San Francisco Tin Tambourine

Submitted by Michael Ely November 19th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner
Back in 1974, my partner and I drove from L.A. to visit San Francisco for a few days. We had a wonderful and magical time, and I wanted to buy a souvenir to remember our trip. With so many souvenirs to pick from, truth is I don’t remember exactly why I bought this little tin tambourine, but I did. The tambourine is six and a half inches across and is very colorful with great graphics showing the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, the Cliff House, Coit Tower, Fisherman’s Warf and a cable car. It has a copyright marked ‘Clements 1974,’ also signed by the artist (M. Moore). Gosh, I was just 21 years old back in 1974, full of life with so many adventures ahead of me. Now I’m an old fart….but I can still play a mean tambourine!

6 Responses to “San Francisco Tin Tambourine”

  1. Allee Willis

    Excellent tin tambourine. I collect all sorts of tambourines, including tin ones that aren’t usually in a real musicians percussion kit. I love the illustrations on them and love the garbagey jingling sound.

    Is this the regular size tin tambourine, about 9 inches across, or smaller? It looks like it could be a mini six-inch one.

    • Michael Ely

      It’s the mini six and a half inch size, more of a toy tambourine than a real musician’s tambourine. However, it has a great sound.

  2. k2dtw

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUbis5YDesg

    Great Post…Beautiful and artist signed!!
    LOVE SFO.. I immediately thought SFO and Green Tambourine, from the Lemon Pipers. I always assumed they were a SFO based band… I just read they’re from Ohio???….LOL
    Google says Green Tambourine came out in late 1967, hitting #1 on the Billboard charts in 1968. Trust me, I was probably still humming it in 1974….smile..
    I went to work for a airline in 1969, when you completed training, they gave you a Familiarization Pass. We couldn’t wait to use my “Fam Pass” to SFO, the 1967 Summer of Love was still a very vivid memory. We fell in love with the city, and went back every chance. Can’t remember what we saved as a souvenir, probably our hotel reciept….yikes.. It was a great time…

    • Michael Ely

      Funny, I thought about the song ‘Green Tambourine’ while I was posting. Great song. 1967, the summer of love, I remember it well! Those were the days!

  3. BRBill

    Now this i like. I’ve got some tambourines from the Zulu Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans i’ll have to post. They sound surprisingly good for plastic as i’m sure this one does. Gotta love cheap percussion devices.