I found an old, Magic 8-Ball toy that's about 40 years old. I looked at a few listings to see what they're selling for, and one heading caught my eye: EAMES ERA TOY. The Magic 8-Ball is Eames Era?? I thought Eames designed furniture, I didn't know he consulted with the Magic 8-Ball. I moseyed around to gather some info on Eames Era eBay ephemera, and this is one hot buzz word. Also known as: A search term.

Here's some tidbits about Eames and the Magic Era:

Charles Eames was a designer, filmmaker, and architect. He collaborated with Eero Saarinen and won prestigious design competitions at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, where these are still highly regarded and proudly on display. His early work consisted of moulded wood forms; later, he became famous for his industrial style. Eames was the designer for the famous Herman Miller chairs.

A bit of trivia: The business library on 34th Street in Manhattan boasts over 200 Herman Miller Chairs, features organic, wood interior design, and not one Magic 8-Ball. Eames designed stretchers for the Navy during World War II. His wife's name was Ray and one of his best known quips is: "no, Ray is not my brother."

As for Eames Era toys, he designed wood tops with wood veneer that were engraved, and produce amazing designed when spinned. He was very fond of "flip books" toys, as well as a host of fabric designs, and industrial-style lamps & lighting.

If you find a miniature Eames chair on eBay: Bid Fearlessly! That is the ultimate big-boy Eames toy. I wish I had one.

There are websites galore that feature original Eames designs. Do a quick search, and soon you'll know what's a hot ticket item on eBay.

I suppose that's my best tip: Anyone who inspires such reverence and becomes a major search term on eBay is worth doing some homework to investigate what the buzz is. A Magic-8 Ball isn't a good substitute for good fact-finding before you buy...

A scholarly tome from Twinkie's Toobox. Keep shopping!