Jon's Hobby Collections

  Classification : South African Liquor  Condition of the bottle : Brownish spotting spotted on the label of the bottle. The bottle is still full of liquid. Colour of the bottle : Dark brown bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (open from the top) Height : 7.8 cm  Year produced : 1970s to 1980s Country of manufacture : South Africa                        Alcohol percentage : 30%                             Volume : 50 ml

  Classification : Vodka Condition : The bottle is unopened but most of the liquid has fully evaporated due to the high percentage of alcohol content Colour of bottle : Clear transparent bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (open from the top) Height : 11.5 cm Year produced : 1970s to 1980s Country of manufacture : Australia  Alcohol percentage : 40% Proof : 67 Volume : 50 ml Details : Smirnoff vodka was founded in Russia in 1860s. Smirnoff products are mostly vodka related products such as malt drinks and flavoured vodka. Today Smirnoff vodka is available in 140 countries and there are many Smirnoff vodka factories around the globe. 

Classification : Whisky  Condition of the bottle : Almost mint condition Colour of the bottle : Clear transparent bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (open from the top) Height : 10.4 cm Year produced : 1960s to 1980s for this packaging series Country of manufacture : Scotland  Alcohol Percentage : 43% Details : Johnny walker is one of the most common whisky brands in the world and it is available in more than 200 countries across the globe. Johnny walker whisky has been around since 1865. The red label was first introduced in 1906 in Scotland. Today, there are many different colour and types of label for Johnny walker.

 Here is an old school miniature Martini Bianco bottle.  Classification : Bianco liquor  Condition : Still in excellent condition and the liquid is still full inside the bottle.  Colour of bottle : Transparent bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (open from the top) Height of bottle : 11.3cm Year produced : 1970s to 1980s Country of manufacture : Italy Alcohol percentage : 14% Volume of bottle : 50 ml More details : Martini was founded in the year 1863 in Turin, Italy. Currently, there are about 70 over countries which have Martini liquor in their markets. Here is the back view of the bottle

Here is a common OCBC coin bank given out for those who applied for saving accounts under kids. If I am not wrong, this coin box give away lasted for very long (Maybe 3 years??). I started seeing kids using this coin bank around 2012 to 2014. It features the characters of Mighty Savers during the OCBC bank advertisement back then on the TV channel, OKTO in 2010. The cute design of this coin bank lure the interest of the young children to save their extra pocket money.  You are also able to retrieve money from the opening located underneath the coin bank. Based on my measurement, it is about 14 cm by 7.5 cm and 14.5 cm (Length X Width X Height). Overall, this piece here can be a good display item on shelves or can be use to store extra savings.  I keeping this coin bank for my children in the future.  

Here is an old school foldable pan which is made from aluminium and it is a good tool for campers on an adventure. There is also a foldable handle mug too which will come in handy when you go for jungle tracking. Foldable cooking equipment like this are good space savers as compared with those that have fixed handles. It is common for you to write your name on the pans to prevent it for mixing it up. I got all these from another friend of mine who used these items during his national service days.

Here is an unprinted paper bag from the past. It is brand new and not used at all. This paper bag is manufacture and are supposed to be sent for printing of the company's name and shop name, but it wasn't done so.  I got this piece from a vintage collector whom I met personally at Carousell Land event which took place at Marina Bay Sands on September 2019. This paper bag bears the unforgettable red and white stripe cotton string handle which attract collectors to have them. I have a lot more paper bags in my collection, you can check them out here . 

Another coin box collection that I had is this, Kitkat piggy bank from 2016. This coin storage is made from metal and the height is 25.5 cm and the width is 12 cm.  Wow, this is indeed a large coin bank and is suitable for those who wanna save money in it. But one thing is that, there is no lock hehehe which means you have to put this in a save box for more security. You can try to put it in the fridge and others will think it is chocolate hehehe. The back of the tin is indeed package like a real food tin with all the nutrition label, expiry date, bar code and ingredients list.    This tin is free with purchase of Kitkat 12 X 17 gram. The design is quite nice too.

Classification : Jamaican liqueur  Condition : Excellent condition as shown in the picture Colour of bottle : Dark brown Bottle type : Screw cap  Height : 10.1 cm Year production : 1960s to the 1980s Country of manufacture : Jamaica Alcohol percentage : 31.5% Volume : 50 ml The left side view of the bottle The words in cursive writing says "In Jamaica this fine liqueur is served after dinner either straight or mixed with hot coffee or with a teaspoonful of thick cream floated on the top" The right side view of the bottle This product is imported by United Ram Merchants LTD in United Kingdom and it is being distributed there.

