By Linda Goldston lgoldston@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/04/2011 01:56:34 PM PST
Updated: 03/04/2011 01:56:34 PM PST
Jasen Martinez likes that feeling you get when you’re a kid and you get a new toy: “It’s like the greatest toy ever.”
He likes that feeling so much that he’s amassed a collection of thousands of toys and gets to relive the nostalgia of his youth all the time. He traces his passion for collecting them back to one memorable day when he was 9.
It was his birthday and his aunt in Hawaii sent him a huge box, three feet high and packed full with something he’d never seen before — Japanese robots and monsters.
“I already liked Frakenstein and monster movies about Godzilla, but these toys opened up a whole new world.” said the 44-year-old Campbell resident.
He started watching Japanese cartoons. He started collecting more toys. He majored in Japanese language in college and when he could afford it, he made eight trips to Japan, where he added to his collection and made friends among collectors.
Now he’s seeing signs of that collection fever in his son, Cameron Nelson, who’s 9.
“He’ll say, ‘I’m going to save the packaging for this one,”’ Martinez said.
His wife, Amy, is tolerant of his passion and serves as “my voice of reason: do you really need that?”
Martinez, who is a project manager in creative services at the video game company Ubisoft in San Francisco, has managed to confine his collection to the garage and shows off his favorites in eight neatly arranged glass display cases. They include model kits from Aurora for Frankenstein and Creature from the Black Lagoon.
For the Frankenstein kit, he has one he assembled and one unbuilt kit, which he treasures. He also has a Marx tin haunted house.
“It has little keys you push that make noise,” he said. “I always wanted one as a kid but wasn’t able to get it until I was an adult.”
His toy collection also has brought out the artist in Martinez. He will sculpt some of them and made a bust of Frankenstein.
“Some people pack their stuff in boxes and put them away,” he said. “I like to have them accessible. It’s like a very expensive photo album. You pick some thing up and remember when you were a kid.”
One of Martinez’s favorite days of the year is the San Jose Super Toy, Comic and Collectible Show, which will be held Saturday at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.
He has a friend flying in from Japan to attend the show and buy toys to send back to his toy store in Japan.
Sponsored by Time Tunnel Toys in San Jose, the show will feature more than 240 tables of vintage to modern toys and collectibles and will be packed with a crowd that is overwhelming male, Martinez said.
The early bird hours for the show, when the pickings are best, are 9 a.m. to 10:59 a.m. Early bird admission is $15. General admission is $5 and runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for children under 12 is $2.50.
“I like being able to go there and buy something in person, as opposed to ordering something on line,” Martinez said. “You can go there looking for one thing and find something different and fall in love with it.”
Then he gets that feeling: “it’ like the greatest toy ever.”
Double Punch Gallery is proud to announce our March exhibition! There Is No telling will feature new works and installation from Erik Otto (SF), John Casey (OAKLAND), Parskid (SEATTLE), Justin Lovato (BERKELEY), and Jon Vermilyea (LA). Erik, John, Pars, and Justin will all be here for this one! More details very soon. Show opens Saturday March 26th!
Police are investigating the death of Lyn Magnuson, whose body was found at his North Beach jewelry store Tuesday night. (http://lynmagnuson.com/)
A transient woman and a San Francisco man have been arrested connection with the burglary and murder North Beach jewelry store owner.
Police found the body of Lyn Magnuson during a well-being check at his store at Mason and Lombard streets Tuesday night. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound, Interim police Chief Jeff Godown said Wednesday. Magnuson lived and worked on the property, according to his web site.
Neighbors became concerned about Magnuson after he stopped appearing in the neighborhood. He often walked his dog, a German Shepherd, neighbor Roger Foster said. He was in his late 70s and lived alone, Foster added.
On Wednesday, San Francisco police confirmed the arrest of two suspects in the case.
Tanya Rains, 58, a transient woman, was arrested on suspicion of murder and burglary Wednesday. Officer Eric Chaing said that evidence was found linking her to the scene.
Edward Hawk, 31, of San Francisco was also arrested on suspicion of burglary. He is not facing murder charges, Chaing said.
It is unknown if the two worked together.
