Tiki Finds

I was gonna say that Esquivel is red hot but you guys beat me to it!

Leftover Roundup: Recent Tiki-type finds (in the last month or so) I haven't posted yet:

Flamingo paint-by-numbers ($4.99); 4 "peanut" mugs from the MGM Grand and Bally's, Reno (99¢ each); Treasurecraft Hawaiian couple salt & pepper ($1.99); Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide (Revised, 1972)($2.49) -- I didn't think I needed the revised edition because I have the 1947 original, but there's some new stuff that makes this worth having, like Mai Tai recipes, a chapter of Pisco recipes, and photos of Vic's mugs and bar glasses, like this lovely lady I haven't seen anywhere else:

HIP Tiki bottle/can opener with rhinestone eyes ($1.99); HIP Ku Tiki in "Olivine" (resin & sand)($3.99); Kona Coffee Mill mug (plastic)(49¢); "shorty" Tiki mug (50¢ at a church rummage sale -- wasn't even for sale, was being used to hold bundles of knitting needles!); Aloha Hawaii pineapple salt & pepper ($1.99); dinner menu from he Pacific Far East Line "S.S. Mariposa" en route from Honolulu to San Francisco, Jan. 22, 1974 (50¢). The scene is Paopao Bay, Moorea, Tahiti:

-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

blog

[ Edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2008-09-17 22:14 ]

Nice Finds Sweet Daddy T!
You found all that up in Edmonton? Awesome. I've been combing Calgary the last few months and have found only a few things. One was a HIP figure that looks exaclty like the one you have in yr post, but it's not a bottle opener ($1.00 at a garage sale). Another were these Daga mugs I found at the "Women in Heat...err..Need" (sorry) thrift store. They were a buck each.

Can anybody tell me anything about these Daga mugs? Since I found them a month ago, I haven't seem them anywhere on the net, even on ebay. Just a cropped picture of it in the BOT on page 177. Are they hard to find? Just curious. (And I guess I just want to feel like I've found something unique up here for a change).

-Aloha,

Slacks

On 2003-10-27 01:17, Sweet Daddy Tiki wrote:

about a year ago I was at a thrift store and scored 4 framed prints from the travel office of Hudson dept. store (now Marshall Fields) dated 1970. Samoa, Bora Bora, Hawaii & SoCal. paid $10. That image is one of them. cool.

-Z

Here's the latest finds from the last couple of weeks: Two Leilani Mugs, BLACK Moai Scorpion Bowl, Monterey Outrigger Ashtray, Hand-Carved Wooden Tiki Figure and Vintage Daga Hana Hou Room Mug.

Cool. I need to go buy BOT so I know more about whats out there but I could get really obsessed if I knew more. I keep hoping to find a used copy at Bookmans. I love those scorpion bowls. Good score.

...Mmmm..Uhhhh... Hands shaking...starting to perspire...Aaa...Oooooo-OKAY! I have to post or my ego simply will not survive. Past 'coupla weeks in Basement Kahunaville (Antique mall and Flea Market division)..Great 70's Hilo Hattie ALoha shirt in XL, unmarked late 60's Aloha shirt, 6 Kona Kai swizzles, 4 postcards (Coco Palms, PCC, and 2 Tahitian), pair of strange little 50's Japan Tiki S&P's, Hyper-cool ship's wheel wine rack (about to contain my top shelf Rums!), 2 Enesco Japan pineapple mugs, 3 Trader Vic's Hot Buttered Rums, CoCo Joe's big Lono and little Ku, a good sized piece of Fijian style Tapa, and one of those Steve Crane dealies we all hate to find (and cheap, right out of a nearby antique mall, I might add...It's still out there in droves, ladies and gents!). Whewww....Okay.

Damn...forgot the Bahooka and Matson Lines menus!

Basement Kahuna, you got to kiddin me.
I'm coming to your neck of the woods. I can't seem to find anything. Maybe its because not many people from Florida went on trips to Hawaii. I'm going to look right now. Wish me luck!

