RECENT FINDS

Buildings, Monuments, News, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! SBCS ZOOMERS

September 3, 2020 Bookend Collector

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! SBCS September ZOOM Meet & Greet is cancelled.

These friendly monthly ZOOM gatherings will resume on Sunday, October 11th. Mark your calendars.

An official invitation to this upcoming meeting, with more information, will be sent via email to all current SBCS members in early October. Remember that you must respond to the email to be included in ZOOM meeting.

In the meantime, the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Facebook group continues to engage with photos, conversations, and collections, everything from a Sunsphere throwdown to a staid Lincoln Memorial. Check it out.

Sunsphere, Knoxville

Lincoln Memorial

Nani Nani, Tokyo

San Francisco

Buildings, Events, Monuments, News, People, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

CHICAGO 2017: It is in The Bag!

August 29, 2017August 29, 2017 Bookend Collector

Convention Goodie Bag with brochures, maps, and schedule. 2017 Convention Building Souvenir: Wrigley Building Bank

Memories of: Architecture, Friends, FLW, the Bean, Museums, the River, Shopping, Swapping, and lots of Little Buildings! They’ve all been packed up and are headed for home ……………….

Magic Mountain Coaster

Alaska State Bank, Museum of Science and Industry, Grand Coulee Dam

Jay at the Swap Meet checking out the buildings.

One of the Dog Sculpture guarding the entrance to the Homewood Suites, Downtown – the SBCS Convention hotel.

Hollywood Bowl and Big Ben from Raffle 2017.

Chris delivering the Kneisel Report at the 2017 SBCS Business Meeting

Carolyn’s haul is photographed in front of the iconic parking garage.

Elizabeth and Joe selling Souvenir Buildings at Chicago’s Randolph Street Market.

Lincoln, Wrigley Building

Kudos to Mark and Michael for a well-executed Convention with lots of options, camaraderie, and plenty of opportunities for acquisition of small buildings. As plans for the next conventions crystallize they will be conveyed via The Journal of the Souvenir Building Collectors Society and this website.

Buildings, People, RECENT FINDS, WHAT IS IT?, WHERE IS IT?

SBCS Miscellany

July 5, 2015July 5, 2015 Bookend Collector

Cast Metal Model of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Following the SBCS Convention tour of the Florida Southern College Architectural District, a collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, it was observed that a miniature of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel had been created as a building fundraiser some time in the 1930s. Steven and Ethan C have a one in their collection. It was purchased about 2010 from a collector in Atlanta who would only part with one of a pair of bookends.

Photo of Annie Pfeiffer Bookend — Annie Pfeiffer Chapel bookend single. Width – 6 1/2”, Ht. 5 1/2”, Depth – 1 1/2”. Private Collection.

CHECK OUT THIS COLLECTION!

Photo of Community Collections marquee — Community Collections: A Sampling fo Souvenir Buildings. Photo courtesy of Anna Grant

Community Collections: A Sampling of Souvenir Buildings. View at the City Reliquary Museum. Exhibit closes in September 2015. Photo courtesy of Anna Grant.

The City Reliquary Museum in Brooklyn, NY is showcasing in their Community Collections exhibit: “A Sampling of Souvenir Buildings” from the collection of SBCS President Joe Kopitz. They can be viewed in person at the Museum, on the City Reliquary Museum Facebook page and on the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Facebook page.

FACE BOOK Friend Days:

Of late, the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Facebook page has been hosting some lively discussions and a spate of interesting souvenir building photo postings requesting and receiving identifications. Carolyn C. kicked off these discussions on a Wednesday some weeks ago with a “Where Is It Wednesday?”.This has morphed into “Who Has It Wednesday?”, “and “What Is It Wednesday?” with resulting ID’s and pictures of the actual buildings.

Where Is It Wednesday? Identified as Dormition Church, Kondopoga.

Friday Finds: Resin Replica of Maine-Montparnasse Tower, Paris.

Added to this ‘Day of the Week’ conversation is “Throwback Thursday” and “Test Tarun Thursday” (Tarun V. having shown an unbelievable rapidity in identifying previously unidentified souvenirs). And Tarun has contributed another category, “Friday Finds.”

Become a member of SBCS and join the conversation. Click here for Membership Information.

