Collecting Autographs - Hobbies May 1942

"Pencils with Personalities" - I found this article interesting for a few reasons, one, who would have thought to have people of note autograph pencils and two, to love your hobby so much you would travel as much as this man did and set-up your display so often. Today I present Mr. Gfeller and his pencils:

"The number that collect autographs is legion, but autograph collecting has other sidelines. Ralph R. Gfeller, Kansas, has what he calls a collection of 'Pencils with Personalities.' Gfeller has approximately 3,000 pencils, many of them autographed by internationally famous people, such as Winston Churchill, Madame Chiang-Kai-Shek, Thomas Edison, General John J. Pershing, Robert Ripley, Shirley Temple, and others.

His largest pencil is seven feet long, and 17 inches in circumference; his smallest is the size of a tack.

As an example of the interesting paths into which a hobby will lead one, Mr. Gfeller has traveled 25,000 miles and displayed his pencils more than 100 times in one year."

Just a small portion of some of my collections

Roman Candles in your Car - The year - 1908!

"Automobilists running on country roads at night must send up a red rocket every mile and wait ten minutes for the road to clear. They may then proceed carefully, blowing their horns and shooting Roman candles."

I wonder how many cars upholstery caught fire with this brilliant plan!

No Roman candles in our store but we do have some lovely well-priced decorative candle holders. Here are just a couple -


http://cgi.ebay.com/Older-tall-taper-candle-holder-clear-glass-vase-bubbles-/350292088172?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518f09156c

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pair-clear-glass-low-fancy-taper-votive-candle-holders-/350292093696?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item518f092b00

Lincolniana - from Hobbies magazine May, 1942

Alfred W. Stern of Chicago recently purchased a famous letter by Lincoln, at a reputed price of $15,000. It is Lincoln's famous letter to Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker after appointing him commander of the Army of the Potomac. The letter gently upbraids Hooker for thwarting his predecessor, Gen. A.E. Burnside, and for saying that "both army and the government need a dictator." Lincoln told Maj. Gen. Hooker, among other things: "What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship." He closes with these words of advice: "And now beware of rashness - beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward, and give us victories."

While we do not have such amazing pieces of history from the Civil War, we do have these lovely souvenir glasses from Gettysburg in our store currently:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-sm-frosted-glass-Gettysburg-Shrine-Lincoln-Lee-/160320023896?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2553d16d58

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-frosted-glass-Gettysburg-Shrine-Lincoln-Lee-/350174859941?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51880c52a5