On 2003-11-09 07:44, FLOUNDERart wrote:
Basement Kahuna, you got to kiddin me.

Yeah, that's insane. You must live in some kind of crazy interdimensional timewarp sister city of Honolulu circa 1967. Your finds are just off the probability charts.

I actually had a pretty good day yesterday. Stopped in a couple of thrift stores and found a tiki head giant spoon and fork for hanging on the wall, two small black unmarked Coco Joe type figures, a Ku and a menehune (these are made a bit differently from the other CcJoe, HIP figures I have, they have a rougher texture, looking almost chiseled, with tiny bubble pockmarks and an almost "glassy" or ceramic feel). I also got 3 Hawaiian theme records in nice condition. My favorite being "Hawaiian Holiday" by Leni Okehu and His Surfboarders. Great cover. Remember back when people would glue a picture over a piece of wood and then shellac it up? I found three of those with large photos of Diamondhead/Waikiki. And I thought I had a good day...

Actually BK, when I think about it, what really makes me jealous is the mugs. I never find mugs (OK, very rarely do I find them), I usually have to get mine off of ebay. You seem to find tons of them. Somehow all of Florida's mugs ended up in Georgia. Also, I probably spend too much time in the thrift shops and flea markets and not enough time in antique stores and garage sales. I'm just too cheap (for the stores) and lazy (to get up at 6am on a Saturday for the sales). Tell ya what. I'm gonna go to an antique mall this afternoon that I haven't been to in ages and see what they have.

Flounder, I think it's true that people in Florida tend not to travel to Hawaii. I recently went to Oahu and could find only a handful of people who'd been there. People here are more likely to go to the Caribbean. Our best hope is that those retirees from up North bring their souvenir collections with them when they move down!

Keeping with the Crane mug theme, here are scans from a 1966 Playboy article on holding a luau in your home. The words would piss you off. They suggest one small tiki on the table rather than all that tacky glass ball stuff...

They suggest one small tiki on the table rather than all that tacky glass ball stuff...

Hmmm...then why did they put that big-ass tiki in the back there?

The bigger the better! I don't know, Kono and Flounder...I do have a theory on Georgia (or more specifically the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. If you ever spend any time here you'll quickly find that this entire area is where half of Florida (a winter retiree haven) spends the summer (It's more or less a resort area and it's generally pleasantly cool here in the summer months). So every summer this place becomes the world's second largest retirement home; hence where the old folks are, the tiki is. Just a theory, and it's fair to say that as the tiki generations advance in age that this area won't be quite as good. I dunno. I'll hunt it as long as it will allow. Swanky, you gotta get me that article.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-09 11:33 ]

OK, BK is right. There is stuff out there. But ya gotta pay for it. No free ride folks.

I went to an antique mall today and found: a Bali Hai mug, an exotic gal lamp, a Kahlua Mayan type decanter and a little Siestaware glass with a tropical/Polynesian type design (it was only two bucks).

So yeah, there are tiki mugs here in Florida. They had a couple other ones but they were too plain/too pricey.

The shellacky things from the thrift store yesterday:

Other thrift store finds yesterday, 3 LPs, two little Coco Joe type figures and a tiki spoon and fork:

I've gotta stay away from the antique stores or I'm gonna go broke.

Hey Kono has your little black coco joes Ku got a wooden stick coming out of its base?

On 2003-11-09 15:49, atomictonytiki wrote:
Hey Kono has your little black coco joes Ku got a wooden stick coming out of its base?

No wooden stick. I don't even think it's a Coco Joe. There's no markings on it at all.

Ahhhhhh. Kono, I can't believe you found a Bali Hai. I have been looking for that mug for four years! Luckly my wife bought me one from ebay, I'm to cheap and finding them is whats important to me anyhow. I went out right after I posted about Basement, being inspired. Two flea markets and a couple of thrifts. The only thing I found was a coco joe lava like tiki lighter. Not a bad find, but for all the searching I hoped for more.

I have to ask. What did you pay for the Bali Hai? Be honest!

Cool digs!

