Table of contents

Barbie Dolls -- 1973 to 2019
​Finding Collectible Furbies
Five Factors to Consider when Choosing a Digital Baby Grand Piano
Lusitania Collectibles Commemorate U-Boat's Sinking of the Ocean Liner
Vintage Metal Lunch Boxes: Nostalgia Meets Cultural Chronicle
Your Guide to Purchasing Swarovski Annual Snowflake Ornaments

​Barbie Dolls -- 1973 to 2019
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for eBay.com
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What Updates Have Barbie Dolls Received?

Barbie has been around for over 60 years and has become more representative of the population. In 1980, Teresa became the first Hispanic Barbie. Later, a Native American Barbie was introduced in 1993.

A "Dolls of the World" collection was produced in 1994.

Then, in 2016, a curvier Barbie was introduced.

​A Barbie with a hajib to honor US Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad was introduced in 2017.

The 2019 Fashionista collection included a Barbie in a wheelchair, a Barbie with vitiligo, a Barbie with a prosthetic limb, and a Barbie without hair.

As a connection to world events, in 1975, before the 1976 Austrian Winter Olympics, Barbie became a skier. In 1976 and 2006, she was a ballerina. Barbie was wearing knee warmers and roller skates in 1981. Due to the 2000 Australian Summer Olympics, Barbie became an Olympic swimmer in 2001, and in 2009, she was an equestrian.

​On her resume, Barbie was a surgeon in 1973, but she was working at McDonald's in 1981. In 1985, "Day to Night" Barbie was wearing a pink suit and carrying a briefcase. She was an astronaut in 1985, a doctor in 1987, an Air Force pilot in 1991, an art teacher in 2002, a Presidential candidate in 2004, a cooking show hostess in 2007, a computer engineer with a computer in 2010, an architect in 2011, and an entrepreneur in 2014.

How Has the Style of Barbie Clothes Changed Since 1973?

As expected, Barbie keeps up with the latest fashion trends. So the style of her clothes represents the style trends at the time the clothes were released.

What Styles of Structures and Furniture Has Barbie Chosen?

In 1974, Barbie lived in a three-story townhouse. The rooms were printed cardboard backdrops with cardboard platforms for Barbie in front and pillars and an elevator in the middle. One bedroom on the third floor had a 70s décor while the other third-floor bedroom and a sitting room on the second floor had an oriental décor.

In 1982, Barbie's townhouse was redecorated and adopted a pink Parisian décor.

In 1990, Barbie's Dreamhouse was a pink, two-story, three-dimensional structure with three dimensional furniture.The 1998 Barbie Dreamhouse featured a large room on each of the two floors instead of separate rooms on each floor.

Has the Barbie Car Changed Since 1973?

At first, Barbie owned pink Corvette convertibles, but she also favored Jeeps and a GMC motorhome. She added a red Ferrari 328 GTS, a pink Rolls Royce, and a turquoise '57 Chevy BelAir to her garage in the 1980s. In the 1990s, she tried a variety of luxury brands before again settling on more conservative brands including a Volkswagen. Since 2000, she has again favored luxury cars, but she has chosen a wider variety of colors.

Since 1973 What Barbie Pets Has She Adopted?

Barbie is an animal lover, and she acquires new pets every year.

In 1976, she adopted Dancer, a horse she rode in equestrian events. In 1979, she adopted Beauty, an Afghan. In 1980, she added Dallas for Western-style riding. In 1981, she acquired Midnight, a black stallion that she rode western style.

​In 1982, an Eskimo Barbie owned two huskies. Also, in 1982, Barbie adopted a cat named Fluff. Then, she added a sheepdog named Mr. Bobbie.

In 1983, she acquired an Arabian horse called Prancer and a collie named Dixie. Skipper got a pony called Honey also in 1983.

Over the years, Barbie has continued to adopt more dogs, a few cats, and add more horses to her stable. She also acquired some more exotic animals such as a giraffe, a zebra, a monkey, and a lion cub. 

​Finding Collectible Furbies – Identifying Vintage Furbies

​for eBay.com

The original Furby toys were first introduced in 1998. Tiger Electronics offered the original Furby for sale from 1998 to 2000. Hasbro introduced a new version of Furby for sale with updated electronics, the Emoto-tronic Furby, in 2005 and continued offering it for sale until 2007. In 2012, Hasbro released a new line of Furbies for sale that included an app for iOS and Android.

What Vintage Furbies Are Collectible?

