New Dukes Stuff - 1/19/2018 - One Of A Kind Item, Raincoat, Green Vinyl, Bo & Luke Beer Bottle, BTTF Hoverboard

I am committed to not letting new items pile up without being blogged like I did in late 2017.  With that in mind it's time to look at the newest items in 2018.  Here we go.

First up is a super rare red interior Raincoat.  Back in 2013 I added the blue interior version to the collection.  In the formidable days of this blog I was throwing around the word "holy grail" a little too often, denoting several items with the moniker.  I've come across so many super rare items since, particularly the mythical swimming pool, that I don't use the term as much.   This is a incredibly scarce item, and harder to find than the blue interior version, but I can't use holy grail when I describe it.  It's close, but not quite.  It is a little wrinkled, but maybe I can get the vinyl flat again.  The only differences from the blue one is, obviously, the red interior, and the stitching, which is red on this one.

The graphics are the same on both.  I've had my eye out for a red variant for a while and was really excited to add this to the collection.  It is in very good condition with no tears or holes.  The wrinkling is the only issue and I think I can fix that.  I'm surprised there wasn't a Golden Era Dukes umbrella to go along with the raincoat.

Swellwear made both versions of the raincoat.  Even the tag is wrinkled.  I've    got my work cut out for me to bring this little bugger back to mint.

I can't pass up a bargain.  Even when I already have an item, if I see it for a ridiculous price, I gotta get it.  This 12 inch Figures Inc. Cooter figure was yelling at me from ebay that he really wanted to become part of the collection.  I couldn't say no.  He was only a few bucks with shipping.  I couldn't leave him out there in the cold.  Even though I already have the figure as well as all the Figures Inc Dukes line, I bought this package-less Cooter to keep watch of my collection when I wasn't there.  So far he's done a bang up job.  I also hired him to help show off some items.  He's excited about the opportunity.

I put him right to work.  Cooter is showing off a weird green vinyl version of Waylon's 45 single Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys).  Good job Cooter.
  

I have no idea why it's green.  Both the vinyl and the label are Kermit-colored.

The flip side has Mr. Jennings' It's Alright on it.  The standard 45 has the same combination of songs.

Underneath RCA's lovable mascot Nipper, the record is marked NOT FOR SALE.  About 37 years after that statement was printed, someone broke the rules and sold it to me.  Nipper is going to be mad!  There is also intro and fade information on there which tells me this was a radio station copy.  Maybe it was printed green so it stood out to coerce the DJ to play it more.  It's a cool, different version of the greatest theme song in TV history.

Next up is a non-Dukes related item.  Jeffrey got me this and the next few items for Christmas.  It's a 1:5 scale replica of the legendary Back To The Future Hoverboard!

This thing is so cool it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.  It was created for Loot Crate by Quantum Mechanix.

It has a cool little mirror display and clear stands that give it an appearance of hovering.

Everything looks perfect with the design, except it doesn't have the Mattel logo on it.  Funny how other toy makers make replicas of a fictional Mattel toy.  That's the world we live in.

Cooter had to take it for a spin!  Where he's going, he doesn't need roads!

Jeff also got me a General Lee pin.  Though I recently added one to the collection, these are the kind of items you can't have enough of.  Cooter approves.

The final item Jeff gifted to me is this unique beer bottle.  Yup, that's the General Lee on the bottom of this "Bo and Luke" brand of brew.  It's much larger than a standard bottle, originally holding 24 ounces.

I don't know much at all about craft beers but I did a little research about this one.  Against the Grain Brewery is based in Louisville, KY and brew a special batch of this bourbon inspired beer each year. The moonshine theme lead them to likening it to the Dukes and the name and bottle artwork were born.

They reference the theme song while describing the beverage.

The information about the brewery is on the opposite side of the bottle.

I found a full image of the label on ATG's website.  Though the General Lee is bald, they did a nice job capturing our favorite car's features.  The characters on the label seem to be sort of mascots for Against the Grain.  Reading on their site, Bo and Luke is one of their prized creations and is only sold once a year and is highly sought after.  I've seen the image above before but wasn't really aware of the product.  I'm glad Jeff tracked down this item and I'm going to see what else from ATG I can add to the collection.  Thanks for the great stuff Jeffro!

You may remember some time ago when I added this cast and crew belt buckle to the collection.  These buckles are individually numbered and personalized to the cast or crew member.  Mine is number 186 and personalized to Don.  I have yet to figure out which of many Dons that worked on the show this belonged to.  I told Cooter it was too big for him, but he wanted to put it on anyway.

I recently added an item to the collection that is related to that belt buckle and is one of a kind.

At first, Cooter had no idea what the item was.  I explained it to him, let me explain it to you.

This incredible item is the original mold that was used to create those cast and crew belt buckles!  This is a piece of Dukes of Hazzard history!  The mold even comes with the original cast proof buckle!  I can't believe I now own this amazing item!

The mold is in two parts that can be pressed together.  The halves are made of a rubber compound.  They were hand crafted and have so much detail.  The image is reversed on the mold.  I'd say this is one of the only items that has a 10 on the Gen'ral that is legit.

The back has an area for the cast and crew impression.  It also has holes that formed the buckle catch and the part that connected to the belt.

The proof came with the mold.  It is the first buckle that was created.  It still has the rod attached to it that would have been removed from the 200 actual buckles that were given out.  All of the details of the mold are captured on the proof as well as the buckles.  There is no name inscribed on the bottom.

The back of the proof has the catch as well as the attachment that has not been bent down.

