monetenero (More on Monenero here.) And here’s a post about the Colura lingerie lable. For all her hard work, she’s simply asking for help in identifying who the old Frederick’s of Hollywood artist or artists were.

At Couture Allure, see the bubble dress by vintage fashion designer Norman Norell

My husband shares a “true auction story” as it was published in the newspaper in 1877. Things haven’t changed much!

Not specifically fashion, but I heavily researched former pinup, actress, fashion model Vera Francis. Just thought you might be interested. *wink*

Image Credits: Cover of the Secrets In Lace 2012 Collector’s Calendar, featuring pinups posing in front of actual WWII airplanes. You can still order it to arrive for Christmas in the continental US.

Of Pinups & POWs & Dealers Of All Sorts

Sometimes dealers and other sellers of antiques and collectibles get a bad rap — OK, a lot of times they do, and I’m not going to go into all of that, but…

As a collector there are times when your auction lots runneth over and you end up with more than you want (or can even house). So it seems only natural to trade or sell a few things here and there… That’s pretty much what a dealer is, you know; someone who deals or trades in antiques and vintage stuff, with the most agreed upon fair trade equity being money, honey. So it’s all good, right? Right.

Anyway, there’s another time a collector becomes a seller. Such as when they find themselves in the possession of something they feel someone else would value so much they feel guilty holding onto it. That’s how I feel about this particular item.

I do collect vintage pinups and I’ve been paring down my collection (making more room in my house and wallet), but this particular vintage matchbook struck a chord…

On the front of the vintage matchbook it reads:

Greetings From Joe Gorenc
Skat Trounament
Every Wed. & Third Sun.
Ice Cool Eights
Any Time
2413 Calumet Drive
Sheboygan, Wis

Despite the condition issues, this is cool enough for the pinup and the reference to the old Skat tournament games too — but, you see, I know that there was a Joe Gorenc who was a POW in WWII. He did live in Sheboygan after the war, until his death in the 1950s, and I just feel like someone else should have this. So it’s up for sale, in my listings at eBay.

And I don’t think it’s unfair to charge for it.  After all, I did pay for it — and I’ve kept it safe another decade or so before realizing what I had and then carefully describing it, making it available for the person or persons searching for it.

In most cases, this is what dealers do. It’s what collectors do, sooner or later.

And it’s not dirty. It’s a good thing.

We do it for love. And money. Not necessarily for the love of money.  But there’s no reason we can’t lovingly spend the time to make sure things are preserved and available in the marketplace.  After all, as collectors, we are there putting our time and money back into that marketplace.  Usually at a hugely disproportionate rate. *wink*