1935 Buck Rogers Comet Socker
March, 2009 Hake's Americana and Collectibles Auction Buck Rogers Comet Socker Die-cut cardboard ball paddle by Lee-Tex. 1935. #J.F. Dille Co. In-store premium issued by Morton's Salt. Great design featuring image of Buck Rogers piloting rocketship towards viewer, handle being some sort of ship feature. Great details, nice design. Faint store imprint on reverse. Missing generic ball and rubberband. Scattered aging/dust soiling with penciling on front and back. VG-. Rare and the only example we know of. Well, now here's the second example! I found it recently at a small auction house in western Pennsylvania. And there are major differences between the two. Color and manufacturer name are the two visual differences. It isn't cardboard, but a laminate of cardboard and wood. However the biggest difference is condition. Unlike Hake's, mine hasn't any pencil marks, and although they weren't mentioned, the Hake's toy had three large creases. The image, like the Hake's toy, shows Buck behind the controls of some device (i.e, The Comet Socker), staring out at you, the player. The lower half was printed with a coiled spring which corresponded to the action of striking a rubber ball. Based on the high grade of the toy I'd estimate that the generic rubber ball and band probably stayed connected to the paddle for what looks like a few times before the rubber band came lose. However, the original staple which held that rubber band is still in place. It was manufactured by Lou Fox, Chicago. Hake noted the manufacturer of their toy as Lee-Tex. The Lou Fox Company also produced the Buck Rogers, Punch-O-Bag for Morton's. The J.F. Dille Co. copyright was printed in the lower left corner. This example is blue and white. The Hake's toy was blue and orange. Like Hake's, this toy was a Morton Iodized Salt premium. The reverse side is printed with the Morton name, slogan, and trademark. The reverse side of the Hake's toy was not shown. Size: 5" x 8½" Date Sold: Jul. 2009
Price Sold: $ 500
