Yos I Own

Yos I Own!

Here are some of my yos. I will add pictures and descriptions of more as time allows. Enjoy yourself and for god sakes, if you have any yos you are getting rid of ... let me know!

My oldest yo, and it is in spectacular shape! A 1950s Whirl King in red and blue. Whirl King was a non-promoted brand from that era and was distributed by the Fli-Back company, also of NC. It has the large crown on the gold stamped logo. The back is blue and has a ten cent price stamp on it. I got this yo for $1 on ebay and I am sure that it was due to the person who listed it not knowing how to describe it properly. The auction info read "Old wood yo-yo, red and blue. No string." They made no mention of the brand, and the picture was of the back, not the front with the logo! I emailed them for more details and that is when they said it was a big crown Whirl King. I bid. I won. I happy.

This is my 75th Anniversary Duncan Jeweled Tournament Classic. They did a limited run of 25,000 of these reproductions and stamped a serial number under the four stones on the back. Mine is # 02140. This Duncan reissue is a sweet version of one of their most classic and sought after designs and this was one that I always wanted. Black with four jewels and gold foil lettering on the front, four jewels and serial number on the back. Originally only given to tournament contestants as a prize, the early models are few and far between. Duncan eventually started selling them as their top of the line yo in the mid-'50s. I am sick for jeweled yos. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

This is my 75th Anniversary Super Tournament reissue. I love the classic solid color with fade stripe graphics of this yo. Originals from the '50s are bringing triple digit sums, but this reissue is ok with me for the $5.95 it cost. I wanted green or blue, so I am happy with the color. The quality of the finish is not that great though, they didn't seal the grain before painting, which makes it look a little porous. But even still, I have one now. The reproductions are even made from one piece of wood, just like the originals. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

This is my 75th Anniversary Imperial reissue in transparent red. This was the original logo, inspired by the Chrysler Imperial belonging to a Duncan management member of the mid-'50s. Here is the logo in closeup. I wanted red, and held out until I found one. The Imperial was Duncan's first plastic yo and with the Butterfly, the most famous. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

This is my 75th Anniversary Duncan Butterfly reissue. Another of the retro yos that Duncan brought out in '03, mine is in blue. The original Duncan Butterfly was first released in 1958 and the reversed halves made string catch tricks much simpler--ever try to do Double or Nothing with an Imperial? For the first ten years of production all Butterflies were wood. The first plastic models rolled off the line in '68. The Butterfly logo has changed a lot over the years. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

This is my late-'60s Duncan Butterfly. It is the classic red/white/yellow color scheme many will remember, this one with red and yellow side panels. I still have a scar on my forehead from trying the "Shoot the Moon" trick with one of these back in the day. This is a classic that no modern era collector is without. Here is the banana yellow back.

My circa 1970 Duncan Butterfly. This was the short lived "psychedelic" model with the Peter Marx-esque artwork for the logo. Here is a closeup of the logo. I stole this from Danny Partridge's bass case back in '71.

This is a modern version of a true classic; the Duncan Butterfly. I have had several solid color versions of these over the years, but when I saw this one in transparent orange, it reminded me of a Monarch Butterfly, so I bought it.

My 1960s Duncan Mardi Gras in pink with silver confetti. In very good condition, this is my most prized yo. The Mardi Gras yos were clear or translucent plastic with bits of colored plastic, glitter, stars, etc. molded into the halves. Each one is unique. Finding one with a good Mardi Gras logo is tough, but this one rocks. Most of the Mardi Gras yos have some voids from teh molding process, and this one has a few, but it is still rockin'. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My 1960s Duncan Gold Award. In near mint condition, this is one of my most prized yos. The combination of the transparent gold plastic with gold glitter and the great championship cup logo make this one a great yo. These were made from a very hard, heavy plastic back then that is so much better than the modern Duncan's it isn't funny. I picked this and a few others up online from a well known yo master out west, and some were even used by him at demos back in the day.

