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Tiki Finds

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mytiki.life – The best place to build and manage your tiki collections.
L

My favorite finds so far. The bookcase is actually the top of a hutch that I picked up at a vintage furniture store for under $50. The lady didn't have the bottom of the hutch, but I wish I knew what it looked like. The panelling on the back is really tacky and doesn't match. I'm thinking of either painting it or covering it with some leopard or fabric. The chair was a $25 find and a surprise. It was sitting in the living room when I came home from work. A surprise from my partner. Tiki surprises are the best surprises.

Dale
Z

Hey guys!

Here's my find:
I went to work at the bookstore, and a co-worker ran up saying that she had found something for me. I thought I had lost my safe keyes or something, but the fact of the matter was she had spotted an old Trader Vic's ashtray at a thrift store & grabbed it for me. Co-workers can be so nice, sometimes...

...The weird part is, I still can't find one of these that looks like mine.
Good co-workers rock!
~Zero
Z
Zeta posted on Thu, Apr 2, 2009 8:33 AM

Found in an antique shop in Mexico City...

Made of wood, with number 369 marked on the bottom... The size of a beer bottle.
A souvenir or something more precious?
L

I told myself to just take it easy and not thrift for awhile but I think that is impossible! Hope the tiki gods don't think I am greedy!

Found these 2 different shell bowls. The 1st one is most likely something from a home store but the 2nd is larger and is signed on the bottom.




Then I found for $0.75 mind you, this vintage souvenir pillow from Honolulu. I wish that I knew the story behind it and how it ended up in a bargain bin at some random thrift.

Only tiki I found today was this s&p set. Its "drink" part comes off and you shake the salt out of his head and the pepper out of that part.

Thats all for today. Smoke if you got 'em!

[ Edited by: leleliz 2009-04-02 17:24 ]
PTD

Couple of things from Sunday I am just getting around to posting today...


Orchids R-3 mug, Tiki's Grill and Bar beer glass and peanut mug from the MGM Grand in Reno.


My sixth copy of Martin Denny's Exotica.


Copies 4 and 5 of Martin Denny's Quiet Village.


Copy #2 of Pink Hawaii by Billy Mure and the Islanders.


Fresh Johnny Pineapple.


Hello Hawaii A Salute To The 50th State.


Lani Laurens Surfin at Waikiki Beach.


2nd or 3rd copy of The Don Ho Show! Live from Hawaii.


2 copies of Don Ho And The Aliis Band Recorded Live~Suck 'Em Up.


Hawaiian Holiday in Hi-Fi~The Genius of Jack La Delle.


Soul Time in Hawaii~Ohta San and His Ukulele.


Hilo Hawaiians Honeymoon In Hawaii.


Aloha from Norm Luboff~The Norm Luboff Choir.


Lure Of Paradise~Andre Kostelanetz.


Morton Gould and his Orchestra~Jungle Drums.

Later!

PTD
D

queen kapiolani daga mug, house without a key swizzle stick, hawaiian cruise mug, oh and some old bitters.
KK

Found a couple of things today in a shop.

And a little something for dinner...

I don't know much about the drum....looks to be hand carved. Anyone seen anything like it?

Thanks
KK

Sorry....please forgive me...I think too many brain cells have been lost in the hazy past.

KK

"The loveliest fleet of islands that lies anchored in any ocean" Mark Twain on Hawaii

[ Edited by: Kamaina Kraig 2009-04-03 16:05 ]

[ Edited by: Kamaina Kraig 2009-04-03 16:06 ]

[ Edited by: Kamaina Kraig 2009-04-03 16:09 ]
L

I found a bunch of stuff today - shirts, books, mugs - but these 2 are my personal favorites.

1st this apron which was made with barkcloth Hawaiian shirts. I am putting it on Ebay because I don't need it but I thought it was pretty sweet. There are 16 different prints in it. I could never cut up these shirts but whatever floats your boat.The damn thing is super super bright!


