Wallets

[Bogey]

Sweet!  Thanks for excavating it.

[fmofmpls]

* Pics courtesy of Toysfortheages.

[BANE]

Love the Eat at the Monsters tavern card!  I might copy that and pass it out to my customers for a free beer!  www.monstercafesaltillo.com

[Hepcat]

The Horrorscope and the wallets figured into the Famous Monsters Captain Company story as many know.

What story was that?

[Hepcat]

Here we have the TWO Wolf Man/Creature variations. As you can see, one offers a magic slate. The other is a plate mirror and the words "Look A Monster" printed on the vinyl. The support vinyl 'guts' are different so the slate and mirror are NOT interchangeable. The wallet was either manufactured one way or the other. Both variations offer the same coin purse. I've typed what monster is pictured on what end of each wallet.

Now, I'm NOT SURE but I don't think the clear folded vinyl credit card holders were on the mirror version. The mirror version is MY original wallet from 1963 or 64 ...but I also have a Frankenstein/Dracula from my childhood friend's collection (I received in the later 60s) which has the magic slate and clear vinyls with cards. So my mind is fuzzy on this. The reason that I doubt my mirror version had the clear folded vinyl card holders is because these vinyls are fastened very well to the wallets. I think one would tear up the wallet trying to pull them out (not even going to try BTW). The mirror version vinyl is very smooth throughout (where the vinyl would have been attached) so I doubt there was an attachment. But, again, can't remember.

Anyone with a mirror version that can chime in on this?

The mirror version of my Dracula/Mummy wallet has clear card holders with the attachement being to the back of the mirror. Unfortunately, my mirror has started to silver (blacken) around the edges. Has anyone else experienced the same problem with the mirrors from these wallets?

The magic slate version of my Frankenstein/Phantom of the Opera wallet, on the other hand, has the clear card holders attached beneath the change purse. Unfortunately, it's missing the magic slate.

Neither of my wallets still has the cards for the holders. Otherwise though they're very nice indeed.

[Vandor Zorkov]

Does anyone have pics of the actual wall plaques in the top pic? The art looks similar to the wallet art but not exact. I've never seen them before, very neat looking.

[Hepcat]

I would love to find old footage of some kid from the 60's going down to the corner drug store to buy a cold bottle of pop and a pack of Spook Stories gum cards all while paying for it with money from inside his Frankenstein monster wallet. How cool would that be? Too cool for school, that's how cool.

I did all that with my Wolfman/Creature magic slate variant wallet including collecting the Leaf Spook Stories cards and it was very cool. I also went around collecting from people on my paper route with that wallet.

[darkmonkeygod]

Does anyone have pics of the actual wall plaques in the top pic? The art looks similar to the wallet art but not exact. I've never seen them before, very neat looking.

Check out our Media tab to see the galleries. They should all be in there. I'll see what else I can scare up.

[Richard]

Here are the head images of the Frank & Wolf plaques. The Phantom and Dracula are buried behind boxes so I can't get at them right now.
Richard

[Hepcat]

For whatever reason the artwork on the plaques was more crude and not nearly as good as the artwork on the wallets.



I believe that the original art on at least a couple of the wallets was pictured in an early issue of "Model and Toy Collector" magazine. Does anyone know who did the artwork for the wallets?

[Richard]

For whatever reason the artwork on the plaques was more crude and not nearly as good as the artwork on the wallets.

Keep in mind, the applied litho needed to match, as close as possible, to the vacuformed plastic highs and lows. The image application was not always spot on to the molded plastic. A different much larger presentation than the wallets. I'm quite satisfied having both the wallets and plaques. No problem with the plaque artwork, IMHO.
Richard

[Vandor Zorkov]

Thank you for posting the plaques! They are very unique and nice in their own way. Looks almost like they were  done in pastels or chalks (whatever artists call them). Would love to see them all if you ever get the time to post them.

[Gasport]

Thanks for posting those pics, Richard...Sweet '60's classic monster goodness to the max! Love the purple and green mixture used on Franky!!

[poseablemonster]

I love the artwork on both the wallets and the plaques. 

[Monolith]

Yeah, I love the artwork on both, too. Thanks for posting those plaque pix!