My 1960s Duncan Imperial in Emerald Green. All collectors and players know this yo. It's a real workhorse. Supposedly, it's the most yo-ed yo of all time. This is the best combination of color and logo design for the transparent Imps that I've owned. Back before Duncan took the "YO-YO" trademark off their products and sold it to National in the '70s.

Another one of my Duncan Imperials. This one is a mid-'70s solid color. White with a Hamm's Beer Bear on the back. Must have been a promotional item at one point. Not perfect, but it is a Duncan yo nonetheless ... and involves beer. Good combo in my opinion.

Yet another of my Duncan Imperials. This one is a green late-'70s with the "Original - World's #1" text under the logo. When they moved from the "Made in U.S.A." text I am not sure, but it must have been around '78. You can see that the Imperial name is in a different font than that of the '90s orange Imp below. And I like the older '60s fleur de lys logo better personally.

My mid-'90s Duncan Imperial in orange. This is the umpteenth one of these I've owned. Since they're so common, they are not really too collectible, unless you get an old one. But they are the best choice for a simple, well balanced metal axle yo.

A well loved '60s Glow Imperial that I picked up online. This is the original with the fluorescent orange text and small burst logo. I always thought that Duncan could have done much better with the logo design for the Glow, but they never did. The modern version is more attractive, but the Moose Power Glow 3000 logo rocks way harder.

How about three more '70s Duncan Imperials in the packages just to round out the Imp selection? Yellow, blue and red ... "Hey kiddies, collect them all!"

My mid-'70s Duncan Professional. This one is in deep blue transparent with clear side panels with the diamond logo and name under. I never was too enamored with the thin width of these, but it is one for the collection anyway.

My late-'70s Duncan World Class. A heavy, modified butterfly with rim weighted design. In near mint shape, this is a great yo and a wicked sleeper. Great for string mount tricks too. I really like these and wanted one for years. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My mid-'70s Duncan Special. This is the old style, heavy and hard plastic Special from the '60s and '70s. With a metal axle narrow string gap (!) and featuring the older Special logo that always reminded me of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Special is now a discontinued Duncan model, but this one is no looker. I picked it up for under a buck just to have one of this example. When I get a better one (which shouldn't be too hard) I'll give it a proper burial.

Another mid-'70s Duncan Special. This one is the red. Once I score a decent copy, this may just join the yellow one in the crypt.

My Duncan Midnight Special. This is essentially a black Imperial with silver foil lettering and a cool logo. I had one of these when I was a kid that is somewhere on the bottom of Rockland harbor. The string broke when I was doing a clover leaf and it shot out fifty feet or so from the dock I was standing on. Oh well, I got another one now and am not planning on yoing off docks any time soon.

A Duncan Neo in safety orange. Nothing special about these, just an Imperial shape in bright neon colors, but I had to have one for the collection. And at $2.50 how can I say no?

My 1965 Duncan Bo-Yo AMF Amflite bowling ball yo. This is the coolest collectible logo yo I own. It is a little yo-yo sized bowling ball that is a fully functional yo. Very cool and very cheaply purchased. Check out the back!

My 1984 D.H. Duncan Pro-Spin Olympian. This is a great historical yo. Donald F. Duncan Sales and Promotions released a line of yo-yos in 1984. Not a Playmaxx product, even though Don Duncan owned Playmaxx at the time. Since the release coincided with the '84 Los Angeles games, this model was named in their honor. A cool transparent turquoise color rim weighted with clear panels and a torch logo. A great collector's yo, it loops pretty nice too!

