Part III: Ivory Stamp Club of the Air Bling, Captain Tim Collectibles
“Hello, boys and girls, mothers and fathers, grandmas and grandpas. We are going to hear some fascinating stories today about stamps!” -- Captain Tim Healy
As detailed in the last two posts, my interest in Captain Tim came early, after encountering an Ivory Stamp Club of the Air pin. In the years since, I’ve actively pursued all I could find about Captain Tim, as well as all related collectibles — and there are many! Since this is the 90th anniversary year of Captain Tim’s appearance on the air, I felt it was a good time to update my published research; thus the three installments you have been reading. Happy Anniversary Captain Tim! The hobby is a better place for having had your involvement.
Overall, the years — and the advent of the internet — have been kind to Ivory Stamp Club-related collectibles. Albums, pins, Captain Tim autographs and other memorabilia usually fetch decent prices when offered by dealers or in online auctions, and many more types of collectibles have been discovered than were otherwise known. Although albums and pins have decreased in value, because so many more have been discovered, values for more esoteric pieces have held steady. Occasionally, other items, such as letters, Ivory Soap labels or complete mailing kits show up in collections or online. Each of these is collectible and adds to the Captain Tim story. We’ll look at a few here.
Standard equipment for each Ivory Stamp Club member was the official Ivory Stamp Club of the Air enameled membership pin and the official Ivory Stamp Club stamp album. The deep blue and white cover of the early 130-page albums just happened to match the color scheme of Ivory Soap wrappers.
Ivory Stamp Club membership pins have always been particularly popular. They aren’t exactly rare, but most have an extremely weak and brittle pinback that tends to snap off easily. Thus, an unchipped, relatively untarnished pin with a full back may cost as much as $50 or more. Those without backs can be found as inexpensively as $5.
The album’s original price was 10¢ and two Ivory Soap wrappers. For an additional 4¢ and two more labels, you could obtain a packet of 500 additional stamps and 500 hinges to help fill your album. For 6¢ and four wrappers you could get two packets (1,000 stamps), 8¢ and 6 wrappers would get you three packets (1,500 stamps) and a dime and eight wrappers would get you 2,000 stamps and hinges. There was no ceiling on the number of stamps one could obtain, although by 1936 the cash portion of the transaction went from 4¢ to 5¢.
Text inside each stamp album urged kid collectors to take their albums to school, show them to the other children and to their teachers. Also, admonished Captain Tim, “keep healthy and strong with Ivory Soap — so you won’t miss any of our programs. Whether I am in America, Australia or the jungles of Africa, I have always taken my daily bath with Ivory Soap.”
There are at least three different major cover types of Ivory Stamp Club stamp albums, as well as subtypes caused by different printings. All types, other than the first 1933 edition (which was printed on white paper stock) were printed on newsprint-quality paper.
The first cover type (bearing 1933 and 1934 copyright dates) is a simple dark blue cover showing a portrait of Captain Tim. Both main subtypes are 128-page albums (plus cover). The first printing referred to the item as the Adventurer album. Later printings were titled the Ivory Album. The Adventurer was a standard album format used by H.E. Harris for decades.
The second cover type (from 1934) shows a larger portrait of Captain Tim against a white background. These were smaller, 68-page albums (plus cover).
The third and final major cover type (from 1935) is a multicolored affair with a smaller portrait of Captain Tim, superimposed over a globe, with a ship sailing along side. These are 130-page albums (plus cover). If you grew up with H.E. Harris products, you’ll recognize the ship (which says “Ivory” on its stern) as the same one found on Golden Galleon mixtures and other products. As mentioned, there are also minor text varieties of these albums (from different printings). Depending on condition, which is highly variable, and number and types of stamps, Ivory Stamp Club albums sell for prices ranging from $5 to well over $100!
Slightly more unusual items include letters and covers from the Ivory Stamp Club, Ivory soap wrappers (I know of at least five different styles used during the lifetime of the Ivory Stamp Club), packets identified as Ivory Stamp Club packets and a host of other unusual items.
Shown along with this article are several different types of Captain Tim collectibles. There are many more. One of my personal favorites is a Captain Tim promotion for photostamps. Photostamps, tiny stamp-sized and gummed photographs, were very popular during the early part of the 20th century through the 1950s. In this case, an actual photostamp of Captain Tim was affixed to the card with a mail-in offer for personalized photostamps.
There is no such thing as a complete Captain Time Ivory Stamp Club of the Air collection, but it’s sure a lot of fun to pursue items as they turn up!
Until next time, keep healthy and strong with an Ivory bath every single day. And remember your friend, Captain Tim!
Wouldn’t it be great if the USPS issued a Capt Tim stamp? He’s certainly a more worthy subject than we’ve seen on some stamps (*cough-cough* message monsters).