On eBay this week there is a wooden poker chip carousel advertised as an original prop from I Love Lucy. Card games were a popular form of recreation in the 50’s and this is reflected in the series.
Click here to see the listing.
See more vintage poker chip carousels on eBay.
See more vintage poker chip carousels on Etsy
See more vintage poker chip carousels on Bonanza
In a 1954 Newsreel Lucy and Desi introduce their two children, and urge viewers to contribute to a campaign by the March of Dimes to raise money for the testing of the polio vaccine.
These brass anchor andirons look similar to the pair seen in the publicity photo and video.
The mark “Rostand” Milford.Conn. is seen on similar ones online.
Continue reading Anchor Andirons
In the episode LUCY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL which aired January 19, 1953 the show opens with Ricky researching ideas for a mask for a “Voodoo” number for his show. The book he refers to is Masks of West Africa – 1952 by Leon Underwood
http://www.amazon.com/Masks-West-Africa-Leon-Underwood/dp/B0006DCVHG
http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/masks-of-west-africa/author/underwood-leon/
Update: Scan of the page from the book Ricky is looking at:
In I Love Lucy Season 1, Episode 23, The Mustache, Ricky uses an electric shaver to remove the mustache. The logo on the shaver can be seen in the screen capture above and it looks like a good match for Schick 20 Electric Razor pictured below,which is a working model currently for sale on eBay.
The Schick 20 was widely advertised in 1952 the year this episode was made.
See all Schick 20 Shavers on eBay
Incidentally, Ricky is shaving while looking into the Bacchus Mirror we identified in a previous post. Continue reading Ricky’s Schick Electric Razor
In the 1953 movie The Long Long Trailer starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz we see a set of Guardian Service Cookware on display in the kitchen area of their New Moon Trailer. 
Currently there is a seller on eBay offering what is claimed to be the original Guardian Service Ware from the movie which was apparently given to Lucille Ball when the production ended for use in her home.
Click HERE to see the eBay listing.
and
Click HERE to find other Guardian Service cookware on eBay
Lucy is learning to flip hotcakes with her aluminum griddle. Her griddle is flat aluminum with a curved handle similar to this vintage griddle I saw on eBay today – pictured below. Another similar brand to look for is Wear-ever who are still in business today.
Also pictured above on Lucy’s stove we see a white enamel saucepan. This saucepan has vertical sides and a slim handle which helps narrow down the search. The only close example I found on eBay today was the unused 1940’s Leader brand enamel saucepan pictured below still with its original label -Click on the pictures below to see the listings.
Tips for cooking with aluminum:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/232/Cooking-With-Aluminum
Lucy is occasionally seen using her aluminum double boiler, but perhaps most famously when she heats up a potion to use on Ricky’s hair in the hilarious scene from which the above captures are taken. 
Lucy’s double boiler has a distinctive shape that widens at the base which helps narrow down the possible makers when searching for a vintage one like it. A good match is this vintage Comet double boiler seen on ebay today.
A double boiler is really two saucepans – a smaller one fits above the base pan below. The base saucepan is used to hold simmering hot water which should not touch the bottom of the top pan so that the steam creates a gentle heat without burning. It is used when you don’t want direct heat under the item you are cooking, such as when making certain custards or sauces, melting chocolate etc.
In the above publicity picture of Lucy and Ricky in the livingroom set we see an ornate french looking brass and mesh fireplace screen.
I found an identical one that was sold online listed as a Victorian Brass Firescreen at
http://www.sellingantiques.co.uk/131810/victorian-brass-fire-screen/
it is described as an attractive 19th c. cast brass fire guard in the Rococo Style.
Height 32.5″ …82cm
Width 31.5″ …. 80cm
Depth (feet) 9″ … 23cm
In this screen capture we see another ornate rococo style fire screen. I have not yet found an exact match for this one, however the fireplace screen pictured below is a close match – the main difference appears to be the center piece and the border detail at the bottom.
http://www.westlandlondon.com/stock/firegrates/firescreens/item/12146/summary.htm?page=1
It is described on the website as “A high quality and ornate Baroque/Rococo style Firescreen, the ormolu brass frame spanned with fine gauze spark screening.” The word ormolu actually means gilded bronze but the website description uses the words “ormolu brass” – the close up pictures on the website look like brass to me.
There is a similar looking one in the Christie’s closed listings HERE part of a lot of two screens that sold for $15,000 in 2011 way beyond their estimated price range
Price Realized
$15,000
Estimate
$2,500 – $3,500
Sale Information
SALE 2504 —
A TRUMBAUER ESTATE ON THE PHILADELPHIA MAIN LINE
15 April 2011
New York, Rockefeller Plaza
I will be looking for a much cheaper one on eBay.com
In the first few early episodes of I Love Lucy we see a round toleware wall clock over the mantel in the Ricardo’s livingroom set. This clock was soon replaced by the octagonal one we looked at in a previous post. The round tole clock with handpainted leaf design is very similar to the Sessions tole clock with the matching hand painted leaves seen on eBay this week. The green Sessions clock pictured above is an electric model. the dial is a bit different from the one on the show but the metal casing is a good match – the hand painted leaves on each clock appear slightly different due to the hand painting. I have seen similar hand painted tole wind-up clocks made in Germany. The Sessions clock seems easier to find than the octagonal one and is found in a few different colors.
I spotted this breadbox on Etsy – CLICK HERE to see it. It looks like the Nesco breadbox on I Love Lucy except the decal is different. See my earlier post about the breadbox I repainted to look like Lucy’s.
Update:
The breadbox pictured above has been sold – here is another one still for sale:
CLICK HERE for the Etsy Listing