My BC Rainbow Yo. This is one of my favorite wooden yos. It is made with multiple thin laminations of maple, dyed different colors to achieve a rainbow effect. It has a beautiful finish as you can see, and it feels and loops super fine. I bought this one in Cali back in '97 and have gone through many strings with it. A modern day classic. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My BC Spit Fire. A center weighted yo that looks a bit like a flying saucer in profile. I like BC yos and wanted to add a center weighted yo to my collection, so I bought this one. It is nice, but nothing I use very much. The cool thing about the look is the white body has light blue on the edge of the rims. Pretty hip looking yo. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My BC Phantom in black with purple rims. I like wooden fixed axle yos and this was one of the coolest looking yos that was ever made. Simple design but great color combinations and a killer logo make this a fave. I also have them in purple with black rims and teal with purple rims. Here are the three Phantoms together. Ooooo, spooky! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My dead-mint Bunny Martin World Champion. This was the signature model for Yo-Yo Champion turned evangelist Bunny Martin. It is a one piece wooden yo-yos, stained and sealed with a nice clear coat finish. The natural wood grain is really pretty and the hot-stamp gold foil logo is beautifully done. The bunny on the front is super crisp and the signature on the back is really classy. Another "Made in Sweden" yo ... hmmm, I'll have to get more.

My mint 1987 Hummingbird Executive. These fine yos were made in NY state and they used exotic wood in the construction. This particular model was made for Brookstone and has a crossed Brookstone logo on the front. The back is a different wood and finished in a rich cherry stain. The company went out of business years ag, so these are starting to become collectible.

This is a Millennium 2000 yo that I got in '98. It is a high performance model similar to the "Brain" in that it uses centrifical force and brakes to make the yo return when the rpms go below a certain number. Not really good for many things other than the gadget factor. It is kind of neat looking with the clear rim and fluorescent green panels. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

This is a Challenger 2000 yo that I got in '99. Nothing really too interesting, but it loops well and I like the clear body with caribbean blue panels. Makes me think of yoing on a tropical island somewhere ...

This is my favorite modified butterfly yo; the Yomega Fireball Saber Wing. Great for catch on the string tricks and an excellent all-around performer. The clear body and rims with red panels looks great and the logo is good also. Yomega makes a good yo and this one is all the proof you need.

Another Yomega Fireball, this is the Glow model. As the name implies, it glows in the dark with a nice green color. It is a classic Imperial shape with a metal axle. Got to have a few glowing yos in the collection. Yomega yos were made in New England, so that is another good reason to collect them. I have got to get down to Fall River and take a tour this Spring, hmmmm ... good bike trip idea.

My Yomega Power Spin. I wanted to get a rim weighted yo to try, so I did a little research and bought this one is funky clear purple. After using it for a while, I decided I don't particularly care for rim weighted yos without side panels. They spin fantastically, don't get me wrong, but I like the classic shape and feel of the Imperial type myself. Interesting one for the collection though. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My Yomega High Perferormance. As the name implies, this is a high performance, transaxle yo with an o-ring brake. You can see the clutch mechanism from the back. It will sleep really well, but the control is a bit funky.

My Yomega Firestorm in clear and gold. Another great yo from Yomega. I like the shape, which is a nod towards the Russel raised panel design. Again, great colors and graphics make the yo a keeper. It also is a SICK looper! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

Another Yomega Firestorm in clear and metallic blue. Yomega's rock.

My mid-'90s Yomega Allstar in fire-engine red. I like classic design yos. I like Yomega yos. This was Yomega's classic design yo, a nod to the Duncan Imperial of days gone by. It has a great weight and is really well made. The logo is cool too, with the shooting stars. I like this yo a lot. Which, now that I think about it, isn't much of a statement as I could say that about every one that I own.

My Spintastics Terminator Torch. This yo rocks. Totally clear with two bright red LEDs in each panel. It is the coolest yo to work in the dark! Dig this picture! Centrifical switches turn the LEDs on when it spins, and off when it stops. You can see the mechanics of it on the back. I got this in '97 and have yet to replace the batteries. Love it! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.

My PsychoSpin Fireball. Another illuminating yo, but a vastly inferior design to the Torch above. Really heavy, poorly balanced and generally clunky. Good for non-yoers to try--that way I won't worry about them breaking my Torch!

