Tiki Finds

Thanks for that, I really like the style of some of the menu and matchbook art.

Here's a first post of some of my vintage finds in my first year of collecting... Sorry if this takes up a whole page... Now I've moved from land of the Tiki's [San Diego] to land of Totem poles [90 miles north of Seattle] and have only found 1 tiki [coco jo figure]
Any one have any knowledge of the large 3 stacked tiki [looks like a piece I saw in a orchids of hawaii catalog except there's was resin this is wood] found at swapmeet for $5.
Also would like any info on the rongo rongo board [antique store for $6]

I just got back from a trip 100km up the coast, where this morning we went garage saling and checked a couple of second-hand places. I never expect to find the type of tiki stuff most people here collect, but Maori themed "kiwiana" and Pacific Islands stuff is reasonably plentiful. Before we went out I was thinking how cool it would be to find a mug, as they're almost non-existent in NZ.
Well, the first stop of the day yielded these:

Thanks to an old thread I found here a week or two back, I know a bit about these and how ubiquitous they are. In fact, another shop in my town here has the exact same two sets in the different sizes. I've held off buying them because the carving is so dodgy, but when I saw these ones this morning, I realised it was my destiny to own two pairs of oversized novelty utensils and handed over my 7 bucks. My wife was horrified.
Anyway, a couple of houses later I spied this on the floor:

Hardly a relic from a long-lost urban oasis, but in a mug starved country like
NZ it's manna from heaven. I've been given a couple of these boxed sets already, one of which had a different mug style. At least they're cheap enough that they're not too precious to use!

Edited to add: Stiki Tiki, I've seen some similar rongorongo boards, which were tourist pieces (from Rapanui) from 20 or 30 years back.

[ Edited by: Paipo 2006-08-26 04:59 ]

[ Edited by: Paipo 2006-08-26 05:04 ]

Just a couple of matchbook finds today...

Bob Lee's Lantern house is from before he made the change to the Islander...

This one is really neat from Canada anyone ever heard of the place?

Tikisgrl

I found a couple mugs while out shopping today (sorry, no pictures yet):

A pair of unmarked Otigari Slender Painted "Puppy-ear" Moais

And a Louie "B" Royal Lahaina Resort "Lucha Libre Mask" mug

Here is a Picture I ran across today and just Had to share. Wish I had the actual piece, I Really love this guy.

Todays flea market finds, everything for under $15

The swap meet gods smiled upon me today!

Picked up the Orchids R-1 Yellow Warrior mug for only three buckos! This is the Taiwan version. Also saw an OMC Peanut Mug, blank with no restaurant logo on the back, but didn't feel like getting another peanut man, so I left it for another treasure seeker.

[ Edited by: TikiDiego 2006-08-27 17:17 ]

On 2006-08-27 10:43, Benzart wrote:
Here is a Picture I ran across today and just Had to share. Wish I had the actual piece, I Really love this guy.

If there's anyone that can carve that, it's you Ben! I'd love to see it done with some Benzart style/flair. Go for it!

some stuff for NJ area:

close up of the pic - anyone know where what it is...

one is backwards sorry

HEY! Check this out. I was in a local flea market/antique store just north of Atlanta this past Saturday and found this. I could not hardly believe it. My wife and I had walked 90 percent of the place and were getting really bummed out because the quality of vendors had dropped since our last visit and there was nothing to see but a lot of JUNK (reproduction Victorian furniture, beannie babies, country crafts, Yuck!) Anyway, I had made it halfway up the last isle and was just about to turn around when I saw it sitting next to a dirty stuffed dog. The booth was full of the crap I mentioned above and this. I froze in my tracks and went bug-eyed. I grabbed it down and put the death grip on it and nearly ran to the front of the store trying all the while to keep my composure. When I got to the register I found that the booth owner had listed everything 50 percent off. What!!?? Guys, I paid $10.84 for it. There I was 2,000-plus miles from Beverly Hills and 1,000 miles from Chicago. Sometimes it pays to get out of bed early on a Saturday.

PERFECT CONDITION

Swamp

[ Edited by: Swamp Tiki 2006-08-28 14:23 ]

On 2006-08-28 10:13, sneakyjack wrote:

close up of the pic - anyone know where what it is...

Looks like New Hebrides / Vanuatu slit gongs from Ambrym, although quite different to any I've seen.

Just as practical as the giant tiki spoon and fork is the wooden tiki frying pan

nonono, you're holding it backwards. It's for spanking people with!

OUCH!

Swamp Tiki - That Bird of Paradise is definitely a find to remember all year! Congratulations.

Sneakyjack - I'm drooling here over that Shangri-La swizzle. Also, that Hawaiian Swing lp is one of the best out there. Listen to his cover of the "Hawaiian Eye" theme. Great finds.

