March 10, 2000
Greetings Accumulators!
"The best laid plans of mice and men...." yada, yada, yada. I think it's
all straightened out this time.
It seems the worst of winter may be over in The Big Apple. Temperatures
have been balmy (for March, anyway) and it's not getting dark in the middle
of the afternoon anymore. Having spent a good part of the winter traveling
on behalf of "Treasures In Your Home", I realize that lots of other cities
had tough winters this year, too, so everyone relax - we all made it
through another one!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDHOOD ICONS WITH UNFORTUNATE NAMES
NBC has decided to keep Howdy Doody alive in the hearts of us baby boomers,
while simultaneously worshipping at the altar of crass commercialism.
They've launched a Howdy Doody website, complete with sound bites and a
general store, where one can purchase Howdy Doody collectibles. They're
all brand new, so don't expect any wonderful vintage stuff. For that, you
must go to Stevescollectibles.com. The sound bites are the best part of
the Doody site, although the background information on each character is
very interesting. My personal favorite, Flub A Dub, was, it seems, made of
spare parts from other puppets. Figures. Fussbudget that I am, there are
some things about the site that annoy me. Poor spelling and grammar are
two of them. Why grown persons cannot grasp the difference between a
plural and a possessive noun escapes me. Plural words do not have
apostrophes (shame on you, NBC!). Former denizens of the Peanut Gallery
may visit the site HERE. For real
vintage Howdy Doody collectibles, visit Stevescollectibles.com .
ONE OF THE REASONS I LIVE IN NEW YORK DEPARTMENT
It is, after all, expensive, noisy and really impressed with itself. But,
it is the hub of the universe, and it has some of the best museums on
earth. Currently showing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (through March
19) is an exhibit called "Rock Style". On display are some of the most
memorable rock n' roll get-ups of the past fifty years (yes, rock is that
old!), chosen because of their influence on the fashion of their day.
Included in the exhibit are the fabulous uniform John Lennon wore on the
cover of the Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper" album, and Elvis' gold suit. There
are also some truly bizarre entries, although no one can deny their effect
on style, for better or for worse. Madonna's strange fashion sense did in
fact influence thousands of teenaged girls to wear their underwear on the
outside (thank goodness THAT'S all in the past!)and so her pointy-boobed
get-up for the "Blonde Ambition" tour is included in the exhibit as well.
Can't get to The Apple by the 19th, you say? Not to worry: some of the
exhibit is right here on the Internet, at CNN's site. To view it, follow this LINK.
REPRODUCTION ALERT
US Air China Redux- Alert Accumulator Jeff Wagner, a USAirways employee,
confirms that the company had to have their china, along with everything
else, redesigned when they changed their name from US Air. The company
dumped the old stuff on the market, so, if you're seeing US Air china in
oddlot stores, it's real. Several Accumulators also opined that US Air
china is not such a hot collectible that anyone would take the time or
trouble to reproduce it. Good point.
Cookie Jars - Now, here is a collectible hot enough to be faked, though not
nearly so hot as it was a few years back, after Andy Warhol's collection
was auctioned and brought Prices Paid By The Stupid. There are lots of
fakes out there, particularly an abundance of Little Red Riding Hoods. If
you find one marked "McCoy", and want to know if you've found the Real
McCoy, you haven't. McCoy never made a Red Riding Hood Cookie Jar.
So, Dear Accumulators, I hope the day is as beautiful where you are as it
is here, and I hope you're going to go out there and enjoy it. Artie and I
will be heading up to the country house tomorrow, mostly to retrieve the
giant sack of fruits and vegetables I packed to bring back to the city and
then forgot to load into the car - two weeks ago. Eeeeuuuww. We hope to
get some antiquing done too, so if you see us in your nabe, say "hi!" And
keep watching "Treasures In Your Home" on the Pax Network, Monday through
Friday. We love the attention. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy
hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2000 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #111
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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