While most Furbies, even some special editions vintage Furbies, were released in large production runs, some special edition Furbies were released in much more limited numbers. Look for original Furbies that are still in their unopened, original packaging. If the packaging has been opened, ask for a written assurance that the electronics and mechanical parts still work as they did originally and that the newer or original Furby's fur is clean and undamaged. The packaging should also be undamaged include all the original papers. Hard-to-find special edition Furbies for sale include:
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• Patriotic Furby -- sold by KB Toys, 72,000 produced, released in May, 1999
• Wizard Furby -- sold by Toys R Us, 90,000 produced, released in July, 1999.
• Millenium Furby Version 1 ("World Trade Center Furby") -- 30,000 produced with 5,000 sold exclusively at Windows on the World, the gift shop in the north tower of the World Trade Center, released in August, 1999.
• Racing Furby -- sold by K-mart, 72,000 produced, released in September, 1999.
• Tropical Furby -- sold at selected Toy R Us stores, 36,000 produced, released in October, 1999
• Jester Furby – sold by Target in the United States and Zellers in Canada, 72,000 produced, released in November, 1999
• President Furby – sold online, 36,000 produced, released in 2000
• Angel Furby – sold online, 10,000 produced, released for Christmas 2000
• Bejeweled Furby – five produced with two sold online at a price tag of $100,000

What Is the Difference Between Vintage Furbies and Later Versions?

Vintage Furbies communicate with each other through infrared ports on their foreheads. Like all Furbies, vintage Furbies begin their lives speaking only Furbish, but, thanks to a pre-written program, they appear to gradually learn English and speak more English and less Furbish as they gain experience. Vintage Furbies have light and motion sensors and also respond to loud noises. When petted after saying a particular word or phrase, vintage Furbies repeat that word or phrase more often. Cams and gears attached to an electric motor raise the ears of vintage Furbies, opens and closes their eyes and mouths, and causes them to lift themselves up.

What Distinguishes an Emoto-tronic Furby Toy Released Between 2005 and 2007 from Newer and Vintage Furbies?

Emoto-tronic Furbies are larger than vintage Furbies. Their mechanics provide more emotionally expressive faces, and they have a voice recognition system that allows them to respond to and communicate with their owner. They have on/off switches, but they also can be commanded to go to sleep. These Furbies lack light and motion sensors and don’t they respond to loud noises. Emoto-tronic Furbies cannot communicate with vintage Furbies or Funky Furbies, but they can communicate with each other. However Emoto-tronic Furbies don’t communicate with each other as much as vintage Furbies do.
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Identifying a Furby Toy Released After 2012

Furbies released since 2012 have LCD eyes giving them more expressive emotional reactions. They also adapt their personalities in reaction to their owner’s behavior. They come with an app for iOS and Android. The on/off switch has been replaced by a reset button, but Furby toys released since 2012 turn themselves off after one minute with no activity.

Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Furby Toys. 

Five Factors to Consider
​when Choosing a Digital Baby Grand Piano

​for eBay.com

When you are considering purchasing a digital baby grand piano, you will, of course, consider the features that contribute to the quality of the sound. Other features influence the way the piano plays. Digital pianos have features beyond the ones that you would consider when purchasing an acoustic piano, though, such as the ability to adjust the tuning of the piano to one that provides the best accompaniment for other instruments or even the ability to produce the sound of other instruments.

Judging the Sound of Digital Baby Grand Pianos
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What you hear when you press the keys of a digital piano is a recording of an acoustic piano. One of the main things that will influence the sound is the way in which the samples from the acoustic piano were recorded.

The sound should feel warm whether you're listening to individual notes or a song being played.

Pay particular attention to how individual notes start and end or their articulation and decay. In an acoustic piano, the sound begins percussively but then fades gradually. The sound of a digital piano should duplicate that sudden, percussive beginning and then the gradual decay.

Even though you are purchasing your piano online, you should visit a store and listen in person to all of the instrument voices of the same brand and model that you intend to purchase.

What Is Polyphony and Why Is It Important?

The range of the digital piano’s polyphony determines how many notes it can play at the same time. Polyphony reproduces the effect of the overtones created by the vibrating strings of an acoustic piano. While 32-note polyphony might be adequate for a beginning pianist and 64- note polyphony might be acceptable for an intermediate pianist, 128-note polyphony is recommended for advanced pianists.

Speaker Quality and Baby Grand Pianos

The size and quality of the built in speakers also affect sound quality. Wattage is important, but the sound should remain clear and not become fuzzy or muffled as you increase volume.

How Key Action Affects the Playing of a Digital Piano

A keyboard with 88 touch-sensitive keys allows you to duplicate the full range of sound and volume available in an acoustic piano. In addition, weighted keys duplicate the feel of playing an acoustic piano.

