eBay item: Bali Ha'i Ashtray

I found one at an antique store in Las Vegas a week ago for $8.00 and bought it. Any TC'er interested in this one on ebay for $3.99? (oh, and it's not my auction).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3207724923&category=594

SugarCaddyDaddy

Well, it ended at $10.49. Did a TC member get it?
SugarCaddyDaddy

hey SCD did you find that at the antique mall(sample shoppes) on tropicana and jones? I think i've passed it up there a few times.

HulaHula~
Yeah, that's the one! The Bali Ha'i ashtray, and a nice mini-Menehune.

SugarCaddyDaddy

Oh, I also found one of those starfish lamps for $5 from the same guy...all in Vegas!

(Just kidding...I read your "Your Holy Grail" post.)

man I soo almost had a heart attack, my eye welled up with a tears for a sec. I couldnt belive I missed it.

After all the walking I did... I can't believe I missed it too.

LMAO thats just too funny. Next time spike we'll hook up and I show you all the secret spots

I was the buyer on this ashtray. Does anybody know an approximate age? Or are these things available today in the gift shop? The gift shop was closed when we were there last year. The ashtray came yesterday and is about 3 inches square, which makes me think maybe its a modern reproduction instead of an old one.

jukeboy56 wrote:
Does anybody know an approximate age? Or are these things available today in the gift shop?...makes me think maybe its a modern reproduction instead of an old one.

Congrats JukeBoy!
Your's actually is in better shape and older than mine. I don't know the exact age, but the shape of the ashtray and the cigarette "wells" are common to most of the pre-mid-1970 ashtrays. The one I have is more of a later 1970's to 1980's shape and the printing is on the backside. (Depending on the manufacturer, printing can be either on the inside or outside, but most chose outside printing so that the customers name didn't wear away from multiple use.)

Your printing is also much sharper than mine. The pad printing on mine is not as 'exact'(meaning that lettering and/or pictures seem a little fuzzy and run together a bit). Alot of the pre-mid-1970's ashtray producers actually had much better quality control on their printing and had great artistic graphics which is why alot of the older ashtrays have a more visual appeal in comparison to the 1980's ashtrays.

Oh, and "pad printing" is similar to what a rubber stamp does, only it's called a "pad" or "tampo" printing. So if you look at your 2-color ashtray, you will most likely see that the black was done first, then the white (if it was printed on the backside). If the printing was done on the front, then the white was printed, and then the black.

These ashtrays are not available at Bali Ha'i. Hope this info helps.

SugarCaddyDaddy

(FYI-I am familiar with pad printing since I had a pad machine back when I owned 2 recording studios and an in-house duplication facility and pad printing on audio cassettes (remember those?) was a daily routine, and also took side jobs printing on various items for a nearby advertising firm.)

The Caddy and The Tiki Transporter

[ Edited by: SugarCaddyDaddy on 2003-02-21 10:40 ]

Thanks for the info! Mine is printed on the backside. I only suspected it might be a reproduction because I collect casino-related items and have seen some reproduced early casino ashtrays.

Reference:
JukeBoy's ashtray:

SugarCaddyDaddy's ashtray and Menehune:

I have a few different Bali Ha'i ashtrays: one is identical to the one in JukeBoy's picture, with the pointed corners, 'flat' top, and just barely recessed cigarette wells; another one is a 3 1/2" diam. circular with the same graphic, but the coloring is much darker and the figure is less clearly defined. But the third one is totally different: it's another 3 1/2" circular, but the graphic is of a shirtless islander blowing through a large shell. The text reads "Shelter Island's BALI HAI" (with no "'" between the 'a' and the 'i') and gives the full mailing address, but no mention of 'Point Loma'. The two round ones are of much thicker glass than the square one, and the 'islander' appears to be the oldest of the three, but I know little about ashtrays. SCD - what do you think?