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Ed Sullivan Snorkel Set


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#1 PatM

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 05:29 PM

Peacock blue snorkels bearing the inscription "Best Wishes Ed Sullivan" were, as I have been told, given by Ed Sullivan to the studio audiences attending his shows in the 1950s. Here is one of 3 examples I have seen over the years. The other two were fountain pens only and no pencil. The color is tough enough to find even without the Ed Sullivan connection.

Best,
Pat
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#2 plmadding

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 05:59 PM

Hi Pat,

Those are really neat!!! Are the other two you have seen peacock in color as well?

Preston

#3 david i

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 06:28 PM

Nice.

I think I have a lone pencil lying about somewhere or other...

-d
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#4 philm

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 06:45 PM

Cool.....thanks for the photos! Just saw a special on his Television show on PBS. Really big shewwww>>>>>

Phil

#5 david i

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 06:50 PM

Hi again,

I believe known specimens are Peacock. Happy to hear of exceptions.

regards

david
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#6 Roger W.

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Posted 19 September 2012 - 07:08 PM

I've only seen them in peacock. It did raise the question in my mind about color significance and NBC (peacock logo) alas Ed Sullivan was not on NBC.

Roger W.

#7 wekiva98

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 08:27 AM

The Ed Sullivan Theater had 1200 seats back when Ed was doing his show there every week. If they ever passed out expensive snorkel sets to the audience, I doubt they did it a lot.

#8 PatM

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 06:48 PM

All examples I have seen have been Peacock.

Best,
Pat

#9 Teej47

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 08:13 PM

The Ed Sullivan Theater had 1200 seats back when Ed was doing his show there every week. If they ever passed out expensive snorkel sets to the audience, I doubt they did it a lot.


It does seem like something that might have gone to a guest on the show rather than the audience.

Tim
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#10 RichelleG

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 08:30 PM


The Ed Sullivan Theater had 1200 seats back when Ed was doing his show there every week. If they ever passed out expensive snorkel sets to the audience, I doubt they did it a lot.


It does seem like something that might have gone to a guest on the show rather than the audience.

Tim


That was my thought too. Ed wasn't like Opra & apt to give everyone in the audience a car or a $20+ pen set. I'd have to agree that it was probably a gift for the guest or VIP.

#11 PatM

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Posted 20 September 2012 - 08:51 PM

Limited distribution makes more sense or we would surely find more of them around.

Best,
Pat

#12 PatMorgan

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 12:44 AM

Or to specific staff members on the show who perhaps may have received a promotion or for longevity or for a personal milestone?

A friend of mine received from the hospital where he worked a Waterman Philieas ballpoint for his 5 years of service (and the side story is to this is how I got involved in fountain pen collecting).

Also, it might not be off the wall if a new sponsor to the show was coming on that people in the audience receive the gift the first night of sponsorship.

Also, during the period of Ed Sullivan, how many seats were in the theater? Even though it was a 1200 theater, how many were for the show at the time of Ed?

I could not find it on http://www.edsulliva...ullivan-theater

I did find it was changed for Letterman to be 400 seats.

#13 wekiva98

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 04:19 AM

I found a web page on the Beatles that said the seating capacity in the Ed Sullivan Theater for those famous shows was 728 people. That's probably a pretty good estimate for the number of seats available week to week. Again, if they passed out pens to an audience that size, I suspect it would have been a rare (or even one-time) event. I like the idea that they were pens Ed gave to friends or guests. If Sheaffer was a sponsor, the company might have supplied a number of them to Ed for promotional purposes. Hard to be sure unless you can find records or people who worked for CBS or the show.


#14 RichelleG

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 05:47 AM

Wekiva, they could be there or also in the Sheaffer Archives. Who has access to that information?

#15 Roger W.

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 06:46 AM

Wekiva, they could be there or also in the Sheaffer Archives. Who has access to that information?


No one presently. They were neglected for some time and need to be restored before anyone can go through them. They presently reside in the Sheaffer Museum.

Roger W.

#16 RichelleG

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 06:02 PM


Wekiva, they could be there or also in the Sheaffer Archives. Who has access to that information?


No one presently. They were neglected for some time and need to be restored before anyone can go through them. They presently reside in the Sheaffer Museum.

Roger W.


Who is the curator & where is it located.

#17 opus7600

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 06:38 PM

Who is the curator & where is it located.


http://www.sheafferpenmuseum.org/

#18 FarmBoy

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 06:47 PM

Just a thought , could these have also have been available for purchase as a souvenir in the gift shop or lobby.

#19 PatM

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 11:29 PM

Don't think they were sold. As the prior generation of collectors told the story, these were given by Ed Sullivan (the show). The question is how widely they were given, i.e., to the audience, to guests on the show, etc.

Best,
Pat

#20 Roger W.

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Posted 22 October 2012 - 08:02 PM

Kirchheimer strikes with the goods again -

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So 6 weeks at 300 sets makes 1,800 sets. Hard evidence of how these sets were distributed.

Roger W.




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