In the first installment of this series, I introduced my first collection item, a Dimetrodon. A few years ago, I acquired the first "playset" released in the 1950s by Marx, the same manufacturer, at an American auction.
The simple diorama base, the plain cardboard packaging, the old-fashioned candy-store-style paper bags where dinosaurs and trees were placed separately...it brings tears to my eyes. Actually, it comes with many more dinosaurs and cavemen (Photo 1).
Remembering the moment I acquired them still makes me smile, especially the familiar "Flintstones" characters (Photo 2). I found them at a toy store in a rural area of Shikoku and bought them for 3,000 yen, but I was astounded to see them priced at 100,000 yen at a "specialty store" in Tokyo. Well, since their condition isn't very good, they probably wouldn't fetch that high a price... They are from the early 60s.
Lined up in front of them are plastic models from the 60s by Sinclair Oil, which uses dinosaurs as its image character. The metal dinosaurs in Photo 3 are from the 40s to 50s by a manufacturer called SRG. Among them, the Stegosaurus is a memorable item that I bought at the museum shop when I first visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1980 (shortly after John Lennon's assassination!).

By the way, essential books for dinosaur collectors are "DINOSAUR COLLECTIBLES" and "DINO-GUIDE." The former provides detailed, full-color introductions to models, toys, etc., offering a wealth of information. The latter, although without photos, covers addresses of companies in all genres with "dinosaur" in their name (from golf courses to soap!) in the first half, and the second half is an A to Z of dinosaurs, with a price list of reconstructed models and skeleton replicas – an amazing book. The dinosaur model magazine "PREHISTORIC TIMES" is also recommended.
It features the latest information on dinosaur models (including, of course, Favorite Collection's dinosaurs) and a section for collectors to proudly display their drool-worthy collections. In Tokyo, you can find it at the foreign book section of Tower Records in Shibuya.

Finally, though not an antique or a dinosaur, I'd like to introduce "Paleontologist Barbie." The Favorite Collection hammer suits her perfectly!