Other Features to Consider
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• Additional instruments and sound effects
• Tuning adjustments for accompanying other instruments
• Learning tools -- a built-in metronome or a keyboard that lights to show the correct notes
• The ability to record as you play
• Memory storage to create a library of songs

Lusitania Collectibles Commemorate
U-Boat's Sinking of the Ocean Liner

for eBay.com​

The RMS Lusitania was a luxury British ocean liner built by the Cunard Line between 1904 and 1907 with the help of the British Admiralty. Built for speed and equipped with gun mounts for deck cannons, the German government regarded the Lusitania as a non-neutral ship, and a German U-boat sank her on May 7, 1915. The deaths of all 1,298 passengers and crew, including 128 citizens of the United States, contributed to the decision of the United States to enter the war two years later.

What Types of Pre-War Lusitania Collectibles Are Available?

The availability of specific collectibles on eBay can change quickly. However, because the Lusitania was one of the largest and fastest luxury liners of her time, there was a great deal of public interest in her.

The items and souvenirs associated with the Lusitania include postcards, stamps, photographs, lapel pins, tin types, models of the ship, paperweights, and artwork. Many of these collectibles are available on eBay at affordable prices.

What Types of Collectibles Were Produced After the Lusitania's Sinking?

After the Lusitania sunk, she was memorialized with books, lapel pins, and posters, among other items. Many of these items encouraged public support for the war. Some people saved newspapers with coverage of the sinking. Other collectibles include newspapers and magazines with accounts of more recently discovered information about the Lusitania and her sinking. Reproductions of some items, such as newspaper ads for tickets on the Lusitania, also exist and are available for sale.

How Many Collectible Versions Exist for the Karl Goetz Lusitania Medallion?

There are four collectible versions of the Karl Goetz Lusitania Medallion.

Goetz, a German sculptor and medal maker, blamed the sinking of the Lusitania and the loss of life on the British government and the Cunard Line because they permitted her to sail in spite of warnings from the German embassy in the United States that it was not safe. He created the original design as a satirical comment upon the greed exhibited by the Cunard Line and the disingenuous behavior exhibited by the British government.

Goetz’s design features the gun-laden, sinking Lusitania on one side with the date of the sinking and the phrase “Keine Bannware!” or “No Contraband!” because the British government maintained that the ship carried no ammunition. The other side features Death as a skeleton at a Cunard Line ticket window selling tickets to passengers with the inscription “Geschäft Über Alles” or “Business Above All.” However, when creating the first run of the medallion, Goetz mistakenly inscribed the date of the sinking as May 5, 1915. Goetz corrected the date to May 7, 1915, before producing the second run of the medallion.

The British government, however, convincingly represented copies of the first run to the British public as a medal awarded by Germany in celebration of the attack on the Lusitania and evidence that the attack had been planned in advance. Around 300,000 of these copies were sold for a shilling a piece to raise funds to support blinded British sailors and soldiers

Another version of the medallion, the Pumpkin head version, was created in Pennsylvania by Gustav Sandstrom and Clarence Mahood. This version uses a different font style than the other three versions and replaces the skull of the skeleton with a pumpkin head.

These medallions are available online as collectibles.

Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cunard Line.

Vintage Metal Lunch Boxes: Nostalgia Meets
Cultural Chronicle

for eBay.com​​

From the first Mickey Mouse lunch kit, produced in 1935, through to the last Rambo collectible metal lunch box, produced in 1987, these collectibles appeal on two levels. Personally, they call to mind memories of school days for many generations. Culturally, they reflect the values, graphic styles, and popular celebrities and interests of the period when they were produced.

Starting a Beginning Vintage Lunch Box Collection

Seasoned collectors recommend learning the value of old metal lunch boxes by watching online sales. Online sales provide a tutorial on how character and non-character designs rank in popularity, and how they are valued.

With that knowledge in hand, collectors recommend beginning to build a collection of old lunch boxes that are in good condition with designs and characters at the mid- to low end of the popularity scale. Vintage lunch boxes in this category fluctuate in value to some degree in relation to the overall state of the economy, but they tend to hold their value within that range.

Having gained some knowledge of how the characters and designs are valued, beginning collectors can look for lunch boxes online, at garage and estate sales, and at second-hand and vintage stores that are undervalued. Beginning collectors also can buy lunch boxes at times when the economy has caused the value of these collectibles to drop.

Building  Stronger Metal Lunch Box Collection

To acquire more popular and harder to find lunch boxes, beginning collectors should wait until the value of the lunch boxes they have purchased go up. They should then then sell some of them to acquire the funds to purchase or bid on more popular designs or lunch boxes that are in better condition than the ones that they initially purchased.

