Tucker Memorabilia "Essentials"

[Tuckeroo]

I was thinking about what I considered the most important pieces of Tuckerana in my collection, feel free to weigh in!

Essential reading:

The Indomitable Tin Goose by Charles T. Pearson. First published 1960, released as a paperback in 1988, copies pop up now and again.
Design and Destiny: The Making of the Tucker Automobile by Philip S. Egan. Available here and now!

Also:

Collectible Automobile July 1985 featuring an excellent 22-page color article "Tucker: Looking Back at the Future" by Tim Howley. Back issues may still be available
The Milestone Car #11 Spring 1975 devoted to Tucker articles including a reprint of "My Car Was Too Good" by Preston Tucker, and articles by Alex Tremulis and TACA members. Most likely to be found at a TACA meet from my experience.
Plus, peruse old magazine sellers for Life Magazine 11/17/1947 and 3/1/1948 issues. Both contain different 2-page Tucker ads, picked mine up for cheap.

Essential viewing:

Tucker: The Man and His Dream, the feature film. Get the DVD as it has Tucker: The Man and His Car, a promotional film from 1948. If you don't have one, get a DVD player!

Excellent documentary done by the History Channel (even if it had a few mistakes): http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=68805&v=history_show_automobiles

Models:

I think if I had to sell all of my Tucker models save one, it would be the Kyosho 1:18 scale. This is the best model of a Tucker I have ever seen! The vent windows are filled with plastic (simulate glass), the grille openings are cut (at that scale like lace) and it even has a tiny Tucker Corporation id tag under the hood! They were available in Waltz Blue, Black, and Red (this one not an accurate Tucker color), and I would have loved to see it in more colors. These are getting harder to find, when new I got mine for about $60 each, now I would estimate them in the $80+ range, but would still consider that a bargain.

Plus, grab as many Johnny Lightning variations as you can! Inexpensive and highly detailed for being under 1:64 scale.

Misc:

Join the club! Grab a camera and take photos/videos wherever you see a Tucker. Do-it-yourself homemade Tucker paintings/sculptures/cakes/etc. Make your Tucker collection unique!

Not-as-essential:

A Tucker Motorola radio. If there is only one genuine "factory" part you're likely to own it's probably this. Prices vary.

Retro 1-2-3 1:9 scale model. I waxed praise upon the Kyosho model, but this too is quite impressive. Limited edition collector art, don't make me quote the price. But it certainly makes a collection stand out.

Play lottery. Win. Buy a Tucker.

[Tucker Fan 48]

Also, when you are standing in someones garage, looking at a Tucker covered with years of dust, four flat tires,
and the owner says he wants $50,000, don't walk away thinking it is way too much as I did back in 1985 !!!

I sure wish the DeLorean in Back to the Future worked in real life because that is a "do over" moment.

[TuckerCar]

Good start Steve.

A few more items from the original Tucker era that I would consider collection essentials (due to their good availability):

1 - The common Tucker '48 Brochure (17x22 fold-out). Beware of reproductions - $50
2 - Tucker Stock Certificate (brown or green) - $100
3 - Sequence Allotment Forms/Accessory Order Forms - $30 ea
4 - 7 original issues of Tucker Topics - $75-$100 ea