2nd fav thing I "found" today was in my mailbox and sent to me by Tom Slick as a thank you for sending him a Disney book. Its a lucky pendant from the Stardust hotel . I did not have it so I was surprised to have it sent to me. Thanks again Tom!


Oh and a (dis)honorable mention for something I found for $0.50 and decided to say "What the hell" and pick it up. Its so hidious but whatever. Now I too can own such a hot "tiki" collectible!!

(Notice how I have it in my hand-I was holding it up like a trophy)
S

[ Edited by: surfalaia 2009-08-05 07:26 ]
BK

WOW! Great score!
B

I found a bunch of stuff over my lunch hour yesterday...

Finally got a PMP Peanut mug!, 4 of them in fact. I know it is a common one, but it was elusive for me for some reason. Also the House of Ran Su wall hangings, 2 Treasure Craft shell bowls, 7 Accoutrements mugs, 2 hideous Dynasty Monkey mugs, a "Hawaiian Romance" LP and a very cool aluminum Primo Beer stein.

Here is the Primo stein, it has a cool glass bottom with a pic of the islands...
TS

Diggin those House of Ran Su wall hangings... awesome find.
MT

On 2009-04-03 17:05, surfalaia wrote:

Anyone have any guesses on potential sources for this guy?

I'm pretty damn sure that it came from a Trader Vic's. Maybe Bellevue, or that one that was floated across the channel on a barge and now resides in B.C. Canada. I have one pretty much exactly like it that I picked up at the Trader Vic's warehouse sale last year. Exact same size, both height and diameter wise, exact same carving, exact same style of wood. It was most likely carved somewhere around 1965 in the South Pacific, perhaps by Kier Fullmer's uncle - he did a lot of the carvings back then.

I can't readily find a pic of mine, but here's one that Midnite picked up at the warehouse sale. It's very similar, the carvings are just a little deeper:

Here it is again, it's the one on the ground:

And he thinks it's either mahagony or teak..........dude :wink:

It's 100% solid teak. :wink: Kier recommended that we coat the tikis in teak oil, which would help condition the wood and keep them from drying out, so that's what we did in the above pics. The tikis soaked up several cans of it, and now look brand new, plus they are permanently weatherproofed since they are now inside.

Enjoy your tiki, it's a great score! Is it carved all the way down, or is the bottom half uncarved? The bottom three feet of mine is uncarved. I'll try to post a pic of it later.
S

[ Edited by: surfalaia 2009-08-05 07:26 ]
T

Ok, so I haven't had any thing to post for a while. That's because I was hording it! :lol: So here are a few I picked up in the past month or so.
Here are 10 Into The Volcano mugs. I'm really liking my favorite the "Joker" mugs with the tongue sticking out.

And here are 5 early Bosko mugs.


:D :D And last but not least
BK

Still plugging away. No mugs in the last couple of weeks, but a few interesting items:
I found this little pineapple thingy for $3.00. It looks like it could be CoCo Joe's, but the label has been peeled off the bottom. The pineapple is made of little bits of coral, the leaves are covered with nice green stones & the base appears to be lava. Any thoughts or info?

Found a pair of Florida Tiki S&Ps with the original tag which states: "Whoever possesses me shall command the wind and the seas and the destiny of the one they desire." yeah, right. Come to think of it, the wife did let me "park in the garage" this morning, (wink, wink).

On my way to a car club meeting at my buddy's house, I passed a Goodwill store. Quick u-turn! Not bad, I scored these 3 albums:



Picked up this CoCo Joe's 3 leaf tray at my local hot-spot:

Fired up the '59 & went for a cruise today & came home with this way-kool plate from the Hawaii Kai:

Cruisin' in a fine Jet-Age automobile & scoring Tiki! All is right with the world!
Til next time, Happy Hunting!

[ Edited by: Big Kahuna 2009-04-05 21:25 ]
PTD

Since I was out of town, and visisting company, with no way to get out and hunt, this was my only find this past weekend...

Not sure what type of bowl this is, not an Orchids that I can tell. Gonna start another thread and ask for help.

