November 27, 1999
Greetings Accumulators!
We've had a full week of fog in The Soggy Apple, although it's been quite
warm. Great for the skin, terrible for the hair.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF IT'S TIME FOR ALL THIS NONSENSE TO STOP
A group of Florida teenagers allegedly beat up an eleven year old boy and
stole 30 Pokemon cards he was carrying. Another Florida 13 year old has
been charged with breaking into a neighbor's house and stealing more than
400 of the cards. A firefighter has been acccused of shooting at a neighbor
during a dispute over Pokemon cards. A young boy in Polk County, Florida
was expelled from school for fighting with his seventh grade teacher over
his Pokemon cards. Two eighth graders in Los Angeles have been charged in
the theft of Pokemon cards. A Canadian 14 year old boy was stabbed in the
shoulder during a dispute over Pokemon cards. And in New York, a 13 year
old boy was stabbed in the leg during a dispute over Pokemon cards - by a
nine year old. Are we all discerning a rather disturbing pattern here?
This is sick, and if we let it go on like this, it'll mean we're all sick.
How many parents would allow their eleven year old boy to leave the house
with thousands of dollars in cash in his pocket? The one robbed by the
teenagers in Florida had thirty cards in his pocket, each valued at between
$45 and $250. It's time to send Pokemon back to Japan.
WORLD'S SILLIEST MOVIE MERCHANDISING IDEA DEPARTMENT
Last Friday, the new Tim Burton flick, "Sleepy Hollow", starring Johnny
Depp, opened nationwide. Fans can now get a limited edition collectible at
the film's website at Sleepy Hollow. It's a Headless
Horseman costume, created and custom-made by the film's costume designer.
Production is limited to fifty costumes so, if you think of yourself as
vertically challenged, rush over there and order one. It's sure to give
people the impression that you're actually much taller than you really are.
THANGYAVURRYMUCH
Colonel Tom Parker, notoriously tireless promoter of Elvis Presley (why
stop just because some people think Elvis is dead?), had the largest known
collection of first edition Elvis movie posters in the world. The 33
posters were slated to go on display at the GMBid showroom in Beverly
Hills, and the organizers were holding an Elvis impersonator contest in
connection with the exhibit. The contest was open to kids up to the age of
14. But, and this will sound familiar I'm sure, if you live in - well,
anywhere, construction delays have forced the organizers to postpone both
the opening of the exhibit and the contest. The contest will now be held
on January 8th, which is the King's birthday. First prize: a $10,000 bond.
OPPORTUNISTIC PARENT FOUND THAT BIDDERS *DREW* THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS
Celebrities and those connected to them have apparently been led to
believe, by the results of past auctions, that bidders will clamor for any
little thing they have touched, worn, sat upon, etc. Drew Barrymore's mom
was rudely awakened last week when her ten day online auction of such items
as Drew's baby clothes and the cowboy hat she wore in "ET" didn't even draw
minimum bids. Barrymore's mother, Jaid, said she "wanted to share some
magic with Drew's fans", so she listed the items on Gavelnet.com. The baby
clothes carried a minimum bid of $425, and the cowboy hat had a minimum of
- get this - $45,900. Guess Drew's fans didn't want to share.
INSIDIOUS RETAIL TREND?
Last week, the owner of the St. Louis Galleria mall told the mall's
merchants that they are not permitted to display any advertising that
directs customers to their websites, or promotes any shopping via the
Internet. The major tenants, Bombay Company, Athlete's Foot and Banana
Republic have so far not complied with the order, and one tenant, Right
Start is threatening to sue. Mark Zorensky, president of Hycel Partners,
the mall's owner, told the Wall Street Journal, "We recognize that there's
no way to stop the Internet, but what we're trying to stop is the retailer
blatantly redirecting sales from the mall to their Web page." Heaven
forbid Mr. Zorensky should consider anything as drastic as competing!
Accumulators, I'm headed back to Virginia Beach tomorrow, to do the next
week on "Treasures In Your Home". I hope you'll be watching - it's a
terrific show! Have a great week. Stay warm, Find great stuff. Happy Hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 1999 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #107
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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