Geelong Bottle & Collectables Club Inc Volume 68 May/June 2009
Great, Scotty
Collectors flock as the late Scotty Clark’s lifetime of collecting goes under the hammer. REPORT – Page 3
From the desk of the president WHO’S WHO President: Dave Smith
Vice-president: Peter Harding 5275 3411 Treasurer: Bob Bauer 5250 1392 Secretary: Tracey Elso Assistant secretary: Noel Dawson Librarian: Craig Finegan Editor: Cam Ward 0430 369 146 Public officer: Kim Johnson State representative: David Smith Catering officer: Pam Bauer Committee members: Tony Parsons Craig Finegan Kim Johnson Noel Dawson and executives
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By David Smith, President, Geelong Bottle & Collectables Club
elcome to my first president’s report! After being elected at our AGM (I think because no one else wanted the job!) I have struggled to come to grips with what my role is. First, a formal thanks to Kim and the previous committee for their great efforts in their roles over the past years, culminating in a great state show last November. Don’t be disappointed in the financial result Kim, all that effort and the great show that it was, the “good times had by all”, mean much more than some extra dollars in the bank! I have set myself and, hopefully, ALL members, an initial task of trying to increase membership. Simply by chatting to two ex-members – in Adelaide of all places – and hopefully being positive about the club, Fances Cerasa and
Andrew Foot came along to our June meeting, with some fantastic finds by the way, and joined up at the end of the night! Mick Fay from Gawler in South Australia has joined as our first interstate member, I believe, simply to receive our great newsletters (thanks Cam) and to keep in touch with what is happening in Geelong. Welcome to all you! We must always make the club welcoming to all comers, be positive about what the club has to offer to existing members and prospective new members . At the time of writing I will be away on holidays but I am sure vice-president Peter can handle all issues while I am away. When I return I hope to finalise booking a venue for our October 2010 show. I will look closely again at the Murwillumbah one-day show on August 1, to pick their brains on one-day versus two-day shows and set a date for our first committee meeting. Enjoy what you collect.
Newsletter now available online If you’d like to see the club newsletter as it’s created – in colour – you can now go online and peruse at your leisure. The newsletter is now being hosted at the Issuu website, www. issuu.com, where you
type in “Geelong” and then click on the issue you want. You can turn the pages with a click of your mouse and zoom in. At present, only this issue and the March-April edition are there but more will be added.
Geelong Bottle and Collectables Club Inc.
The club meets on the fourth Monday of each month (excluding December) at the Belmont Park Pavilion, Barrabool Road, under the James Harrison Bridge. Club postal address: Geelong Bottle and Collectables Club Inc. Box 5049 North Geelong LPO 3215
The massive Scotty Clark collection had eager bidders coming through the lots hours before the auction started.
Crowd honours Scotty’s passion B
y any measure it was a massive undertaking, a final farewell befitting the late Scotty Clark. When Scotty’s collection went under the hammer on May 31 at Nobelius Auctions in Surrey Hills, the catalogue ran to more than 1100 lots and presented a huge challenge to auctioneer Bruce Lowenthal.
Dave Smith contemplates the merits of this Black Horse.
It was not just the sheer volume but the diversity that stood out. Every spare inch of the main auction room was filled. They weren’t all museum quality pieces but most lots invariably drew spirited bidding from the large crowd. And there was a chance that you’d pick up something if you were prepared to wait. Scotty obviously saw no need to specialise and he accumulated everything from enamel signs to eye baths. Advertising pieces went beyond the usual tins and signs to china. This was the place that you had to be if you wanted to add to your pie funnel collection, needed to replace your Pam Prest Planet enamel oven door, wanted to repair your apple corer or wanted a string dispenser you weren’t likely to misplace in a hurry (it was cast iron). But there were some obvious highlights, including an array of whiskey jugs and a superb majolica water filter. It would be fair to say we may never see such a collection again.
Despite being repaired, this majolica ware Johnson Bros water filter was one of the auction highlights.
The quality whiskey jugs and advertising pieces.
Some of the classic Australian tins up for sale.
Holy hidden treasure Batman! G
rowing up I had a holy trinity of Corgi toy cars – a James Bond DB5 Aston Martin, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Batmobile. I only ever had the first one of those growing up, and various examples of the other two over the years to come but nowhere near the standard of this example that came up on eBay recently. Could this be the world’s best Corgi Batmobile and Batboat? Still sporting the original $6 price tag from iconic Manhattan toy store FAO Schwarz it had never been played with. A woman bought it for her son during a visit to the Big Apple in 1966, hid it in a cupboard with the intention of giving it to him for Christmas that year but obviously forgot about it. The result is a Batmobile that is practically perfect in every possible way. The box itself has no tears, the plastic window is clear and free of smudges, the brown cardboard protective sleeve is intact, even the original rubber band holding the boat to the trailer is there. The antenna is perfect. The stickers are intact and perfect. There is a little white Batman envelope that has some instructions and a little rack holding a batch of tiny rockets that are launched by the toy. Bidders around the world went nuts and eventually it fetched more than $5000. Closer to home, there were plenty of collectables that had bidders’ pulses racing.
