Yet another Christmas has come and gone. It and all the other Yuletides are over, leaving only memories.
In truth, it’s memories that make Christmas or Hanukkah what we cherish – most pointedly the magic of youngsters finding what they’ve dreamed of. At one time, it was simple – a Barbie doll; toy train; or Red Ryder BB gun. We remember them fondly. And, now, monetarily.
This past season, I wondered why, especially in this economy, many collectibles continue to bring record sums. One look at what is selling for big bucks and the answer is clear…nostalgia. It’s the chance and/or hope to relive some of what made us truly happy so many years ago. Just think “Rosebud” in Citizen Kane....
I’m guilty of it. When my family traveled to an area in Michigan each summer, we brought a toy boat – a two-foot long, miniaturized, red and black, plastic Texaco tanker. It had a small propeller and would nautically ply the small waves. Simple as it was, my brother and I were mesmerized.
The original cost at Texaco gas stations was $3.98 when you bought eight gallons of gas (then, at 29-cents per gallon.) Save for a few vintage home movies from the early 1960s, our boat is long gone. Nevertheless, I forever relive playing with and sailing that boat. Is it possible to go back in time? Sort of. Online, I found several of the boats for sale. Some better than others. Some in original boxes.
One without broken pieces that looked particularly similar to the one we owned cost a bit more than $3.98. The price was nearly $500. I paid it. I see it daily. I don’t need it. I don’t sail it. It sits prominently on a bookshelf in a room at our lake house. I have no regrets. I paid what it was worth to me to have and hold some cherished memories. It’s that same level of emotion that establishes prices for most of the collectibles we own or will purchase this coming year.
A prime source for such memorabilia is Julien’s Auction firm. They hold regular national sales of items evoking vivid childhood memories from toys, films, TV shows, music groups and other things we experienced so long ago. It’s the stuff we want to relive and, for those with deep enough pockets, actually own. Now…how deep must those pockets be?
This past year, one of the items sold at Julien’s was a stormtrooper helmet from one of the Star Wars films. Authenticated as one of hundreds of original helmets made for the films, it is now one of only six surviving in private hands. This year, the “force” compelled one Star Wars fanatic to pay $256,000 for it.
Another headpiece, a fedora worn by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was seen and used in the scene at the film’s beginning when Indy is aboard a boat with his hat washed overboard. It was retrieved by Ford’s stunt double who dried it out and kept it.
After such an aquatic scene, Ford’s Fedora naturally isn’t in the best of shape. It was slated to sell for between $2,000 and $4,000. That’s a lot for a musty old hat – the kind that could be found at a Goodwill store for a few bucks. Still, nostalgia for the 1989 film runs high. The hat sold for $195,000.
How about an old, not-very-impressive white microphone with chipped paint and the name “Judy” on it? It had been used by Judy Garland on her 1964 The Judy Garland Show. Garland dazzled viewers using the mic to sing along with guests Tony Bennett, Ethyl Merman, Bobby Darin and a famous duet with a new young singer named Barbara Streisand.
Fans were excited about her program. Alas, ratings never took off. The show was up against Bonanza on Sunday evenings. It ran just one season. Still, that tired and worn mic brought back many good memories for several bidders. Estimates were a sale price of $6,000 to $8,000. In the end, it was hammered down for $56,000.
Examples are endless. From Harry Bellefonte’s page of sheet music signed by multiple singers at the We Are The World recording ($39,000) to the original wooden door from the set of the TV sit-com Cheers ($162,500) and so much more. We just can’t get enough of the nostalgia we grew up with and are willing to pay dearly for. Now…what treasures will 2026 bring and for how much? I’ll keep you posted.
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