Saturday, January 14, 2011
Don's Business Card
DAS the expression goes - "A picture is worth a thousand words"
Another Camera Angle from the 4th photo above.
Another Great Treasure Find:
Both Man and Toys
When you go to the movies, there are often certain lines in the movie that you inevitably remember.
In the movie Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) there is the scene of Tom waiting for the bus and talking to a lady. He then says: "Life was like a box of chocolates, you're never gonna know what you're going to get". I chose this line for today's blog, because it relates to my guest for today - Mr. Don Kubik. When I saw one of his listings on E-Bay, I knew I had to ask Don to be my guest on this blog. Right away, from that photo listing, I knew that the box of chocolates would either be Belgium chocolates or truffle chocolates - both super-tasting chocolates.
We communicated back and forth, and then I lost track of Don. Don e-mailed, politely asking me to phone him, and I did. I phoned him a couple of times to transcribe (write) his narrative, then e-mailed him for his corrections). And that's what today and tomorrows instalments are all about - a super gentleman with a great knowledge of old toys, and his super collection and restoration of toys.
1. 1. How did you first get started in toys?
My sister lived in Colorado with her family, and we would visit them at Christmas time. One Christmas, in 1985, we went to visit them . My sister’s children had a nice 1954 Tonka fire engine ladder truck that my son liked and played a lot in their house.
My sister saw how much my son liked the toy that she mailed it to us, asking if we would mind getting a “used toy”. We didn’t mind my sister’s concern, and gladly accepted it. My son enjoyed playing with it.
1 year, long after my childen were grown up, Iwent to a toy show in Sioux City, Iowa. I dusted and cleaned up that’54 Tonka fire engine with me, and decided to trade for some a pumper fire engine. The trade became complex, and I ended up in a multiple-trade item. I then took out an advertisement in a local magazine offering toys for sale,and that’s how I started.
When I retired as a professor from the University of Nebraska, I spent more and more time on buying, restoring and selling old toys. I also started to participate in toy shows around the country. Some of them were in California, Chicago,Toledo, and St.Louis. I also went to the very famous Fat Albert’s Market, in a suburb, just outside of Minneapolis.
I started to buy and sell lots of toys. I didn’t set out to be a dealer, but I liked what I started to do. I took the names of clients, and knew what each one would like in terms of toy preferences. That became a real advantage to selling toys to my clientele. I specialized in Tonka, Smith-Miller, Buddy L,NYLint, and Structo.
His inspiration for his unique business card came about when he got one of those "eureka moments".
Someone was talking to Don, and Don then said to the person to get "to it", meaning to attend to the work right away !
Clever!
Some of Don's Magnificent Work
More Fine Example's from a Master Craftsman
2.What was the market like back then, compared to now?
When I started to buy and sell toys, I would go to local fairs . One of these places , as an example, was Fat Albert’s Market in Minnesota. Over the years, other collectors and buyers and myself would come to know each other on a personal level. We’d go out for breakfast, or have a snack at the local diner or bar, and talk, and brag a bit.
In those days, things were much more personal, compared with today. You could meet people after the show and talk and trade or sell toys. One dealer that I might have spoken with would speak to other dealers. Soon, I would have those dealers calling me to either sell or buy toys from me. Your reputation grew by word-of-mouth, but also toy reputation could change if you had sold a toy under “less than honest” criteria. This networking worked well to expand business and get your self known among the other traders. I would get calls from all over the USA from people who had spoken with other people at a show that I attended.
Nowadays, the big market is on e-Bay. The personal contact is not there, and the price of toys has fallen for most of the lower level and middle-level quality market. By lower level, that I mean, toys that are in need of repainting or restoration, or broken , or not having their original boxes that they came in . Also, with meeting, and getting to know people, we’d help each other out. If someone needed a toy part, the other would be on the lookout for that particular part.
As my business grew, I produced a picture catalogue in the 1980’s and had a mailing list to 250 of my customers. In those times, I personally know all of my customers. Unfortunately, with the Internet and E-Bay, there is no personality left.
Back in the 1980’s you would be able to find “real real” good toys. You’d be able to find items in their original boxes, as well as toys in many different grades of quality. Nowadays, these higher-end toys are harder to find in the markets, and they are 2-3 times more expensive. Also, today, there are only ¼ aas many toy shows as there once were.
3. Did you have your own toys where you were growing up?
(What were they?)
I grew up in Ralston, Nebraska where the Ralston toy company was. They manufactured wood toys at that time (1940’s). As a young child,I would visit the sawdust pile, and rummage to find discarded pieces of toys. I would then bring them home and put them together.
We never really has “bought” toys when we were growing up.
4. What’s the most profitable toy that you found and purchased?
I never really had a “windfall”, although I do remember 1 toy that was very high quality. I purchased it for $ 90.00 and was able to resell it for $ 1000.00
5. What’s your favorite toy company toy to repair?
I like all toys, like an umbrella over all makes.
6.Do you see this newer techno-centered generation ever getting into collecting of any kind?
It’s different today. Today toys are made to throw away. Also, toys become collectable for money. A good example are the Beannie Babies. Their prices soared and now there are low in price. Once after a trade show, several collectors gathered together and I saw some very nice Beannie Babies. We all looked at them very carefully. After the person who had them said that he had picked them up in Japan for # 3.00 each. They looked authentic down to the labels and even the accompanying tags on them! Also a similar rise and fall of prices are the Ertl mall-sized banks and Nascar toys. They were very popular at one time, and now they are less so.
Another example was in train-collecting during the 1970’s. Everyone started to collect them and keep them in storage in their original boxes, speculating for profit. Too many were saved and the market fell in price due to the oversupply of the trains.
In the 90’s Don DeSalle manufactured new editions Reproduced Tonka Toys. They were produced in limited quantities of 300, such as the 1957 Ford Truck.
Today, the latest generation of collectors are interested in toys that they grew up with. This has been the same as generations before, with each generation looking at toys that they once has as children.
7.What toy was the hardest to sell because of your attachment to it?
Although I have some favorite toys, I don’t really have any attachment to them. Because I deal in a business, I do not have any real sentimental attachment to toys.
The Second Instalment will be put up tomorrow. Being able to have Don speak with me and share his stories and toys has been another wonderful experience.
Thanks Don.
Anyone wishing to contact Don ,
can e-Mail him at his address below:
atoyluv@yahoo.com
Anyone wishing to contact Don ,
can e-Mail him at his address below:
atoyluv@yahoo.com
As always, Thanks to everyone for dropping by,
and as usual I bid you a good morning, a good afternoon, or good evening, whereever you may be.
No comments:
Post a Comment