Peanuts Collectibles

Jack asks, “I recently came into possession of this vintage Snoopy stuffed animal from my grandmother and I was wondering if it had any value. Do you think that you would be able to assist me?”

Thanks for sharing your Grandmother’s treasure with us, Jack! You are now the proud owner of a 1967 Determined Productions Snoopy Pillow Doll. It originally came in a plastic bag with the character name on the front. This doll is one of the first huggable, lovable Snoopy dolls kids could drag around with them. Snoopy is made of cotton with kapok inside. Kapok is fibers from the seed pods a South American, African and Asian tree – just in case you were wondering what was inside.

Mint in the original package, Snoopy would be worth around $50. Out of the package, he is worth around $8-15, depending on condition. Based on your photograph, I would say your Snoopy is about Good-Very Good condition. He has a few staining issues, but he seems to be in pretty good shape otherwise. He’s got years of love to give yet. If you try to clean him, I suggest surface treatment only, since using a washing machine might ruin his stuffing.

Snoopy wasn’t the only doll produced. Determined Productions also released Lucy, Linus, Schroeder and, of course, Charlie Brown. Photo below from my collection. View more Determined Productions Dolls…

Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send email us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.

Today’s treasure comes from my collection – the Peanuts Character Portfolio. I was able to purchase this from fellow collector, Johnny. Thanks Johnny!

Johnny knew I’d love this piece since I’m a graphic designer by trade. The portfolio would have been sent out to licensees to select art for their products. Inside are the rules for art usage, color selection, approval process and, most importantly, lots of artwork. The artwork is ready to scan or photographed. As a designer, I thank my lucky stars that I don’t have to bother with this method anymore! Even the lettering would be manually crafted together.

The artwork is all Snoopy, with a little Woodstock thrown in. Every incarnation of Snoopy from 1989-1994 is covered by the portfolio. Sports, Flying Ace, Joe Cool and even some vulture poses show up in its pages. It seems the other characters must have gotten lost over time. Let me know if you find them!

Ok, so art guidelines might not interest every collector. What’s in it for you? Each page has the year on it. Having problems dating an item? Just look it up in the Peanuts Character Portfolio!* All artwork is only good for 5 years, so it’s easier to pinpoint when the item was produced. If only I had more than just 5 years! I even managed to find an example to show you.

I hope you’re as excited by this find as I am. Without further ado, the Peanuts Character Portfolio!

*I’m looking into a way to digitize the whole portfolio. Even then, I’m not sure if I could/should be posting online or distributing at all. There’s no real guidelines for that in the portfolio.

Thomas asks, “I have what I believe is a 1962 green painted metal peanuts toy chest my father bought before I was born. It has painted scenes from episodes such as the famous marcy holding the football for charlie brown. On the inside it is lined with black and white like wallpaper of the cartoon skits. The reason I am sending you this is that for years I have been to research this item without luck. I have not seen so much as a picture on the internet. A search for it yields nothing. Do you know anything about it? Thanks for your time! “

The problem with the internet is there’s no way to put in a photo and say find me more like it. If there’s a way to do this, please let me know!

What might help with your search is knowing just what the item is – a steamer trunk. The one you have looks to be the 30″ x 16″ x 12″ version. It was made by Armored Luggage in the mid-1970′s. Just a note – any copyright information on the trunk refers to the character copyright, not the manufacturing year.

Armored Luggage made a variety of trunks, footlockers and skate cases lithographed with various Peanuts scenes in a variety of designs. They were constructed by wrapping the thin sheet of metal over cardboard and plywood, stapled in place and covered with trim. When they show up on the market, they tend to be very used. Trim pieces and hardware are sometimes lost. The metal sides get dinged, pushed in and scratched. The metal surfaces are prone to rust. The white cartoon paper inside is usually soiled and a little musty. Compared to some, yours is pretty good. It’s still in very usable condition and would make a good display piece. The happiness theme is a current trend with Peanuts memorabilia. In mint condition (like new, no condition issues), the trunk could be worth around $250 in today’s market. In its current condition, without having seen it in person, I would expect it to sell around $40-$80. It’s a great piece! Enjoy it!

Just so you don’t feel so alone in the world of Armored Luggage, there is one steamer trunk on craigslist that’s been for for sale a long, long time because of its high price and not so great condition. Also, I have a few Peanuts Happiness is skate cases in my collection.

Final note: That’s Lucy holding the football.

Have a Peanuts collectible you’d like to know more about? Want to share a story about your Peanuts collectible? Send email us a photo and any information you have to info@collectpeanuts.com.