Buildings, People, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

JOIN THE SEARCH! Los Angeles Souvenir Buildings

June 3, 2015June 3, 2015 Bookend Collector

Photo of ARCO Center — ARCO Center, Los Angeles, Grey Metal on Marble, circa 1980

The first contribution toward building a checklist of souvenir buildings / monuments / statues located in Los Angeles or Orange Counties has arrived. Chris S. sent in this photo of the ARCO Center, ARCO Products Company Headquarters. He wrote, “This Arco Tower was a spec building built in the late 1980s prior to the office building bust in the 1990s. This was the ‘lesser’ ARCO building, not the more famous ARCO Tower that housed the oil company headquarters. This building housed the ARCO Products Division, the AM/PM Mini Marts. ARCO has ended their lease and taken the signage off of the building.” He speculates that this miniature was made as a souvenir for the initial occupancy or as a sales reward. Chris found it at the Mart Collective in Venice, CA in the fall of 2014.

Buildings, Events, People, RECENT FINDS

2014 Convention Finds

December 14, 2014December 14, 2014 Bookend Collector

Stadhusett - Stockholm (City Hall - Stockholm), Sweden, height - 3”, Cast Metal. Sticker on bottom reads, “Washfobik, Konsthantverk, Varby, Sweden.” The City Hall was designed the National Romantic style by the architect Ragnar Ostberg and was completed in 1923. — Stadhusett – Stockholm (City Hall – Stockholm), Sweden, height – 3”, Cast Metal. Sticker on bottom reads, “Washfobik, Konsthantverk, Varby, Sweden.” The City Hall was designed the National Romantic style by the architect Ragnar Ostberg and was completed in 1923.

Russell K. shares the following: “These are two acquisitions that I consider as the most unique added to my collection as a result of the SBCS event in Nashville. Both represent major architectural monuments in Stockholm, Sweden. My wife and I have visited them during our travels to Sweden. I had not previously seen these souvenir buildings. They were formerly part of the collection of Pat Smith. Based on the number of other Swedish souvenir buildings I purchased at the swap meet that were part of her collection, I would assume she bought both pieces in Sweden. Joe K. had also brought a large number of pieces of travel literature that Pat had collected and my wife and I were pleased to be able to take a number of them that related to Scandinavia.”

Kungliga Slottet - Stockholm (Royal Palace), Sweden, height - 1 1/8”, Cast Metal, Maker unknown. Since completion 1974 it has served as the official royal residence of the Swedish Royal family. — Kungliga Slottet – Stockholm (Royal Palace), Sweden, height – 1 1/8”, Cast Metal, Maker unknown. Since completion in 1774 it has served as the official royal residence of the Swedish Royal family.

Buildings, Monuments, People, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

More Convention Finds!

November 10, 2014November 10, 2014 Bookend Collector

Steven C. and son, Ethan C., returned home from Nashville with lots of great additions to their collection of souvenir buildings and monuments. Check out these photos!

Steven C. finds — Tecumseh Monument, Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD; Polar Circle (Polarcirkel 1937) Monument, Norway; St. Pauls’s Cathedral, London; Shrine Peace Memorial, Toronto; Lucy the Elephant, Margate, NJ; Ricordo Di Padova; Temple of Saturn, Baalbeck, Lebanon.

Ricordo Di Padova, with St. Anthony Icon, Basilica of St. Anthony, Padua, Italy

And finishing off with a collectible Beer Tap Handle.

Buildings, Monuments, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

Convention Finds!

November 3, 2014November 8, 2014 Bookend Collector

SBCS’s 2014 Convention is over. There were some good souvenir building and monument finds associated with the attendees’ travel, Nashville antique-ing, SBCS swapping, raffle and auction. Here are the first pictures sharing some of the take-homes.

Carolyn C. found the David sculpture, in perfect condition, at the “Big One” Nashville Flea Market on Friday. She was happy to grab it for $15.

Photo of David. Souvenir Monument. — David, Michelangelo, Italy, 5” tall, pot metal. Onyx base 2.5 “

Wynn W. scored one from his wish list at a flea market on his way home from the convention. “On the way North I made a few stops, including a flea market where I found this treasure. It has been near the top of my want list since I saw a photo of it well over 15 years ago. The finish is in excellent condition, but It looks like the Washington Monument was glued on at one time, and put on a bit crooked. I look forward to doing some major rearranging on my Washington DC shelves to make room for this piece. “

Washington DC cityscape, 4 1/2 inches tall, made in Japan, makers mark – Initials KT in a circle with wings, MM #246.

Many attendees left Nashville with a pocket full of refrigerator magnets that featured buildings and monuments. They were a final gift to members of SBCS from Pat Smith, who passed away earlier this year.

Refrigerator Magnets from Pat Smith — New York, Asturias, Maltese House, Wells Cathedral, HaNoi, Ellis Island, Museo Chillida, Unknown, Quebec CN.