PTD
T
Tattoo posted on Mon, Apr 6, 2009 9:36 PM

Looks like a Steve Crane scorpion bowl but as a single glaze.

On 2009-04-06 16:25, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
Since I was out of town, and visisting company, with no way to get out and hunt, this was my only find this past weekend...

Not sure what type of bowl this is, not an Orchids that I can tell. Gonna start another thread and ask for help.

PTD
BB

Today's find: A S&P set. (Just in time for Rapa Nui Sunday.)
T
Tattoo posted on Thu, Apr 9, 2009 3:57 PM

Old CBS ticket for a company party at The Tikis!

Doesn't look like they had company shuttles but this was before DUI's were ever a problem.
MN

Found this 1965 Disneyland book.
Printed in Italy.
I´m not into Disneyana, but since the price was only a few (Euro)cents and it included a nice picture of the Enchanted Tiki Room...
UT

Well it's been one long cold winter but things including the weather are looking up. A few finds this week. A 1st edition of Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink, A heavy Coco Joe piece and a hook necklace from my in-laws trip to Hawaii and a Tiki Farm mug from 04'.

And a kickass vintage barkcloth aloha shirt.
H


witco tiki made of cement... started out in san jose 40 years ago.other than that,"i know nothing".
W

L

Woofmutt great score!
T

Love the shirt woof!
Can you wear it?
Purple shirts rule! I hardly ever see them.


Great Minds Drink Alike

[ Edited by: Tikiwahine 2009-04-11 23:44 ]
MT

Surfalaia, as promised, here are some pics of the tiki that I picked up at the Trader Vic's warehouse sale, to compare to the one you just picked up in Seattle. As you will see, they are very similar.

Yours:



Mine:

At the Trader Vic's warehouse. As you can see, the finish has been fairly scratched up, as years accumulate, and as it gets transported around.

In my back yard. The tikis are alomst the same. They look to be the same diameter, and about the same height. The face area is almost identical. The eyes and mouth are pretty much the same, and the chisel mark notches on your tiki's face are on the back of my tiki. The hands are pretty much the same, except yours are closer together. To me, it looks like they were done by the same carver.

Getting a bath, in preparation for teak oil.

The teak oil brought out the natural shine in the wood. You can see the difference in these before/after pics. Other than washing with soap and water, there was no sanding or any other kind of wood prep done. The areas where the finish was scraped away simply filled in after several applications of oil. Other added benefits are that it is a weather sealant, and provides UV protection - not that it matters, since the tiki is now permanantly indoors. It's the same stuff that they use on teak decking on yacts, which gives it that nice shiny finish. Also, the oil naturally conditions the tiki's teak wood, since the oil is derived from teak wood. At first the finish was soft, like carpenter's glue that hadn't fully dried, but after a year of penetrating and conditioning, the oil is now rock hard, and fully bonded to the wood - if something were to bump into the tiki fairly hard, like Unga Bunga dropping a mug, it's doubtful that the finish would chip, it has bonded that securely to the teak.

The finished product, after several days of teak oil application, plus drying out for a few more days. Even so, the house still smelled like teak oil for a couple of weeks.

In it's new home, in the bar area at Casa de Mai Tai. This tiki is 7 and a half feet tall, and the bottom 34 inches are uncarved, which makes for a perfect fit behind the back of the sofa.

That cabinet next to it is a mug cabinet that that I also picked up at the Trader Vic's warehouse sale. It's also made out of solid teak. There was nothing wrong with the finish on the cabinet, so I left it as is.

Here's the finished product, complete with crutches from Coco Loco's broken leg. The space above the cabinet is reserved for a Shag print that was matted by Link at Frame Fetish, and Monkeyman is currently making a custom frame for it.

Here's one for the mug weirdos, 'cuz I know you're gonna ask.

Enjoy your new tiki, it's an awesome score!
BK

HEY! Wait a minute! You've got a freakin' dentist's station on your patio & you're calling us mug weirdos!?!? :lol:
KK

On 2009-04-12 09:11, Big Kahuna wrote:
HEY! Wait a minute! You've got a freakin' dentist's station on your patio & you're calling us mug weirdos!?!? :lol:

I thought that was a mug inspection and cleaning station.