My 1976 National Olympic in-what else-gold. National Yo-Yos was a Canadian manufacturer in business from 1968 to 1978. They bought the Duncan "YO-YO" logo in the '70s and it is used on this yo. This is a one piece wooden yo-yos painted in gold metallic with red foil logos and made in Sweden (exporter of great cars, super-models and fish). Very collectible, very pretty and a nice feeling yo too.

My National Winged-Warrior, black with blue panels. This is a butterfly style yo that is from the Great White North. It is a nice yo, feels and looks cool, and has a funky name and logo. All of that means it is good enough to be in the collection.

Here's a maple classic in transparent green. The maker is from Maine, but I can't remember the name of the company right now. It is a good old-fashioned wooden axle yo that has a nice feel and is in my favorite color. Nothing special, but one of my favorites anyway.

This is another gadget yo, my Pro-Spinner 1998. Same basic centrifical brake design as the Yomega, except not as well built. Good for letting non-yoers cheap a sleeper, and maybe for complicated string manipulation tricks, but not much else. Don't Shoot the Moon with this sucker!

A Klutz Rocket with hologram panels. Cool yo that feels good and looks great. I think that it is from the same company that did the Klutz juggling series, but I am not sure.

Here is a nice Ja-Ru Classic in chrome green that my good buddy Dave gave to me. It was a surprise gift, and surpisingly is a great yo! I think he got it for a buck at a discount store in the mall or something. Cool yo and I really like it, especially since it was a gift.

My OHTM logo yo. This was a sample that came to the museum and the gift shop manager gave it to me for testing it out. I found it to be a good beginner's yo and they still carry them I think. The finish is rough and the axle is too, so this one is double looped and not for sleeping.

My Harken logo yo. I like logo yos, but don't have very many yet. This one was given to me at the Miami International Boat Show in '96 by Peter Harken himself. They were giving them away at the huge Harken booth and their staff were standing around, trying to yo like somebody who never had tried it before (like not getting it to even return-bad). Peter came over to our booth and tossed it to me and said "Here you go Yo-Yo Man." He had no idea that I could yo at all and most likely was expecting the same bad stuff he was seeing at his booth. I actually had been practicing quite a bit at the time, so I made sure I had a good loose string, and then pulled off a combination Around the World and Cloverleaf as he watched in amazement. His only comment? "Want to come work for me?"

When you think logos, most people think Coke. So, what collection would be complete without a Coke Bottle Cap yo? It isn't perfect, but it was practically free, so I am not complaining. Here is the side. Funny, I don't even like Coke, I prefer Pepsi by far, and RC when I can find it.

A logo yo that I got in a box lot. It is a transparent body yo with orange side panels and the Taco Time logo. Funky. "What time is it kids?"

My HBO logo yo. This is my latest freebie logo yo acquisition. Darren from 3-Dimensions gave it to me at the Midcoast Builders Home and Garden Show and again, I wowed them with a few basic tricks like Rock the Baby, Around the World and Walk the Dog. Nothing special, but it is a yo, and that is good enough for me!

My YoPak yo holster. Don't laugh, I have a permit to carry and I know how to use these things!

Some of my yo ephemera. This is a modern Duncan yo trick book that came with certain yos in the early '90s. I don't think they ship with this anymore. I would love to get some more old yo printed material, but it has already started fetching stupid money on the net. Oh well, I should have saved all that packaging I ripped up and tossed back in the day!

Here is the retro package art of the 75th Anniversary Butterfly models are shipped on. I have the same for my Jeweled Pro and my Tournament Pro. They are cool items for the collection.

Another shot, this time of the entire package card of my 75th Anniversary Imnperial. It is interesting that they show the fleur de lys in the artwork, which would soon become the Imp's logo perminently as the chevron was replaced. I like the '60s fleur de lys logo personally.

Back to YO!

