It’s Nearly as Impressive as Having Yacht, but Cheaper

If you carry the keys to your Pinto on a Rolls Royce key ring, tote your gym clothes in a Qantas airline bag (even though you’ve never been farther from home than Azusa) or “age” generic-brand Scotch by pouring it into an empty Chivas Regal bottle, Militaria of Tustin is the place for you.

Militaria, a mail-order house specializing in yachting regalia for professional mariners and serious yachtsmen, offers the opportunity to look as though you have a luxury yacht without the bother and expense of actually owning one.

The firm is displaying a line of caps at the Boat Show (now at the Los Angeles Convention Center through Feb. 10) that are guaranteed to impress others.

If you want the look of a big-time sports fisherman, there’s Astronaut, a baseball-type cap with lots of gold braid on the bill for $7.95. If you want to look like you own a yacht--but one that’s not too expensive--there’s the Lieutenant model, a high-quality naval officer’s-type cap with a fancy nautical badge on the front and a plain black visor, priced at $48.75. For those who really want to impress, there’s the Commander, a senior officer-type cap with badge, gold chin strap and lots of “scrambled eggs” braid on the visor, priced at $68.75. At the top of the line is the Admiral, which sells for $84.95 and offers custom-designed visor decoration.

For another $14.95 to $29.95, you can play any seafaring role you choose by ordering a special badge to adorn you cap. The badges, hand embroidered in heavy metallic thread, range from Coast Guard Auxiliary and authentic steamship company designs to British, French and Swedish commissioned officer’s insignia and even those of the World War II German Imperial Navy.

BUMPER UNSTICKERS

If you’re one of those fickle people who spent the day after the election scraping a “Mondale for President” bumper sticker off your car or removing a Miami Dolphins bumper sticker after the final gun sounded for Super Bowl XIX, Transnational Enterprises of Artesia has just the thing for you.

No, it’s not a miracle solvent that takes the gummy residue off the bumper, it’s a new concept in bumper stickers that allows them to be easily removed or even transferred to another car, a metal desk or even your locker at the athletic club.

Called Magnasign, the colorful bumper stickers are made of a flexible material with magnetic properties that hold them firmly on metal without the tackiness of glue.

Magnasign is a creation of Richard and Stephen Miller, two entrepreneurs who introduced the bumper stickers to the retail market in December. The first three entries were salad-plate sized logos of the Los Angeles Raiders, the San Francisco Forty Niners and the Miami Dolphins, under license of the National Football League. The pair plan a full line of pro football logos and are negotiating with other professional sports leagues and universities to market their logos.

The Magnasigns, which retail for $7.50 to $10, are available at many department stores, gift shops, sporting goods stores and auto parts stores.