It's 1984 and Mustang was Turning 20!

1985 Ford Dealership Mustang Standee Side 1

A few years ago I attended what started out an as an auction, but  turned into a battle-of-wills marathon.
The auction was the estate of one of the most successful Ford dealers in the Midwest and it ran over with rare an unusual pieces from the business.

The sale was a two-ring nine-hour marathon of unintended memorabilia. It wasn't that the family collected Ford memorabilia. It was that they never threw anything away. 

This treasure is a never used promotion standee intended for the dealership showroom. It advertises the 20th anniversary edition of the classic 1964 1/2 Mustang pony car. The limited edition Mustang, produced in 1984, came in Oxford White with a Canyon Red interior. It had the original pony badge on the front fenders and came with a plaque engraved with the owner's name and the vehicle's production number.  Overall it is about 16 by 44 inches. Each side of the folded triangle would measure about 15 by 17 inches.

These backroom pieces are always a rare find, especially in flat unpunched condition. Neither the bottom flaps nor the side flaps have been creased. The entire unit is nicely flat and the colors are vibrant. I've chosen to keep it flat and display it on top of a shelving unit. However, carefully folded up and notched together would not significantly detract from the value.

Unusual pieces are often found at auctions. Businesses put extra items in the backroom and forget about them, sometimes for decades. Be prepared to be patient and dig through a lot of boxes. This beauty was in the barn. I'll be posting more about this crazy auction. Stay tuned, it was not your everyday sale.  Photos (c) Terri Lynn Coop 2012

1985 Ford Dealership Mustang Standee Side 2

Cop Car Cool

1987 Ford Brochure: Photo (c) Terri Lynn Coop

I like collecting advertising. The longer you read this blog and my car memorabilia collecting site you'll see that I talk about it quite a bit.

To me, advertising often captures the essence of both the item and the era. It also gives me clues about memorabilia and helps me identify mystery items (That came in blue? Who knew?) Often overlooked by collectors and pickers at auctions and estate sales, a patient and persistent shopper can come away with boxes or bags of ephemera full of surprises.

I became a collector of vintage police car advertising by accident. I was at an estate auction for a man who had been the police chief of a small town in the 1980s and 1990s and was, frankly, a hoarder. The sheer volume of boxes that came out of that small house was staggering. The entire front yard and back yard was covered in boxes of books, paper, model trains, and all manner of household goods.

Most of the buyers were there for the trains, so I was left virtually alone to pick through the boxes of paper. Before long, I started turning up all sorts of advertising and paperwork from his days as police chief. I found equipment catalogs, weapon catalogs, and an entire expanding file full of brochures for police cars, motorcycles, and ambulances.

The brochures are amazing, each a full-color capsule ofautomotive and law enforcement technology and history.

While bidding was hot for the trains, I stood by and quietly picked up most of the police paper for $1 - $2 per box. Also about a half pallet of vintage SEARS catalogs, but that is a story for another day. Auctions require feet of iron, nerves of steel, and a poker face worthy of Vegas. However, they are a great way to add to and expand a collection.