Tag: Souvenir

Buildings, People, Upcoming event

Hugh Connolly (1958 – 2014) Architect and Long-time Member of SBCS

Bookend Collector
Photos of Hugh Connolly and his collection
Hugh Connolly, Show and Tell, Charlottesville, 2008
Monticello, VA; Old Capitol, IA; Broadmoor Hotel, CO; Super Dome, LA
Monticello, VA; Old Capitol, IA; Broadmoor Hotel, CO; Super Dome, LA

Hugh Connolly, enthusiastic collector of  souvenir buildings, member of the Souvenir Building Collectors Society, an architect who became an early proponent of LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, will be greatly missed at SBCS Convention time for many years to come. At Show and Tell in Charlottesville, VA (2008) Hugh shared his love for Liquor Decanter buildings and inspired others to collect them as well.    Click here to view Hugh Connolly’s Tribute in the Trenton, NJ Times

 

Buildings, Events, News, Upcoming event

Time is Passing Fast – SBCS Convention Hotel Discount Ends Sept. 30!

Bookend Collector

Hotel Room Discount ends on September 30. Rate goes up significantly. Good idea to make your reservations now.

Convention Late Fee is $20 for 2014 SBCS Convention registrations received after October 1st. Since registration (as of now) is by snail mail, it is time to get moving.

Click here for Registration Form and link to Millennium Maxwell House Hotel.

A quick review of the SBCS 2014 Convention Highlights:

Friday, Oct 24: Registration, Downtown Walking Tour, Meet & Greet with host and lots of Show & Tell.

A 1930s view from the State Capitol. SBCS Walking Tour will cover this area.
A 1930s view from the State Capitol. SBCS Walking Tour will cover this area.

Saturday, Oct 25: Annual Business Meeting, The Swap Meet, afternoon Driving Tour, Dinner and featured raffle and auction.
Sunday, Oct 26: Foot-Loose and Fancy Free. Options include sight-seeing, flea market, antique shops.

 

1939 Postcard of Maxwell House, Nashville, TN. Burned down in 1961. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with coining the phrase, "Good to the last drop" while having coffee at the Maxwell House Hotel.
1939 Postcard of Maxwell House, Nashville, TN. Burned down in 1961. Teddy Roosevelt is credited with coining the phrase, “Good to the last drop” while having coffee at the Maxwell House Hotel.
Buildings, Events, News, People, Upcoming event

READY, SET ………. SHOW & TELL! October 24, 2014

Bookend Collector

Are you ready to share a special souvenir building (or two or three) with the “heavy grazers” at our Nashville Convention Host’s home?   Show & Tell is scheduled for Friday evening, October 24.

One highlight of  Show & Tell in 2012 was David S. and his cork replica of San Giovanni Eremite, Palermo, Italy. He told how  “when he paid his entrance fee to visit the church, the monk in the the ticket booth had several replicas of San Giovanni made of cork. The monk whittled these little gems from wine and other corks, giving him something to do while in the ticket booth.” It turns out that David likes to collect souvenir buildings when he has met the person who made the building.

Photo of San Giovanni Cork Replica
Cork Replica of San Giovanni, Palermo, Italy

David’s  Show & Tell  evolved into a full article in Souvenir Building Collector, Fall-Winter 2012. Click here to view the full article.

Have you made your reservations for the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Annual Convention – October 24,25,and 26, 2014?

Click here for Program Highlights.

Click here for  Registration Materials.

Buildings, Events, Monuments, News, Upcoming event

SBCS 2014 Convention

Bookend Collector

October 24, 25, and 26, 2014, Nashville, Tennessee

It’s time to start planning! Which souvenir buildings will you bring to the Auction or donate to the Raffle?  Do you have enough buildings to have a half table or a full table at the Swap Meet? Or are you just going to add to your collection? Do you have a couple of favorite buildings  you just can’t wait to share their stories at Show and Tell?

Photo of Swap Meet
SWAP MEET. Gettysburg 2003

The 2014 SBCS Convention is just around the corner. The program is set, the excitement is building (pun intended), all that is needed is your registration and enthusiasm.

The program includes a walking tour and a driving tour, a visit to a SBCS collector’s home, swap meet, business meeting, and a southern-style dinner in an 1840s, residence. and, of course, the Auction.

Click Here to view the program.

Click Here for Registration Form.

