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Rare & Vintage: Coin-Operated Arcade Peep Show

Posted in Amusement Game, Auction, tagged antique arcade, arcade, coin-op amusement, coin-op game, peep show, pinup on November 7, 2015| 3 Comments »

Coin-operated arcade peep show. Rich Penn Auctions, November 7, 2015

A Collection of Shapely Pin Ups-5 Cents! The art of the come-on is alive and well in this nearly six-foot-tall, coin-operated arcade peep show from the 1950s. It sold at Rich Penn Auctions today for $400. When players look through the peephole all they see is a row of clothespins in various colors. It was manufactured in 1957 by the Exhibit Supply Co. of Chicago, which in addition to the Barrel peep show, sold a Nudist Colony machine that revealed a live ant colony.

Up for Auction: Nieman Eisman Banner of Monkey Scooter Rider

Posted in art, Artifacts, Auction, tagged banner, Fred Johnson, Johnny Meah, monkey, monkey speedway, Mosby & Co Auctions, Nieman Eisman, sideshow banner, Sideshows by the Seashore on May 15, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Monkey Scooter Banner by Nieman Eisman, Circa 1930s. Mosby & Co Auctions, May 16, 2015.

We’ve seen quite a few banners of carnival monkeys driving tiny race cars in Monkey Speedways, but never a monkey on a scooter. Considering the current popularity of scooters, this delightful banner could attract some competitive bidding when it goes on the auction block on Saturday.

The painting by Nieman Eisman, a master of the Chicago style of banner painting from the 1920s through the mid-1950s, is one of several carnival canvases in Mosby & Company’s Auction on May 17th. The pre-sale estimate of the giant-sized advertisement –it is approximately 6 feet tall by 9 feet wide–is $2,500 – $3,500. The catalogue is online and one can bid now or in real time during the auction.

Hollywood Movie Star Banner by Nieman Eisman, Circa 1930s. Mosby & Co Auctions, May 16, 2015.

A second Eisman banner titled Hollywood Movie Star shows two tuxedoed monkeys at a fancy restaurant. Banners by both Fred Johnson and Johnny Meah featuring Otis Jordan, “The Frog Boy,” who worked at Coney Island USA’s Sideshows by the Seashore in his later years, are also among the desirable banners in Saturday’s sale.

Up for Auction: Vintage Tattooed Lady Poster by Friedlander

Posted in art, Auction, tagged Friedlander, lithograph, tattoo poster, tattoo shop, tattooed lady, vintage poster on December 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

Expert Tattooing Lithographed Poster by Friedlander. Noel Barrett Auctions. December 6, 2014

This vintage Friedlander poster featuring a voluptuous Victorian tattooed lady advertising “EXPERT TATTOOING – DONE HERE” is up for auction today at Noel Barrett’s Fall Antique Auction in New Hope, Penn. Bidding is also available online via live auctioneers.

The 38″ x 24″ lithographed paper poster is mounted on board in a period painted frame. Adolph Friedlander was a prolific German lithographer whose firm printed many circus, vaudeville and magic posters beginning in the late 19th century. Tattoo posters are scarce, according to the auctioneer. Though this one has survived in a distressed state, it remains alluring. An hour before the start of today’s auction, it already has 14 bids.