Key to the (Haunted) Kingdom!

 Well, it's October again, so I thought I would spook it up around here a little! I plan to feature spooky games for the rest of the month, but today I have an item that I've owned for over thirty years, but I never thought to post about before. May I present to you: The Haunted Mansion keychain!

Here it is, being modeled by our "hand model," Thing!

This keychain was purchased around 1990 at the cart outside of the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World. As I recall, they had two styles, one in gold and one in silver. It's fairly heavy metal, and feels like a real skeleton key. The "Haunted Mansion" logo is on a small ceramic disc, which is a nice touch, I think. It only appears on this side.

I've never used it as a keychain, and won't. I prefer to think of it as my personal front door key for our favorite haunt! 

These are fairly hard to find now (although there is a newer version that is shaped like a bat that is much easier to get). The ones I've seen tend to go for about twenty bucks, which is still a bargain in my book!

So there you have it! Be sure to check back in next week for our first spooky game!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure! 

Tale of the Tape

 Last week's entry reminded me of this item that I picked up off of Ebay a while back...

It's an original 1964 reel to reel tape of the Mary Poppins sound track! Unlike the records I shared last week, this recording seems to be actual tracks from the film, dialog included. Let's take a look at the track listing...

...and the tape itself...

I must say that this recording sounds fantastic! Disney worked with Ampex to produce an audiophile grade product, and they nailed it. The Overture is particularly moving.

Interesting side fact: the Ampex auto reverse tones don't work on my Sansui player (they only work on Ampex-type systems) so I had to add my own aluminum tape to the exit leader to get auto-reverse going. No biggie, as I do that with all my tapes anyway, but I think it's interesting that even in 1964 the home entertainment industry was not cooperating on their products (I'm looking at you, VHS and Beta!)

I got this tape at a great price, since it's mainly rock tapes that are crazy expensive. So, if you have a reel to reel systen, you might want to seek this one out! Actually, if you have an 8 track, you can find one too, since this was one of the first offerings for that medium as well! And, of course, there's always vinyl....

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

For the Record...

 ...my daughter rocks when it comes to giving gifts. She knows that I love anything (and I mean anything) vintage Disney, so if she finds anything that fits that catagory, she snatches it up for little ol' me!

Today I'm featuring something she gave me a while back. Two Disneyland records, one for Lady and the Tramp and one for Mary Poppins. Here they are!

Pretty cool, huh? Quite frankly they had me at the vintage "Disneyland" logo, but let's dig in a little deeper, shall we?

These two records feature tracks from their respective films, with Lady and the Tramp showcasing "Siamese Cat Song" and "La La Lu" on side one and "Bella Notte" and "He's a Tramp" on side two. Mary Poppins features "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "I Love to Laugh" on side one, and "Step in Time" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" on side two. An interesting point is that Disney rarely released the actual tracks recorded for the movie, but, rather, rerecorded them for record distribution. 

Although these records look very similar, they were, in fact released several years apart. Both were released right after their fims, with Lady and the Tramp being released in '57-'58 (there was some confusion on the exact date) and Mary Poppins being released in '64. Also, although these are 7 inch records, they are not 45s, but 33 1/3 rpm examples. 

So there you have it! Two records with eight classic Disney tunes! 

Thanks, Jess!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

The Stereo Grows!

 This week I'm going to show off my 63rd birthday gift! My birthday is actually tomorrow, but I picked this up a couple of weeks ago. It's a Sansui SR-1050C turntable! Here she is!

The controls on this unit are very simple. A on/off/tonearm lift on the right, and a button for 33 1/3 and 45 rpms on the left. That's it. It looks lot different from the Technics DL 1200 I was looking at getting originally. That unit looks like it belongs on a spaceship! Don't let looks fool you, though. The SR-1050C is a better unit, if only because it goes with my Sansui QRX-7500A receiver and Sansui QD-5500 reel to reel tape deck, seen here...

One of the main things that make or break a turntable is the stylus. This one came with a Pickering V-15/ATE 4 which is a solid unit. 

It also has a nifty early 70s wooden case! The unit was made in about 1970 to 1972...

Another view, without a record on it...

...and with the lid closed.

As to quality, it sounds fantastic. I seriously think it sounds as good (or close to as good) as my reel to reel! I'm VERY happy with it!

So, happy birthday to me!!!

Keep searching for treasure!

It's Greek to Me!

 This week I'm going to share an item left to me by my maternal grandfather, Dr. John Roy Stewart. He was a Baptist pastor for about 60 years, and in his studies he was required to learn both Greek and Hebrew. And I have this...

This leather bound book, about a foot tall and pretty heafty at over 1700 pages, is my grandfather's Greek/English dictionary. He actually used it when he was in school and later when he would write sermons.