Buildings, Monuments, People, Upcoming event

History of Souvenir Buildings

Bookend Collector

In the Spring and Fall – Winter 1995 editions of the Souvenir Building Collector, Dave Forman authored the 2 part “MAGNIFICENT MINIATURES: A History of Souvenir Buildings.”

Photo of Trylon and Perisphere souvenir building
Trylon and Perisphere Miniature Building from 1939 New York World’s Fair

He told how his “first souvenir building was a family heirloom my grandparents bought for fifty cents. It was a gleaming blue and white Trylon and Perisphere they brought back from their visit to the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Sleek and elegant, the metal miniature symbolized a promising vision of the future. Little did I know, when it eventually was passed down to me, the enormous role it would play in my own future.” Dave went on to describe how this initial replica became the foundation of his collection, which in 1995 numbered over 500. “Cathedrals, skyscrapers, monuments, museums, towers, spires and landmarks. They are tacky and elegant, crude and highly detailed, mundane and fantastic.” His “history” covered primarily the history of souvenir buildings in the United States starting with the penny bank replica of Independence Hall sold at the 1876 Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia and ending (remember his article is from 1995) with the observation that “Today building replicas are noticeably absent from the souvenir shops in airports and tourist attractions.” 1876 – Centennial Celebration, Philadelphia 1886 – Statue of Liberty, New York 1893 – World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1920’s & 30’s – Many replicas as company favors, commemoratives 1950’s – Tourist items from travel in the USA

Photo of NYC Souvenir Buildings
Empire State Buildings, World Trade Center, Chrysler Building
Photo of Statue of Liberty Souvenirs
Varied dates and sizes of the Statue of Liberty

The article describes some of the major manufacturers of “magnificent miniatures” as well as some of the interesting miniatures and the forms they come in – thermometers, salt & pepper shakers, cigarette lighters, etc. Click here to purchase copies of Vol 2, No 1 & 2, of Souvenir Building Collector, Journal of the Souvenir Building Collectors Society.

Events, News, Upcoming event

REMINDER! SBCS Membership Renewals Due!

Bookend Collector

Now is a great time to renew your annual membership and it’s easy to do.  If you need a membership form to send a check or want to simply renew your membership online via PayPal, Click here to use this link to the SBCS Membership Site.

Remember, the SBCS has One-Year Individual Memberships at $35 and One-Year Family/Household Memberships at $70.  Memberships outside the US are slightly higher at $40 and $80 respectively.

Here are the benefits of SBCS membership:
·       A one year subscription to the Souvenir Building Collector, published three times a year.
·       Annual membership directory.
·       Free 35 word classified ad in the newsletter for three consecutive issues.
·       Invitations to member-only events, such as regional meetings and national conventions.
·       Back issues of the newsletter for sale to members only.
·       Lots of fun, and a great opportunity to build your collection. You’ll also find people who will actually enjoy seeing or hearing about your buildings.

There is a special reason to renew your SBCS membership right now – this new website includes a “Members Only” section.

The SBCS is the only organization that supports our very special interest of collecting and enjoying souvenir buildings.  Please join with your fellow collectors and renew your membership today.
And again, thank you for your loyal support of the SBCS.

Sincerely,

Joseph Kopitz,
SBCS President

Buildings, Monuments, Upcoming event

Charms, Spoons, Bells

Bookend Collector
sbcharms
sbcharmspoons
Charms, Spoons, Bells

“AREN’T THESE CHARMS, SPOONS, & BELLS SOUVENIR BUILDINGS, TOO?” asked Bob Kneisel in the Spring 2003 edition of The Souvenir Building Collector. He wrote:
“To many souvenir building collectors, charms in the shape of buildings are not, well … very charming. So size does matter! Many collectors draw the line at miniatures smaller than an inch or so high, and casually dismiss charms as nano-buildings (an aside here – in 2003 not many of us had yet included ‘nano’ in our vocabulary). But many other collectors accept (dare we say “seek”) these most miniature of buildings.
Here are a few reasons why:

  • Charms can have great detail
  • Charms are the only 3D versions of many buildings
  • Some charms are big, for their size
  • Charms are cheap
  • Charms don’t take up much room
  • Charms may be the only building you find at a swap meet …..”

Bob’s article went on to describe charms singularly and those that have been placed on the handle end of spoons or those that serve as handles on bells.

