Time machine: airline collectibles take flight

Airline buffs have engineered a kind of time machine that can transport them back to the industry's golden age. Vintage memorabilia—old posters, timetables, advertisements, aircraft models, uniforms and even airsickness bags—are seeing strong demand from aviation aficionados and industry veterans. And the artifacts can sell for lofty prices. Pilot wings from defunct pre-World War II airlines can go for more than $1,000, collectors say. Large airplane models that used to grace the windows of travel agencies fetch $7,000 or more. A menu from a Braniff International Concorde flight went for $500 at a recent show. An airsickness bag from a rare airline can cost $25. Organizers of collectibles shows say rare items in good condition retained their value even during the economic downturn. Prices for other industry collectibles fell and are now rebounding. On eBay EBAY -1.04% last month, a vintage Pan American Airways DC-3 model from a travel agency sold for $4,950, a spokeswoman from the online-auction site said. Other items sold recently include a vintage stewardess uniform and an unused first-class meal service tray from Afghanistan's Safi Airways with porcelain dishes, linen napkin and stainless utensils, which sold for $330. Overall, more than 36,000 airline-related items have sold on eBay in the past 90 days, with winning bids totaling about $1 million. Wings Take Wing Some people collect everything they can find from a favorite airline, while others specialize in a particular novelty, like the playing cards airlines used to give to passengers. Pilot wings are very popular, since they were once crafted with gold and silver and reflected each unique carrier and time period. Sentimental sorts gravitate to anything that shows the industry the way it used to be, when flying was glamorous and exciting. Before deregulation in 1978, airlines competed almost entirely on service, thick steaks, white napkins, porcelain china. "This stuff is so collectible because everybody knows it's never coming back," said Thom Nulty, a Santa Monica, Calif., collector who is an executive with a luxury-hotel chain. Mr. Nulty has a collection of more than 400 airplane models plus old ads and posters, TWA first-class menus from 1960s and paper dresses worn by TWA flight attendants. His ads trace airline history, from the early days, when airlines sold the public on safety of jet planes, to the 1970s, when they sold sex appeal, such as the famous National Airlines ad: " I'm Nancy. Fly Me." One common thread in the ads: The price of a ticket hasn't changed much over the years. Then and now, you can fly across the country for $300. "It brings back incredibly good memories. The airline business used to be pretty damn exciting, and that's what I like to capture," said Mr. Nulty, who started his career with American Airlines and ran a major travel agency company for a time. Collecting became such an addiction, Mr. Nulty once ducked out of a country-club dinner party to rush home for the final minutes of an eBay auction. The item he had to have: A model of a Disneyland rocket-ship ride painted in a Trans World Airlines motif. He won it for $247, then raced back to dinner. When his wife asked him where he had gone, he held his stomach feigning illness. Hobbyist Shows While much of the buying and selling of airline memorabilia has migrated to eBay and other online auction sites, memorabilia shows still attract crowds. In June, there will be shows in Paris and Los Angeles. In July, the big once-a-year international show, called Airlines International 2012, will be held in Memphis, Tenn. Most every month, there is a regional show at some airline hub—shows do better, organizers say, in cities with large populations of airline employees. When an airline goes out of business, prices of its memorabilia soar, dealers say. Industry consolidation has raised prices by limiting supply of new items as well. And most airlines no longer print paper timetables or splurge on fancy cabin items for marketing. Even necessities like airsickness bags are now generic and often don't even have airline logos printed on them anymore. Jeff Matera, who organizes a show in Newark, N.J., each year, says the show in September is already booked up for vendor tables. Some are serious dealers. Some are just people cleaning out the garage. "It's not an expensive hobby," he said. Memorabilia-show organizers say models of airplanes are the most popular collectible—some people target planes they've flown on or seen, while others buy models depicting usual paint jobs or rare aircraft. For window shoppers, several airports have their own memorabilia museums. Los Angeles International Airport and Houston's Hobby Airport, for example, both used abandoned terminals not connected to the main airport to set up aviation museums full of memorabilia. "A lot of people call us junk collectors, but we don't consider it junk," said Duane Young, a former Delta Air Lines DAL +1.06% customer-service agent who is president of the World Airline Historical Society, which organizes memorabilia shows. "A lot of people just want to keep memories alive." From/Wallstreetjournal