{"id":9096,"date":"2017-05-01T00:31:18","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T04:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/?p=9096"},"modified":"2020-08-19T12:02:42","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T16:02:42","slug":"2020-collections-the-new-jersey-turnpike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/?p=9096","title":{"rendered":"2020 – Collections: The New Jersey Turnpike"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

(Ignore May, 1 2017 publish date – this was published on February 7, 2020)<\/p>\n

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How (and why) does someone collect the New Jersey Turnpike (or any of the other things I\u2019ve collected)? \u201cHow\u201d is easy – just go to eBay. \u201cWhy\u201d is an altogether different story that I\u2019m not sure I know.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think I\u2019ll blame history for making me do it. At one time, I was the moderator for the online boards of both the Bergen County Historical Society\u2019s site and that of the Hackensack city historian (I still do the latter).<\/span><\/p>\n

My goal was to find everything of even slightly<\/em>-historical interest having anything and everything to do with the County, its towns and especially, Hackensack. Buildings, landmarks, roads, bridges, tunnels, deeds, receipts, commemorative items, famous people, early settlers, postcards, nicknacks\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026you name it.<\/span><\/p>\n

And they\u2019re ALL on eBay.<\/span><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t going to buy<\/em> all these things……….personally, I didn\u2019t care that much about most of them, but other people in all those other local towns did. So I would search eBay every day and find lots of auctions of local items being sold by people all over the country and elsewhere who knew nothing about almost everything they sold and I would post all these auctions – and all the provided pictures – on the two historical sites, so members could find all the available items connected to their towns and \u201cbring them home\u201d by buying them (and possibly donating them to the Bergen County Historical Society). And if no one bought any of these things, we\u2019d still have all of the pictures preserved in the historical database.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a good system that cost me nothing\u2026\u2026\u2026..until I saw some of the items that I<\/u> wanted. And once you start doing that, fuhgeddaboudit – you\u2019re hooked and you now have to be complete<\/em> and get everything<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have no idea what the first Turnpike item I bought was, but then I kept seeing other Turnpike items I never saw before\u2026\u2026\u2026AND YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THEM!<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I have them and they\u2019ve collected dust for two decades, but THEY\u2019RE MINE!<\/span><\/p>\n

Does that make any sense?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m guessing the above picture may have caught your attention. I\u2019m not even sure if the 5.25\u201d x 3.5\u201d piece is an ashtray or not, but I haven\u2019t seen one since I bought it all those years ago. The image of the state on the right half looks misshapen and quite overweight and the depiction of the Turnpike across that state image looks like a sash on a very chubby Miss New Jersey. It\u2019s interesting that the word \u201cMorristown\u201d is shown as being above (north of) \u201cGeo Washington Bridge\u201d. (Dear Out-of-Towners: it isn\u2019t)<\/span><\/p>\n

So while I\u2019m here in Ashtraylia, I might as well go through the rest of the NJTPK ones I have.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure that this 6.5\u201d x 4.25\u201d piece is an ashtray – there are no U-shaped side indentations to hold a cigarette and no burn marks, but it\u2019s one of the many items you\u2019ll see here that show the \u201cfamous tri-level crossing\u201d at Woodbridge. Apparently, this was a big deal in the 50s, but I\u2019m not sure why:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Although it looks like three overpasses in a row, my understanding is that this is where the Garden State Parkway intersects with the Turnpike. \u201cBut that only accounts for one overpass\u201d, you say. For much of the Parkway, northbound and southbound lanes do not run together, so the GSP must count for two.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if three roads are crossing the Turnpike, what\u2019s the third?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up is a bronze-ish, grape-ified 6.25\u201d x 5\u201d version, showing the same scene:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Once again, there are no cigarette indentations or burn marks, so what is it?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This time, it\u2019s a silvery 5.75\u201d x 4\u201d, un”famous” version with two old cars in the edge design:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of the upcoming pieces also show ancient cars, but why? The Turnpike opened in 1951.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OK – this one (5\u201d x 3.5\u201d) shows a stretch of Turnpike with all red cars on it, a tollbooth with only one car\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..and at least half a dozen roses:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Why? Who knows? (but it looks good).<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finally! An actual (4.5\u201d x 5\u201d) ashtray!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

