Case #211 - Dare-a-day Davy comic strip
We love it when you ask for really specific things, the more details the better – it avoids awkward questions like “Are you sure absolutely, positively certain that chocolate teapots actually exist?”
We were asked to find “POW! Comic #35, published on 16th September 1967”. Can’t really get more specific than that, can you?
Our lady client told The Thing Detectives that she had starred in the comic strip on the back page. The strip “Dare-a-day Davy” featured a school boy who took up dares sent in by lucky readers for the reward of £1.
Throughout the limited run of POW! (1967-8), Davy was dared to clean a crocodile's teeth, wrestle a gorilla and steal the hands off Big Ben’s clock.
See more of Davy's dares at www.crazedchimp.co.uk/WhoDares.htm.
As a young lady, all our client had asked of Davy was to simply say “Boo” in a library, earning herself the nickname “Soppy little Dewsbury drop” and a marriage proposal from Davy himself! (Despite this relatively tame dare, Davy still manages to get shot! - see strip below).
The strip was the work of prolific artist and writer Ken Reid, who also drew Roger the Dodger and Jonah for the Beano, together with Fudge the Elf, Bing-Bang Benny, Angel Face and many other, slightly mischievous, characters. One Dare-a-Day Davy strip, in which Davy attempts to resurrect Frankenstein’s monster, was banned from release for fear it was too gruesome! You be the judge, see the link below.
View Dare-a-day Davy art from Ken Reid on the Savoy pictures website
After a few weeks spent contacting comic book sources, we were able to send a hi-resolution scan of the strip from POW! #35 (see below) on to our client. She said “that's fantastic, how exciting to be taken back to 1967!” and made a nice donation for our services.
For more information on Ken Reid see www.comicsuk.co.uk/Interviews/KenReid/KenReidOverview.asp
Do you have any blasts-from-the-past that you would like us to find? Just ask!
Case #231 - A pair of quern stones
In days of yore, before the mill wheel was invented, grain was ground to make floor using quern stones. The earliest examples date back to 9,000 BC with the design undergoing many changes over the years from saddle quern (not unlike the crushing action of a pestle and mortar) to beehive quern (shaped, appropriately enough, like a beehive) to the rotary quern.
Rotary querns appear to have been much easier to use, as it was observed:
“…Two women sit down on the ground, having the quern between them; the one feeds it, while the other turns it round, relieving each other occasionally, and singing some Celtic songs all the time.” (Garnett, 1800)
Our client wanted us to find a pair of quern stones which he could use to demonstrate these early methods to visitors at Rayleigh windmill in Essex (pictured).
Taking up the case, The Thing Detectives became embroiled in the lute-filled realms of historical re-enactment, finding several companies who make and supply replica props for demonstrations in schools and at public events http://www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk/. One of these companies, “History alive” (tudortimes.org) offered us a pair of replica rotary querns stones (pictured below). Although delivery was tricky (the stones have a combined weight of over 50kg!) our client was very happy with the stones and made a suitable donation for our services.
For more information about the windmill in Rayleigh, visit The Rayleigh history charity http://www.rayleighhistory.co.uk
Do you want us to find any historical artefacts for you? Just ask!
A house made of turnips
The Hobyahs is a classic childrens folk tale, that has been published by many different authors and illustrators.
Open a copy of this book, and you'll find the house that the family lived in was made of corn husks or beets. Not what our client remembered reading when she was a young girl!
"Could we find an early edition of this tale where the house was made of turnips?"
Sounded like a great conversation starter to us, so we got to work.
Our research showed that such early editions are becoming small collectors items and we were a little worried the price could be much more than initially hoped. Thankfully we found an ex-library edition in a small US bookstore, and after confirming an illustration, we put them in touch.
Diecast bus
Diecast model in scale about 5-6 inches long. It came in metal base color green and a plastic top color white. Made in France in the 1980s.
Majorette diecast model # 310 autobus concorde/champs-ellyse.
1940s bread bin
It's not for everyone's kitchen, but this 1940s bread bin certainly interested one of our clients.
