August 2005 Alerts on Confusing Collectibles

Fans of old advertising hunt for vintage round or oval paper fans printed with ads for everything from candy to hardware. These hand fans, mounted on a flat wooden stick, were product giveaways during the middle decades of the 20th century. Most old advertising fans sell for just a few dollars, but fans picturing famous people or brand names bring more money. Be sure to look closely if you want to buy, because many reproductions have been made.

Want a Mickey Mouse wristwatch that looks old but won’t cost you $1,000 or more? Check the Dollmasters gift catalog (dollmasters.com). The spring 2005 issue offers five new Mickey watches, three with a 1928 cartoon image and two with a 1945 image. The watches are not the same style as old ones, so they won’t confuse collectors. Each has a leather band. Cost: $59.

The Up5 chair and Up6 ottoman designed by Gaetano Pesce in 1969 have been reissued by B&B Italia (bebitalia.it). The chair and matching ottoman are made of molded polyurethane and are sold compressed and vacuum-packed. Once opened, they pop into their full forms. Cost: about $2,600 for the chair and $500 for the ottoman.

Reproductions of Coca-Cola collectibles have been made for years. But some “fantasy” items (those unlike any genuine old piece) have been turning up lately. One is a 3-quart unmarked clear glass jar made by Anchor Hocking. It’s molded with a bottle of Coke on one side and the profile of a woman drinking from a bottle on the other. Also watch out for cast-metal Coke cabinet pulls in several styles, including a bottle-shaped pull, a cup-type pull with a large Coke trademark, and a bottle mounted on a flat disk pull. (Mark Chervenka, repronews.com, writing in AntiqueWeek)