Cool and Collected - collecting pop culture memories and memorabilia
A general discussion of collecting cool things, such as vintage and modern toys, comic books, ephemera.
When I was a kid, we used to spend our summer vacations in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. We would stop at one of the beach shops and load up on sand toys and flip flops (suntan lotion was for losers), and my brother and I would usually get to pick out a kite. These kites [...]
Do you smell that? Yep, it’s the smell of wet cardboard, and moth-eaten sweaters–yard sale season has finally returned! If you’re new to Cool & Collected, I should warn you that the next few months are likely to be filled with posts like this one, where I show off the treasures I find at the [...]
This week’s League topic is a show and tell event, where you’re asked to show off your prized possession. Many of my fellow bloggers have already chimed in with sentimental objects that tug at your heart strings and ooze nostalgia… I’m not going to do that. Believe me, It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s [...]
Friend of the site, Ashley Raburn of Life with Fandom, and his pal, Luke, have a new video series in the works called “Collecting Nostalgia,” where they highlight collectors like you and me. Check out the first video… I’m really excited about this endeavor and think that Ashley and Luke have done a great job. The [...]
UnderScoopFire is a website dedicated to children of the 80′s and it also offers up one of my favorite weekly podcasts. Last week, the USF crew was talking about the upcoming Village Gate Toy Show in Rochester, New York and I asked Howie Decker if he’d mind sending along some photos of the show. Well, much to my [...]
The other day I showed you some great vintage toys up for bid in Hake’s current auction, but there were also a bunch of action figures that caught my eye. Sometimes, it’s just easier to buy an entire collection than to build one piece by piece. So, if you have some cash burning a hole [...]
The latest auction from Hake’s is going on now, and as usual, there is an incredible assortment of vintage toys up for bid. Here are some of my favorite items… “BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER FLIP FLASHLIGHT.” 4×8.5″ card with images of Batman, Robin and Batmobile. Holds 3″ long flashlight with full color label [...]
This past weekend I went to the Washington Antique and Collectible Toy Show. That’s a pretty lofty name for this show, since it was held in a local fire station and had maybe 20 vendors. The show is held a couple of times a year but this was the first time I have ever been [...]
I finally got all the playsets out of their boxes and set up. I REALLY did want to put the Eternia set together, but the track pieces are so incredibly fragile that I chickened out. I also didn’t feel comfortable putting on the Lion’s arms since it didn’t seem like they would ever come off [...]
The Travel Channel served up a special treat for us toy collectors on Sunday night. A new show called Toy Hunters aired, which follows around toy collector and dealer Jordan Hembrough on his quest to find rare and valuable toys. The show is a carbon copy of the American Pickers formula, but while Mike and [...]