The polished metal combination bread box and canister set consists of two levels. The canister set (flour, sugar, coffee and tea) is on the top and the bread box is on the bottom. They dont make 'em like they used to!
Replica soldiers
William Britains toy soldiers are very popular and much loved worldwide. However, this case was quite specific.
We were asked to find 54mm figures of Airborne Infantry set 2010, produced between 1948 and 1960.
Sometimes the best way to complete a collection is to come to the Thing Detectives!
Kingfisher tie
Sometimes our clients surprise and challenge us with very specific requests. A case in point, we were asked to find a gentleman's tie for a client in the UK.
We were given a price range of £20-40 and a time limit of one week to find the tie. The client said the material was irrelevant, but that the tie "must" have a picture of a kingfisher on the front. We were only to happy to oblige.
Do you have a specific item of clothing you would like to hire us to track down?
Bar Drinking Cats
We were asked to find the classic Louis Wain painting called "Last Orders".
The painting features lots of cats drinking in a bar, in a sort of human-kind of way. Its a picture that even non art-lovers are familiar with, yet most can't put their finger on why.
Wood that works
We were asked to find the sculpture titled "Quark Cotillion" from www.woodthatworks.com. Valued between $2000 and $5000.
This item was actually sold out from all well-known galleries, so was particuarly difficult to track down.
Visit the artist's web site to see the sculpture in motion! http://www.woodthatworks.com/kinetic-sculptures/quark-cotillion/
Mother goose storybook
Matel storybook with Mother goose rhymes. Dated to the early 1970s
Small collectible cherished teddy
Over the years, we have received many requests for help from serious collectors. They may collect coins or stamps or postcards or spoons but one thing they have in common is their devotion and pride in their collections.
In one such case, we were asked by a lady in the USA to track down a specifc "cherished teddy" to add to her collection of 100+ bears!
She provided us with a photograph taken of the bear in a friend's collection and we set to work, locating a similar bear in very good condition through a contact in a neighbouring state. Why not see if we can help complete your collection?
The time-travelling chair
We were approached by a film buff in New York to find an antique barber's chair similar to that used in the film adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel "The Time Machine".
The chair, named 'Hercules' was made in 1898 by E. Berginhaus and was found in an auction in the California.
The strange case of the magician's postcard
A client in Canada wanted us to find Ephemera (paper collectibles) to do with "the great" Victorian magicians.
Alongside The Great Lafayette who was buried with his dog, and The Great Hermann who developed card throwing into a martial art, Chung Ling Soo was a very interesting magician indeed.
He was born in 1861 an American called William Robinson. At the age of 39, William shaved his head, grew a beard and changed his name in order to advance his career prospects. Chung Ling Soo died on stage under mysterious circumstances in 1918 when his most famous trick - catching a bullet between his teeth - went horribly wrong.
We were able to find a postcard signed and dated just one week before that fateful night.
A vintage motor
Our South American client was looking to buy a classic Porsche 911 in England. However, he had a long list of requirements, which included leather interior, left hand drive and silver paint.
We took three days to locate two suitable cars and arranged an inspection on his behalf. A week after contacting us, we passed on the details as he was flying over the Atlantic from Buenos Aires.
What the client said... " An excellent and prompt service, I'll definitely have a use for them again"
King of the jungle - stuffed!
"Can we find a life-sized, stuffed lion?" asked a customer from London, UK.
Certainly one of our stranger requests, but find one we did. Not being taxidermists ourselves, we enlisted some expert help from a natural history museum.
The laws concerning the trade in stuffed animals is very strict in the UK, with animals having to have full documentation concerning their age and country of origin. Fortunately we were able to secure an "ex-display" lion for our client which they were overjoyed with.
What the client said... " I didn't hold much hope that you could help when I got in touch, but you really suprised me - thank you! "
Goldie Hawn on the wheel of death
Nothing beats the sight of an A-list celebrity pinned to a circus wheel, except perhaps being the proud owner of the original photo.
We tracked down this unique photo of Goldie Hawn for one of our clients, which was published in Rolling Stone magazine in 2001.