KK
BK

You might be on to something there, KK. I wonder if the wife would let me convert the kitchen!?!?
KK

Well, the Tiki Mug Cleaning Station is definitely a great color for a mid-century modern home...:)

KK
PTD

Friday and today's finds...


Trader Dick's jewel-eyed tiki. Was up there last weekend at they were out of these, in fact they only had the newer Moai, the hula bowl and surfer girl mugs now.


Tiki Farm mug by Danny G 2003 marked for Comcast Spotlight Cable World Bazaar 2005.

Forgot I already had 2 of these!


Unmarked Kon-Tiki mug by OMC with foil sticker.


Vintage Moai candle.


Two jewel-eyed Coco Joe's keychains, one red and blue eyes!


Orange and yellow gumball machine Moai necklaces.


Drink coasters from the Mai Tai Indianapolis, Indiana.


Pair of matchbooks from Trader Dick's Reno Nevada.


Matchbook from "The Outrigger Inn Motor Hotel, Long Beach California.

Later!

PTD
A

On 2009-04-11 23:07, woofmutt wrote:

You jammy bugger, now that's a great find.
MT

On 2009-04-12 09:11, Big Kahuna wrote:
HEY! Wait a minute! You've got a freakin' dentist's station on your patio & you're calling us mug weirdos!?!? :lol:

On 2009-04-12 09:27, Kamaina Kraig wrote:
I thought that was a mug inspection and cleaning station.

It is indeed a mug inspection and cleaning station. It is where I ask each mug "Is it safe???"

Who needs a Painkiller? heh heh....
TD

45" high
T

GOODWILL on easter friday!
TS

[ Edited by: Tom Slick 2009-04-14 11:55 ]
T

I found a few shirts this week. Also, I finally picked up one of those circular rattan shelf thingies (without the shelves.)

And I got this swell sea urchin lamp.
LT

Sweet Lamp - nice find!
N
NOTCH posted on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 4:14 PM

Nice score!
K

Awesome lamp Kate! Was that a find in the wild, or a specialty buy? How's it look lit up?
BBT

Wow that lamp is amazing! Where did you find it? I suppose you will have to kill us if you tell us!! :lol:
BK

The Lamp! The Lamp! The Lamp! We must know where you found it! It Rocks!
T

Wow. I hadn't realized that the lamp was getting so much love here in Tiki Finds.

I found it at a swap meet. It was too good of a deal to pass up even though I had to lug it about half a mile back to my car while being accosted by other lamp lovers the whole way.

It's a bit of a unique fixer upper opportunity. Most of the bamboo trim is unattached. (I made it look pretty for the picture.) Also, it needs to be rewired. I need to go to the hardware store and buy some nails and a lamp kit to get it back in shape.
B

On 2009-04-16 16:48, Tiki-Kate wrote:
Wow. I hadn't realized that the lamp was getting so much love here in Tiki Finds.

I know! All that excitement for a BL 6 Orchids of Hawaii lamp! Probably every Fu joint on the East coast had them.

But even in 1992, that baby wasn't cheap!
TD

D

On 2009-04-16 18:35, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2009-04-16 16:48, Tiki-Kate wrote:
Wow. I hadn't realized that the lamp was getting so much love here in Tiki Finds.

I know! All that excitement for a BL 6 Orchids of Hawaii lamp! Probably every Fu joint on the East coast had them.

But even in 1992, that baby wasn't cheap!

Bigbro - love that brochure, constant source of research.

Tiki Kate,

Swag Lamp!

Seen in action here at the Luau Hale.

Please post pics after the re-furb.

DC
T

Dustycajun, we all must do the same thing.. I see this photo you put up is one of the ones I just put up on Critiki. That's why I love all the images being posted. Great way to discover new places and things. This way when you're out there searching, you know a good find when you see it.. And Kate sure can find some great stuff. :lol:

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