March 21, 2000
Greetings Accumulators!
What a miserable day! It may be Spring according to the calendar, but this
is still the Frozen Apple. It's rainy and windy and gray and chilly.
Which is fine with me because I can just stay inside and type to you!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF REALLY "HOT" COLLECTIBLES
A couple of geniuses who work for the company that ships the Oscars (the
actual statuettes, not the votes - but that's a whole other story) from the
manufacturer to the Motion Picture Academy apparently figured they could
steal a whole bunch of them from a California loading dock and sell them on
the black market. They must have thought no one would notice the Oscars
were gone, or that no one would make the loss public. Duh. Once the news
media blared the story all over the public consciousness, the thieves may
have figured out it would be a tough sell. So,(and this is conjecture,
since the full story hasn't come out yet), they decided to keep just three
of the Little Golden Men (so much easier to hide under the bed for twenty
years or so) and dump the rest. One Willie Fulgear, Dumpster Diver
Extraordinaire, found fifty-two of the fifty-five missing statuettes, still
in the original packaging (and we all know how valuable that original
packaging is!) in the trash. He immediately called the police and turned in
the Oscars. Which puts him in line for the $50,000 award offered for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. Which
makes him the record-holder for profit generated from trash. That's what
keeps us all going to yard sales, no?
STUPENDOUS CLEAVAGE DEPARTMENT
Mattel, in its never-ending quest to produce dolls who have absolutely no
connection to reality, has just introduced the latest addition to its
Timeless Treasures celebrity doll line: Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, from
the Twentieth Century Fox film of the same name. The doll is actually the
first in a series of Elizabeth Taylor movie-related dolls, to include a
"Father Of The Bride" doll. The "Cleopatra" doll will retail for $75. No
word yet on whether Mattel plans to market a spineless Eddie Fisher doll or
a Debbie Reynolds doll with real tear ducts.
WHAT DO THESE GUYS HAVE - A CRYSTAL BALL?
"Toyfare-The Toy Magazine" (a top contender, no doubt, for Pretentious
Magazine Title Of The Year), lists the following toys as "the hottest of
the year 2000". I caution you, Accumulators, to analyze all lists of this
ilk, taking into consideration from whence they come. The list below is
based on wholesale orders by retail toy stores. These orders may be
cancelled at any time, and there is no guarantee that the public will
actually buy any of these toys, so don't go rushing out and spending your
retirement money on cases of them to squirrel away for Christmas next year,
with an eye toward gouging your fellow shoppers. It just may not happen
this way:
1.Simpsons (Playmates)
2. WWF (JAKKS)
3. South Park (McFarlane Toys)
4. Elite Forces (BBI-Blue Box)
5. Sports Picks (McFarlane Toys)
6. 3D Animation (McFarlane Toys)
7. Harry Potter (Mattel)
8. Gundam Wing (Bandai)
9. Croc Hunter (N2 Toys)
10. Pokemon (Hasbro)
11. Ultima Online (McFarlane Toys)
12. Dark Side Developer Kit (LEGO)
13. Spawn Interlink (McFarlane Toys)
14. VIP (Play Along)
15. SNL (X Toys)
16. Mcross Plus (ToyCom)
17. Jackie Chan (Dragon-imported by Marco Polo Imports)
18. WCW Talk Back (Toy Biz)
19. Resident Evil (ToyCom importing; Moby Dick manufacturing)
20. Jek Porkins from Star Wars: Power of the Force (Hasbro)
21. Beatles (McFarlane Toys)
22. The Matrix (N2 Toys)
23. Britney Spears (Play Along/Yaboom)
24. Donkey Kong (Toy Site)
25. Rocky Horror Picture Show (Vital Toys)
A NICE PLACE TO VISIT
Try The Serious Collector. It's an attractive
site, although a little sparsely populated. And it's definitely for the
Serious Collector, as you'll see some Very Serious Prices there. Worth a look.
JUDITH'S TIPS AND TRICKS
To those of you Accumulators who have been hounding me because you can't
remember any of the tips I've published here hundreds of times before, I
will try to throw one in here every now and then. To those of you whose
memory is perfectly fine, thank you, just ignore the "Tips and Tricks"
headline. So...
Safe Socks: Don't throw away those old socks with the worn out heels or
the holes in the toes. They are perfect for dusting or cleaning your fine
porcelains and glassware, and for polishing yucky things like your
tarnished silver and filthy copper. They slip over your hand like a puppet
(yes, I've been caught more than once with a "performing" sock on my hand,
singing "I'm A Little Teapot"), allow you a firm grip on the object at
hand, and protect your delicate skin and lovely manicured nails from
caustic substances you may be using. When you're done, they can be easily
laundered, or you can just toss them in the trash, utterly without guilt,
knowing you've employed every last iota of usefulness in them.
I see, Accumulators, that I've taken up quite enough of your time today.
Time to end these afternoon pleasures and prepare dinner for He Who Is The
Light Of My Life. I think I'll do boneless breast of chicken with
mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and a white wine and
chicken stock reduction with angel hair pasta. I will try to send you
another newsletter before I leave for Atlantique City on Friday (John Bruno
and I will be doing appraisals and live webcasting from the Collecting
Channel.com booth). If you're in the nabe, please stop by and say "hi!"
Perhaps I can persuade Artie to bring the laptop and I can write to you
from there.... Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2000 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #112
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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Your comments, as always, are welcome. If you have something to say, write to me.
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