Collectible Friday - Bakelite Napkin Rings

For Collectible Friday we are going to do Bakelite napkin rings.
I am showing you only a very small selection of the ones I own. We could say it is because I am too lazy to find the rest but in actuality it is because the cabinet I store them in has one of the doors stuck and I can't for the life of me, get it opened. Short of actually squeezing myself into the display cabinet and trust me no one wants to see that, I can't get them out. Maybe next week.

Napkin rings came in many shape and sizes. Some with eyes and some not. The colors were mostly red, green, yellow, black. Sometimes you can find a mottled colored one. These are from the end of the day Bakelite. The small pieces of Bakelite that was left over at the end of the day were all mixed together and a few more pieces were cut out. Most of these were taken home by the employees but some were sent for sale. Also, the end of the day Bakelite would be used for a prototype piece, something that they had designed and wanted to see in a 3-D form.

Napkin rings are very plentiful. The prices very depending on the condition of the piece. On my Mickey Mouse it would be worth more if the graphics were still on him. Unfortunately the graphics were made of paper and time is not a good friend of paper products. Plus, day to day use wore away the paper.
The next one is a souvenir from the 1939-1940 New York World's Fair. This piece features the trylon and perisphere buildings, which made up the theme of the fair. Again, the wording, while not in paper, is being worn away. I don't use this one very much and I only own the one. It was a pricey little piece and I don't plan to buy anymore. I think it is cool though.
Then I have two different rabbits, a rocking horse, two different fish, and a duck. These are common pieces and are easily located. Some have the beads for eyes, which are my favorite. The rocking horse is slightly strange since it is short and fat, sometimes I think it could be a rocking dog. Next week, door willing, I will show the rest.

One interesting thing about Bakelite is if you are lucky, you may be able to find the "mistake" napkin rings. Since some many of these items were made by hand, mistakes happened. Maybe they only got one eye, or the dogs were not uniformed, etc. These were generally to be thrown away but a good portion of them were taken home by the employees or sent out to the company store in their "Goof" pile. These are the ones I look for. All the ones I have ever found have been way out of my price range, but as in all things, hope springs eternal.