Monthly Archives: February 2012

Today is President’s Day: the day that we commemorate not just our American presidents, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, but also the characteristics that have been displayed by other great leaders of our nation such as Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin who worked closely with the Founding Fathers to write the constitution and establish the underpinnings of our democracy.

We at SundryShop.com truly believe that a leader needs more than just knowledge and charisma to guide our wonderful nation. To be the President of the United States involves humility, integrity, and the strength of mind in order to be diligent and to make the right decision to lead through the most tumultuous of times. George Washington led the Continental Army to fight for our independence from British colonial rule; Abraham Lincoln reunited a divided nation and preserved the Union. Each great American president believed that his vision could be accomplished and had the capacity to translate that vision into an actuality. Each spearheaded important changes that became part of the progression of democracy in the United States.

Our Presidents must certainly promote a sense of unity over the nation, and for that, they are loved by many and remain as timeless heroes throughout American history and are constantly paid tribute to in the arts and media. There are many ways to display their honor and achievements, from the painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware to the stencil poster of Barack Obama’s Hope.

This year for President’s Day, SundryShop invites you to take a moment to view some of our favorite Christopher Radko and Patricia Breen collectible, handcrafted and mouth-blown European glass ornament presidential tributes!

• First we have a full-body rendition of the mighty General George by Christopher Radko.   The portly man led the Continental Army against the British in the War of Independence.

• Take a look at this wonderful Christopher Radko glass ornament bust of Our Nation’s Father.  Did you know that George Washington actually had red hair? He is so often depicted in his powdered wig so many people think of him as having white hair!

• Did you know that Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin are the only two non-presidents to be featured on our currency? Can you guess which bills they show up on? Click our SundryShop.com Facebook page to learn the answer (and “Like” us, too!)

• Patricia Breen Benjamin Franklin handcrafted and mouth-blown, two-piece, glass ornament is a wonderful depiction! The two parts can be toggled together or displayed separately but within close proximity of each other. 

• Mount Rushmore, which honors George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, was originally designed to depict full busts of the presidents, not just their heads. Christopher Radko's Mount Rushmore collectible glass ornament is a great rendition of the actual stone carving! 

• Christopher Radko’s Teddy for President is a whimsical representation of one of the nation’s most important Founding Fathers, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt in (Part 30438). “Teddy” sure was a man of nicknames – he was the one who officially named the President’s residence “the White House” in 1901!

SundryShop.com wishes all a Happy President’s Day, a day not just to remember great statesmen, but also to reflect upon our good fortune of living in a country in which we can follow the example set by these great Presidents and can believe in and actualize our hopes and aspirations.

Lucille Ball I Love Lucy Radko Christmas Ornaments

Every Christmas, we give friends and family members a complete copy of Lucille Ball’s recorded TV episodes. The list of recipients keeps growing, and we’re amazed about how often they contact us throughout the next year, sharing their favorite episodes! They laugh and chuckle as they explain how hilarious Lucy is! What a great way to stay in touch!

Since Valentines Day is around the corner, we thought it would be appropriate to showcase a few Christopher Radko "I Love Lucy" European glass ornaments.

Christopher Radko realized that Lucille Ball was a timeless performer whose works would gain popularity over time. His “I Love Lucy” series was created to commemorate over 40years since her TV show first aired!   Well, last year we celebrate the 60th anniversary! Needless to say, Radko’s “I Love Lucy” creations continue to gain in popularity and collectability!

Radko Candy Maker I Love Lucy 1997  

The Candy Maker – Chocolate Factory I Love Lucy Christopher Radko ornament is one of our favorites and captures a great comedic moment in television history!

The ornament depicts the famous scene from the 1952 episode, "Job Switching," where Lucy wraps chocolates in a candy factory. As her boss pressures her to wrap every candy without fail, the conveyor belt increases in speed, making it impossible for Lucy to keep up. Lucy hilariously does everything possible to make sure not one piece of candy gets by her unwrapped, including stuffing the chocolates in her mouth, hat and shirt. While in this predicament, her boss examines her work.

Here’s a You Tube of her Chocolate Factory performance. Take a few minutes and enjoy a great laugh!

Radko Grape Stomping I Love Lucy 

Accordingly, the Christopher Radko “Grape Stomping” ornament captures a mischievous and adventurous Lucy who stomps purple grapes with a bright smile on her face. She wears a glittered pearl scarf with green accents on her head, a pearl shirt, and green pants. By the time Lucy's grape stomping experience is over, she's in a fight with a native Italian grape worker whom Lucy's managed to insult. With grapes flying everywhere, the two go at it in the stomping barrel!