Foster said Magnuson was very friendly with transients in the neighborhood. The transients would often go to his store to ask for hand outs.
“He was a potential victim for anyone who wanted to come in and strong-arm him,” Foster said. “That seems to be what happened.”
Foster said he last spoke to Magnuson about two weeks ago. It was unclear how long he’d been dead before cops found him Tuesday.
Magnuson had only recently come out of retirement to open the jewelry shop just before the holidays, Foster said. He was very friendly and kind, he said. People in the neighborhood knew him well.
Foster said investigators at the scene said jewelry may have been missing and that a jewelry box was found in a sports complex across the street located behind San Francisco’s North Beach public library branch.
About two weeks ago, Foster asked Magnuson how his business was doing. It did not seem to be doing well due to the economy and newness of the business, Foster said. About 10 days ago, Magnuson began opening his shop on a part-time basis, Foster said.
The shades to his business were drawn while the store was closed, which meant no one could see his body in the shop, Foster said.
Foster became suspicious when Magnuson did not answer the store’s bell when a pair of customers dropped by to see him.
According to his website, Magnuson had more than 40 years of experience designing jewelry. For more than 20 years, he was a street artist who sold his jewelry on Fisherman’s Wharf, he said.
“The store was my last step in my goal to become a master goldsmith,” Magnuson wrote on the web site. “I want to thank all of you people who helped me in my struggle to survive as an artist by buying my jewelry. I’m forever grateful. Thank you, Lyn.”
There is not a lot of coverage of this in the news today. We drove by Lyn Magnuson’s shop and saw all the police there last night. Hopefully SFPD will update the public with more tonight. Two posts below and bottom one is the latest info.
The elderly man found dead inside a North Beach jewelry store Tuesday night was the store’s owner and he may have been robbed, a neighbor who knew him well said Wednesday morning.
The police found the body of Lyn Magnuson during a well-being check at his store at Mason and Lombard streets Tuesday night. The victim had suffered a gunshot wound, Interim police Chief Jeff Godown said Wednesday.
Magnuson lived and worked on the property, according to his web site.
Neighbors became concerned about Magnuson after he stopped appearing in the neighborhood. He often walked his dog, a German Shepherd, neighbor Roger Foster said. He was in his late 70s and lived alone, Foster added.
Foster last spoke to Magnuson about two weeks ago, he said. It was unclear how long he’d been dead before cops found him Tuesday.
Magnuson had only recently come out of retirement to open the jewelry shop just before the holidays, Foster said. He was very friendly and kind, he said. People in the neighborhood knew him well.
Magnuson was very friendly with transients in the neighborhood, as well, Foster said. The transients would often go to his store to ask for hand outs.
“He was a potential victim for anyone who wanted to come in and strong-arm him,” Foster said. “That seems to be what happened.”
Police were tight-lipped about the investigation early Wednesday morning. Foster said investigators at the scene said jewelry may have been missing and that a jewelry box was found in a sports complex across the street located behind San Francisco’s North Beach public library branch.
About two weeks ago, Foster asked Magnuson how his business was doing. It did not seem to be doing well due to the economy and newness of the business, Foster said. About 10 days ago, Magnuson began opening his shop on a part-time basis, Foster said.
The shades to his business were drawn while the store was closed, which meant no one could see his body in the shop, Foster said.
Foster became suspicious when Magnuson did not answer the store’s bell when a pair of customers dropped by to see him.
According to his website, Magnuson had more than 40 years of experience designing jewelry. For more than 20 years, he was a street artist who sold his jewelry on Fisherman’s Wharf, he said.
“The store was my last step in my goal to become a master goldsmith,” Magnuson wrote on the web site. “I want to thank all of you people who helped me in my struggle to survive as an artist by buying my jewelry. I’m forever grateful. Thank you, Lyn.”
maldax@sfexaminer.com
UPDATE: Possible homicide in North Beach. A man is dead at the Lyn Magnuson jewelry store at 2100 Mason St. Police Chief Jeff Godown tells me it was a gunshot wound. Officers were conducting a welfare check and discovered his body in the residence beyond the front display area. Police are still not sure who killed him or why.
