Fried Day

Way too damn crowded in that store today. Squeezing down every aisle, being careful not to step on an old person, that's not my idea of a good shopping experience. Nevertheless, I'm a provider, and aim to provide. Here are the items collected February 18th, in this foul year of our Lord, Two-Thousand Eleven.

Boots Randolph Boot Glass!

 To be honest, I knew nothing about Boots Randolph when I made this purchase. All I knew was that he was on a glass shaped like a boot, and that was cool. If I'm on a glass shaped like a boot someday, I'll know I've made it.

Turns out, Boots Randolph has his own Wikipedia page, and if you're a fan of Benny Hill, you may know of him. His biggest hit, "Yackety Sax" from 1963, was Benny Hill's signature tune. Thank you, Wikipedia, for always shining a light unto life's biggest mysteries. You can listen to it here.

Unfortunately, Boots Randolph has passed on from this world, but has left his mark on a boot shaped glass, and will be remembered every time that boot gets tipped to the sky. Cheers, Boots Randolph.

Cost of Boots Randolph Boot: $.74

Holiday Inn Ashtray!

I bought this ashtray knowing at some point in history, it was lifted out of a hotel room. It's quite a rush buying stolen merchandise. I don't smoke cigarettes, and to think of it, there probably aren't any hotels left that you can still smoke in the rooms. Weird. The times, they are a-changin', and you needn't look further than this Holiday Inn Ashtray to realize the factuality of the statement. Maybe it wasn't stolen at all. Maybe they just got rid of all the ashtrays. If that's true, don't ruin it for me. In my mind, there's still a Holiday Inn trying to track down a missing ashtray.

Cost of Official Holiday Inn Ashtray: $.96

Currently Unidentified Action Figure!

I am this man's God.

This is where a keen eye comes in handy, friends. I took one look and grabbed him, recognizing him as 70's-looking action figure. I looked closely at his back, and sure enough, stamped right above his belt, "1978 Univ Studios." Universal Studios! I could tell that the guy was more than a throwaway, and bought him with the quickness.

Now I have a project on my hands, and am looking into the identity of the mystery man. Aha! He's Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica. Searching "1978 Universal Studios Action Figure" brought me to him with the first result. I knew he looked similar to the Star Wars figures from the same era, and it turns out that the Battlestar figures were made in an attempt to cash in on the success that Star Wars figures had. He originally came with a coat, and you can see what that looks like here.

I've never watched Battlestar Galactica, but that hardly matters when it comes to owning a Battlestar Galactica action figure. It's a well made figure, and the fact that it's over thirty years old hardly shows at all. I found a piece of action figure history that plenty of others passed over without a thought, and that means something to me. It takes a special skill to be a successful second hand shopper, and I think I'm getting the hang of it. Bring on the goods!

Cost of Lt. Starbuck Action Figure: $1.50

Well, that's about it for today. This is your pal Secondhand Jesus signing off for this week. I'll be back Monday, saving treasure from obscurity one piece at a time. Oh, and St. Vinnie's has another copy of Lord of the Dance. The swiiiiiiiiiiiine.