FRISBEE IS TURNING SEVENTY

The Pluto Platter is 70 years old. The what? You know it better by another name, Frisbee. The very first flying platter was the lid from a popcorn tin. Fred Morrison and another guest at a Thanksgiving picnic in 1937 made up a new type of game of catch. Years passed, Fred Morrison and Warren Franscioni invented an improved plastic flying disc, the Pluto Platter, about 1955. Wham-O, in 1957, bought the rights to the Pluto Platter toy. It was a perfect toy for the era of UFO and flying saucer sightings. Eventually, Wham-O wanted to broaden its appeal and started looking for a new name for the toy. The company heard about students at Yale tossing a Frisbie Baking Company tin pan from the nearby Bridgeport, Connecticut company and decided “Frisbee” was to be the game’s new name. (In the days before foil pans, bakery pies were sold in tins that usually had the raised name of the bakery on the bottom to remind you where to go to get the next delicious pie.) The Frisbee is a collector’s delight. The flying disc you use in a complicated game of catch became a star.

Other games were created from the original Frisbee like Ultimate Frisbee, a sport incorporating football, soccer and basketball. The women’s record for hurling a disc is 447.2 feet; the men’s, 693.3 feet. The record holders no doubt are in the Frisbee Hall of Fame. Disc Golf started in 1976 and is played by millions of players.

There are a lot of different Frisbees to collect like Rings of Headrick, a Frisbee with ridges to make it wobble less. You can order a Frisbee with your company name to use as a promotion. You can even get a tiny Frisbee, less than 3 inches in diameter, just for fun. Over 200 million Frisbees have been sold. So start looking. There are 50 years of collectibles flying around. Frisbees from the 1960s (used and scratched) can sell for around $55. All old pie tins with names are collected and those from the Frisbie Baking Company, which closed in 1958, are prized.

SARDINE CAN KEY

Q: I've been a fan for many years. I found this "thing" in my mother's house when she passed away. I would love to know what it is and what it's used for. As you can see, it is in two pieces and fits together. On the handle it says, "Made in England." That is the only marking. There is a fish cutout on the bottom and it is slightly curved. Any ideas?

A: Your mystery tool is a sardine can opener. The slot at the bottom would slide onto the edge of the lid, so you could roll it back. Then slide in the shovel-shaped piece on the end of the key and you have a handy tool for lifting out the sardines. Opening sardine cans has always been a challenge. The sardine can with a key was invented in 1889. Cans came with keys soldered to the bottom. Some modern cans have the key and can wrapped in a paper label. Now most sardine cans open with a pull tab, invented in 1959. Very few cans open with keys today. Your key is worth about $25 for its novelty appeal.

KTF

This capital T with K and F on either side was used after 1925 by one of the largest U.S. makers of costume jewelry. The company was known for its elegant designs and high-quality jewelry. Gustavo Trifari and his uncle founded the company in 1910 in New York City. After Leo Krussman and Carl Fishel joined the firm, the name of the company became Trifari, Krussman and Fishel. They were known as the "Rhinestone Kings." The Trifari family was involved in the business until 1975, when it was bought by Hallmark. In 2000, after several other changes in ownership, Trifari was sold to Liz Claiborne.