MIB Day at the Estate Sales

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Unimatic1140

Unimatic1140

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Had three fun, never used MIB (mint in box) finds at the estate sales today that I wanted to share with everyone.

First are these fabulous Glasbak mugs. Glasbak was the company that made the glass bowls for the Sunbeam Mixmasters in the 19050's. I've seen these mugs before, but never the whole set unused...
 
Next I've never seen this before, but its a Maytag Coffee Pot warmer, meant to go with 1950's Maytag Dutch Oven Ranges...
 
The little booklet that came with the warmer, I wonder if this was an accessory included when you purchased your new Maytag Gas Range?
 
Handi-Butler

Third was this very strange Kirby Attachment called a Handi-Butler??? I can't image using a grinder in the kitchen attached to an upright vacuum, but wonders never cease do they?
 
Hi Robert,
Wow just love those mugs, are they a Pyrex type material?
The Kirby Handi Butler looks like a knife sharpener. Now that would be a sight worth seeing, a Kirby on the kitchen counter just to sharpen a knife. I’ll bet it works great though.
Love the 7Up and Pepsi I wonder if it’s still fit to drink?
Enjoy your new finds.

All the best.
Hugh
 
Very nice finds!! Those are certainly FAB colors on those mugs! Great vintage drinks as well...we all get thirsty after those sales, that's for sure!

And there's the Handi-Butler! Fred, I'm thinking that would look really good on your new 516...
 
Great finds

I really miss those glass pop bottles, especially when they were in those water filled cooler dispensers that you had to slide the bottle along the tracks to get it out, like a rats maze. Used to cost something like 15 cents for the 16 oz bottle and a dime for a 6 oz small bottle. Plastic and cans just don't cut it on a hot day.

I think with the handi-butler you're meant to remove the handle so you can use it on a bench, the bag naturally to hook it on the exhaust.

Very cool glass mugs..speaking of Sunbeam again, found the Sunbeam Mixmaster blender jar at the flea market today but that gizmo metal attachment that hooks it to the Mixmaster wasn't there so I passed on it.
 
Great finds! I was quite amazed to see the Glasbak mugs, I thought they were a Dutch product although I'm not sure about that. I don't even know if they are called Glasbak here too.

Aside from not being sure about it, it wouldn't surprise me either, Glasbak is a Dutch word nowadays used for a recycling container for glass. But if you analyse the word it also means glass mug. "Glas" is Dutch for glass and "bak" is a popular word for coffeecup or mug. A friend of mine had a lot of those glass mugs. Never saw a MIB set though.
 
WOW

That's fabulous! Now you can serve piping hot coffee to your guests. oh how wonderful! We should get together sometime for coffee and cake.
 
Wow!

Those colors are so rich!

I have a set of pretty lightly used Pyrex Refridgerator Dishes, and the yellow and red look close.

Outstanding finds.
 
Very nice finds - I love MIB!

That Matyag coffee warmer was an advertising promo item for the gas ranges. The chrome grate on top was a replica of the burner grates on the ranges.

Cool Handi-Butler, I'll be a lot of people never used them, like the closet full of attachments for cleaning. Now you need a Kirby!
 
Cool stuff!

The name molded into the bottom of the green cup that's shown is GlasBake, with an E. Does that change the Dutch meaning?
 
Wow Robert you are so cool! BTW is that turquois sink and the pink tile on the back splash new? Have you finished your kitchen remodle and not posted pics or did I miss them? Rucy youve got some splainin` to do! LOL Great finds!
 
Very cool stuff that Robert!
I just love the mugs and the coffee warmer!
The Kirby attachment is an odd one.
Also wanted to comment on your kitchen, from what I could see. I just love the color of your sink, and the pink tile back spash! Is that original, or something that you picked out for the refinish of your kitchen?
Can't wait to see the finished kitchen. I love the colors so far!
Brent
 
Ugggh, Robert give me that Pepsi,the summer heat leaves me thirsty, *Drinks pepsi* Still good after years :-9
 
Hi Robert, You sure are a lucky guy!! I love those mugs. Won't they be fun for your morning coffee..I'd like mine in the turquoise mug please! That turquoise sink is just beautiful..Now we are all wanting to see pictures of you entire kitchen. Did the Handi Butler have a flexible cable with it? There were more attachments that you could attach to it. You will really need to find a Kirby next. What a fun day you have had. Must have been something in the air as Greg had a great day at the sales in Omaha as well. Terry
 
Hey guys, yes the pink and white tile and the shiny new turquoise sink are all part of our Kitchen Remodel. I've been meaning to take pictures as the kitchen is 99% done, I just have to fix and reinstall the range hood. I'll try and get some pictures real soon.

