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Not only are they great for announcing one’s status and impaling pedestrians, hood ornaments also make great office or library trinkets. What better way to tame an unruly paper pile underneath a ceiling fan than with a six-pound brass eagle, a swept-winged jet rocket, or a chrome-plated ram?
We’ve found great old hood ornaments everywhere from junkyards, swap meets, and yard sales to the more usual online markets like eBay and Craigslist, the former of which we used to find those shown here. Prices vary wildly, and collectability is quite high for rarer pieces, making the possibility of stumbling across a real bargain an exciting possibility—head on over and check it out for yourself.
Click the following links to see more details on eBay: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
When I was 13 (in 1974), my dad got a 1951 Chrysler New Yorker in a trade, and promptly parked it in the horse barn foundation beside the house. He told me that when I was ready to drive it would be my car. In the meantime I played in it, pretending it was everything from the presidential limousine to the Batmobile.
Two years later a couple of junk men made dad an offer on the car which he accepted. I reminded dad that was my car, and how could he just scrap it? I pleaded my case to no avail. As a last-ditch, I demanded the hood ornament. To my (continued) surprise, dad actually had the scrappers remove the hood ornament for me.
Later I made the oak stand for it, with a base modeled after the Formica “Starling” pattern (which also debuted in 1951) as a reminder of my dad and my victory. It’s had a place in my living room ever since.