Just up-loaded some photos of my mug finds from the past 3 years to my website, http://http:www.unklejohn.com/lounge.htm
Scroll down to the middle, click on the thumbnails.

Flounder, I hate to say this with out coming off as an ass, but I happened apon my Bali Hai for $3 in a little roadside dirt flea market in of all places Lubbock, Tx.

Here are some images from recent Tiki finds. The Witco end tables/stools came from an antique store today and look similar to a pair found on pg. 43 in BOT (Hugh Hefner is sitting on it). The tall black vase has a geisha on one side and the other says "Hawaiian Cottage, Cherry Hills NJ"

The tin can is a seal noise maker filled with beads from the "Wreck Bar" at the Castaways. The top says "Go-Go til 5 AM>

The pair of Oar Chewers came from a garage sale and are from Hawaiian Inn in Daytona during the 60's.

Any info on the Witco would be appreciated. I'm not sure whether to put a pad on top of each or not.

Thanks

[ Edited by: Jax Tiki on 2003-11-09 19:38 ]

[ Edited by: Jax Tiki on 2003-11-09 19:49 ]

Just the other day I was cursing the lack of Florida thrift store tiki finds, then what do I suddenly see before me next to "You've Got The Right Stuff, Baby" glass #4,535,532,643? None other than a green hula girl Orchids of Hawaii mug priced at $1.00.

Maybe next year I'll find something else.

Great finds everyone (except BK)because he finds so much stuff it is probably not even exciting anymore. Just kidding BK I am ok with you finding so much great stuff. Now bring some up my way stash it on isle 5 at the goodwill underneath the pillows so I can have some fun. Nice find Jax Tiki you found a pair of Witco tiki foot stools. It took me a while to find them because in your picture they are upsidedown. Here is a picture no name just foot stools.

Just up-loaded some photos of my mug finds from the past 3 years to my website,

Wow, nice collection Unkle John. Great score on that Mr. Bali Hai...I just got one but was nowhere near $3.00. Got anything you wanna trade? I have an extra Orchids
R-72 I want to get rid of. If we hook up later this month I'll bring it along.

:drink:

On 2003-11-09 10:44, purple jade wrote:

They suggest one small tiki on the table rather than all that tacky glass ball stuff...

Hmmm...then why did they put that big-ass tiki in the back there?

I thought they meant put a tiki on the table instead of a boring bunch of glass decorations. I like that large ominous tiki tucked in the corner with the wild party going on.
:D

Wow, nice collection Unkle John. Great score on that Mr. Bali Hai...I just got one but was nowhere near $3.00. Got anything you wanna trade? I have an extra Orchids
R-72 I want to get rid of. If we hook up later this month I'll bring it along.

I would have to think on it, but I don't think I can make it this month to the shindig. Got my in-laws coming in this saturday. But I'll try my best to persuade the wife to get out for a few hours.

What BK speaketh...so shall it be!

You're right BK, it's out there in droves! Hasn't always been but it seems to be now. :D :-?

After work tonight I'm going to the grocery store. As I pull into the lot I suddenly realize that my favorite antique store is in the same plaza. :tiki:

"No...no...I shouldn't go in. Can't afford it. (This is the same store that I scored the earlier in this thread Tahitian and Bora Bora tikis) Well, I'll just stop and see if that dealer's other tikis are still there. Just curious. I won't spend much." :D

Well there was plenty of tiki! Far more than I'd ever seen before. Most of it was IMO overpriced though. Weird that after so many months of nothing that there'd all of sudden be so much. There were even several mugs! The one that I thought most curious was a black tiki mug that said "Jack's Nest" 3rd Ave NYC "Southern Kitchen." Southern Kitchen? Tiki mug? Odd! $15. :(

There was even a stack of Martin Denny albums that were pulled out of the boxes and layed aside as if someone knew I was coming. Problem was, the ones I wanted/needed (Primitiva, Forgotten Island) had damaged covers.

What I bought: a small little Coco Joe ashtray for two bucks and a 7" or 8" Moai tiki for $15.

I actually did good by not spending too much. I'll go back and chip away at that tiki collection as funds permit.