SBCS President, Joe K did quite well and sent the following pictures of the loot with which he returned home.

Joe K. Souvenir Building Finds — Top row – United American Bank; Singing Tower – Mountain Lake, FLA; Havoline Tower – Chicago World’s Fair 1936 – 1934; Metal Sunsphere, Knoxville, TN; St. Jacob’s Stone Church, Brodbecks, PA; Statue of Liberty. Bottom Row – Oil rig – Wellington, TX; Locomotive Pencil Sharpener; Mount Rushmore; Neuschwanstein; oil rig on State of Texas outline; Befreiungshalle

Joe K Finds — Top row – Capitol Records 45 record sleeve (great graphics); Singing Tower – Lake Wales FLA; Knox County Court House; plastic Sunsphere, Knoxville, TN; Jefferson Standard Life Ins. Co., Greensboro, NC; R do Sevilla; Park Bank thermometer; United Nations cup & saucer. Bottom row – State Capitol, Harrisburg, PA (ceramic bank); Royal Manchester Exchange (porcelain box); Steamtown – Bellows Falls, VT (ceramic bank); Castillo De San Marco; The Hermitage (metal letter holder); Pikes Peak or Bust (S&P metal tray).

Buildings, Monuments, RECENT FINDS

RECENT FIND: Arizona Territorial Governor’s Mansion

April 1, 2014April 29, 2014 Bookend Collector

Arizona Territory Governor's Mansion, now part of the Sharlott Hall Museum in Prescott — Arizona Territory Governor’s Mansion, now part of the Sharlott Hall Museum in Prescott

We spent a day in Prescott, AZ. Took a tour of the Territorial Governor’s Mansion at the Sharlot Hall Museum in the morning. Meandered through the antique stores in the afternoon. Found a bronze miniature of the Governor’s Mansion cast by Noggle Bronze Works for the 1864 – 1964 Centennial of Prescott as the Territorial Capital. It weighs 3 and 1/4 lbs, is 2 3/4″ in height, 7″ in depth, and 5 inches wide.

Buildings, Monuments, RECENT FINDS

European Acquisitions December 2013

January 20, 2014June 26, 2014 Bookend Collector

Hello, folks. I thought you might like to see some of the current souvenir buildings offered at Central European tourist destinations, and some older ones we found in antique shops and flea markets. We spent a month in Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. We visited Munich, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, as well as Salzburg. On a cruise up the Danube we visited Melk, Linz, Passau, Regensburg and Nuremburg. We also visited Rothenburg and Newschweinstien.

A photo of the souvenir buildings we collected is attached. Some are produced in metal, but resin predominates. Here’s the list of what we found. Harry M.

Collection of SB from European Trip — Collection of Souvenir Buildings acquired in Europe in December 2013

Row 5 (back, L – R) Rothenburg Cathedral, Rothenburg Cathedral, Newschwanstein Castle, Statue in a Budapest Park, Sphinx

Row 4 (L – R) Vienna Opera House, Regensburg “Sausage Kitchen”, Prague City Hall, St Stevens Cathedral

Row 3 (L – R) Munich Town Hall, Passau Cathedral, St Stevens Cathedral, Salzburg Cathedral, Nuremburg “Beautiful Fountain”

·Row 2 (L – R) Munich City Hal, St Vitus Cathedral, Hungarian Parliament, Melk Abbey, Schonbrun Palace

Row 1 (front) Rothenburg Cityscape, Newschwanstein Castle

Buildings, Monuments, RECENT FINDS, Upcoming event

A 2012 European Collection

January 20, 2014June 26, 2014 Bookend Collector

European Souvenir Bldgs 2012

On the front row, the Egyptian ashtray I found at the Escheri Flea Market(thanks to Bob Curtiss rec) in Budapest along with the 3 Russian buildings on the back row (large silver metal and 2 glass ones). The St Stephen’s Basilica from Budapest is sandstone. The next 3 are St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna – the first plastic sold in the bookstore of the cathedral and the other 2 metal found at street vendors. Then the resin Schonbrunn Palace from Vienna. On the back row, the first 5 are all metal – the first 2 are the Petrine Hill obs tower (Prague’s Eiffel Tower), the next one is the Astronomical Clock from Prague, and then 2 versions of Budapest’s Liberty Statue (only saw these at one high end gift shop right across from St Stephen’s). Next are the 3 Russian pieces and then one we got for our son in Amsterdam on our layover flying home.

Hope everyone is doing well! Looking forward to seeing everyone in Nashville in October!

Heading to Helsinki, Tallinn, and Riga in June. Welcoming any tips on these cities. Steven C.