	Here are some of my yos. I will add pictures and descriptions of more as time allows. Enjoy yourself and for god sakes, if you have any yos you are getting rid of ... let me know!
	My oldest yo, and it is in spectacular shape! A 1950s Whirl King in red and blue. Whirl King was a non-promoted brand from that era and was distributed by the Fli-Back company, also of NC. It has the large crown on the gold stamped logo. The back is blue and has a ten cent price stamp on it. I got this yo for $1 on ebay and I am sure that it was due to the person who listed it not knowing how to describe it properly. The auction info read "Old wood yo-yo, red and blue. No string." They made no mention of the brand, and the picture was of the back, not the front with the logo! I emailed them for more details and that is when they said it was a big crown Whirl King. I bid. I won. I happy.
	This is my 75th Anniversary Duncan Jeweled Tournament Classic. They did a limited run of 25,000 of these reproductions and stamped a serial number under the four stones on the back. Mine is # 02140. This Duncan reissue is a sweet version of one of their most classic and sought after designs and this was one that I always wanted. Black with four jewels and gold foil lettering on the front, four jewels and serial number on the back. Originally only given to tournament contestants as a prize, the early models are few and far between. Duncan eventually started selling them as their top of the line yo in the mid-'50s. I am sick for jeweled yos. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	This is my 75th Anniversary Super Tournament reissue. I love the classic solid color with fade stripe graphics of this yo. Originals from the '50s are bringing triple digit sums, but this reissue is ok with me for the $5.95 it cost. I wanted green or blue, so I am happy with the color. The quality of the finish is not that great though, they didn't seal the grain before painting, which makes it look a little porous. But even still, I have one now. The reproductions are even made from one piece of wood, just like the originals. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	This is my 75th Anniversary Imperial reissue in transparent red. This was the original logo, inspired by the Chrysler Imperial belonging to a Duncan management member of the mid-'50s. Here is the logo in closeup. I wanted red, and held out until I found one. The Imperial was Duncan's first plastic yo and with the Butterfly, the most famous. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	This is my 75th Anniversary Duncan Butterfly reissue. Another of the retro yos that Duncan brought out in '03, mine is in blue. The original Duncan Butterfly was first released in 1958 and the reversed halves made string catch tricks much simpler--ever try to do Double or Nothing with an Imperial? For the first ten years of production all Butterflies were wood. The first plastic models rolled off the line in '68. The Butterfly logo has changed a lot over the years. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	This is my late-'60s Duncan Butterfly. It is the classic red/white/yellow color scheme many will remember, this one with red and yellow side panels. I still have a scar on my forehead from trying the "Shoot the Moon" trick with one of these back in the day. This is a classic that no modern era collector is without. Here is the banana yellow back.
	My circa 1970 Duncan Butterfly. This was the short lived "psychedelic" model with the Peter Marx-esque artwork for the logo. Here is a closeup of the logo. I stole this from Danny Partridge's bass case back in '71.
	This is a modern version of a true classic; the Duncan Butterfly. I have had several solid color versions of these over the years, but when I saw this one in transparent orange, it reminded me of a Monarch Butterfly, so I bought it.
	My 1960s Duncan Mardi Gras in pink with silver confetti. In very good condition, this is my most prized yo. The Mardi Gras yos were clear or translucent plastic with bits of colored plastic, glitter, stars, etc. molded into the halves. Each one is unique. Finding one with a good Mardi Gras logo is tough, but this one rocks. Most of the Mardi Gras yos have some voids from teh molding process, and this one has a few, but it is still rockin'. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My 1960s Duncan Gold Award. In near mint condition, this is one of my most prized yos. The combination of the transparent gold plastic with gold glitter and the great championship cup logo make this one a great yo. These were made from a very hard, heavy plastic back then that is so much better than the modern Duncan's it isn't funny. I picked this and a few others up online from a well known yo master out west, and some were even used by him at demos back in the day.
