Here come the ’60s
By Vincent J. Perkov – If there’s any one thing that later Baby Boomers have in common, it’s that they all have fond memories of their favorite television programs from the ’60s. Kids all over the country would sit mesmerized for hours in front of that box in the corner of the living room so they could stay tuned for the adventures of the Green Hornet or laugh at the antics of Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies. (I want the younger readers out there to remember, there were no videos, no Nintendo or Sega, no computers or internet in the ’60s. Entertainment at home was very limited. Watching television was about the only game in town.)
With such large numbers of captive and loyal audiences with Mom and Dad’s money to spend, toy company merchandisers and memorabilia makers had a field day. There were eight different categories of shows, each with their own specialized collectible toys and memorabilia. All the more popular shows had their own versions of items, from already popular toy or product lines.
These toy lines, some of which are still produced today, were Colorforms, View Master, and Aurora models. Generic items like lunch boxes, coloring books, and puzzle trays were also produced for most of the shows. Two other more specialized generic items that bear mentioning were the board games, mainly made by either Ideal or Milton-Bradley, and the toy guns, when appropriate for the individual show, made by Remco, One point about the board games, make sure they’re near complete before you buy.
There are plenty of places where you can search for and find these collectible items, and at rock-bottom prices too! Garage sales and flea markets are great—you can buy all kinds of toys for pennies on the dollar. Don’t forget about your local thrift shops either. While you may pay a few dollars more, the games and playsets are generally more complete, and the packaging prized by collectors is usually in better condition than at a typical garage sale.
In case you’re wondering if there’s a solid collectible toy buyers’ market out there, I wish you could have attended a recent collectible toy show that I did. The wheeling and dealing and money being spent made me think of Wall Street on Monday morning. I witnessed a bidding war between four collectors for a 1964 ATM model of the Addams Family Mansion that ended at $750. (After doing a little inquiring, the dealer let me know he bought it for $40 at a Salvation Army thrift shop the previous week.)
I’ll close the “Treasure Chest’s” lid this month with a recommendation for your collectible reference book library. TV Toys and the Shows that Inspired Them was written by Cynthia Boris Liljeblad. It’s full of great photos and TV trivia you may never have heard before. Did you know that Thing was Ted (Lurch) Cassidy’s hand in The Addams Family? As for the prices mentioned, the three-grade price guide is as realistic as you can get in this crazy world of collectibles.
TEN ’60s TV COLLECTIBLES
The following checklist contains collectible memorabilia from some of the best-known television programs of the 1960s. These collectible items are listed according to their desirability. Most items should include its original packaging. In some cases, the packaging is as desired as the item itself. Prices in this and all “Treasure Chest” checklists are for Near Mint collectibles and are determined through the research of various collectibles reference books, price guides, comments from knowledgeable collectors, and observations made by me, your writer. If a more detailed description is required, please feel free to contact me.
(Prices are from date of publication)
1. 1969 Aladin, Land of the Giants—Lunch Box, $200
This highly desired box features a large self-portrait of renowned lunch box artist Elmer Lehnhardt. He’s the big guy with glasses.
2. 1966 Remco, Lost in Space—Robot, $950
12“ facsimile of one of the most memorable TV icons of the ’60s. Have the box, or expect a significant drop in value.
3. 1966 Corgi, The Green Hornet—Black Beauty, $200
The best-known crime-fighting automobile this side of the Batmobile. English Corgi is well-known for metal auto reproductions.
4. 1963 Colorforms, The Beverly Hillbillies, $85
One of the most popular Colorforms sets. You remember Colorforms: vinyl characters that stuck like magic to a vinyl backdrop.
5. 1967 Ideal Star Trek Official Board Game, $200
The only officially licensed Star Trek Classic board game
6. 1964 Sawyer, The Addams Family—View Master , $95
It seems that every successful sitcom had View Master discs made for it. You would put the photo discs in a viewer and click away. One of the rarer photo sets.
7. March 26, 1966 TV Guide—Batman on cover, $85
With the exception of Lucy, Elvis, and Superman, Batman leads the rest of the pack in collectible value.
8. 1967 KST, Lost In Space—Dome Lunch Box , $625
One of the most colorful and popular lunch boxes on the collectible lunch box circuit. This one’s hard to find in Mint condition, but well worth the effort.
9. 1968 MPC Hogan’s Heroes Jeep, $55
A good example of a generic collectible. Take an everyday jeep, add a few decals with the show’s name, and voila!—it’s a collectible.
10. 1966 Aurora, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea—Model, $550
Plastic model of the submarine Seaview. Models that you built were a big part of TV merchandising in the ’60s. (Note: There are many Aurora box art collectors who will pay you good prices for the box alone.)
