The original mailaway Dark Shadows ring is pretty elusive and usually sells for a lot, unless you stumble upon one from a seller who didn't research it. This is what an original looks like, and while the price isn't really bad for it, it's a lot more than it's worth to me.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dark-Shadows-Barnabas-Gum-Mail-away-Premium-Ring-1969_W0QQitemZ260208147040
There is a repro out there that looks pretty good.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dark-Shadows-Barnabas-Collins-DS-Ring-with-Box_W0QQitemZ270205665999
Does anyone here have one of them, or has anyone seen one in person?
I've seen the repro in person as a good friend is a huge Dark Shadows collector. It looked good to me but then I've never seen an original in person I don't think.
So the originals are that rare that they're worth that much?
I think the rarity of the originals is owed much to them not being marked (as I understand) and people have no idea it's anything but a cheap costume jewelry ring. I've seen them sell for more than $700. They are one of the rarest premium rings, and rare premium rings can hit several thousand dollars pretty easily.
Do you recall if the stone is just black, or if it is really dark red when you look at it in light?
Got one of the repo rings here at home.Looking on his store page,He's got a cane from Storm of the Century that looks like a Barnabus Collins cane with the wolfs head kinda roughed up.I got the Barnabus cane.
Is the stone deep red, or black?
What do you think of it? The cane is cool, but that's kind of a lot he wants... do you think it's worth it?
Bobby-
I don't know if the cane this guy is selling is the same, but there was a company several years ago (in Europe) that was still making the identical cane used as the prop on DARK SHADOWS. I bought one in the early 90s for about $275. It is a quality-made piece, made from nickel silver with inset glass eyes. Not sure from the pic (in your link) if that one has glass eyes, but otherwise looks the same.
I'm pretty sure the repro ring my friend has was just black but that was at least a year ago when I saw it.
The one on eBay does not have glass eyes... but it would appear that neither does the original.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2338/2242714215_ef4c9e35be_o.jpg)
The replica ring is a replica of the premium, not a replica of the original ring.
Hmmm
(http://www.uniquecanes.com/AlpacWolf1.jpg)
Bobby,my stone is black,like my heart.As for the cane I got that a few years back on ebay and mine also has the glass eyes in it.Mine was around 150.00 and was delighted to get it.Also got the cloke like he wore also a few years back.I need to put some lining in it.
The unique cane shown in this photo has the mounts for the glass eyes- just no glass eyes.
The stone in the ring was black. Long ago and far away, my neighbor Tammy Himmelberger and I pooled our resources and she sent away for one of the rings and can remember how exciting it was when it finally arrived in the mail--we took turns wearing it but she got final posession of said ring. We had almost all of the first series of the "Dark Shadows" cards with the green boarder that came with that awful gum---I was missing card #48 and the kid across the street refused to trade or sell it---I'll be he's still got that card and will go to his grave clutching it. On the reverse side of said card was the left cheek of Christopher Jennings in werewolf form, on the front was Quentin sprawled somewhat upside-down in what looked like a graveyard.
I found a ring at a garage sale years ago that looked liked the Barnabas Collins ring but it turned out to be made by Avon and has a little hinge on it that allows the ring to be opened.
Ah, childhood memories---and the scars they leave.
"Meek"
Quote from: Monster Bob on February 04, 2008, 10:02:52 PM
The unique cane shown in this photo has the mounts for the glass eyes- just no glass eyes.
Yes, but the cane that Jonathan Frid is holding in the top photo doesn't appear to have glass eyes in it either. Perhaps there were some in it at one point?
What color are the glass eyes?
Cool story Linda, thanks! :)
QuoteWhat color are the glass eyes?
They are orangish-tan, with black pupils. They look like tiny taxidermy mount eyes, like what you'd see in a coyote or something.
Interestingly, there is a lot of wear on the cane in the Frid photo above, which you'd expect. The nickel silver is very worn on the bridge of the nose, back of head, tip of ear, etc. I'll bet the eyes fell out, or were 'plucked' out, which wouldn't be hard to do.
Bobby- Here is my cane...tarnish and all. Sorry for the mediocre photo.
In the "Unique Canes" photo above, it looks like there is much less detail in the face/mouth, plus in the neck fur.
In the the older ones, the detail is deep and crisp. I wonder if they are recasting them? The eyes look clear from the side here...
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g107/backlotcharlie/cane.jpg)
In studying the Unique photo again, their cane almost appears to be chrome plated, like a car bumper!
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Thanks for the pic, Bob. Yeah, I think they want too much for what they are offering. I'll wait. Appreciate all the input!
I plunked down $30 for the Barnabas Ring replica at MPIHomeVideo.com. Comes in a nice presentation box, and it came in just two days. I'll be curious to see the upcoming costume accessory version from Elope, which is only $4.