	My 1960s Duncan Imperial in Emerald Green. All collectors and players know this yo. It's a real workhorse. Supposedly, it's the most yo-ed yo of all time. This is the best combination of color and logo design for the transparent Imps that I've owned. Back before Duncan took the "YO-YO" trademark off their products and sold it to National in the '70s.
	Another one of my Duncan Imperials. This one is a mid-'70s solid color. White with a Hamm's Beer Bear on the back. Must have been a promotional item at one point. Not perfect, but it is a Duncan yo nonetheless ... and involves beer. Good combo in my opinion.
	Yet another of my Duncan Imperials. This one is a green late-'70s with the "Original - World's #1" text under the logo. When they moved from the "Made in U.S.A." text I am not sure, but it must have been around '78. You can see that the Imperial name is in a different font than that of the '90s orange Imp below. And I like the older '60s fleur de lys logo better personally.
	My mid-'90s Duncan Imperial in orange. This is the umpteenth one of these I've owned. Since they're so common, they are not really too collectible, unless you get an old one. But they are the best choice for a simple, well balanced metal axle yo.
	A well loved '60s Glow Imperial that I picked up online. This is the original with the fluorescent orange text and small burst logo. I always thought that Duncan could have done much better with the logo design for the Glow, but they never did. The modern version is more attractive, but the Moose Power Glow 3000 logo rocks way harder.
	How about three more '70s Duncan Imperials in the packages just to round out the Imp selection? Yellow, blue and red ... "Hey kiddies, collect them all!"
	My mid-'70s Duncan Professional. This one is in deep blue transparent with clear side panels with the diamond logo and name under. I never was too enamored with the thin width of these, but it is one for the collection anyway.
	My late-'70s Duncan World Class. A heavy, modified butterfly with rim weighted design. In near mint shape, this is a great yo and a wicked sleeper. Great for string mount tricks too. I really like these and wanted one for years. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My mid-'70s Duncan Special. This is the old style, heavy and hard plastic Special from the '60s and '70s. With a metal axle narrow string gap (!) and featuring the older Special logo that always reminded me of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Special is now a discontinued Duncan model, but this one is no looker. I picked it up for under a buck just to have one of this example. When I get a better one (which shouldn't be too hard) I'll give it a proper burial.
	Another mid-'70s Duncan Special. This one is the red. Once I score a decent copy, this may just join the yellow one in the crypt.
	My Duncan Midnight Special. This is essentially a black Imperial with silver foil lettering and a cool logo. I had one of these when I was a kid that is somewhere on the bottom of Rockland harbor. The string broke when I was doing a clover leaf and it shot out fifty feet or so from the dock I was standing on. Oh well, I got another one now and am not planning on yoing off docks any time soon.
	A Duncan Neo in safety orange. Nothing special about these, just an Imperial shape in bright neon colors, but I had to have one for the collection. And at $2.50 how can I say no?
	My 1965 Duncan Bo-Yo AMF Amflite bowling ball yo. This is the coolest collectible logo yo I own. It is a little yo-yo sized bowling ball that is a fully functional yo. Very cool and very cheaply purchased. Check out the back!
	My 1984 D.H. Duncan Pro-Spin Olympian. This is a great historical yo. Donald F. Duncan Sales and Promotions released a line of yo-yos in 1984. Not a Playmaxx product, even though Don Duncan owned Playmaxx at the time. Since the release coincided with the '84 Los Angeles games, this model was named in their honor. A cool transparent turquoise color rim weighted with clear panels and a torch logo. A great collector's yo, it loops pretty nice too!