Another way to increase the value of a beginning collection is to try to purchase lunch boxes together with the matching thermos if there was one. If only the thermos or lunch box is for sale, buy it, and then try to find the missing piece to create the complete set. Try to match thermoses and lunch boxes that are similar in condition.

How Are Collectible Metal Lunch Boxes Rated by Condition?

Vintage metal lunch boxes are rated by condition ranging from grade 10 to grade 1. The grading scale is as follows:
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• Grade 10 -- a new, mint condition vintage lunch box with no damage and with the original tags and packaging
• Grade 9 -- almost mint condition, may have wear on the bottom from contact with a shelf but no wear of damage on the front or back, the original tags and packaging may be missing
• Grade 8 -- surfaces retain their shine, may have minor scuffs or scratches but no major scratches or dents, looks almost new
• Grade 7 -- surfaces show minor fading with minor scratches but no major dents or scratches
• Grade 6 -- color and shine of interior and exterior still good but shows signs of use with some scratches and minor dents but little to no rust
• Grade 5 – Surfaces faded with very visible dents and scratches, may have light rust on exterior or interior
• Grade 4 – Surfaces very bad, especially on the side most often in contact with a shelf or lunch room table, most of the design should still be visible but marred by rust, scratches, and dents
• Grade 3 – not usually in acceptable condition for collections, surfaces show significant scratches, rust, and dents
• Grade 2 – major scratches, dents, and rust; latch or handle may be missing; may not close properly
• Grade 1 – does not work or is unusable due to missing parts, surface so badly damaged that design is difficult to identify
• Lunch boxes grade 6 or above lose 0.5 of a grade for a missing thermos wire holder, but no deduction is made for lunch boxes grade 5 or lower.

Your Guide to Purchasing
Swarovski Annual Snowflake Ornaments

for eBay.com

Swarovski Christmas ornaments add that special Swarovski sparkle to your Christmas decorations. Some of the limited editions of the Swarovski annual ornaments have become such highly prized collectibles that the company has listed that year's design as officially sold out even before Christmas arrives. Naturally, increased demand increases the value of the ornament, and the likelihood of inauthentic copies, but this guide provides the information you need on genuine Swarovski ornaments.

How Can I identify Genuine Swarovski Snowflake Ornaments?

You can use these guidelines for identifying not only genuine Swarovski Snowflake Ornaments but all genuine Swarovski crystal products, including Swarovski beads.

• The version of the Swarovski logo that was in use in the year when the product was created will be laser etched into the surface with the exception of designs like the annual Swarovski Snowflake Ornaments that were released in the early 1990s through Swarovski's Giftware Suite or the New Concept divisions. The etched logo may be faint and difficult to see, however, and imitators have copied the logo.
• Because Swarovski uses 3D software to calculate the direction in which the light will be reflected off of each facet and then uses that calculation to control the machine cutting of their products, all of the edges of the facets point up and match the adjoining edges exactly.
• Also because of this precision machine cutting method, all Swarovski Annual Snowflake Ornaments for a given year will be identical in size, in shape, and in the cut of the facets. This is also true for each size and style of Swarovski bead and all other Swarovski creations.
• Because of the glass compounds Swarovski uses to create its products as well as the precise cutting method, any genuine Swarovski creation will outshine and have more flash than an inauthentic copy.
• The AB finish given to all genuine Swarovski creations also produces a uniform surface luster with no swirls or scratch marks.
• Genuine Swarovski creations will not contain any bubbles.

Determining the Year when Swarovski Annual Ornaments Were Issued.

Swarovski created their first annual Snowflake Ornaments in 1992. These ornaments were available in both the United States and Europe. The 1992 annual Snowflake Ornaments hang from a red ribbon. Snowflake Ornaments released from 1993 to 2010 hang from navy blue ribbons. Snowflake Ornaments released since 2011 hang from white ribbons. For example, the Swarovski annual edition ornament 2018 hangs from a white ribbon.

How Do I Know My Annual Snowflake Ornament Has the Right Packaging?

The Snowflake Ornaments are packaged in triangular boxes and contain a card with information about the ornament. Except for the ornaments released in 1992 and 1997, the card lists the year that the ornament was issued. From 1992 to 1996, the Snowflake Ornaments were packaged in red boxes with no outer sleeve. In 1997, Swarovski began packaging the Snowflake Ornaments with an outer sleeve and inner box. From 1997 to 2001, the ornaments came with white boxes. Since 2002, Swarovski Christmas ornaments have come in blue boxes and with a small blue Swarovski certificate in addition to the card. For example, the Swarovski annual ornament 2002 comes in a blue box with an outer sleeve, and the box should contain both the informational card and the blue Swarovski certificate.
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Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Swarovski.