Classification : Cognac  Condition : Excellent condition like mint Bottle type : Glass bottle Colour of bottle : Green colour Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 9 cm Year production : 1970s Country of manufacture : France Alcohol percentage : 40% Volume : 50 ml

Classification : Whisky  Condition : Bottle is in 100% excellent condition. Mint condition  Bottle material : Glass bottle Colour of the bottle : Brown colour Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 10 cm Year production : Early 1990s Country of manufacture : Scotland Alcohol Percentage : 47.3% Volume : 50 ml

Classification : Gin Condition : Good condition except for the bottom part of the label as there are wearing signs below.  Bottle type : Glass bottle Colour of bottle : Transparent Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 8.9 cm Year produced 1990s Country of manufacture : United Kingdom Alcohol percentage : 43% Volume : 50 ml

Classifications : Grande Champagne Cognac Condition : Unopen bottle but the liquid content in the bottle is lesser due to evaporation. Alcohol is volatile and it will evaporate over time. The label of the bottle became brownish over the years Material of bottle : Glass Colour of bottle : Green in colour Bottle type : Screw Cap Height : 10.4 cm Year produced : 1970s Alcohol Percentage : 40%  Product details : This product is made in France and it is distributed to Asian market like Singapore and Malaysia. As you can see on the bottom of the label, it shows the company which receives and distributes the product. For this bottle, it is shipped to Singapore and the company receiving it was Thung Huat. 

Here is a beautiful vintage porcelain pair Japanese dolls from the 60s. These dolls shows an example of how Japanese marriages in their traditional clothing looks like. The dolls are made from clay and it is hand painted. The craftsman ship for this piece is very well done. It comes with a detectable wooden base for the placing the 2 dolls on top of the base. It would be nicer, if I could find those little shoes and place them infront at their feets.

Classification : Brandy Cognac Condition : As usual, all the bottles in this collections are unopened. Due to the volatility of alcohol, it tends to evaporate off which cause the level of liquid to drop. This bottle is very well kept and the label can be clearly seen. Bottle material : Glass Colour of bottle : Green colour Bottle type : Screw cap  Height : 8.2 cm Year production : 1970s Country of manufacture : France  Alcohol percentage : 40%

Jonhobbycollection blog had a new Facebook page !!!! Be sure to check them out. The content of the sharing is the almost same as in the blog here. Click here for the link to the Facebook page. 

Ever wonder how does an old living room of an old shophouse looks like ?? This is one example taken from my grandmother's old shop and everything you see here is indeed well preserved. When you enter the hall of my grandmothers shophouse, you will be greeted by this wonderful 3 in 1 painting painted in the 50s. There are many old cupboards in the shop house too. On the left is a TV stand with a cupboard at the bottom of it. In the middle, there is this wonderfully display teakwood cupboard from the 50s where most of my collections come from. On the right is another hall cupboard which is used to keep other hall items in them.  Not to forget, you will notice there is a traditional basket hanging from the celling of the hall. 

For those of you, who have grew up in a shop house before, I bet that mirror like this would be commonly seen by you. These set of mirrors are actually marriage mirrors gifted during wedding ceremony in old Chinese traditional days. Mirror like this are from the 40s to the early 70s era. This mirror is very special to my family because it is my grandparents wedding gift back in the early 50s. There is a bird image beautiful crafted at the bottom of the mirror. Some mirrors have even colour engraving on them and they are much more expensive. These mirrors are extremely hard to come by these days.  A pair of mirror like this in good condition is worth about 200 Singapore Dollars. I decided to take it down the mirrors to snap a few clearer photos of it. Right side Left side

Here is an old retro little bird display from the early 70s. It was a souvenir bought for my grandmother from my aunt during her trip to Japan in 1971. It span a length of 10.5 cm in diameter and stands at 8.6 cm in height. The frame holding the display is made from stainless steel painted in gold colour paint.  It is indeed a very beautiful piece here for collection and worth keeping it.

Classification : Blended Whisky Condition : This bottle is full of liquor and it is completely seal tight. The bottle is extremely well kept and the fine details on the label can be seen clearly.  Bottle material : Made from glass Colour of bottle : Transparent Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 11 cm Volume : 50 ml Year of production : 80s to 90s Country of manufacture : Scotland  Alcohol Percentage : 43%

Here is a torpedo level tool use to make sure that the surface is flat. Not sure why this tool ends up in my collection. Anyway, it looks really vintage from the 90s. This torpedo level thingy is still in an excellent condition and it comes with the box as well.

