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This month Mike McLeod takes a look at Superman, Scales and Weights, and Claret Jugs.
Readers who would like to share interesting websites with Mike may contact him via email at:
mikemcl@mindspring.com.
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Superman
www.supermanhomepage.com
www.supermanreturns.com
The first appearance of the Man of Steel in Action
Comics #1 in 1938
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How I wish I still had my old Superman comic books! Although worn and probably worthless, those old comic books held special memories for me. I loved reading them. I still love all the old super heroes, and I let my kids know when the modern movie makers have crossed the line into their own fantasies and have not stuck with the true story line.
Next to Spiderman, Superman was my favorite character, so obviously, I thought I knew everything about him.
Little did I know: “The development of Superman, Batman and others was not planned and plotted, but haphazardly arose according to the whims of the writers and the dictates of the story. Over time, Superman acquired foster-parents, a birth planet, and increasing powers. Initially leaping tall buildings, he was later able to fly. He acquired heat vision, x-ray vision, super-cold breath and even, for one issue, super-putty-face-changing ability.”
Putty face-changing power? Yep. This article is by Sean Hogan, and it is just one of a ton about Superman and his collectibles on Steve Younis’ website. I emailed Steve to confirm a suspicion, and yes, he has a photo of every single Superman comic book posted. He also has information about every Superman movie, all the cartoons, the original radio program from the 1930s, and every TV show episode. There was even a Broadway musical in the ‘60s.
Did you know that? I didn’t.
Superman finally learns
to fly.
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At the top of his webpage is a timeline. Click on a set of years to access the different media from that time frame. The first button has the early Action Comics in which Superman debuted. They are interesting because he doesn’t always figure prominently on the cover. Check them out, and I hope you find one because they are worth big bucks these days.
This summer, a new Superman movie will be in the theaters, Superman Returns, starring Bryan Routh (Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, Will and Grace), Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey. With Smallville on the WB and this movie in theaters, Superman is being introduced to a whole new generation of collectors.
Claret Jugs
http://www.claretjugs.com/history.html
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“A Victorian silver-mounted green glass Claret Jug, London, 1841. The glass is cut in continuous horizontal oval lozenges known as ‘fish-eye’ cut. This method of cutting glass greatly increases refraction. Ht. 11-1/4.” –Richard Kent
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One of the most beautifully photographed collections owned by an individual is on this website. Richard Kent writes he “…began collecting wine about 25 years ago and today maintains a collection of nearly 6,000 bottles.” This led to his collecting claret jugs, starting in the 1980s.
An article about him in Wine Spectator magazine (that is posted on his website) reports, “Over the past decade, he has assembled an exquisite array of nearly 100 silver-and-glass vessels fashioned between 1840 and 1918 by such celebrated designers as Tiffany, Faberge and Christofle.”
Kent has written an excellent history of claret jugs that is in-depth and interesting. In it, he explains how silver-mounted claret jugs first appeared in Elizabethan England after Spain began bringing home tons of silver from the New World. Later, the designs on claret jugs were influenced by the Victorians.
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Silver-mounted, pale ruby Claret Jug, London, 1840, with fruiting vines,
11-3/4."
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“The evolution of styles and design of silver mounted claret jugs reflects the evolution of Victorian design in general, with perhaps the exception of the earliest jugs circa 1835. These were constructed as pierced out silver cages that were assembled to enclose glass bottles. This style was short lived probably in part due to the difficulty of cleaning them … At the dawn of the Victorian era however, the fascination was still with naturalism, and the association with the vine lent itself perfectly for intricate silver decoration of climbing vines, with cast vine leaves and grapes. Handles were often modeled as intertwined stems of the vine plant. Colored glass was often used, particularly around the 1840s. This was partly due to the demands of fashion, requiring objects of ever increasing luxury, but also a result of the developing glass industry in England. The favored colors were ruby and green, although occasionally, amber and amethyst were used.”
This really is a beautiful website with a gorgeous collection of claret jugs.
Scales and Weights
http://www.scales-and-weights.com
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A rare letter “ladder scale” by DeGrave & Co. of London that can change ounces to grams.
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Today, when we measure time with atomic clocks that use the vibrations of cesium atoms to make sure it is correct to the Nth degree, we often forget how important weights and scales have been for thousands of years, until just a few years ago. Even the Bible condemned those who used false weights to cheat people: “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment…in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights…shall ye have…(Leviticus 19:35-36)
This website documents an impressive collection of hundreds of scales and weights. Both are categorized according to their various uses: opium, letter, pharmacy, coin, and commercial. There is another group of scales from “antiquity.”
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Roman weight:dug up in England, this Roman bronze and lead-filled weight is a bust of Comodus (177-192 AD), 4.25 x 3.1 inches.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so my eye was drawn to the weights. I think modern society has dulled our senses to the beauties of the past. The weights shown here are surprisingly artful. In addition to oblong, featureless weights from Egypt 3000 years ago, there are weights in the shapes of Roman emperors, animals, Chinese characters, landscapes, urns, and other objects.
An amazing collection that gave me a greater appreciation for an everyday object from the past.
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