An Arnotts “Roses Series” 12oz biscuit tin inspired plenty of bidding before ending at $836.86. Almost as highly sought after was the rare Bowen & Co Melbourne rectangle potlid, complete with original base. A total of
13 bids pushed its final price to $1523. And a crude “straight line” Fowler impressed ginger beer circa 1830-40 will remain in Australia after being sold for $610. – CAM WARD
CHERRY RIPE: This rare rectangular Bowen & Co potlid and base topped $1500 after some spirited eBay bidding.
Big auction a small step on the road to recovery MOVING ON: Communities like Flowerdale are moving on from the devastating Black Saturday bushfires.
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magine the scene: Tony Parsons picks me up at about 5.45am to arrive at Flowerdale by 8am for a halfhour chat and breakfast in the car park and to see all the pre-arranged car park deals happening prior to the LancasterRoycroft auction. The landscape made for a somber mood on our way north. It was still clear to see how close the bushfires came to each side of the Hume Highway and where fire crews stopped the flames. You could only wonder at the intensity of it all. On the winding drive from Strath Creek to Flowerdale, the roadside was burnt on one side and untouched on the other. There was no logic as to what was left and what was lost. One of the only buildings to survive Black Saturday in Flowerdale was the old, dark, drafty Flowerdale Hall, now turned into a community relief centre with many portable buildings and toilets (a real bonus that for the auction crowd). The hall was apparently emptied of donated goods as the community strongly expressed a desire to the Roycrofts to “get back to normal as possible ... run your auction”. It was a commendable effort considering the tragedy of February 7 and the brief time lag from then to the May 24 auction. But it was achieved –with a bit of encouragement and pushing from Graham Lancaster. Day two of the two-day event was what the bottle collecting community had set itself for – and the opening lot probably underscored how determined
FLYING START: The two ginger beers that lured one committed interstate collector to Flowerdale for a matter of minutes. after by keen codd collectors, it All up, prices seemed pretty they were to make sure it was was pushed to $440 (including strong and were reportedly just “business as usual”. commission). Big money, but as strong at the sign auction the The iconic “Dempsey Dog” when will you get another one? day before. What global financial ginger beer was knocked down crisis? We came home through for $22,500, buyer’s commission Whittlesea and a moonscape It was also good to see that pushing the total out to $25,000. the raffle and refreshments to The buyer was an interstate landscape that was a picture of support the Flowerdale fund were total devastation – mature trees raider who literally flew into similarly well supported. Melbourne, hired a car, bid that look like they won’t regrow on two lots (the other being The highlight for me was lot and houses and sheds that burnt the Lincoln & Co Narrandera 793, the JW Wilding Queenscliff from the inside. It puts the whole lightning stopper ginger beer), 10 oz codd. It was the first one I issue of buying bottles into paid up and left immediately to have seen for sale and although perspective really. drive back to the airport. Talk scruffy will come up nice with a – DAVID SMITH about on a mission! professional polish. Well sought
minutes Committee meeting – May May 25, 2009
Meeting opened at: 7.30pm Present President D. Smith, vice-president P. Harding, treasurer Bob Bauer, secretary T Elso, committee members & club members C. Finegan, T. Parson, A. Snowdon, J&B Sydenham, D&J Votava, D. Phillips, C. Fields, C. Ward General Business Have speakers during daylight savings as we have more relaxed meetings. Start at 7.30pm when we have guest speakers. Format: guest-meeting-finds Talk of finds pre supper – all OK? Prospect of starting meetings at 7.30pm during winter months. Next Geelong show is 18months away, possibly with one-day format. Need to push collectables during advertising/planning. Review categories. Look at possible future venues. Job allocation – members to give thought to jobs required and needing to be done – who is best for them? Meeting closed at 8pm
May monthly meeting Meeting opened at 8.05pm Apologies Kim Johnson, Bruce & Elsie, Anne Phillips Minutes of previous meeting Moved: Peter Harding Seconded: Craig Finegan Business arising from minutes Calender – re Ron Barry State Show – no more info Scotty Clark auction – to be discussed in general business Correspondence Gippsland A.B.&C.Club – newsletter & new collectors’ mag “Passion for Collecting” Australian Bottle & Collectables Review Western A.B.&C.Club newsletter Mornington Peninsula A.B.&C newsletter Junk mail Treasurer’s report Moved: Peter Harding Seconded: Dave Smith General business S. Clark auction – not enough people wanting to go so a private car load of people will attend. Milk & cream bottle book – 5 books to be ordered, total $135 inc postage. One book to be kept for library, others to be used for fund raising. Cowra Bottle Show – Dave gave report on show and museum. Noel also discussed show. Chris’s Auction – Peter Harding reported on past few auctions. Flowerdale Auction – Dave reported on latest Lancaster/Roycroft auction Caloundra Show – Noel reported on Caloundra show George Yates – The passing of longtime bottle enthusiast and state bottle club member George Yates. Life Membership – Noel raised the subject of life membership. Members to think about it; to be discussed at next committee meeting
David’s latest finds included three varieties of the Bollington Hop Beer ginger beer. Cam gained a virtual show entry of ceramic labels, right, when he was the sole bidder at a Melbourne collectables auction.