Sabu

Well, I keep meaning to post my finds, but I haven't found anything too rare or collectible until today, when I found 4 green Big Shot glasses for $1 each! In the background you can see some of my other cocojoes and HIP carvings that I've found over the last year as well.

Now I just need to find the "Gun Club Punch" recipe, and try the glasses out :)

And here is a picture of my most recent mugs. None are specifically "finds" with the exception of the brown skull mug on the right. That I got at a thrift store for a buck. It's exactly like the "Islander" skull mug, but doesn't have any name on it, and the only marking is a "made in japan" sticker on the inside.

Chris

[ Edited by: Kona Chris 2006-08-30 05:23 ]

My first post -- First let me say how awesome this board is -- I've been lurking for a while and have learned so much by reading the old threads!! I'm new to tiki collecting but have been a serious collector of American Arts and Crafts Movement stuff for 15 years. A couple months back my 10-year-old nephew Daniel asked his dad and me to think of "something good" he can collect -- "something around $10 each". My brother (who collects A&C pottery) and I kicked around a few ideas but in no time came up with tiki mugs! It probably had a lot to do with our fond memories of helping mom and dad finish off their Zombies and Fogcutters -- served in tiki mugs -- at China Village in Westerly RI back in the '70s! So now Daniel's obsessed with them, and we're helping him get his new tiki mug collection moving (and probably contributing to the much discussed and lamented recent rise in eBay prices -- please forgive us!!)

Anyway -- something that popped up on eBay the other day with a low low Buy It Now that I was lucky enough to snag -- an Oceanic Arts lamp I assume? -- I'll get the right size chimney on it and in no time the three of us will be basking in tiki glow while poring over Dan's copy of Tiki Quest!! Dave

Whoa! That lamp find was great. The picture really conveys its detail. I have searched for one of those for years and guess will keep searching. Congrats.

Swamp

Welcome aboard Tiki Kollektor. Nice find too!
Aloha,
:tiki:

Who Am I? The Royal Hawaiian was a Tiki Restaurant in Mass but She's not Tiki any thoughts? Thanks!

Tikisgrl

Kona Chris, what a find, those Big Shots are fetching Big Bucks on eBay! Congrats!

TIKISGRL.... I believe the name of the female is Quan Yen. She is the female equivelance of Buddha (sorta). Im sure it was a low cost mug to use for the Royal Hawaiian Restaurant. Its right on the lines of the Benihana Mugs.

found some nifty things at estate/garage sales and thrift shops.
a coconut monkey that looks JUST like my munktiki, 2 newer cocojoes (headhunter & napkin holder), Topless Polynesian Girlie Calendar, rotating PuPu Platter, bamboo mug

also a neat dress for $3
a couple xxl shirts

Aloha meets Hoss Cartwright a roomy XXL long sleeved shirt!

So dogbytes, what about some scans of the rest of the calendar? :wink:

Chris

Greetings... had a few finds this weekend out around the West Virginia/Maryland border...

Three mugs: orchids with jewel eyes, then 2 Luau Hut ones: orange hula girl (says Luau Hut on the back) and a green one too. The Luau Hut was located in Silver Spring, MD:

This funky bamboo lamp (with flowers in the large base parts):

A swell tri-tiki statue (presumably resin), $1:

This terrific shirt (too small for me, but it will see other use) from a delightful company whose name reflects an amazing upcoming event:

Here's a pair of detail shots from the shirt:

and one more:

One last thing... a weird sorta monkeypod-looking pineapple (the lid comes off, big enough inside for swizzles) with some Hawaii artwork:

Mahalo!
~Rupe

[ Edited by: rupe33 2006-09-04 18:15 ]

On 2006-09-04 01:36, Kona Chris wrote:
So dogbytes, what about some scans of the rest of the calendar? :wink:
Chris

here ya go :evil:

the rest of the images are NSFW.

A good bounty from the weekend. Went to the flea market and some garage sales.

the other side of the mug

now to find more shelf space

tj

I actually had a very successful weekend at the antique stores.

Nice finds Kate. Is the thing in the center an ice bucket? Looks like the one on the right is maybe a Westwood.

Some finds from the weekend

R-86 Orchids bowl very small one

One side:
the other side:

& my best find

Genuine Sens:

On 2006-09-05 15:00, tedtiki wrote:
Nice finds Kate. Is the thing in the center an ice bucket? Looks like the one on the right is maybe a Westwood.

Thanks Ted.

The thing in the center is a set of three stacking containers. The two smaller ones fit inside the largest. They are pictured on page 162 of Tiki Quest.

I'm pretty sure that the mug on the right is Westwood.

