Post #143482 by tiki1963 on Sat, Feb 26, 2005 1:04 PM

well, the problem is that so much of what that era had to offer has been uncovered by the 'archeologist generation'. i've been collecting for over 20 years myself and have seen firsthand, what has happened in the collecting market.

like big bro mentioned, friends of mine like Dale Sizer and TikiDUG were doing the same thing i did back in the 80s and 90s....dig through thrift store in southern california! thrift stores are THE absolute, best way to view the ecological strata of pop culture and style. in the early 80s thru the early 90s, i can't think of a time i went to St. Vincent De Paul's (LA thrift haven) or DAV and didn't find at least a few tiki mugs. also, 40s and 50s furniture were no prob to find. and fergit about the cool records! sheesh!

the reason for this, was that the generation that owned that type of material was dying off and their families found the easiest way to deal with their stuff was dump it at thrift stores.

well, many of the collectors and swap meet dealers of the time knew the thrift stores was where their booty lay. so, much of what you mention as being plentiful tiki stuff, simply was bought up.

after most of the 40s-50s generation (who held onto their cultural style until their passing) died off, you found fewer and fewer types of these things on the thrift and secondary markets. in the 90s, most of what you found in thrift stores were of the 70s generation...by people who were either dying off or were purging their 70s crap to upgrade to the wonderful world of the 80s and 90s. now it seems, all you find at thrift stores is plastic from the 80s. because of the internet, the treasure hunters of the 80s material mainly look for kitsch 80s clothing such as Michael Jackson Thriller jackets and retro tee shirts.

also because of the internet, families that once tossed this stuff with no thought at all, now believe that anything and everything could be treasure. sure, there still is the random deal and there still are a few 'tombs of treasure' waiting to be plundered, but for the most part, the disappearance you mention is the passage of time.

i remember going to Bigbro's Tiki Symposiums back in the 90s when the collectors world was basically small. although it was extremely competitive, there was more than enough to go around. calling up Tikidug to gloat about some amazing find was what you lived for. of course, he'd 'one-up' you the next week with what he found. these days, because of so much available knowledge out there, the competition is fierce. BOT is a big reason why tiki stuff is in such demand. I must say, I have a love/hate issue with BOT…I thinks it’s the best collectors/pop culture reference book of its type. I own three copies! at the same time, it turned our secret island hideaway into a Vegas style resort because it did its job so well.

the crazy thing is, in 30 to 60 years from now, what kind of crazy flood will hit the thrift stores of the future that get all of our crap? think about it!