Here's a look at the spine...

...and the pages.

This is the title page. It looks pretty old, huh?

Well, that's because it is! It was published in 1865. Obviously, my grandfather picked it up used...

Here's a sample page. They're all about the same, as far as I can tell...

And here's who sold the book. Are they still there? Probably not, but I haven't checked, to be real honest.

And there you have it. A treasure to me because, although I have no use for it, I know my grandfather used it quite a bit! And having a 160 year old academic text on my bookshelf makes me feel just a little bit smarter, I guess!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Watching Forty Years Go By...

 Well, since I featured a 1905 watch last week, I thought I'd feature the other watch my dad gave me, which, by a stroke of luck, is exactly forty years newer! 

This is actually the first watch my dad gave me, when I was a teen. It's a 1945 Bulova that he received as a high school graduation gift from his parents! 

The back indicates that it's 10k rolled gold plate (gold over steel) and has a stainless steel back.

Looking inside, we find some more information. We see that it's a 15 jewel watch. The "10 AK" is the movement type. The interesting part is how you tell the date of the watch. See that little triangle under the word "watch?" That means "1945."

This watch is manual wind and runs. I actually wear it from time to time. I've had it repaired twice over the years and, since the going price for a 1945 Bulova is 100 to 500 bucks, I may have spent more than it's worth keeping it going. Still, it's worth it, as I've already decided to give it to my grandson. 

Now you've seen both of my dad's watches! Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

Watch Out for History

In this week's post I'm going to share an item that was given to me by my father. Here it is...

This is a small pocket watch that I thought he said belonged to my grandfather (which I may have gotten confused, more on that later) As you can see, it's an Elgin watch, made in Elgin, Illinois. They stopped making watches in the 1960s. 

I was able to pop the case open, and this is what I found...

The "Supreme" marking and serial number are for the hunter's case, not the watch itself. It shows that the case is gold filled (solid gold cases were never guaranteed due to being soft) and was made by the Illinois Watch Case Company. 

Now, lets look at the movement, shall we?

There we find the serial number which is the pot of gold in this story. You see, there is a website, pocketwatchdatabase.com, where you can enter in the serial number and maker and find out all sorts of info about a pocketwatch! I did so, and this came up...

Next, since I'm certainly no expert, I asked AI to break these facts down. In a nutshell, I found out..

Grade and Model: The watch is a Grade 308, Model 5, Class 104. The Grade 308 is a 17-jewel movement, which is a higher-end model for its time, offering better accuracy and durability due to the additional jewels reducing friction in the gear train. The Model 5 designation and Class 104 indicate specific design and production specifications within Elgin’s catalog.

Manufacturing Details: Made by the Elgin National Watch Co. in Elgin, Illinois, with the movement serial number 11655876. This serial number aligns with an estimated production year of 1905.

Production Run: A run quantity of 1,000 suggests this was a limited batch within the broader Grade 308 production, which totaled 25,000 units. Being the 14th of 19 runs indicates it’s part of a series with some variation over time.

Technical Specs: The movement is an 18-size, full-plate, pendant-set design with a gilt finish, openface configuration, and a quick train. It features a Moseley regulator, Breguet hairspring, and is adjusted to temperature, indicating it was finely tuned for consistent performance across different conditions. The 17 jewels are screw-set, a sign of quality craftsmanship.

Patents and Adjustments: The U.S. patents (77078, 347272, 345619) and the "Adjusted: Yes" and "Adjusted to Temperature: Yes" markings confirm it was a precision movement, though it’s not a railroad grade, meaning it wasn’t specifically designed for the strict standards of railroad use.

Case and Dial: The case is listed as "Various," which fits with the gold-filled "Supreme" case with a 10-year guarantee. The single-sunk dial type matches the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock.

So, now I know that it's 120 years old and that it was a high end, fairly rare watch. I registered it with the website and apparently out of those 1000 watches only seven have now made it there. Also, that manufacture date of 1905 is interesting. Why? Because my grandfather was born in 1910. That's why I said I might be confused. Could this have been my great grandfather's watch? Possibly, but I'll likely never know for sure, since my dad passed away in 2008, so I can't ask him. 

The watch isn't working, and in fact if you look closely at the gears, you'll note one is just sitting there, not attatched to anything. This type watch apparently sells for 150.00 to 400.00 not working, but 500.00 to 800.00 working. AI said that it typically costs 100.00 to 300.00, plus parts, to fix one, so it seems like it would be worth it. Of course, that's still a pretty good chunk of change, and I'll have to find someone who specializes in antique pocket watches. But I think I'll eventually do it. 

It will be a nice thing to hand down to my daughter, even if I'm not exactly sure whose watch it was.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!