Mickey Mouse Ears Evaluation Please

[Minniethemoocher]

I have a set of Mickey Mouse ears that were my husband's when he was a kid in the 1950's.  We're going to sell them on ebay because he has been out of work for a year and the income would be nice.  I can't find any like them on ebay, even in the advanced search of past auctions.  Can anyone tell me what they are worth and how much I should ask for them?

Thanks for your help.
Linda

[rtrethewey]

I can't recall the last time I saw vintage Mickey ears sold, but my instinct is that they're probably worth in the $30-50.00 range.  Condition is important, of course, but it would be best if there was a label on them that indicated their age and whether they came from Disneyland or from a toy store.  The point being that they've been selling Mickey ears in the theme parks since 1955, so they're very common unless they're truly and demonstrably from the 1950's or early 1960's, and in great condition.  Good luck!

[Minniethemoocher]

My husband never went to Disneyland so I'm sure his mom either bought it in a store or ordered it through the mail.  We'll never know. My husband said he got it probably when the Mickey Mouse Club was on the air and he was paying close attention to Annette!  Here is info about the inside of the hat:
There are two circular rubber-stamped areas.  One says York Merrimac Furfelt.  The other says Be? ay-Albee (crease has caused one character to fade) Novelty Company.  M?speth, NY Made in USA. ?? ed Hats
The question marks are letters that can't be made out.
We've never seen the three-dimensional version of the hat so am wondering about that.  Here is more descriptive info:

There is dust and some short hairs on it that can be removed but I am reluctant to do any cleaning.  His eyes are in very good shape although the light hits them in the photo and don't show them very clearly.  His little nose is tightly attached so apparently my husband didn't try pulling it off like I'm sure some kids did. 
 
The emblem is in very good shape. The left ear has more of the white dust on the edge and makes it look worn, but it is not.  What appears to be a plastic or vinyl edge to the hat is well-stitched and firmly attached.

That's about all I can tell you about it. 

[rtrethewey]

Check out the eBay auction http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-Vintage-50s-Disney-BENAY-ALBEE-MOUSE-EAR-Hat-FACE-/120676397952

Is that the same hat?

[Minniethemoocher]

It's similar but ours doesn't have a red tongue, nor did it ever have one.  I doubt ours was handed out at the opening of Disneyland OR Disneyworld because my husband wasn't there as a kid and he grew up in Pennsylvania.  Ours is in much better condition and I would hope be valued at a higher price than $9.99. I guess we'll never know until we put it up on ebay.  Thanks for your help.  Linda

[rtrethewey]

I think I muddled things up a bit.  I do think your Mickey ears have some significant value.  Tough to say without a picture, of course, but just from your description I'd say they fall into the category I was thinking of when I said $30-50.00.  eBay doesn't often give a fair indication of value, of course.  If the seller doesn't do a good job in the title and description, the item doesn't get seen by the people who would be interested.  Mickey ears of that vintage were part of the Mickey Mouse Club mystique, and decrepit collectors like me remember those days very well.  There were some that had the Mickey Mouse Club logo on them, just like the Mouseketeers wore, and they're probably the most popular, but the others sold in toy stores like yours should do well, too.  Good luck!

[Sosai X]

Benay Albee was the premier maker of novelty hats in the 1950's.  They were a Disney licensee, and made hats featuring Zorro and other characters.  Similar to this Mickey Mouse hat, they also made a popular Donald Duck hat...



Problem is, they made thousands of them, and many have survived today.  I've looked at many online auctions and sales, and they never seem to sell for much more than $20.  The Disney collectibles market is highly subjective.   Age doesn't necessarily mean something is extremely valuable.  The Disneyana collecting game can get tricky.  It can be hard to know sometimes why something like this original Disneyland supervisor badge is worth thousands of dollars:



and why your Mickey Mouse hat is only worth $10.  It all comes down to supply and demand.