Classification : Champagne Cognac Condition : This bottle is still full of liquor and there is no evaporation had taken place. But on the outside, the labeling of the bottle starts to degrade and become brownish. The paper of the label is slowly peeling off. Bottle material : Glass Colour of bottle : Green Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 10 cm Year produced : 50s to the late 70s Country of manufacture : France, Cognac

Classification : Champagne VSOP Condition : This bottle is full of liquor and the cap is completed sea. But over the years, the label on the bottles starts to degrade and become brown Bottle material : Made from glass Colour of bottle : Green colour Bottle type : Screw cap Height : 8.6 cm Year production : 70s to the 80s Country manufacture : France Cognac  Product details : The map on the bottle shows various growths of Cognac district of France and it is coloured with a different colour for each different region.The orange coloured part shows Grande Champagne, the yellow part shows Petite Champagne, the red coloured part shows Borderies, the light blue part shows Fins Bois, the dark blue part shows Bons Bois and lastly the grey part shows Rois Ordinaires.  This product is made in France for Asian market like Malaysia and Singapore. According to the bottle label, this product is imported by Maclaine Watson V Department of trade and industry. 

Classification : Cognac Condition : This bottle is full of liquor and it is not open at all. But over the years the label on the bottles starts to degrade and become brown Bottle material : Made from glass Colour of bottle : Green bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (Open from the top) Height : 9 cm Year produced : Late 50s to the 60s Country of manufacture : France Cognac Production details : The top label on top of the word "Napoleon" is read as "Fournisseur Brevete des Cours Etrangeres" 

Wood crafting are indeed popular display and collectible items. This elephants wood crafting is bought by my aunt in Thailand in the year 1968. These elephants are handcrafted finely and well by trained professional craftsman. The craft structure stands at 18 cm height and 30 cm length. The elephants are still being kept and wrap with the original wrapping even until today. Indeed, isn't it a very well showcase piece here ?? At the moment, I am helping my aunt to let go this beautiful piece here for 20 Singapore Dollars. Anyone interested can comment below and I can personally reply you from there. 

Classification : Cognac Conditions : This bottle is full and it is not open at all. But over the years, the label of the bottles starts to degrade and become brown Bottle material : Made up from glass  Colour : Green Bottle Bottle type : Screw cap (open from the top) Height : 10.5 cm Year produced : Most likely from the late 50s to the 70s (Approx) Country of manufacture : France  This product is made specially for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei markets. Imported by Boustead trading SDN BHD

A lot of people told me that this claw grabber is a very rare item. According to a vintage collector, he shared with me that this claw grabber is one of its kind and it is no longer seen in production ever since it disappeared back in the early 70s. This claw grabber functions to help you to take out hot plates and stuff from the steamer pot. This piece here is made from aluminium and there is a few Chinese words engrave on the top of the grabber.  The words couldn't be seen clearly therefore, I couldn't do a translation here. When open According to my mum who used it back then told me that this grabber will sometimes become stiff and harden up making it difficult to grab things.  When close She even shared with me a technique on smoothing up by washing it with soap and water. When my friend first saw this, she told me that this grabber looks the same as the ones in the claw machine at the shopping centre. HAHAHA, actually it does look a like.

Here is a special design envelop for storing photos or cards dated back in the year 2000. Your name and your class will also be printed on the envelop too !!! You can even see the old school's landline number, which is present in 7 digits whereas our landline phones these days are all 8 digits. But too bad, the envelop is not in a very good condition when I received it from the previous owner. I am going to let it be as it is. Good collection item, I would say.

These enamel tray reminds me about the time when my grandmother used to make kueh for the whole family to eat when I was a small boy. Until today this is my favourite kueh and it can be found in towns like Senai and Kulai, Johor, Malaysia. I will not forget those epic moments where I spam the entire chill sauce on just one kueh, because chilli is a perfect match for this mouth-watering kueh. The name for this kueh is called "Soon Kueh" Back to this enamel tray, it is made in Japan under Tiger brand and it is 50 cm in diameter.  Enamel trays that are made in Japan are very rare because in the 50s and 60s, many older folks are not very acceptable to Japanese items due to Japan invasion back in world war 2. These trays are also known as a drying tray too.  I can recall that my grandmother would dry curry powder infront of the hall and the smell of the curry powder is so strong for me and I didn't like the smell. I would hold my breath and walk or run away from the enamel tra