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Bongo Bungalow
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2007
Posts: 1227
From: Indiana
|  Posted: 2008-09-30 5:20 pm Permalink
What makes Tiki Central more than just a site for casual fans of tiki retail stuff, is the research members contribute to many of these threads. I love these discussions!
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Big Kahuna
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2007
Posts: 1908
From: SoMass
| Posted: 2008-09-30 7:29 pm Permalink
Die hard Hot Rod car guy here! Vintage!
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Tom Slick
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 26, 2005
Posts: 1083
From: The Beaches of South Bay, SoCal
| Posted: 2008-09-30 9:31 pm Permalink
I bought some items from obrien, and thats why I had brought that up. So, does anyone know for sure if the cheaper tin toppers were made pre-60's? I have seen the AAA and the felix' cat toppers...Even the shriner ones, but they all seem to have been die cast made. In any case, it is definately a cool piece, and congrats on the find! I also "had" a link to a website that had ALOT of information on tiki gardens, and even had quite a few pictures, postcards and collectibles. Unfortunately, my explorer crashed and I had lost all of my url bookmarks, including my complete desktop. Anyhow, someone here should know about it. It was not a url with tiki gardens in it. I believe it was someones family name, or an unrelated business name, I can't recall which, sorry.
If you should ever cross paths with another, let me know...I'd be interested in acquiring one for my mild kustom 65 KonTikiNental™© ...
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Murph
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Jul 11, 2006
Posts: 673
From: SoCal
| Posted: 2008-09-30 10:16 pm Permalink
Think this is the site you're referring to: http://home.earthlink.net/~tikigardens/page1.html
Found this as well: http://www.briandjones.net/webfolio.shtml
Could this be something made for this gift store?
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Murph
WaikikiWomb
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Tom Slick
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 26, 2005
Posts: 1083
From: The Beaches of South Bay, SoCal
| Posted: 2008-09-30 11:33 pm Permalink
Here is the registered owner.....Does anyone know if hes a TC'er?
Administrative Contact :
YOUHN, chris **
cy@floridata.net
**** C.R. 753 S.
webster, FL 33597
US
Phone: 352-569-****
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tikicar
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 19, 2005
Posts: 106
From: York, Pa.
| Posted: 2008-10-01 03:47 am Permalink
Tom: Just look on ebay under tag topper or license plate topper. There are always some old tin toppers on there in all kinds of styles and sayings. I saw the web page site as well when searching. It could have been made for that. Even if this thing was made in the 80's it is still old but I just do not see why it was. First it would not fit on newer cars. Second if this was made as a repro that means there was or is a company still making them. I have been going to the Carlisle (starts today) and Fall Hershey AACA swap meets since the 1970s. NSRA events as long. I am a state director for the Kustom Kemps of America since the late 80s. Being in the car business we get catalogs for everything dealer related. I have never seen anyone reproducing these tin toppers anywhere. There is no troble finding these at swap meets in all kinds of condition. I just sold a 53 Kaiser a few years ago. I had two different ones for my Local dealer Logan Motors that went out of Business in 1955. One was tin and the other was yellow plastic. These are very rare in plastic. Great discussion guys. Scott
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Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2022
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2008-10-01 6:13 pm Permalink
TikiGardener is/was a member that was a wealth if info on the tiki gardens. Maybe they can help?
here's another website dedicated to the tiki gardens (run by tikigardener, I think):
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com
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*edit* an upon closer inspection my web addressed is the fancy start page for the same web address Murph posted....sorry.
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Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
[ This Message was edited by: Polynesiac 2008-10-01 18:17 ]
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tikicar
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 19, 2005
Posts: 106
From: York, Pa.
| Posted: 2008-10-05 4:36 pm Permalink
Well I spent most of the week at the Carlisle car swap meet and show. I talked to several guys who specialize in automobilia stuff and some big dollar items. Every guy I showed it to wanted to buy it. They all said it was real from their experience and they have never seen anyone repro a tin topper except for one that was hand painted for someone special. They said there were a few companies still making them into the 60's. They said you could order very small amounts as low as 50 in most cases. Their thoughts are it was either bought and not used because it would not fit the car it was bought for, because it was a top mount. There were bottom mounts also and sometimes when they orderd they got both ways in the later years and usually the top mounts were still left unsold. Also it could have been a lunch box take home piece from a worker who collected them or just liked it. They said finding unused toppers is not as uncommon as you would think. None of them had ever seen one of Tiki Gardens before. Here are a few pics. You can see the table full of repo cast pieces and some real toppers for sale.
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Big Kahuna
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2007
Posts: 1908
From: SoMass
| Posted: 2008-10-05 6:14 pm Permalink
Nice detective work, but the car guys already knew it was vintage. Now, let's talk about how jealous I am that you went to carlisle. Did ya buy anything?
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tikicar
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 19, 2005
Posts: 106
From: York, Pa.
| Posted: 2008-10-06 6:07 pm Permalink
Carlisle is not what it used to be. I has really gone down hill in the last few years. Ebay has hurt all swap meets but Carlisle has hurt itself by having too many events and letting too many tool, socks, spices, baskets etc. dealers in for too long. They are trying to fix it but the damage has been done. There were hundreds of empty spaces in the flea market as well as the car corral. I will be at Hershey starting Wed. This event is still very good but it too has gotten smaller. Internet and Hershey park adding more rides has made it smaller than it once was. But Hershey keeps all car corral cars at 25+ years old and no new parts in the swap meet other than restoration pieces. There is always cool stuff to see there. I did not buy anything really cool at Carlisle. Hopefully do better this week.
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Unga Bunga
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 06, 2003
Posts: 5734
From: CaliTikifornia
| Posted: 2008-10-07 10:03 am Permalink
Tiki Licence Plate Frame
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Big Kahuna
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2007
Posts: 1908
From: SoMass
| Posted: 2008-10-08 5:41 pm Permalink
Me likey!
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