His Listomania Categories with some examples:

Souvenir building spoons
Souvenir Building Charms, Spoons, Bells

Click here to view Bob K’s 2003 Listomania.

 

 

Buildings, Monuments, WHAT IS IT?, WHERE IS IT?

WHAT IS IT??? WHERE IS IT???

Bookend Collector

Debuted in Volume 1, No. 1 (1994), of the SBCS Journal, the first publication of the feature “WHAT IS IT??? WHERE IS IT???” resulted in a quick identification. By the next issue of the Journal, 2 collectors’ had identified the pictured nameless monument as the monumental statue of Ferdinand I atop a column surrounded by four Moorish slaves. It stands in the square near the harbor in Livorno (Leghorn), Italy.

Photo of Ferdinand 1 Souvenir monument
The first “What Is It??? What is It??? photo from Vol 1, No. 1 of the SBCS Journal.

In the same article that reported the identification of Ferdinand I, two more buildings were posited for identification: St. Botolph’s Church in Boston, England and a penholder desk set labeled “Addressograph-Multigraph Corp.” Also, at this time, “the mystery gift for a mystery solved” tradition began. It was suggested that the collector looking for information provide a mystery gift to the first person to solve the puzzle.

Carol D. has shared the background on the St. Botolph’s quick identification.  She had a friend who came from Boston, England and Carol had visited her there and had actually climbed the “stump” as the tower is affectionately known.  Her “mystery gift” arrived 6 months later from knowledge seeker, Dave F.. a set of S&P shakers of the Watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  They are still in her collection.

By the 3rd issue of the SBCS Journal, the identification of little buildings and monuments was well underway. In that issue the desk cigarette smoking set of the Dahlstrom Building was featured. Bill T. tracked down a VP of Dahlstrom Manufacturing Co., Jamestown, NY who confirmed the replica was of the administration/office building, built in 1926.

Dahlstrom Manufacturing Co Administration Bldg., Jamestown, Ny
Dahlstrom Manufacturing Co Administration Bldg., Jamestown, Ny

Do you have a Souvenir Building or Monument that needs identifying? The members of SBCS are very knowledgeable and are happy to help you identify your building. If it is one that is not readily recognized, such that SBCS cannot quickly respond to your request, it may be a candidate for a “WHAT IS IT??? WHERE IS IT???” post.

Click here to send a request for identification of a building or monument.

Buildings, Monuments, RECENT FINDS

RECENT FIND: Arizona Territorial Governor’s Mansion

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, People, Upcoming event

Top Ten List of NOTABUILDING

Bookend Collector

With David Letterman announcing his retirement, perhaps it’s time for a republication of Bob Kneisel’s “TOP TEN LIST OF NOTABUILDINGS” FROM 1997.

 

What’s a Notabuilding, you ask? It’s one of those objects that you initially see and think is a building, but turns out not to be. You’ve all seen ‘em, been disappointed by ‘em, and wanted to call them something printable. Now you can. In true David Letterman style, here are the Top Ten Notabuildings, gathered from the letdowns of fellow collectors.

10. Cheese Graters (Look like skyscrapers from afar)

9. Fire Hose Nozzles. Are they towers? Steeples? Or All Wet?

8. Cone-topped Beer Cans. These castaways of our youth are now collectible, (which is OK), except they look like buildings, which they aren’t, (which isn’t).

7. Book Banks. They’re rectangular. They’re tall. They’re upright. But save your money, and wait for a real bank.

6. Those tall, brass cigarette lighters that look like skyscrapers. You’ve seen ‘em. The Johnson Wax Tower they’re not.

5. Transistor Radios. Who’d have thought to hold onto these things? In bad light, from a distance, they can seem to be an office building with rows of windows. Resist the transistor!

4. Those obnoxious little replicas of typewriters, weather vanes, sewing machines, etc. Pot metal they are. Buildings they’re not.

3. Flashlights, when stood up on end. They are definitely notabuildings.

2. Bookends, which have the pattern and detail of a building, but turn out to be replicas of library shelves, bookcases, or anything butabuilding.

CableCarNotabuilding

1. San Francisco Cable Cars. They’re oblong! They have regularly repeating rectilinear features! They’re copper-plated pot metal! They’re souvenirs! I have some! They’re NOTABUILDINGS!