When were the Flicker Rings Sold?

[Mord]

I really loved those rings as a kid. My mom would bride into helping out at the market by giving me enough money to have several tries at the gumball machine to get these rings. Have these been reproduced? I would love to find an original set (any color backdrop) but am afraid to pay a fortune for repros. BTW, how much would a complete set go for, more or less?

[shiverbones]

They Used to be VERY Expensive, in the $175-$250 a ring range, but have fallen greatly lately. I think with patience, you can find them at $50-$75 a piece now. The flickers have never been reproduced, but there are original flickers on more modern ring bases. Those are either Blue, or have a V on the sides instead of the 3 line motif.

[Hepcat]

They were also released with 3 different colored backgrounds.

Rarest are the blue

How do you tell a blue original from one of the repros then?

[shiverbones]

Sorry, I meant the ring base itself is blue, not the flicker.

[Toy Ranch]

I think there is some confusion here.

The flicker images, to my knowledge, have never been reproduced.  And it would be difficult to do so accurately.

The ring bases have been reproduced.  Think of the flicker top, which is a chip of cardboard with an image printed on it and a lenticular lens on the top, as a separate piece from the base.  They were glued to the bases, and there have been flicker images found loose, that were then glued to old bases as well as to newer ones.

So the red, green, and blue background flicker images have NOT been reproduced.

The ring bases HAVE been reproduced.

When the Vari-Vue company auction took place in the late 80's I believe, there were bags of blue plastic bases with no images on them, as well as some with images on them sold.  I don't believe those have actually been "reproduced", there are just a lot of unused old stock floating around.  Those were made by Vari-Vue later than the monster rings.  There are monster rings on those bases out there, but the base is not original to the ring. 

In this photo, the rings in the lower right corner are in the blue plastic bases that I'm talking about.



Most of the monster rings were sold on the bases like the blue Dracula in this photo are in.  The base the red Dracula is in is known as the "V" base.  The V base has been reproduced.  There are 3 types of markings on the back of the V base.  Vintage ones will either say Hong Kong, or they will be blank. Repro ones will say China.  The marking is on the outside of the band, on the back where the split is located.  The Hong Kong rings say Hong on one side of the split, and Kong on the other side.

[Toy Ranch]

Oh, and the type base the blue Dracula is in has NOT been reproduced.  The only chrome plastic ring base that has been reproduced is the V base, and those are marked China.

[poseablemonster]

That is great information to know, Bobby.  I would like to get a set - just one of each character - and I definitely don't want to spend money on any repro-ed ring bases.

[Hepcat]

I agree! Great info.

[monsternik]

These were listed on ebay and sold via "buy it now" within a few minutes.  I tried to find info on them and even looked for similar pinbacks with different style flickers in them from vari vue and found none. the frames look like they were made specifically for flickers as they are rounded on the inside corners. I would like to see what the backs of them look like. The sellers other items are vintage monster items from the 60s, wax pack cards , posters etc...so these seem legit.  any of you guys ever seen these before?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221404084268?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

[monsterjoe]

A LOT OF THIS STUFF IN NOT ORIGINAL....HUNDREDS OF FLICKER FRONTS INCLUDING MONSTERS. MARVEL HEROES, MUNSTERS, BATMAN, GREEN HORNET....AND SEVERAL OTHERS WERE FOUND IN THE LATE 80'S. PEOPLE WERE STICKING THEM ON ALL SORTS OF BACKINGS...THOSE CRAP BLUE RINGS WERE PRODUCED IN QUANTITY AND USED VERY OFTEN BUT OVER THE YEARS SEVERAL OTHER BASES WERE USED. EVEN VINTAGE BASES WERE REUSED TO CREATE RINGS THAT SOLD FOR MUCH MORE, SAY YOU HAD AN INDIAN FLICKER RING THAT WAS  GARBAGE JUST REPLACE IT WITH ANY NUMBER OF THE FRONTS THAT SHOWED UP IN QUANTITY IN THE LATE 80'S AND YOU HAVE A HUNDRED DOLLAR OR MORE RING.

[monsternik]

Yes, this has been discussed, but the flickers are all vintage and made in the US, none are repro, if its put on a hong kong base (regardless if it was done in the sixties or yesterday)  to me its still a legit piece.  Its not like we can carbon date the glue. Supply and demand determines their value. So until enough are found to sate the masses,  the value will be there. And  unless you buy one directly from a person who physically pulled one from a machine as a child (and they are being honest about it), you never know for sure.
My question is has any one seen these particular bases before? The pinbacks.. or brooch as he called it in the auction. I never have. Are they vintage 60s backings?
And what if they were put together by a vender in the 60s? and put in a machine....Or sold in a 5 and dime  Wouldn't that alone make them a legitimate variation?
I think they are pretty cool myself. As a kid id rather have had a set of these than the rings, id have proudly pinned  them on my jean jacket. but I never liked wearing rings much.

[Mord]

As a kid from that era, I can honestly say that I have never seen or heard of these. I spent a lot of coin getting all the gumball trinkets in my youth so I think I would have seen them. Then again, some items might be a regional thing and not available in all areas/states.

[Mike Scott]

The sellers other items are vintage monster items from the 60s . .

That's longtime UMA member hhwolfman, who hasn't been very active the last couple of years.
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=106.msg743#msg743

[Hepcat]

Then again, some items might be a regional thing and not available in all areas/states.

I think a lot of items might have been only regional.

[monsterjoe]

Yes, this has been discussed, but the flickers are all vintage and made in the US, none are repro, if its put on a hong kong base (regardless if it was done in the sixties or yesterday)  to me its still a legit piece.  Its not like we can carbon date the glue. Supply and demand determines their value. So until enough are found to sate the masses,  the value will be there. And  unless you buy one directly from a person who physically pulled one from a machine as a child (and they are being honest about it), you never know for sure.
My question is has any one seen these particular bases before? The pinbacks.. or brooch as he called it in the auction. I never have. Are they vintage 60s backings?
And what if they were put together by a vender in the 60s? and put in a machine....Or sold in a 5 and dime  Wouldn't that alone make them a legitimate variation?
I think they are pretty cool myself. As a kid id rather have had a set of these than the rings, id have proudly pinned  them on my jean jacket. but I never liked wearing rings much.

So basicly your thinking is that original from the manufacturer is the same as someone just putting something together from vintage parts? So with your thinking I could get 5 original 60's gum cards and track down an original 60's wrapper, reseal them into a pack and consider it an  original pack of cards  and sell it as such???