Viola!

On 2003-11-09 19:24, Unkle John wrote:
Just up-loaded some photos of my mug finds from the past 3 years to my website,

I love this shot, good to know others are in a state of disarray with their collection of Tiki stuff as I am! :lol:

This is my Tiki office mess. :D

[ Edited by: Rattiki on 2003-11-11 00:24 ]

LOL At least I'm not alone.

Here's a few recent finds for me:

new, functional blowgun from Mindanao Island in East Indies -- darts have extremely sharp metal tips!

a low quality Don the Beachcomber mug, from a dealer that had lots of old Don the Beachcomber stock, including 100 unused rum barrels

Shawnee Hawaiian girl vase, bargain under $40

2 ship lanterns, solid copper, both clear lens, 1 with red inner lens. One of the lens has turned purple with age

4 palmwood Tikis, once were one piece in a circle, probably a stool or table base, 14" tall

From left to right we have a Euro-Tiki yellow brown "Arte 4" Moai mug, a New Zealand carving and a Moai Sake set which the little heads which had been used as candle holders because I had to chip wax out of them after buying them.

[ Edited by: atomictonytiki 2009-01-20 13:54 ]

I really like that sake set. Great finds!

Pup, what are you going to do with those four tikis? I know you must have something in mind.

finds from within the last year...

antique mall, creve coeur, mo. ~$30. does anyone know if this is authentic tiki or not?

ok, this was from about 2 years ago. base sez hula-lei, honolulu. i think it was about $4

yard sale, st. louis, mo, $8

base sez jungle jim, kau, hawaii
name forgotten junk store, baltimore, md, ~$10

flea market, towson, md, $12
there's a hole and a carpenter's joining mark (X for 10) on the base of this one - seems to have been part of a larger structure, perhaps bar. anybody have any leads?

dat's me for now ~ mahalo, j$

[ Edited by: Johnny Dollar on 2003-11-14 12:37 ]

Just to update you all, I haven't found SHIT!

TraderPup,
Great price on da Shawnee head vase!!! if you eva find another one for the same price please get it and I will pay you for it plus shipping. I've been looking for one.

Johnny Dollar,
Your last pic is a book end. I have the same exact identical set which answers your questions about da hole on da bottom. Those holes are where they were attached to da machine to be mechanically carved.

Finally I can quit bitching about never finding anything because me and the wahine found one of these today at a church rummage for 30 bucks.

Mahalo
Original Art by Flounder

http://www.flounderart.com

[ Edited by: FLOUNDERart on 2003-11-15 17:38 ]

Flounder!
That's an incredible buy at only $30! They sell in Palm Springs for $250 for the same style (with a 10 gallon capacity tank), and the prices just go up from there the larger the tank you get.

On 2003-11-15 20:47, SugarCaddyDaddy wrote:
Flounder!
That's an incredible buy at only $30! They sell in Palm Springs for $250 for the same style (with a 10 gallon capacity tank), and the prices just go up from there the larger the tank you get.

Yeah, that's a sweet buy! Now ya gotta get some fish. I'd recommend some brichardi. You ever see that movie where Don Knotts falls into the ocean and becomes a fish? Mr Limpet or something?? Well, brichardi look a lot like Ladyfish from the aforementioned movie. Beautiful little fish. They are African cichlids but are not as aggressive as most African cichlids.

[ Edited by: Kono on 2003-11-15 21:58 ]

I'm not sure what the gallon size is, but it looks to be pretty large. Does anyone know their math good. The dimensions:
Each of the six sides is 12" and the hight is 18".
I know nothing about fish or fish tanks. How to clean them before adding fish. How to take care of them. What size pump do I need. Any help would be great. Maybe point me in the direction of a good website with this information.
Can't wait to fill it!

Might be 40/50 gallon tank. I have a 30 gallon that is 30x12x16height.

Well, I gave up my aquariums a few years ago cuz they were such a pain to move but I remember a little bit about taking care of them etc. First off, don't use any soap to clean it. Just water and elbow grease. Find a locally owned tropical fish/aquarium shop in your town (not a corporate chain) and maybe take a pic of your aquarium and the dimensions (or if you have a truck maybe take the aquarium itself) and they can let you know everything you need.