(this one also doesn\u2019t claim that the Tri-Level Crossing is \u201cFamous\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The center of this little 3\u201d round ashtray pokes through the center of the packaging, whose side panel demonstrates how to use it:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Problem: that side panel shows a square ashtray.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lastly, I have a 5.5\u201d x 4\u201d piece with roses and a tollbooth scene:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

But what are those three odd-looking forms in the top half of the design edge? Does this crude, amateur-looking image mean anything to anyone?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

It took a moment, but I recognized it:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

HoJo\u2019s! This souvenir could only be bought at the many Howard Johnson\u2019s found at the Turnpike rest stops.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plates, etc.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The prize in this group is this 9.75\u201d beauty that was hand-painted in Germany and meant to be hung on a wall\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026and who doesn\u2019t want an image of a Turnpike tollbooth on their wall?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (me)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

NOT meant for your wall is this 9\u201d plate whose center image is that \u201cfamous\u201d tri-level crossing. Two of the six other images are Delaware River Bridges that are technically not the New Jersey Turnpike and three even smaller spacer images show ancient cars that have nothing to do with the 1950s and later:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yet another tollbooth depiction pops up on this 7.5\u201d bowl. The car screams \u201cCUSTOMIZED \u201854 MERCURY!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Heavy Metal<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with this 3.5\u201d x 1.25\u201d brass bell that says \u201cNEW JERSEY TPKE.\u201d on it and still has its clapper:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dunno what this \u201c3.75 x 4.5\u201d brass piece is\u2026\u2026\u2026..a paperweight? Whatever it is, it\u2019s got another ancient car on it (If they\u2019re so integral to the highway\u2019s image, how come I\u2019ve never seen a photo or postcard of one of these relics cruising along on the Turnpike?).<\/span><\/p>\n

The second photo shows the detail of both the vehicle and the dust it\u2019s collected:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Before I started writing this post, I visited an old friend (eBay) to go through the hundreds of New Jersey Turnpike items that were currently available. It was mostly pennants and postcards. NONE of the ashtrays, plates, S&Ps, metal items, etc. were to be found EXCEPT for this 1.25\u201d brass token. I saw three of them that ranged from $34.00 to $65.00 (which makes me wonder what the above better stuff would go for):<\/span><\/p>\n

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A 3\u201d x 4.25\u201d Turnpike bank! With a glued-on 1954 Denver Mint penny on the top (a certain family member will appreciate that)\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.and Morristown is closer to where it should be:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

S&Ps<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yes, the Turnpike put out salt & pepper sets for some reason. Here are three such sets:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Each shaker is 2\u201d x 3\u201d and has \u201cNew Jersey Turnpike\u201d lightly scripted on the reverse:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. These 2.5\u201d x 3\u201d S&Ps have to be among the weirdest I\u2019ve ever seen. Why are the hands of these clocks-in-logs (I almost wrote \u201clogin clocks\u201d) so crooked?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

And that view from above\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026the less said, the better. And to refill these things, you have to pull a cork out from between its legs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But seriously, the biggest problem I had with these was handling them. So much of the \u201cbark\u201d was lost just setting them up to shoot that they now look pretty bare<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. My favorite of the S&Ps is 4\u201d x 3\u201d and should probably be in the \u201cHeavy Metal\u201d section, but those four holes in the cars\u2019 roofs dictate otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen the tollbooths and the ancient cars before, but never with the Swiss Alps right behind them. Pay a toll for the privilege of running smack into a mountain range? I\u2019m not familiar with that part of the Turnpike.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fortunately for the two cars, they\u2019re too big to fit through the tollbooth, so your condiments are safe (though one of the cars needs some green paint for two of its wheels\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026and what is that brown stuff leaking from its bottom plug? Depends<\/em> may be in order):<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Plastic<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a commemorative New Jersey Turnpike \u201c50 Years of Service\u201d (1951 – 2001) toll ticket that was supposedly picked up at Exit 10 southbound in 1951. It\u2019s encased in acrylic and embossed with Turnpike logos. It measures 6\u201d x 2.5\u201d x 0.75\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is a 3\u201d x 1.25\u201d New Jersey Turnpike acrylic paperweight with the never-seen-in-real-life red and yellow tollbooth:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Glasses\/Mugs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This glass is 3\u201d x 6.75\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

This mug – including the handle – measures 4.75\u201d x 5\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PAPER<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1. Postcards<\/span><\/p>\n

