With help from friends, I have been researching (yes, really RE-searching) gumball charms since 1997. I've also written extensively on the subject in newspapers and magazines for the collector. Maybe you  thought you were the only one who loved these tiny treasures of the toy world? Wrong! There are THOUSANDS of us nuts, er, um, I mean "collectors"!

It's very frustrating to consistently see so much wrong information in listings! We'll TRY to help you distinguish between a Cracker Jack prize (though there's a club devoted to CJ prizes that we'd like to refer you to) and a bubble-gum/gumball charm. (I strongly urge you to search out Cracker Jack collector sites! There are truly wonderful ones to help you, written by people who really know their stuff!) Many Cracker Jack prizes are marked. If it isn't marked "Cracker Jack" or "CJ"  then I would definitely seek out those expert in the field before I plunked down a lota cabbage for one. I think gumballl charms are easier to identify, because most people already know what a charm is for the most part. There are, however, vending machine toys that we'd still categorize as gumball charms because they date from around 1920 to 1980.

There are many charms that are definitely rare or scarce, but not as many as the listings would have you believe! So many listings group small toys together and label them "gumball" or "Cracker Jack" that aren't. The amount of charms manufactured between, say, 1950 and 1980 (NOT including the celluloid charms of earlier years) is SO vast that it's difficult for most collectors to know which charms are truly hard to find . . . and what is a dealer's honest mistake. I've been collecting charms since the 1950s, and I always ask other collectors' opinions before I label anything "rare" or "hard to find." I'd like to help dealers, too, make their listings more accurate. Though I see a little improvement in listing accuracy since I joined Ebay in 1996, the improvement is just that: little. It's nobody's fault. There's not a lot of reference material on plastic charms! (Bulletin: Search "Eureka Gumball Charm Nirvana," and you will find a growing encyclopedia of gumball charms! It's new! It's fun!)

Celluloid charms, produced from roughly 1920 (perhaps before) to about the start of World War II, and many marked "Japan," come in basically two categories: plain "vanilla" . . . a rather ivory colored or off-white charm, many of which are animals, cars, sports players, and other every-day objects. The second major category in the celluloid section are hand-painted, and range from a common Popeye character charm (there are four different versions), to a very hard to find, delicately painted Japanese Geisha. The quality of the painting is one clue to the charm's value. If you are lucky enough to come across delicate gold accents, or such fine lines that you'd swear the paintbrush had only one hair, chances are you've come across a rare, valuable celluloid charm. Odder animals (the odder the better), like a dragon or ostrich, are harder to find than, say dogs. Cats may be common, but a few with delicate poses and (again) lovely, intricate paint are hard to find. But don't dismiss the plain, unpainted, celluloids! There are many interesting, sought-after ones like a pagoda, the Eiffel Tower, or a trolley car, just to name a few! There are also animals and people with google eyes that collectors seek. Celluloid fell out of favor by the '50s because of its flammable nature. (That doesn't mean they're dangerous for adults who would never put them near a flame or anything!)

Though some celluloids could be found in the mid-1950s, this now begins what I call the "golden age" of charms. The child whose pennies burned a hold in his or her pocket could expect to find larger, often better made, and certainly more whimsical, ok, "funnier" charms like the man-in-the-tub charm (still a must-have for any self-respecting collector), or the daschund-in-the-hot-dog-bun charm, peas-in-a-pod, the list goes on forever! (My mom's personal favorite was the back end of a horse charm with mirror on one side. I had no idea what it meant at the time and happily gave it up to her. I've only found a very few in ALL my years of charm collecting! The dealer (that did have one for sale) and I became instant friends and we're still discussing charms 15 years later!) Markings have become somewhat important to collectors of this era. Charms marked "Eppy" (for the Eppy Charm Company), "PK" (for Penny King), "KFS" (for King Features Syndicate) are often more sought-after because these companies produced quality products! (I have personally always been impressed by a company that imprints their name on a tiny toy! It tells me they cared!) Condition is a little tricky in this "golden era." Loops should of course be intact, and the paint or "flashing" (a coating that makes plastic charms LOOK like metal) shouldn't be peeling and ideally still shiny . . . if the charm happens to be hard to find, the die-hard collector will overlook the rubbed-off paint! Look for truly "funny" charms, like the false-nose-and-glasses charm. This one's probably considered a "common" charm--that  isn't so easy to find! Even people who don't normally collect charms will often have a glow-in-the-dark lightbulb charm tucked away in their dresser drawer somewhere!

