Grab a Hat! Lets Party!by Robbie "Dale" JacksonContributing Editor (c) 1995-1996 Motorcycle Shopper. All Rights Reserved. Mike has sold me some fine old literature in the past year. He collects, buys and sells autographs but keeps an eye out for things I can use. The last group of literature he sent included some 1930s and 40s Harley dealer contracts and various pieces of advertising literature. When he called I knew he would have some great things. I just didn't know if the items on his list fit with my idea of what I like to collect. Like most collectors I have a theme for what I buy. Some people only collect motorcycle cards or models. Some people are working on a complete set of "Cycle" or "Cycle World" magazine. There are people who have set very strict limits on their collecting -- Jawa souvenir pins. Even those of us who collect, buy and sell have our limits. Mine is paper about motorcycles with a lien toward technical and reference books. Mike gave me a quick run down of what he had. There were assorted Harley, Indian and BSA letters and contracts along with some Cushman odds and ends. And he had some particular items that he was sure I would like. "Indian Party Hats from 1939!" "What do I want Indian Party Hats for?" "I don't collect party hats and I probably can't sell them!" I thought while Mike described them. But Mike sells package deals. I either had to take everything or pay much more for the things I could use. So, I found myself sending off a check for good stuff and five Indian party hats. A couple of weeks went by and I started to wonder what the party hats looked like. I began to get excited about them. I hate tying money up in things I haven't defined as "useful" but since I had bought so many other things, they wouldn't be very expensive. I count the days that UPS delivery arrives as the best day of the week, even if it's on Monday. My delivery person is so used to coming to my house he doesn't bother to wait for me to come to the door. The door bell rings and all of a sudden there's my package on the porch. Like a kid on Christmas, knowing where to find the good stuff, I couldn't resist going straight for the party hats. As I unpacked each I discovered that even though they aren't my kind of collectible they certainly are somebody's--collectible that is! They are everything you would expect in a party hat used to celebrate an event for a 1939 Indian. Four of them are in a "dunce" hat style with turned up rims and hand sewn decorative bands about midway up. Faded shades of pink, red and purple with the traditional red streamers coming out the top, make them as festive as any we would see today. What you won't find today is that distinctive "Indian" logo on the front. The fifth--my favorite--is a derby hat with the same decorative touches. Their preservation is so good that two of them have rubber neck bands that are still in new condition. After looking them over, photographing them and giving in to my eight-year-old daughter's desire to try one on, attention turns to the other items. Good Stuff! My kind of stuff! Advertising, rider's handbooks, contracts, racing forms, letterheads! There is even a mint paint chip set for 1939 Indians complete with a leather case. But for today, I think the party hats are going to be my kind of collectible. Robbie "Dale" Jackson is owner of Motorcycle Memories, a mail-order company specializing in out-of-print and unique motorcycle literature. — Copyright — |