Here are a couple of finds that I made over lunch today. I am curious about the Salt and Pepper Shakers. They were manufactured by Tiki Farm, but what year? The sticker reads: "Made in Mexico," rather than the current "Hecho..." The pictures are a good representation of their true color and glazing. The other item is a Tapa Cloth tie. Its 100% cotton and was produced through the Kanaka Tie Company in Hawaii. It smells old but its age is quite uncertain. The colors are also fairly true. I've got to figure out how I can incorporate it effectively into my wardrobe though.......I'm serious!

Swamp

Found this mask today..... 25kr (3$)!! in a fleemarket.
I´m very excited about this one, as it is very rare to make any kind of tiki finds in Sweden.
I have no clues to were it might be from but it appares it have been hanging outdoors for a long time as it got some nice moss on the surfice. The wood is light-weight, might be balsa.
Anyone seen the design before, ore knows anything about were it might bee from, let me know, tanx! :)

/makutiki

Nice find Maku! If I had to guess, I guess I couldn't. It resembles a Balinese mask that I have though.

Mahalo

McTiki

Short version: I found a Tiki Bob San Francisco for $2.

Long version: Yesterday I went to get a haircut and had an appointment for 4:00. I showed up a little early and found a sign that said my barber would be back at 4:00 so I take a short walk to the thriftstore down the street. I've never found much of anything at this store but I keep going back as they have a decent book section.

I start going through the isles of carved wooded owls and notice a good luck cat from Hong Kong, neat but not my thing. It turns out that the little wooden cat as good luck however because a little to the left of it was a Tiki Bob (the one with the text on the back surrounded by a lei). I can't make out the price but it looks like $1.91. The lady at the register said it was supposed to be $1.99 and part of the second 9 must have rubbed off and she asked me if it was OK to charge me the extra 8 cents.

Of course it was and it is now sitting in my cubicle guarding my red swingline stapler. No chips or cracks, crazing is present along with some glaze skipping but it has the original Japan sticker on the bottom. I did end up giving my barber an extra $3 tip for helping me find it.

Spork, Awesome score! There is Tiki still found in the wild! You just boosted hope.

With all of the new collectors/Dealers now catching on, it is seldom heard of. You bring hope to those just starting out or those of us who are just plain addicts and look just to get the "fix" of the hunt.

I would hope that either you have no Tikiphiles that work with you, and that your cleaning crew is highly ethical to keep a Bob at the workplace. Where I work, I would be shocked if a Leilani were still on my desk if I left it overnight.

Mahalo

McTiki

[ Edited by: McTiki 2006-09-08 16:36 ]

The good stuff is out there, you just need to be patient. That mug took me 3 years to find but now it is mine so I'm quite pleased. No one at my work (coworkers or cleaning crew) has a problem with taking my mugs, they have all been informed of the curse of the tiki that would await them.

I did have a Steve Crane Tounge Tiki in my cube for a couple months and it was safe so I think Bob should be fine.

My friends Lee & Howard went to Maui about a month ago and they brought me back these two wooden tikis:

The one on the right was made in China and claims to be a "money tiki", the other one is by a local carver named Ifa.

I just bought THREE poles like this! I was stunned to find them in a local antique mall, and even more stunned when I walked out with them! They smell of cigarettes and stale drinks . . they had to come out of some tiki bar somewhere. Anybody recognize them?? Made by Oceanic Arts, maybe?? The Kona Kai, Kansas City, maybe?? I don't know. I've asked the seller to contact me in the hopes of finding out what he/she knows about them.

Each is actually two poles screwed/nailed together; a three-footer and a four-footer attached to make them around seven feet tall. I'm considering disconnecting them and/or maybe selling two of the three. It all depends on what I can find out about them.

Anyway, here's one:

Wow!! Awesome! A lesson I learned long ago collecting antiques -- think long and hard before you sell something that's irreplaceable -- those are keepers!

I thought that too.

all i have to say is, "wow".

those are spectacular. can you take more photos for reference. i'd love to carve something like that. i'd love for my carvings to hold up a roof to shelter revelers the way these did.

oh, and in case i didn't say it before, "wow". those are beautiful.

Those definitely fall into the "Holy Crap! That's an AWESOME find!" category. :)

I don't know where the heck I would put something like that if I were to find it, but I would HAVE to find a place! Very, very, very cool!

Chris

I don't know where the heck I would put something like that if I were to find it, but I would HAVE to find a place!

For that, I'd drill holes in the roof of my house to MAKE it fit.

All I can say is "keep 'um!" The grand kids will love you for it someday. Why not build that 900 square foot addition you've always been dreaming about...you know, with the cathedral ceiling. Those beautiful baby's would play hell on either side of a fireplace.

Swamp

Silver, you should go by some lottery-tickets, couse you have luck on your side.... Those poles are unbelievable!