	My BC Rainbow Yo. This is one of my favorite wooden yos. It is made with multiple thin laminations of maple, dyed different colors to achieve a rainbow effect. It has a beautiful finish as you can see, and it feels and loops super fine. I bought this one in Cali back in '97 and have gone through many strings with it. A modern day classic. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My BC Spit Fire. A center weighted yo that looks a bit like a flying saucer in profile. I like BC yos and wanted to add a center weighted yo to my collection, so I bought this one. It is nice, but nothing I use very much. The cool thing about the look is the white body has light blue on the edge of the rims. Pretty hip looking yo. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My BC Phantom in black with purple rims. I like wooden fixed axle yos and this was one of the coolest looking yos that was ever made. Simple design but great color combinations and a killer logo make this a fave. I also have them in purple with black rims and teal with purple rims. Here are the three Phantoms together. Ooooo, spooky! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My dead-mint Bunny Martin World Champion. This was the signature model for Yo-Yo Champion turned evangelist Bunny Martin. It is a one piece wooden yo-yos, stained and sealed with a nice clear coat finish. The natural wood grain is really pretty and the hot-stamp gold foil logo is beautifully done. The bunny on the front is super crisp and the signature on the back is really classy. Another "Made in Sweden" yo ... hmmm, I'll have to get more.
	My mint 1987 Hummingbird Executive. These fine yos were made in NY state and they used exotic wood in the construction. This particular model was made for Brookstone and has a crossed Brookstone logo on the front. The back is a different wood and finished in a rich cherry stain. The company went out of business years ag, so these are starting to become collectible.
	This is a Millennium 2000 yo that I got in '98. It is a high performance model similar to the "Brain" in that it uses centrifical force and brakes to make the yo return when the rpms go below a certain number. Not really good for many things other than the gadget factor. It is kind of neat looking with the clear rim and fluorescent green panels. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	This is a Challenger 2000 yo that I got in '99. Nothing really too interesting, but it loops well and I like the clear body with caribbean blue panels. Makes me think of yoing on a tropical island somewhere ...
	This is my favorite modified butterfly yo; the Yomega Fireball Saber Wing. Great for catch on the string tricks and an excellent all-around performer. The clear body and rims with red panels looks great and the logo is good also. Yomega makes a good yo and this one is all the proof you need.
	Another Yomega Fireball, this is the Glow model. As the name implies, it glows in the dark with a nice green color. It is a classic Imperial shape with a metal axle. Got to have a few glowing yos in the collection. Yomega yos were made in New England, so that is another good reason to collect them. I have got to get down to Fall River and take a tour this Spring, hmmmm ... good bike trip idea.
	My Yomega Power Spin. I wanted to get a rim weighted yo to try, so I did a little research and bought this one is funky clear purple. After using it for a while, I decided I don't particularly care for rim weighted yos without side panels. They spin fantastically, don't get me wrong, but I like the classic shape and feel of the Imperial type myself. Interesting one for the collection though. This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My Yomega High Perferormance. As the name implies, this is a high performance, transaxle yo with an o-ring brake. You can see the clutch mechanism from the back. It will sleep really well, but the control is a bit funky.
	My Yomega Firestorm in clear and gold. Another great yo from Yomega. I like the shape, which is a nod towards the Russel raised panel design. Again, great colors and graphics make the yo a keeper. It also is a SICK looper! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	Another Yomega Firestorm in clear and metallic blue. Yomega's rock.
	My mid-'90s Yomega Allstar in fire-engine red. I like classic design yos. I like Yomega yos. This was Yomega's classic design yo, a nod to the Duncan Imperial of days gone by. It has a great weight and is really well made. The logo is cool too, with the shooting stars. I like this yo a lot. Which, now that I think about it, isn't much of a statement as I could say that about every one that I own.
	My Spintastics Terminator Torch. This yo rocks. Totally clear with two bright red LEDs in each panel. It is the coolest yo to work in the dark! Dig this picture! Centrifical switches turn the LEDs on when it spins, and off when it stops. You can see the mechanics of it on the back. I got this in '97 and have yet to replace the batteries. Love it! This yo started on my Yos to Get list, and has now moved to this list.