Saltwater tanks are prettier but tougher to start, tougher to maintain and the fish are much more expensive. Freshwater tanks are cheaper, easier and have a huge variety of fish to choose from but don't look quite as exotic. I also had brackish tanks (between salt and fresh) but you have fewer fish to choose from and the fish can be hard to find.

A good "mom and pop" aquarium shop will get you going in the right direction. If you go freshwater check out those little freshwater puffer fish. I loved having those little buggers. Also make sure you ask about fish compatability. Some fish are very aggressive and don't mix well.

Glad to see a cover on that baby. One spilled Zombie and bye bye fishies!

OK, these aren't technically "finds", inasmuch as I didn't stumble across them. I got them direct from the Bali Hai in Lynnfield, Mass., just outside of Boston. The cool thing is, they still use these mugs to serve drinks in. The not so cool thing is, they still use these mugs to serve drinks in, and they are showing signs of deterioration. I ordered a Dr. Funk in the black mug, and the drink was tasty. But it wasn't until I got it home in the light that I noticed the inside of the mug had a bit of glaze loss. Oh well, a little lead in the diet can't be that bad (Yikes!) The bartender was nice enough to let me buy these. If you have a chance to get to the Bali Hai, try and score a few of these.

[ Edited by: tikigreg on 2003-11-17 11:50 ]

Sunday finds at the flea market:

30" life preserver, 3 Toby mugs, large lantern, and huge glass float! (for size reference, that is a quarter placed on the net, center of float!)

Good finds Pup!

That is the smallest quarter I've ever seen!

How come nobody told me there's a Hilo Hattie in Orlando?? Someone at work told me that she'd seen a "Hawaiian store" so I went to check it out and it's Hilo Hattie! I bought some Tiki Farm mugs, of which they have a pretty good selection. It's not a huge store but it's neat to be able to go in and browse all the tiki items. You can even get a coconut monkey for 3 or 4 bucks. They've got clothes, mugs, tikis, CDs, food etc etc.

They have live hula shows in the mall twice a month. The next one is next Saturday the 22nd at 1pm. I wouldn't expect too much of the hula show being in a mall and all.

So anyway, they've been open since April and apparently aren't too well known. So go buy a Tiki Farm mug or some chocolate macadamias or a tiki hula shirt or something. They're inside the Festival Bay mall just a few doors down from Ron Jon's. It's the shopping center behind the Outlet Mall off I-4 and Kirkman Road that has the huge Bass Pro Outdoor World store and Van's Skatepark.

Also for anyone in Orlando that's interested. There's an apartment complex on S Conway near Curry Ford Rd called Mai Kai Apartments. They don't look too tiki except for the big Moai that sits out front. Someday I'll have to snap a pic.

Holy smokes, I forgot about the Mai Kai! I used to live in that part of Orlando from age 10-19, and until you said that, I had completely forgotten about it.

I think they used to light up the head with colored outdoor spotlights, red and blue a long time ago. Something is also telling me that there used to be a volcanco of some sort there too. It's been 20 years though--I may just be misremembering it.

On 2003-11-16 16:21, Hot Lava wrote:
Holy smokes, I forgot about the Mai Kai! I used to live in that part of Orlando from age 10-19, and until you said that, I had completely forgotten about it.

I think they used to light up the head with colored outdoor spotlights, red and blue a long time ago. Something is also telling me that there used to be a volcanco of some sort there too. It's been 20 years though--I may just be misremembering it.

There may be a volcano, I dunno. The apartments are gated so I didn't drive in. Looking from the road I didn't see any other tiki looking stuff but maybe inside the complex there's more. I'll check it out sometime. Maybe during business hours they keep the gate open or I could go and ask for floorplans and prices like a sneaky Steve McGarrett or "Zulu as Kono." :D

But if I ask for floorplans and snap some pics I might get Homeland Security come looking for me... :(