Comic Book From 1943 Not Really A Comic Book

Dear Collector: I would like to know the current value of this comic.

This complimentary booklet written and illustrated by Vernon Grant is technically not a comic book. Flibbity Jibbit was issued as an advertising premium in 1943 by Junket Foods, makers of rennet custard (sort of like yogurt that you had to prepare by cooking, but without the fruit, the flavor and the easy-open top). The highest value I’ve seen on this colorful and amusing 32-page premium is about $20.

Though not on a par with other Grant works, such as “Jack Be Nimble,” this slight tome is still a very nice example of his appealing art style. For those who don’t know, the dictionary defines flibbity jibbit as “a silly, flighty person.”

* Dear Collector: I would like to know if my 75-year-old (12 inches by 30 inches) porcelain Coca-Cola sign is worth anything.

The photo you enclosed was not clear enough, making it impossible for me to read the small print, if any, on your sign. Since I’m unable to see the markings around the edge or on the rear that would help determine a definite dollar value, I’ll have to give you a conservative “guesstimate” instead. Although the quality of your photography is a little poor, the sign should make you feel a bit richer — about $350 richer!

* Dear Collector: I recently found a Woody Fryman baseball card. He was a pitcher for the Phillies in the 1960s. Can you tell me if it is worth anything?

Not much, a few bucks. Woody Fryman didn’t set any records, or participate in any memorable games, so he’s one of those players who’ve drifted off into obscurity. But not so with Travis Fryman (no relation), whose rookie card in mint condition can sell for $25.

* Dear Collector: We would appreciate any information regarding some bottles found beneath a shed on our property.

Let’s start with what is perhaps the most common of the lot: Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. This panacea intended to cure “women’s complaints” had a high alcohol content — which is why it was popular for so many years! There are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of these bottles still around. So a value of only $5 can be assigned to this relic. Your Dana’s Sarsaparilla was bottled in Belfast, Maine, and along with the Paine’s Celery Compound is in the $7 to $10 range. An aqua Mrs. Winslow’s Soothing Syrup fetches $30 and probably contained some narcotic such as opium to ease the discomfort of teething in infants.

A hundred years ago most drugs could be brought across the counter and even what we now know as “soft drinks” were laced with cocaine and opium, not to mention enough alcohol to get a modern driver arrested for drunk driving. Lastly, there’s Dr. Kennedy’s Medical Discovery, made in Roxbury, Mass., my old hometown. I’m not sure of the contents in this “medicine,” but the empty 8-inch high aqua bottle now sells for slightly over a hundred dollars.