Stem Sells!

 We'll start with the stem to end all stems.  Some call it the "error" stem because Tennessee is misspelled, but that has nothing to do with why it is so special.  The fact that there are only 2 known to exist (Dora Dwyer's blue beauty here, and a green one.) is why this is the most sought after stem in the Peziverse!

 Pez actually offered regulars that could be embossed with your message.  "Ad Regulars" can sell for a lot of money, depending on which ad is printed on them.

 Sparefroh is supposed to have a coin on his stem, though many Sparefrohs have lost theirs over the years.  There are two different inscriptions available on the coin, one being more valuable than the other.  Other interesting note:  Who was the first dispenser with a character head on top?  That's right, this guy!

 This is called a dual-IMC stem.  They are only found on 3.4 Made in Austria stems.  The second smaller number is called the cavity number.  In each dispenser mold, there are 8 cavities, numbered 1 through 8.  So you should be able to find this stem numbered 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, etc.

 For a little while (1977 - 1980) Pez dispensers were actually made here in the USA by  Reddy Plastics of Vermont.  These stems are very sought after and generally improve the value of any dispenser.  The softhead Heroes and Eerie Spectres series are highly collectable and both come exclusively on USA stems.

 The Psychedelic series offered up a sticker-decorated stem.  There were four different stickers available and applied to a flat side of a stem.  The flesh handed Psychedelic Eye was available in a one sticker and two sticker stem, the black Psychedelic Eye and the Psychedelic Flower was only offered in the one sticker version.

 Pez loves putting Witches on the stems.  Before they put heads on top of the stems, they embossed the wicked lady on the side (picture on right).  Later, when they put the Witch A (pictured on left) and Witch B out, they molded her on the stem.  Kinda like when I wear the t-shirt with my picture on it.  Fun fact: No one knows for sure which dispenser came out in the US first with a head, but one of the suspects is the Witch A.

 This is a Duropal stem.  As far as I know, they are all 3.9 Made in Austria.  They are very translucent, and just an amazing looking stem.  Unfortunately, they are also quite fragile, which is probably why they didn't make them long.

 Here is another oddity.  Technically, they didn't start putting feet on dispensers until the 3.9 patents came out.  But the plate that has the patent number didn't get changed out and a few of these (and some 2.6's as well) managed to be made.  The 3.4 tends to show up on Sylvesters and the 2.6 on Penguin MMM's and Droopys, but not always.  Another interesting note: these are also spineless, where almost all footed dispensers have a spine.

 Where the dispenser is made can make a huge difference in value.  Brazil stems, like this one, almost always bring big bucks!  Mexico, Spain, Germany and USA stems are always in demand, and if you can luck into a regular that was made in Italy, you have found something super special.

 Sometimes the fact that it doesn't say anything at all also makes it special, like this no country, no patent Mickey.

 Another valuable stem variation is the 2.6 double half flower.  These two little half flowers can really up the value of a dispenser and should only show up on a 2.6 Made in Yugoslavia stem.  It is also the only stem with a roman numeral (V for the number 5) as an IMC.  There are also single full flower and double full flower stem variations that bring big $$$, but only show up on Box Patent Regulars.

 Another fun stem is the Die-cuts.  The design is cut out of the side, and the color of the design (such as the red in this Bozo) is the color of the inner sleeve.  Most Die-cut stemmed dispensers bring more $$$ than their plainer counterparts, with the exception of Bozo, who is much easier to find in the Die-cut version.  Other dispensers available in Die-cut stems are Casper, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Easter Bunny, and there is a very rare Regular with a Die-cut Comet.