Any One Know What It Is?

[Et-Es-Go]

I was bidding on this item on Ebay and let it go as I really don't know what it is, but it certainly looks to be for Buck Rogers. Anyone have a clue?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=170877289730&si=Fp9PYv8q%252Fr%252BRr6HYMxuCtvyslUk%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3AONA%3AUS%3A3160&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

 

 

 

[Et-Es-Go]

Over 100 views and not a single comment? The thing must be pretty rare then.

[Sqeggs]

Over 100 views and not a single comment? The thing must be pretty rare then.

Never seen one before. There's a comment. A useless comment, but a comment!

[jgallo]

Doesn't look right to be 70+ years old. The wood looks minty fresh and the figure is too clean. Unless that is a known piece it could be newly made or some generic space figure mounts to a wood base and sold as Buck Rogers. I have seen a lot of vintage BR stuff but never seen this. Just doesn't pass the smell test IMO.

 

James G

[Duffman_Comics]

Yes, the base of the thing made me doubt the whole package is 70+ years old.

 

Then I noticed another one on eBay at a vastly different price.

 

I think it's the same item. The winning bid on the first one was made by someone with identical feedback to the new seller (4426).

 

Nice little mark-up if he gets the BIN.

[Et-Es-Go]

Very astute observation. It is the seller of the same item that he has listed at $8500. Notice that they are definitely two different pieces, the $8500 one is missing the jet pack, the one he bought for $380 is not missing it. I also noticed the two pieces were mounted on the same shaped wooden base, so I do believe that it is not a one off item. But I suspect very few were made. I was wondering if they were a point of purchase display made by Daisy to help sell the Buck Rogers guns, or maybe something for a newsstand to sell the comics.

 

I can also share with you that I am onto a third one. Getting pictures to verify but I'm told it is also on the same wood base. So now what do folks think? I have been looking at some Macy's and Gimbels pictures to see if it might show up in some store display some time around 1934 when the ray guns first came out. No luck so far.

 

I thought it might be a generic space figure as well, but the cap is such a distinctive look for Buck Rogers, with that little knob on top, that I think it must be his likeness. Also, the straps across the chest, the boots, and the pistols to the sides. These all look like Calkin's Buck Rogers to me.

 

Thanks for the observations and feed back so far. I knew you guys would be of some help.

[Et-Es-Go]

It reminds me of a statue like an Oscar. Were there any science fiction awards that anyone know of?

[Boba]

Fascinating object. Would love to know if it's really related to BR

 

It reminds me of a statue like an Oscar. Were there any science fiction awards that anyone know of?

 

Well, for sure It's not a HUGO or a World Fantasy Award

[Et-Es-Go]

Little update on this thread. I was able to procure one of these guys from the same seller that had one listed on Ebay earlier. Seems he bought some things from an estate sale and there were two of these and he grabbed them both. He said that owner was using them as book ends. The gentlemen was in the news paper biz he was told. Here is a front and rear view. Of the three examples shown or discussed in this thread, they all have the same wooden base so it would seem it is original to the piece. So back to the original question. If this is a Buck Rogers statue, what was it made or used for?

 

,

[comicparadox]

owner was using them as book ends... If this is a Buck Rogers statue, what was it made or used for?

 

Obviously it was used as book ends.

[Doohickamabob]

So back to the original question. If this is a Buck Rogers statue, what was it made or used for?

It is nicely polished.

[Duffman_Comics]

How heavy are these things?

 

If they are heavy enough, they MAY have been intended as paperweights on a stack of newspapers, intended to stop them blowing away.

 

Problem is, the examples shown exhibit no wear at all.

 

Maybe these ones were never used. Maybe the whole project was abandoned after a few were produced and here they are.

 

Maybe plenty were produced, but all those that were used were lost/destroyed - admittedly unlikely.

 

I can see this as plausible - Buck gets placed on the pile of papers that carries the strip, giving a visual cue to the prospective newspaper buyer.

 

I can also see a lot getting pinched by kids in the day, possibly forcing the termination of the program.

 

I'd still expect to see a lot more though, if they were actually produced in any quantity for any purpose.

 

My 10c

[Et-Es-Go]

This one and the other one that was sold on Ebay by the same buyer came from the same estate. As such, I suspect that neither of them saw the use which they were intended for. Unless the intended use is exactly this. A statue of Buck Rogers to put in your office or on your desk. It might have just been a gift to newspaper publishers, or a promotional tool, something to that effect. Could have been a premium that you could get once you joined the Solar Scouts, but that is a stretch as this sure does not seem to be a toy made for the kids. I'm trying to keep this thread bumped for a few more days and get as many eyes on it as I can to see if anyone recognizes it.

[jgallo]

I still say this is a bad ie fake piece. How is the figure attached to the base. What is the figure made of. They really only used a couple of materials in the 1920'-30's. I could see this being a 1970's piece perhaps.

 

Why all the thought around it being a newspaper item, neither of the two listings on ebay have a clue yet they both link it to newspapers... Fish with a capital F.

 

James G

[Moondog]

I can't imagine it's an officially licensed piece without all the proper copyright and/or trademark notices.

[Et-Es-Go]

They do appear to be authentic in terms of their age. Of the three discussed here, all of the wooden bases are the same. I think these were never used for their intended purpose. It seems logical that the wooden base has two purposes. One is to mount the unit to, but the base is designed so that a plaque of some sort would have likely been fixed to the wooden base. Thus the slight angle it has to present the plaque upward. If their were any identification of the figure, dates, etc, it likely would have been on the plaque.

 

The conjecture that it is some way related to the newspaper is that at least two of them came from an estate sale and that fellow worked for a newspaper. I will have to find out in what capacity.

[Et-Es-Go]

Got the statue pictured earlier in this thread today. It is heavy, one piece solid casting. The jet pack is casted separately then glued or soldered on, can't tell. It is secured to the base by countersunk holes that mate up with bolts cast to the feet. The base then has a felt covering to prevent any scratching. So it appears to be made to just sit in your desk. So that is its purpose I think. It probably wasn't made in large numbers and was probably in recognition of something. I sent Diamond Galleries a request for help also.

 

 

[Et-Es-Go]

The one still listed on EBay that was at $8500 has been reduced substantially to $999. But we're still no closer to knowing what they were made for. After this bump I will let it go and quit bugging you guys with it.

[Boba]

You're not bugging me, I'm fascinated by this. While it might not be what you hope it is, it still is a mystery as to what it really is. I'm certainly interested in what you find out

[jgallo]

To me that fact that price dropped that much in a short period tells me something. Is there any wear to the base on the one you have if not don't you find that odd?

 

James G