Bob’s advertising thermometer – complete with fivedigit phone number.
A nice Trait codd shown by Tony in May.
A rare Cats team photo, featuring many familiar names from the club’s golden era of the Fifties, was on sale at May’s collectables fair.
latest finds May Tony
Drift fruit drink Rowlands torp, Mason & Trait codds
Noel
Piano insulators
Bob
Mobil thermometer Nigger Boy licorice ad
Peter
1888 Geelong Savings Bank calendar Geelong Advertiser printing plate March 30, 1987
FIRST
David
Chicago and Kangaroo fruit jars 4 Geelong ginger beers Geelong household almanac 1914 Cookery book circa 1920
THIRD
Ron & Jan
Coasters MCP Dumbo Oil cans
Cam
National Geographics Kennedy assassination papers Ceramic label lemonade bottles Dynon ashtray Corio whiskey jug & glass
Joe & Dot
Footy scarf Doll
Ron & Jan Tracey
Shortbread moulds
Alan
Mr Squiggle doll Pink glass shop jar Champion Melbourne jar Gas & Fuel advertising Handmade heavy metal tribal necklace
Ern
5 tea strainers McPherson’s catalogue
SECOND
Murano Verin Lattino bowl
Pete was an obvious winner of May’s latest finds wit this stunning 1888 Geelong Savins Bank calendar.
latest finds June David
Dingo jar/CFJ Mason pint jar/MFJ shear lip half-gallon
Peter
Brights box Coles Myer 75th anniversary glasses
Kim
Green and yellow vase
Barry
Luggage scales
Cam
Blue Ark essence bottles Old CDV photos Geelong Gaol timbers 1929/30 movie magazines 2 Australian Women’s Mirror magazines
Alan
Jeweller’s anvil Casting mould? Large Lord Calvert Whiskey advertising statue Old trays (Munro Whiskey, Chambers & Seymour Melbourne, Sedan)
Classy glass
Club members have done their best to brighten up recent bleak weather with some colourful finds. Noel produced these six piano insulators, below, while the amethyst Mason codd, right, now resides in Tony’s collection
THIRD
SECOND
FIRST
Notices
CLASSIFIEDS
Need to e-mail a photo? Like to post a photo on the internet to sell an item? Have a lend of the club’s digital camera. ASK PETER FOR DETAILS
Wanted to buy Anything to do with Jim Beam, Coca Cola, ceramic Garfields and Ned Kelly. Collectables collector. Phone Len Ellmer on 5224 1469. Royal Doulton Whisky flasks/Kingsware Old electric jugs Please call JIM HUNTER on 5127 6420. Member of the Gippsland club. SINGER SEWING MACHINES Anything to do with Singer. Phone Bruce or Elsie on 5275 5450. Matchboxes, labels, vesta boxes, match grips and Meakin china. Phone 5276 1267. Any old newspapers and documents. Prefer Geelong and areas but will consider anything. Phone Peter on 5275 3411. Geelong street guides and business directories. Phone 5266 1126. Any Scouting memorabilia. Phone Shane on 5229 6469.
Wanted to buy
Milk glass Vegemite/Marmite jars. Also screw top metal lids, any size. Phone Bruce on 0408 527 741. Pre-1956 telephone directories. Geelong & District or Melbourne Phone Cam on 0430 369 146. Any old newspapers and documents. Prefer Geelong and areas but will consider anything. Phone Peter on 5275 3411. Victa logo plate For original model Phone Alan on 5255 4773 or 0403 160 336. Embassy branded items. The old GJ Coles home brand. Will BUY anything. Phone Peter on 5275 3411. Aussie fruit/preserving/jam jars Geelong bottles Ceramic label milks and soft drinks David 0419 434 306/5243 4306
For sale Photographic record of 2008 State Bottle and Collectables Show. All category winners and selected individual bottles on one CD. Suitable for enlargements. $10 per copy. Phone Cam on 0430 369 146.