	My PsychoSpin Fireball. Another illuminating yo, but a vastly inferior design to the Torch above. Really heavy, poorly balanced and generally clunky. Good for non-yoers to try--that way I won't worry about them breaking my Torch!
	My 1976 National Olympic in-what else-gold. National Yo-Yos was a Canadian manufacturer in business from 1968 to 1978. They bought the Duncan "YO-YO" logo in the '70s and it is used on this yo. This is a one piece wooden yo-yos painted in gold metallic with red foil logos and made in Sweden (exporter of great cars, super-models and fish). Very collectible, very pretty and a nice feeling yo too.
	My National Winged-Warrior, black with blue panels. This is a butterfly style yo that is from the Great White North. It is a nice yo, feels and looks cool, and has a funky name and logo. All of that means it is good enough to be in the collection.
	Here's a maple classic in transparent green. The maker is from Maine, but I can't remember the name of the company right now. It is a good old-fashioned wooden axle yo that has a nice feel and is in my favorite color. Nothing special, but one of my favorites anyway.
	This is another gadget yo, my Pro-Spinner 1998. Same basic centrifical brake design as the Yomega, except not as well built. Good for letting non-yoers cheap a sleeper, and maybe for complicated string manipulation tricks, but not much else. Don't Shoot the Moon with this sucker!
	A Klutz Rocket with hologram panels. Cool yo that feels good and looks great. I think that it is from the same company that did the Klutz juggling series, but I am not sure.
	Here is a nice Ja-Ru Classic in chrome green that my good buddy Dave gave to me. It was a surprise gift, and surpisingly is a great yo! I think he got it for a buck at a discount store in the mall or something. Cool yo and I really like it, especially since it was a gift.
	My OHTM logo yo. This was a sample that came to the museum and the gift shop manager gave it to me for testing it out. I found it to be a good beginner's yo and they still carry them I think. The finish is rough and the axle is too, so this one is double looped and not for sleeping.
	My Harken logo yo. I like logo yos, but don't have very many yet. This one was given to me at the Miami International Boat Show in '96 by Peter Harken himself. They were giving them away at the huge Harken booth and their staff were standing around, trying to yo like somebody who never had tried it before (like not getting it to even return-bad). Peter came over to our booth and tossed it to me and said "Here you go Yo-Yo Man." He had no idea that I could yo at all and most likely was expecting the same bad stuff he was seeing at his booth. I actually had been practicing quite a bit at the time, so I made sure I had a good loose string, and then pulled off a combination Around the World and Cloverleaf as he watched in amazement. His only comment? "Want to come work for me?"
	When you think logos, most people think Coke. So, what collection would be complete without a Coke Bottle Cap yo? It isn't perfect, but it was practically free, so I am not complaining. Here is the side. Funny, I don't even like Coke, I prefer Pepsi by far, and RC when I can find it.
	A logo yo that I got in a box lot. It is a transparent body yo with orange side panels and the Taco Time logo. Funky. "What time is it kids?"
	My HBO logo yo. This is my latest freebie logo yo acquisition. Darren from 3-Dimensions gave it to me at the Midcoast Builders Home and Garden Show and again, I wowed them with a few basic tricks like Rock the Baby, Around the World and Walk the Dog. Nothing special, but it is a yo, and that is good enough for me!
	My YoPak yo holster. Don't laugh, I have a permit to carry and I know how to use these things!
	Some of my yo ephemera. This is a modern Duncan yo trick book that came with certain yos in the early '90s. I don't think they ship with this anymore. I would love to get some more old yo printed material, but it has already started fetching stupid money on the net. Oh well, I should have saved all that packaging I ripped up and tossed back in the day!
	Here is the retro package art of the 75th Anniversary Butterfly models are shipped on. I have the same for my Jeweled Pro and my Tournament Pro. They are cool items for the collection.
	Another shot, this time of the entire package card of my 75th Anniversary Imnperial. It is interesting that they show the fleur de lys in the artwork, which would soon become the Imp's logo perminently as the chevron was replaced. I like the '60s fleur de lys logo personally.