Old Man Memorabilia

By Raquel Maria Dillon on Monday, May 5, 2003.

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Just a couple of days after the Old Man’s untimely demise, the New Hampshire memorabilia business is booming. Souvenir shops, antique stores and online auction sites are doing brisk business in T-shirts, postcards, and kick-knacks. One entrepreneurial E-Bay user is marketing good-old New Hampshire granite from Franconia Notch! NHPR’s Raquel Maria Dillon explores this dubious tribute to the state’s emblem.

While many New Hampshire residents are still mourning the Old Man of the Mountain, some are wondering if they should start hoarding their tokens, quarters and license plates…

The hope is they’ll be worth more, now that the Old Man himself is gone.

But before you take all those laundry quarters out of circulation, consult a numismatist.

KIERSTEAD :05 I’m Jeff Kierstead, Manchester, NH. Kierstead rare coins.

A numismatist studies or collects coins and paper currency.

KIERSTEAD :19 just about anything with Old Man is gonna be collectable. And there’s gonna be people who collect the tokens. And if I’m not mistaken they’re not going to be issued much longer either, so that’ll help. Even tho they’ve made them for a long time. They’ll never be rare but they’ll be collected.

Kierstead predicts that some nostalgic New Englanders might hold onto New Hampshire quarters, or buy brand new, limited-edition collector's quarters. But he says the quarters won’t go up in value.

KIERSTEAD :08 right now we have a pretty good supply of them, don’t think they’ll be a big change.

Besides, coin collectors buy and sell mostly coins that never circulated – quarters that never saw the inside of a parking meter.

That hasn’t stopped an internet entrepreneur from hawking New Hampshire highway tokens on E-Bay for 2 dollars each.

Over the weekend, the number of Old Man items for sale on E-Bay multiplied. Late Sunday morning, there were already more than 50 Old Man auctions in progress.

By today, that number has more than tripled. There are prints, postcards, and paperweights – even a sign for Route 101 – acquired legally of course, and sporting that famous profile.

Leo Desroche (DEE-rosh) owns Décor Antiques in Exeter and he’s obviously delighted with his latest Old Man find.

DESROCHE :18 I went out to the flea markets yesterday looking for some other things. Came across one of the plates. so I bought it. It’s the official plate – straffordshire china made for the gift shop at the Old man of the mountain.

It was his for only 54 dollars. The woman who sold it to him originally found it on E-Bay.

DESROCHE :11 it had only been in the shop an hour. I purchased it in Massachusetts. I think if I had gone to a NH shop it would have cost more than that.

Desroche says that’s how the antiques market works. He’s keeping the plate for himself as a memento.

Gift stores and souvenir shops across New Hampshire are doing brisk business in Old Man memorabilia.

Clark’s Trading Post claims to be the largest and best souvenir shop in the White Mountains. And when the gift shop opens for the season in a few weeks, Elise Clark is anticipating a run on Old Man of the Mountain merchandise

CLARK :07 we’ve heard some other businesses... Well, how should I put it diplomatically? Raising the prices on those items.

Clark promises her family’s business won’t jack up the prices. Clark’s Trading Post will celebrate its 75th anniversary this summer, and they were planning to build a climbing wall.

CLARK :22 it was decided obviously back in the winter that the top for our climbing tower would be a mock up of the Old Man’s profile. So now I guess if people can’t see the old man in Franconia Notch they can come to Clark’s and climb our rock tower and touch the Old Man.

Clark says the plastic and plywood climbing tower is a sad substitute for the Old Man’s granite.

She says there’s no replacement for the Old Man and he should not be rebuilt. She’ll miss him, but still she’s glad that she ordered lots of Old Man of the Mountain T-shirts last Fall.

For NHPR News, I’m RMD.