Here’s our favorite grape stomper episode quote, made immortal when Lucy tells Ricky about her role in the “Grapes” movie and Fred’s response:

• LUCY : Gee, did you hear that, honey? It's going to be called "Bitter Grapes." I wonder what part they want me for.
• FRED : Oh, you're probably going to be one of the bunch.

We will again showcase other great I Love Lucy Christopher Radko collectible ornaments that capture classic moments in the series.  Visit our webstore often to see all the collectible I Love Lucy ornaments that we have in stock, since these ornaments sell quickly! 

Welcome to the SundryShop.com Valentine’s Day display!

For this special day of love, we would like to express our appreciation to the many collectors who have bought from SundryShop over the years. We at SundryShop love our customers and thank them for their repeat business.

Please visit our SundryShop.com Facebook wall!  If you Like our SundryShop.com Facebook wall, we'll give you 20% off your next purchase.  

Spread the word about SundryShop and we’ll thank you!  For every friend collector you send and Likes our Fracebook wall, we'll give you 20% off a comparable number of items purchased in our SundryShop.com webstore! If you send five or more friends, we'll give you 25% off!  After liking our SundryShop Facebook wall, simply have your friend/s comment on the Facebook wall that you sent them!  This offer is good only through February 16, so contact your friends quickly!

And follow our Tweets to stay informed about new, highly collectible SundryShop.com merchandise and special promotions!

Fine European glass Valentines theme ornaments can be used to create a beautiful centerpiece and offer an opportunity for collectors to join with family and friends to complete a fun, creative project.

For the enjoyment of all whom might view this blog, we’d like to share a picture of our SundryShop display.  The SundryShop Valentines display is also featured in a series of You Tube videos that will be posted on February 9.  Viewing the videos will introduce you to some of the SundryShop staff who helped build the display andwho will explain the process behind the Valentines Day display's creation.

Here are some wonderful, very collectible Christopher Radko and Patricia Breen Valentine ornaments that are not discussed in the You Tube video.

• First, Christopher Radko's Every Bead of my Heart demonstrates the skill of Czech Republic artisans who painstakingly string different sized red beads on wire to create a beautiful, dimensional heart. In fact, using several of these timeless in any given display compounds their beauty!

Radko Every Bead Of My Heart 1996 Valentine Ornament

• Above the shiny candy container that we layered with felt hearts to give it added texture and dimension, Christopher Radko's Muffy Vander Bear, Heart and Roses, makes a lovely statement.

Radko Muffy Vander Bear Hearts Flowers 1998 Valentine Ornament

• Chrisotpher Radko’s Love's Golden Bear repeats the gold in other ornaments, helping the eye sweep about the display. The 8 inch tall ornament is a spectacularly, lovable collectible.


Radko Loves Golden Bear Valentine Ornament

• Patricia Breen’s For You Santa again repeats the luxurious gold and red colors central to the display. He sits on a beautifully wrapped box that could well contain delectable, chocolate Valentines Day candy!

Breen For You Red Santa Claus 2000 Valentine Ornament

• Patricia Breen's Blue Mistletoe Egg works beautifully with the other blue ornaments. The small, pink heart offers the perfect delicate touch.

Breen Mistletoe Heart Egg 1999 Valentine Ornament

• Finally, Christopher Radko’s Holly Heart is an exquisite earlier ornament made in 1994. Covered with red and pink hearts and colored in pearl, red and green, it integrates the essential colors of the entire display!

Radko Holly Heart Drop Valentine Ornament

And a special 15% off any ornament purchased in our webstore through Valentine’s Day for anyone who can name the three Dalmatian puppies featured in the Christopher Radko Puppy Pole ornament! Just email us the names, and we'll refund 15% off any merchandise that you buy before or on February 16!  Make sure you look at both pictures for important clues!

Radko Disney 101 Dalmatians Puppy Pole 1997 Valentine Ornament

To all our customers and other viewers, Happy Valentines Day from SundryShop.com. We hope you will build your own Valentines Day display and share it on our Valentines Day SundryShop blog. Valentine’s Day is a great celebration of love among family, friends, and sweet hearts. And celebrating Valentines Day it’s a wonderful opportunity to express your heartfelt creative passions!

And remember to Like our Facebook page to receive 20% off on your SundryShop.com purhcase and follow our Tweets to learn about, on an ongoing basis, strongly sought-after new items and other special promotions !  Also, send your friends to our SundryShop.com Facebook page to Like us as well, so you can take advantage of our great promotion 20% to 25% discount and so your friends can learn about our collectible European glass ornaments & other collectibles.  Again, these special promotions are good only through February 16, 2012, so hurry!

