Space Rocket Whistle Mug (Unknown, 1950s)

Space is dark, space is cold, space is lonely. Nothing helps pass the time on patrol like a nice, steaming cup of Joe. Keep your ray guns and Space-O-Phones. Times like these, you need a space mug!

The graphics set the mood, of course, with an astronaut floating above an old-school space station and, in the distance, the planet Earth. Flip the mug around and you get another shot of the home world.

But what really designates this mug as a device from some long, lost future-that-never-came-to-be is the amazing, rocket-shaped whistle! Is it a tool for signaling the waitress at an all night, orbital diner? Is it pitched at just the right frequency to scare off an angry Neptunian? I don't know, and I don't care! It's great!

I like that there's a spot on the bottom of the mug to write your name. And yes, I've been tempted to put mine there... But the collector in me keeps twitching at the idea of marking it up. I'm not too much of a freak about sealing up my toys and collectibles in airtight containers, but even I draw the line at drawing a line on my stuff. For now, anyway... The five-year-old in me might win out one of these days!

The mug was made in Japan, but beyond that, I don't know anything about it. Manufacturer? No clue. Year? Nope. Even the name remains steeped in mystery -- I decided to call it "Space Rocket Whistle Mug," but for all I know, the company that produced it called it something simple like... well... mug. If anyone knows anything about this piece, please drop me a line. I'd love to learn more about it.

888 Gun (Unknown / 1950s / Japan / 2.5 x 3 inches)

While America and various European countries were producing a rainbow of plastic ray guns, Japan's toy companies focused on creating their weapons out of tin. Because the stamping process doesn't allow for complex cuts, rings, or swirls, most of these toys were more simply designed than their Western counterparts. However, the Japanese had perfected the art of lithography, and they chose to use the ray guns as mini canvases, literally covering them in rockets, space men, galaxies, and anything else the designers could think of. Often these were combined with embossing techniques that resulted in toys that, like the 888 gun, were nothing short of beautiful.

The 888, a simple cap gun, remains a particularly uncommon toy. I consider myself lucky to own one, and in fact, it stands today as one of my best pick ups. I found it at an antique gallery down in Pennsylvania, and when I checked the price tag, I was astonished to find the seller wanted about an eighth of what it's typically worth. I put on my best poker face and carried the toy to the cashier, which is when I got my second surprise: Due to an ongoing sale, the toy was marked down another 10 percent! I didn't ask any questions, just forced my face into an even greater study in nonchalance, paid the nice woman behind the counter, and then beat the hell out of there before I lost control and started skipping around the store. 

That same day, I also managed to pick up another fantastic ray gun -- which I'll discuss later -- and a number of rare, vintage paperbacks. Yeah, those are the kind of antique crawls that you remember...