Terry, I didn't see a hose or extension for this device. I've never had a Kirby before, I'm definitely a "Tank" man anyway. I just picked up that Handi-Butler in case one of you vacuum boys might need it. I wasn't sure if it was rare at all, but better safe than sorry.
 
WOW, I can't believe I forgot to ask you about the kitchen!!! I didn't recognize that turquoise sink in previous pictures...fabulous!
 
Glasbake Mugs

We grew up with the same set of mugs. We used them for soup and they were great to color easter eggs in. (Blue eggs in the blue cup etc...... Ok....I was anal as a kid!!) You may know this but don't put them in the dishwasher, they are painted and the detergent will ruin them in 1 cycle. The mugs were offered through the mail as a premium for Lipton Instant Soup. You had to save the foil envelopes and complete a "Mail In Offer" process to receive them. Great find Robert.
 
Glasbake

Glasbake (I needed my reading glasses for that! LOL) is indeed a different word and doesn't exist in Dutch. As I said a friend of mine had those, I think he had about ten of them. I've seen them here occasionally on fleamarkets too, albeit not very often. I saw they are on eBay as well, much cheaper than fifties stuff like that overhere.
 
Hi Robert, The two oldest manuals for Kirby's that I have are for the model 512 and the dual 50. In the 512 manual they don't give a detailed illustration of the handi butler but they do mention it. Here is what it has to say, "Sheeting buffing wheel for polishing sporting equipment and household metals.Flannel buffing wheel for polishing precious metal jewelry, silver and chromiumtable and hollow-ware. Grinding wheel for sharpening knives or other edged tools. Wire brush wheel for cleaning dirt, rust and scale from pans, tools and sporting equipment. Lambswool polishing pad for polishing waxed surfaces on wood, metal, or leather...automobiles, shoes,suitcases and furniture. I would think that you would have to have some type of flexible shaft for this but who knows. At any rate I am glad that you picked this up. Maybe someone can identify what model Kirby this goes with and someone will want it. As they liked to boast back then, "Kirby...The Nearest Thing To Push Button House Cleaning". LOL Terry
 
Pyrex

Hi Robert

Lovely set of mugs, and perfect for the kitchen decor!!!

We had similar ware over here under the Pyrex name,not as many colours though...

The Hand Butler looks to be missing its Flexi-Drive, I have one on my Kirby Tradition and it has a jig-saw, drill and buffer polisher to twist on the end....

I believe there was even a "Bedroom Set" that the "Lady of the House" would use....lord knows how , the noise of a Kirby would be enough to distract who knows what...
 
Kirby Handi-Butler...

NICE Handi-Butler, Robert! Yup, the grinding wheels are for sharpening knives -- I have a band-aid on my finger right now as proof! The Flexi-Shaft attachment attaches to the backside of your Hand-Butler (note the small hex-like hole). On the other end, you could attach an offset weight and a cap to use the Swedish Massage unit. Or, you can use the universal chuck for buffing pads, wire brush wheels, and the like. The two-rubber cup-like things are go under the front wheels to keep the vac stationary when using the Butler. They even supplied sticks of Tripoli Compound and White Rouge, as well as spiral-sewn and flannel buff wheels.

Personally, I like the Handi-Butler stuff. My place is small, and it's nice to have a grinder, buffer, Dremel Tool, etc. -- that goes with a fun hobby! :-)

I don't know about the "Bedroom Set" it would be interesting to find out more about that. The Swedish Massage unit apparently was the butt of many wink-wink-nudge-nudge jokes. I'm still thinking about that one. My Sanitronic with the Handi-Butler sure looks a lot better than some of the men I've dated. It beats every one of 'em hands-down for durabilaty and strength over the long haul. And of course, it loves to do housework. What more could you ask for?

Cheers,

John
 
Handi-Butler - Be Mindful of those switch tabs folks!

Regarding the Handi-Butler, be mindful of the tabs that activate the safety switch. Kirby, ever the capitalists didn't want folks taking these from their old machine to the new one, apparently.

This is the backside of my Handi-Butler for the DS50 -- note the tab appears offset, whereas on Robert's Butler, the tab appears centered. This tab activates the safety switch, and on my DS50, engages the lower motor speed to drive the wheel or Flexi-Shaft. As you see, the Flexi-Shaft is attached to the backside of the Handi-Butler.
 

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