The personalization area has the writing "For The Cast & Crew of The Dukes Of Hazzard" and a ___/200 on it.  Obviously the proof wasn't numbered.

Here are closer shots of the inside of the mold to see the detail better.

Cooter wanted to show off both Don's buckle and the proof.

Here is a comparison shot of the two.  Besides the debris on Don's buckle, they look identical.  There is no question my mold was used to make all the buckles.

Everything about them is the same.  Don's buckle has been bent around the belt attachment.  The proof is still as it was when it came out of the mold.

If you look very closely at Don's buckle, you can see the imperfection where the rod was removed.  You can tell it was sanded right after the rod was taken off.

This is a remarkable piece.  I was incredibly happy when I got Don's buckle, but now that I have the mold that made all 200 cast and crew buckles, I'm ecstatic.  It came to the collection by way of the original belt buckle maker's best friend's granddaughter.  She felt it would be more appreciated in my collection than in her shed.  She told me she got it from her grandfather's pal when she was young because she was a fan of the show.  I'm really grateful she found me and let me add it to the collection.  This one of a kind piece is just plain amazing.

Cooter approves of cast and crew belt buckle mold and proof.  My dad made a good joke when I showed him these pictures.  We're glad they didn't"throw away the mold" when they made these belt buckles.  I think maybe Ol' Cooter will help me show off more items in the next few blog posts I write.

Holiest of Holy Grails: Dukes of Hazzard Children's Tennis Shoes

Holy Grails, the pencil cup, the rain coat, the shelf, the sidewalk bike, the bath mat.  I have been fortunate enough to add all of these items to the collection over the last couple of years since I started this blog.  It seems before the blog got rolling, these items were pipe dreams.  Maybe I've stepped it up since starting the blog, maybe I've just been lucky, perhaps the notoriety has added to my good fortune.  I have really added great entries to the collection.  In my opinion, the pinnacle of commercially produced, Golden Era Dukes of Hazzard collectibles, A number one, top of the list, king of the hill piece is the Children's Tennis Shoes.
These little town blues melted away recently when I added a pristine pair of Dukes shoes to my collection. These truly are the holiest of holy grails.

Like other scarce items such as the bicycle and bath mat, if the shoes were used, it is in their nature not to last.  This particular pair was never even tried on.  The individual shoes are still coupled together with plastic wire.  The colors are so vibrant and they are so flawless, they look brand new.

It surprises me that they are blue with orange accents, and not orange like the General Lee.

The General Lee is clearly the subject of the shoes, not the Duke Boys or Daisy.  These seem like they could be worn by either Good Ol' Boys or Good Ol' Girls.

The liner of the shoes is printed with "The Dukes of Hazzard" repeating throughout the entire inside.  That is a very nice added touch.  I would love to surround my feet with such wonderful words.

If the side of your shoes feature 01s, the tongue should feature the confederate flag.  It's only natural.  It also includes the title and WB's copyright information 1982.

This particular pair of shoes is size 1½ .  In my mind it's size 01½.  That printing on the sole would have been worn off in about a day.

These pristine shoes still have the tag attached to the wire between them.  The tag has a great drawing of the General jumping with the flag behind it.

The back of the tag doubles as an Identification Card.  Dukes footwear enthusiasts are encouraged to jot down their name, address, and phone number in case they forget this pertinent information.

The bottom of the shoes even has an embossed scene of the General Lee jumping over two crashing Hazzard County patrol cars.  I bet they left awesome prints in the dirt.  Imagine if I saw these prints on the ground today.  I'm not sure what I would do.

The heel includes the standard text logo.

This is a lot of detail for the bottom of a shoe.  I'm sure this picture wore out pretty quickly when these shoes were worn as well.

The back of the tongue has a confusing tag.  I'm not sure what S.C.A.I. stands for, but these shoes, referred to here as "Dukes TM" are manufactured to the exact specifications of it.  The "Dukes TM" name and side configurations are indications that the product is of highest quality.  I feel the Dukes name indicates highest quality on everything produced, except that horrible "Beginnings" movie.

Like most shoes, the Dukes shoes came in a shoebox.  This pair came with its original shoebox and it is in great condition.  It features artwork of the General flying in front of the flag.  It is the same image on the tag, but positioned differently.

The top of the box has an image of the top of Rosco's car.  In case you wanted to carry your new shoes home, or perhaps re-purpose your shoebox, the lightbar on top of the police car is popped out with a plastic strap that can be used as a handle.  This is a unique and unexpected feature.  The actual piece of cut out cardboard with the print of the lightbar is still in the box.

The bottom of the box features more of the artwork where the police car came from.  It also feature Boss's Caddy and a piece of the General and Dixie.  It is strange how this shot isn't cropped to show the whole scene.

Each side of the box is the same.  It has the flag, logo, stock number and a sticker for the shoe size.  The color is printed as R. Blue/Orange.  I bet the R stands for Royal.

When the shoes were shipped to the store, they were wrapped in Dukes of Hazzard printed tissue paper. This pair of shoes still has this paper in the box.  This might be the most delicate addition to the collection.  I can't believe I'm so happy to have tissue paper.  This is the complete package.

I found this 1/18 car case laying around.  It makes a great display for the shoes.  I think I'll keep them in there for a while.

In this picture we have three incredibly rare Dukes of Hazzard items.  They are all from the Golden Era and are all recent additions to the collection that I probably wouldn't have acquired if it wasn't for this blog. Thanks DukesCollector!!!