I personally feel the "golden age" includes charms from 1950 through 1960-something. The late 1960s ushers in Hong Kong charms (rather than the American manufactured ones we've had since WWII. It was quite an industry here . . . and did you know we have a Plastics Musem in Mass.? I'll get better info for you soon!) Though sadly, the manufacturing goes overseas at this time, some wonderful (and not so) charms come from the early 1970s. Also, no more gum mixed with charms by now. Not sanitary! Charms lose something (to me) now that they're in their pristine, no-germ capsules! No more penny, stale, short-duration bubble gum balls that hardly make a good bubble, and-MAYBE-you'd-be-lucky-enough-to-get-a-charm in the bargain! Charms are now sold in their neat little capsules for 10 or (egads) 25 cents! BUT, out of this era comes an adorable spaceman, hands on hips, with separate clear-plastic helmet! (Not very easy to find.) We also see things like a space ship with a Robby-the-Robot-type insert with moveable arms. (The earliest example of this charm had a screw-top spaceship with removeable robot. Very hard to find! Easier to find, but still desirable is the glued-down version.) There are others, many others to be fair. Like the kangaroo with peek-a-boo joey. Move the mama's tail and out pops the baby! Or the stick-out-your-tongue kitty cat! Yup, very cute!

I intend to revise this guide often, as I think of other ways to help you write good listings, or make good purchases. But allow me to repeat some advice you've no doubt heard before: buy what you LIKE and CAN AFFORD! You won't be sorry you spent the money if you love it! (Every time you have to dust it, you won't mind it!) DON'T believe every claim of "rare," "scarce," or "hard to find" charms. As I said, I've been doing this for years, and always confer with other collectors who have also been doing this for YEARS before putting labels on things! Besides, these things were mass-produced by the thousands. How rare can they be? But, one might say that they haven't seen it on ebay lately . . . or, by the way something was manufactured, most of them were easily broken. Anything else is pure speculation (or salesmanship) in my view.

That being said, this is a great place for any collector who loves miniatures, may be short of purse, or running out of room! (Like most of us!) There is still room for the new collector to have a GREAT collection in a rather short time! And in what other area can the newbie compete with the "top cats?" There are plenty of glow-in-the-dark charms, fairy-tale, cross-collectible, grocery store, flicker, animal, space-race-related, mechanical, cartoon character charms (the list goes on and on) to keep any collector happy for a very long time! Charms don't need to be rare to the worthy of your interest! And one last warning for the moment. You CAN'T have just one! You'll need a whole BAGful before you're happy!

Have a WONDERFUL time in this little corner of the collector world! You won't need a fortune to have an enviable collection, and you'll love every minute you spend hunting!

(Come back again. I'll be updating this for ya! Hope it helps!)

P.S. A few notes on "KOBE" charms . . . Kobe charms were manufactured in Kobe, Japan from about 1910 to . . . ? (probably 1950 or so, but I'm still researching this.) They do not have "googly" eyes. Most have "pop out" eyes (there's a difference). They were dispensed in early gumball charm machines, on cigar boxes, and attached to all sorts of different products. They were once sold in large quantities to just about whomever wanted to buy 'em! There's NO way to tell which ones are rare no matter what a seller may say! (They ARE harder to find than most gumball charms, but the hunt is very well worth it!!) My suggestion is to search "Kobe charm" current and completed listings to see for yourself which ones are out there and check the prices they command. There's new mistaken information on ebay recently. Pop-out eyes do not a Kobe make! Collectors call charms that move in some way "mechanical" charms. The overwhelming majority of Kobes that show up on ebay have brown faces. The true "Kobes" will often have several competitive bidders! (There's just no substitute for doing your homework. You'll be rewarded by knowing what you're buying and paying the right price!) Well, that's the short story anyhow.

Thank you for reading my guide. I hope this helps you sort out the truth, and have fun buying and selling gumball charms. (Thanks also to those wonderful e-bay-ers who have voted positively for my guide! And thank you, too, to those who've so generously shared their expertise on other topics that I've enjoyed reading about!) Let me know if I can help you further!!!