Category Archives: Found on EBay

Found on EBay: Manly Palmer Hall

Posted on August 16, 2016 by

The biography of Manly Hall by my Los Angeles Times colleague Louis Sahagun. Two lectures by Manly Hall have been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $69. Hall was included in a Los Angeles Conservancy tour in 2009,  … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Religion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Prof. A. Victor Segno: Los Angeles’ Greatest Charlatan

Posted on July 16, 2016 by

  Prof. A. Victor Segno, my favorite Los Angeles charlatan, has surfaced on EBay. This envelope is addressed to the author of “How to Be Happy Though Married,” “How to Have Beautiful Hair” and many other books on self-improvement and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Black Dahlia: Bizarre Outsider Art of Elizabeth Short on EBay

Posted on June 24, 2016 by

Fortunately, I saw this image before I had breakfast. This is a combo of a postcard of the Biltmore Hotel and an image of Elizabeth Short. It was done by Perry Johnson and is listed as Buy It Now for … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

At the Follies Burlesque: Blaza Glory and Myrna Dean

Posted on March 7, 2016 by

An EBay vendor has listed two undated articles on performers at the Follies Burlesque, 337 S. Main St. Blaza Glory (a name I hadn’t encountered before) seems to have been performing in the early 1950s. Myrna Dean (identified as Deane … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Black Dahlia: Photo of Not Elizabeth Short Listed on EBay

Posted on January 15, 2016 by

Apparently nobody fell for this photo the first time around, so a vendor on EBay has listed it again. For $499.99. Seriously. The vendor (ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ON EBAY WHO HAS NO IDEA HOW TO TURN OFF THE CAPS … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Golfing in the Crenshaw District, 1940s

Posted on November 9, 2015 by

    A matchbook from Crenshaw Fairways, 3901 S. Crenshaw Blvd., has been listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $1.25.

Posted in Found on EBay, Sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Parkey Sharkey’s ‘Whiskey Road’

Posted on September 15, 2015 by

A copy of Parkey Sharkey’s “Whiskey Road” has been listed on EBay. Many people believe that Sharkey was invented by Mirror/Times columnist Paul Coates. He was for real. Bidding on “Whiskey Road” starts at $24.95. ALSO Paul Coates on Parkey … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Larry Gelbart’s Rare ‘My L.A.’ Revue – Found on EBay

Posted on September 2, 2015 by

I rarely brag about a find on EBay, but this is something special. This is sheet music from the ultra-obscure 1951 musical revue that took its title from Matt Weinstock’s “My L.A.” The production  — note the name of Larry … Continue reading →

Posted in 1951, Found on EBay, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Portrait of ‘Not Elizabeth Short’ for Sale on EBay

Posted on August 18, 2015 by

An EBay vendor has listed this portrait by Eleanor Merriam Lukits, stating that it “looks like Black Dahlia Elizabeth Short.” Actually, no. The work appears to be skillfully done, but it’s not Elizabeth Short and doesn’t look like her. But … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Black Dahlia: When Murder Inspires Art

Posted on June 12, 2015 by

This amazing “objet d’art” has been listed on EBay for $39. I mean, really?

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Cafe Frankenstein, When a Cappuccino was 70 Cents

Posted on May 7, 2015 by

Here’s something truly awesome: A menu for the Cafe Frankenstein in Laguna Beach with artwork by Burt Shonberg, listed on EBay as Buy It Now for $125.  I wrote about Cafe Frankenstein in 2011 when a group of slides was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1958, Art & Artists, Food and Drink, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Don’t Waste Your Money on Her FBI File (Updated)

Posted on April 11, 2015 by

Some enterprising EBay vendor has listed Elizabeth Short’s FBI file for $20. Don’t waste your money. First of all, the FBI had no jurisdiction in the Black Dahlia case, so it’s mostly newspaper clippings and other assorted documents. Second, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: There Are Some Very Sick People in This World

Posted on March 22, 2015 by

This purported “tribute” to the Black Dahlia has been listed on EBay. Who makes this junk? Apparently it’s an outfit appropriately called Dreadful Dolls. Who buys it? For $325? There are some very sick people out there. Oh. It’s from … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Vintage Slides of the Black Dahlia? Probably Not

Posted on February 13, 2015 by

A scan of one of the transparencies being offered on EBay. This is from an unidentified Western. A vendor has listed a lot of about 500 transparencies that were owned by a “Hollywood filmmaker.” A bit of research indicates that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1946, 1947, Black Dahlia, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

World War II Militaria — Who Can Spot the Mistake?

Posted on November 22, 2014 by

  This Army uniform has been listed by an EBay vendor as being from the 1st Infantry Division. Have you spotted the mistake yet?

Posted in Fashion, Found on EBay, World War II | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Black Dahlia: Dalia Negra Comix

Posted on August 21, 2014 by

I thought I had seen just about all the Black Dahlia-related items that existed, including the Living Dead Dolls, the Black Dahlia snow globe, etc. But this is a new one on me. Dalia Negra was a series of comic … Continue reading →

Posted in 1955, Black Dahlia, Comics, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Books, Reading and Lending Libraries

Posted on August 15, 2014 by

Note to millennials: This is an example of a book from a lending library. These were generally small  businesses that rented books for pennies a day and specialized in current literature and somewhat racy material that wasn’t available at the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1959, Books and Authors, Found on EBay, Libraries | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Florabel Muir’s ‘Headline Happy’

Posted on July 31, 2014 by

A copy of Florabel Muir’s 1950 “Headline Happy” has been listed on EBay for $45 or make an offer. Muir was a newspaperwoman in Los Angeles and discusses the usual suspects, including Bugsy Siegel (she describes the murder scene) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books and Authors, Found on EBay | Tagged , | 2 Comments

LAPD: Dating an Early Photograph, Part I

Posted on July 1, 2014 by

An undated photo of LAPD officers from SkyscraperCity.com, which reposts images from all over the Internet (including mine), often without acknowledgement. I recently learned that this photo, published in Capt. Art Sjoquist’s “History of the Los Angeles Police Department” as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1901, Found on EBay, LAPD, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Gloria Swanson Photo Inscribed to Mark Hansen on EBay

Posted on June 13, 2014 by

Here’s another item that is tangentially related to the Black Dahlia case: A photograph of Gloria Swanson inscribed to Florentine Gardens business manager Mark Hansen. Hansen was a small-time operator of movie theaters and news accounts of the Black Dahlia … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Cold Cases, Film, Found on EBay, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment