During the last car show of the season a couple of weeks ago I decided that I should spend my ‘pocket money’ on a couple of goodies to prop up my fledgling memorabilia collection. Each show I allocate myself a certain amount of money to take with me for things like memorabilia and car cleaning products etc. If I don’t limit myself I would just spend it on loads of stuff that I really didn’t want in the first place, or on dubiously prepared junk food. I have my credit cards with me just in case I need something worthwhile of course, but cash is king at these shows and you can do a bit of bartering for the best prices.
So my first purchase was the sales brochure for all the ’66 Fords’. I have attached a link to the full brochure here, or can be found under the Articles Menu/Press & Promotional Items on the header. This is an original brochure in fantastic condition with no creases. The staples have gone a little rusty, but what do you expect for fifty-two years old?
The pages are vibrant and full of the classic sales talk of the time like, ‘Stereo sonic Tape System’ and ‘Automatic Speed Control’. This is just little selection of a couple of pages from the brochure to give you a flavour of stepping back in time.
My next item was this great little ‘Ford ’66’ lapel pin. It looks old and feels old, but I’m not sure it’s vintage though. I got myself a nice little deal though as I am now starting to see the same guys selling the memorabilia a bit more often now. 
At another show I purchased some Ford tie/hat pins that started my collection of which was these three. I mounted them into a little piece of cardboard to stop the pins getting damaged and keep them together for now, until I find a better storage solution that is.
I have tried to research these lapel/hat pins without much luck so far, so if anybody can point me in the direction of some information or history about them I would be very grateful.
When I was very young I remembered some adverts by Esso. Those ads featured a nameless Tiger, with the slogan that started in 1959; ‘Put a tiger in your tank’.
The various ads run for many years up until the oil crisis in the ’70s where Esso also changed its global name to ‘Exxon Mobil’. There was a set of six tie pins issued and this is the full set.
That ‘Tiger’ campaign remains close to my heart as my dear ol’ Grandfather always used to take me on his rounds then to the Esso station and fill up his lorry on the way home. Some of my earliest memories when I wasn’t even in double figures of age. He would often come out with something cool with the tiger on it, and some tokens to save up for a toy, key-ring or poster of some sort. I just loved this poster at the time.
A little bit of trivia for you;
Exxon Mobil contributes $1 million a year to support the Save the Tiger Fund, which helps conserve Asia’s remaining wild tigers.
My memorabilia is around Mustangs and ’60s Fords for obvious reasons. But, I find myself being drawn back to the things I once had as a kid! There is no logic to my collection strategy, even that is the wrong choice of word I feel. Who knows what I might buy from eBay next!
Great post!
Thank you very much. 😀
Welcome!
Hi Mart,
Nice post. It’s fun to collect items like brochures and pins and the like. I’ve found that they don’t take up much space, and can really add a nice dash of splash or color when you’re displaying your car.
Good luck on your continued search for ‘automobilia’!
Regards, Richard
I agree, just a few little things at the moment to start the collection. But I like the Mustang culture and owning an American Icon too.
Great blog as usual. The memorabilia really adds a dimension to old car ownership – it’s great so see. Maybe I can add some info to the Ford pins. The blue and gold pins were issued to employees and dealers at Ford events over the years (car/truck launches, dealer meetings and other non public events). The gold one is much rarer and was issued around key anniversaries such as Fords 75th year etc. They also tended to be given to Ford staff who manned the motorshow stands – in the US and Europe.
Speaking as a person who has been ‘bitten by the memorabilia bug’ it’s a downward slope but a really enjoyable one…..you only live once eh!
Thank’s Boris for the info. That’s is a brilliant bit of background to my small but growing collection. I was started on this slippery slope by a dear friend of mine. It has me hooked and through the winter, the money i save on fuel i can spend on memorabilia. Win Win situation!
Really interesting yet again.
Well done.
Thank you sir.