Super Bowl XLVI Sunday is this Sunday, and more than 100 million fans from 180 countries, speaking around 30 different languages, will be glued to their big screens, rooting for their favorite team.  The Green Bay Packers are defending champions from the 2010 Superbowl XLV.  This year, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots will contest Super Bowl XLVI.

Many football fans are passionate about their NFL heroes depicted as collectible action figures. We have some NFL variant McFarlane Action Figure Toys and thought you would like to know why some McFarlane figures are recognized as variants, as well as the differences between a super chase, variant, surprise, and exclusive figures.

There’s much confusion about these terms because of inaccuracies on various listing channels, even though McFarlane has specifically defined the terms on his site.

While we will only talk about NFL figures, the following definitions hold for other McFarlane sports figures, as well.

• Regular McFarlane figures are standard issues and commonly available. No announcement is made of the numbers produced.

• Chase McFarlane figures are regular figures with intentional modifications. The term “Chase” evolved from the fact that collectors invariably chase the intentional variation because it’s rare in number compared to the regular version. Modifications include:  a different jersey, a different tem or uniform,a different helmet, or omitting the helmet.  The chase figure modification may or may not be pictured on the package.

• Super Chase figures are McFarlane figures that  are intentionall produced in very limited quantities.

• Variant McFarlane figures are similar to chase figures but the variation is generally unexpected rather than planned and typically not publicized prior to their discovery. As a result, the variant is usually more rare than the chase. Often the variation occurs when the licensee doesn’t like something about the figure and stops production of the figure to make an unplanned change. The reasons for these changes can be due to corrections of errors or because of decision changes.

Most of the McFarlane figures that we’ve sold have been variants. We enjoy the fact that variations that occur during the production of the figure affect their collectability. We also respect that collectors hold onto the variants, even when the player is injured and unable to play or retires. Variants become particularly appealing and highly collectible when the player's performance history demonstrates unmatched moments in sports history and becomes worthy of future induction into the Hall of Fame.

One our favorite variant is the McFarlane Ray Lewis NFL Series 5 Purple Jersey 2002 Variant. A fierce middle linebacker, the figure captures Ray Lewis' spirit during a play with the Baltimore Ravens professional football team. Throughout his 15 season career, he was feared by opposing running backs due to his intense, fierce determination. The list of his accomplishments and NFL statistics is remarkable!

Mcfarlane Ray Lewis NFL Series 5 Variant

We also value the Mcfarlane Tom Brady 2002 NFL Series 5 Blue Jersey New England Patriot Variant. A poised and calm performer, Tom Brady always comes through in the clutch as depicted in this figure. A 6th round draft selection, he led the New England Patriots to victory in Super Bowl 36 during his first season. Brady has won three Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVP awards. His statistics for the 2011 season have been awesome!

Mcfarlane Tom Brady NFL Series 5 Variant

• Chase Variant McFarlane figures are variations of the chase intentionally modified versions. Following the intended Chase modification/s, the collector discovers two or more discovered unintended variations that then become publicized and part of the archival history of the NFL sports figure.  For the devotee who must have every variation, collecting can become challenging when there are many unintended chase variations. It's an individual decision as to extent the collector wishes to pursue all these additional variations.

• Surprise Chase McFarlane figures are variations of Chase figures in that, without announcement, a player is intentionally included in the lineup. Although packages and packages are not marked “Surprise Chase”, they are discovered by collectors because the figure is not included on the checklist on the back of the package.

• Custom McFarlane figures are not company releases. Rather, an artist modifies the figure through some type of re-crafting or repainting.

• Exclusive McFarlane figures are announced figures created for specific retailers, events, or other special occasions. As such, they are not marketed through the company’s usual network of retailers. Often Exclusive figures are created to commemorate major sports events such as the Super Bowl, All-Star games, and Hall of Fame inductions. They are typically sold at the event via show booths and often sell out.

• Collector Club McFarlane figures are generally sold to collectors who are registered members of the McFarlane website. Some of the most sought-after figures have been Collector Club ones.

• Specific Retailers or Regions figures are those made for select retailers who have exclusive rights to sell them. Some times store exclusives are chase figures.

We’ll be once again increasing the selection of our SundryShop stock of McFarlane NFL sports figures.  We would be interested in hearing about you experiences with collecting McFarlane NFL sports actions figures.

What have been your favorite collectibles and why? Do you focus on certain types of McFarlane NFL figures and what determines your decision? What has been your most valuable figure?

Feel free to generate other topics of discussion, as well