Miss America memorabilia preserves memories from pageants past
What turns people into collectors?
Maybe it’s because in our busy world, with its never-ending cycle of work, emails, Twitter and Facebook, it’s natural to be nostalgic for a simpler, more dignified time. Or for the institutions, such as the Miss America Competition, that exemplified ideals, grace and etiquette.
One way to keep the past close is to collect it, and Miss America memorabilia is a prime target for many collectors.
“A lot of collectors are from here or have visited Atlantic City in their youth. For a lot of people, a big motivator is nostalgia. People are trying to buy back their past,” said John Clark, of Galloway Township.
Clark is a longtime antique collector and dealer at Days of Olde Antiques and Collectibles in Galloway.
“We get a lot of people looking for Atlantic City items. Miss America is a subset of that,” he said.
Over the years, the Miss America Organization has given out various gifts and souvenirs to contestants, judges and chaperones, unique merchandise ranging from baseball card-style portrayals of the contestants to pink Miss America Depression glass.
Elaine Molen, of Brick Township, Ocean County, has gathered a unique collection of these souvenirs after about 15 years of organizing local New Jersey pageants and chaperoning for Miss America with her then-husband.
Her home features organized bookshelves filled with carousels of slides from decades and decades of Miss New Jerseys and Miss Americas past.
She came to the pageant world after Paul Currier, photographer of Miss New Jersey, Miss New York and Miss America pageants, photographed her wedding in 1971. Her husband, also a photographer, got involved in the Miss America organization through Currier.
Currier and his wife, Violet, took many photos over the years, including everyone from Kylene Barker (Miss America 1979) to Vanessa Williams (1984). When the Curriers died, those photos were left to Molen.
Now, she’s looking for ways to preserve the history and memories in the collection.
“Realistically, my children don’t have interest in these. I gave many to the Columbus Day Organization in Atlantic City and I gave most of the 1960-to-about-2000 color slides — 63,000 slides — away,” Molen said. “I have contestant cards in their unopened boxes. I believe they only did them for two years. I have pins of the crown, one piece of rose glass. It didn’t have any real significance, but early on they sold some of these pieces of rose-colored glass. As I go along, I’m going to be giving more and more away.”
Molen’s collection includes press kits and candid photos of Bert Parks, Miss America host from 1955-79. In one photo, Kylene Barker appears midsplit in a leotard during her gymnastics routine.
Tie tacks and golden crown necklaces are examples of some of the jewelry given to chaperones over the years in Molen’s collection. Some years the ABC network would hand out gifts such as watches with the network’s logo and a crown.
These days, Miss America rose Depression glass appears to be one of the best-sellers in pageant memorabilia on eBay. Prices range from a few dollars for a celery dish to about $200 for a candy dish.
What the items lack in dollar value, they make up for in nostalgia.
“I’ll never forget Bert Parks’ last year. They said they couldn’t get him off the stage,” Molen said, while looking at a candid shot of the host.
“We watched him go to sponsors and say ‘We need more time.’”
Molen said that when her kids were younger she’d show them some of the memorabilia.
“I’d have them see the slides and look at the outfits, look at the makeup. It changes so fast,” she said.
Clark said a lot of items have come and gone from his collection, but the uniqueness of one still stands out.
“The oddest thing I had was a set of porcelain Lenox shoes. It’s my understanding they were given out to the chaperones. It was playing up the ‘Show Us Your Shoes’” parade.
He said having the Miss America memorabilia around reminds him of a time when the competition was a must-see event for most people in New Jersey.
“Growing up, my mother, she had to watch it. It was a must. Most friends and relatives at the time had to go or watch it. It was an event,” he said.
“There’s a lot going on in the city, and you don’t know what’s going to happen. With the Taj Mahal, with Revel, it’s disconcerting,” Clark said. “By far the biggest motivator for collectors is nostalgia.”
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/missamerica/miss-america-memorabilia-preserves-memories-from-pageants-past/article_31de7294-7077-11e6-958e-ab2cb87da563.html
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