This packet of little PCs is 3.75\u201d x 2.5\u201d. Most of the views are either boring or too obscure for most local people to relate to, so I\u2019m adding two full-size linen postcards that are found in the packet as miniatures:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Remember that mention of an \u201coverweight\u201d New Jersey depiction in a previous item? I\u2019ve combined it with one of the above cards that shows more state-shape accuracy:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Every part of the state is off in the right image. Look at the barrier islands – they look like small island countries. Even the route of the Turnpike is forked-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Brochure<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTen years of service\u201d would make this a 1961 foldout brochure:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

At the bottom of the foldout page is a box that tells you what the tolls were in 1961. To drive the full length of the Turnpike back then would have cost you $1.75:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Today, that same drive will set you back $13.85.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NJTPK Deck of Cards<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Regulation size, showing the top and bottom of the box:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ever seen a joker card that looks like this?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Books<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority\u2019s 1950 book on Standard Specifications for the Turnpike is 5.5\u201d x 7.5\u201d and contains 253 pages:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This copy belonged to the infrastructure design firm of Howard, Needles, Tammen and Bergendoff (as stamped on top of the title page). The inside cover was signed in October of 1955, but the signature is difficult to read. I think the first name might be \u201cCharles\u201d. The Turnpike Authority\u2019s chief engineer is listed on the title page as \u201cCharles M. Noble\u201d, so perhaps it\u2019s his signature\u2026\u2026..but that\u2019s just a guess:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

BTW – I found an 8-12-99 receipt inside the book made out to me. I paid $6.50 plus $2.00 S&H for the book.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I almost forgot I had this 1992 book:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n
\n

Overview<\/h2>\n
\n

Two American Studies professors from Rutgers University here show how the New Jersey Turnpike\u2014that “ugly icon,” America’s “widest and most traveled” road\u2014has found its way into the minds, if not the hearts, of artists and drivers alike. In poet Allen Ginsberg, singer Bruce Springsteen, commuters and roadside home owners lulled to sleep by its drone of traffic, this 12-lane asphalt monster has inspired powerful reactions, from admiration to anger. The authors consider the first asparagus patch plowed up to lay the road; the $70,000 salary a contemporary toll-taker can earn with hefty overtime; and the not infrequent lawlessness of the highway patrol. From the gray-flannel-suit diligence that built it, to the mixture of necessity, practicality and venality that maintains it, the New Jersey Turnpike proves to be an enthralling though unlikely subject.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

There’s something written on the book’s first blank page:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I have no idea who wrote it or who owned the book before me, but it sounds like something I should explore.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Miscellaneous<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This is an NJ TP tie clip. On the bottom of the cracked plastic case it\u2019s in, it says,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cT CH 10yr\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Patches – the Turnpike may have opened in 1951, but the Turnpike Authority was created in 1949:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This shows both sides of a 6-square-inch1974 enamel commemorative piece:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m guessing that this NJ TPK stamp was for receipts:<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

I found some old ink and a dried-out inkpad and tried to see what I could get out of this stamp. This is the best I could come up with:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

OK – time for the big finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1993, when Christine Todd Whitman was running for NJ governor, she promised Howard Stern that she would name a rest stop after him in exchange for his support.<\/span><\/p>\n

He did and she did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people think it\u2019s on the Turnpike, but it\u2019s really just off Rt 295 (but it\u2019s less than a mile from the Turnpike, so it maybe sorta kinda-like qualifies to be here):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you this 2.75\u201d treasure to close out the proceedings:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

LATE ADDITIONS:<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you think that’s<\/em> offensive, look what was allowed on a Massachusetts Turnpike item:<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Yes – I bought it. I couldn\u2019t believe such a thing existed.)<\/p>\n

Good thing the Boston Braves had left for Milwaukee before this road was built, but still……………..<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

August 19, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

How did I miss this ugly 8.25″ x 8.75″ burwood bowl? (and why did I have the urge to write “Kirby” before “bowl”?<\/span><\/span> [think “Garry Moore Show” if you’re old enough]):<\/span><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Ignore May, 1 2017 publish date – this was published on February 7, 2020)   How (and why) does someone collect the New Jersey Turnpike (or any of the other things I\u2019ve collected)? \u201cHow\u201d is easy – just go to eBay. \u201cWhy\u201d is an altogether different story that I\u2019m not sure I know. I think […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9096"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11267,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9096\/revisions\/11267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}