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Vintage Ripley Souvenir Finds on Ebay…Believe It!
Categorized under John's Blog, St. Augustine
Posted by John
Everyone knows that they can find just about anything on the internet auction site Ebay and vintage Ripley collectibles are no exception. Kitschy souvenirs sold at museum gift shops in the 50s and 60s and 70s are often quite unusual and some actually have historical value built into them! I’ll explain… one item is a special View-master , 3-D reel that was sold at the St. Augustine museum. For those of you who are not familiar with Viewmaster, it is a stereoscope device for viewing slides that are mounted in pairs and arranged on a “reel”. What makes the St. Augustine Ripley reel significant is that the 7 images were photographed in 1978 so the reel is basically a “time capsule” of that particular time in the museum. A look into the past and, since the images are in 3-D, it you can really get the sense that you are “back in time”. This mint in the package reel was purchased for a mere 5 dollars,a true bargain.
The other item I found on Ebay is a weird ceramic ashtray and it also was from the St. Augustine museum. The ashtray is shaped like a foot and states” I got a kick out of Ripley’s Museum, St. Augustine, Florida”. Truly a weird piece but sooooo perfect as a Ripley’s souvenir. This piece was made in Japan and dates to the mid-1960s.
I’m always combing flea markets and tag sales for Ripley stuff so I’ll be sure to post some new treasures soon!
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