Category:
Kitsch and Collectibles

First Alaskan Pipeline Oil

I wonder if anyone still has one of these sitting on their desk. I didn't find any for sale on eBay.

Los Angeles Times - June 1, 1978



About a year later it was selling for less than half its original price. Mustn't have been a lot of demand for it.

Salem Capital Journal - Oct 16, 1979

Posted By: Alex - Fri Sep 13, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Kitsch and Collectibles, 1970s

Cold Sore Diamond Lips

There's just a few days left to enter to win a "one-of-a-kind pair of diamond lips" in a contest sponsored by the makers of Abreva Cold Sore Cream. The lips are made of "197 lab grown diamonds sculpted and set within white gold," and one red ruby "to mark the cold sore experience."

The company notes that if you currently have a cold sore on your lips you should wait until "after they've healed" to wear the diamond lips.

More info: prnewswire.com

Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 21, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Jewelry, Kitsch and Collectibles

Ceramic Pig Whiskey Bottle

Valued at $1600 in 1990. (Source: 1001 Antiques Worth a Fortune (which not a lot of people know about, by Tony Curtis). Must be worth even more today.

I don't have any valuable family heirlooms. Wish I had something classy like this to leave to heirs when I die.



Update: Thanks to Patrick for giving a heads up about the identity of this pig flask, and that a similar one was discussed on Antiques Roadshow.

These pig flasks were made by Anna Pottery (located in Anna, Illinois) during the late 19th century. They weren't considered valuable when they were made, but due to their rarity and quirkiness they're now collector's items.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 06, 2024 - Comments (4)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants, Kitsch and Collectibles

Texaco Toy Tanker

Embrace your large carbon footprint with a model tanker ship!



Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 08, 2022 - Comments (1)
Category: Kitsch and Collectibles, Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Toys, 1950s, 1960s, Power Generation

New Trends in Table Settings

By Lucy Staley from Hearthside Press. 1968.

This is the book to get you up to speed on the exciting art of table setting. From the review in The Bradenton Herald (Dec 22, 1968):

It seems almost impossible that such a wealth of information covering all aspects of table-setting has been condensed in this one book. The novice who usually pales at such terms as balance, dominance, rhythm, proportion, etc. can relax — it's all here but in a manner easily understood.

You can get it on loan from archive.org.



"Table for a Hawaiian luau"



"Easter dessert table"



"Strutting cocks from Spain frame an arangement in a basket"

Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 30, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Boredom, Kitsch and Collectibles, Books

Coca-Cola Naughty Nun Belt Buckle

The Coca-Cola Company released this bronze, cigar-cutting belt buckle as a promotional item for the 1915 Trans-Pan Exposition in San Francisco. This was evidently before the company had begun cultivating its wholesome image.

There must have been quite a few of these buckles created, because you can find a number of them for sale on auction sites (such as here, here, and here). They range in price from $48 to $125.

Posted By: Alex - Sat Mar 14, 2020 - Comments (2)
Category: Kitsch and Collectibles, Nuns, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1910s

The Gospel Singing Jubilee



Those suits! Those hair-dos! Those pop arrangements of venerable tunes! It's Lawrence Welk for Bible-thumpers.

Some background.

Three more segments below the jump, and even more on YouTube..



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 16, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Kitsch and Collectibles, Music, Religion, Television, 1960s, 1970s

World’s Biggest Cuckoo Clock

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Schonach, Germany, is the heart and homeland of the cuckoo-clock industry. Two houses in fact have been transformed into giant cuckoo clocks to commemorate this.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 20, 2015 - Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Kitsch and Collectibles, Technology, Europe, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults

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Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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