June 9, 2000
Greetings Accumulators!
Oh! It finally decided to be June in New York City. Hot and humid here
today, after a week of cool weather and severe storms. I hope your week
was productive and low-stress.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SIGNS THAT IT'S TIME TO ELIMINATE THOSE SIX TWINKIES
YOU'VE BEEN HAVING AFTER LUNCH EVERY DAY
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On June 4, a tired visitor to the Minneapolis Institutes of Art decided to
sit down and rest for a while - in a 16th century Ming Dynasty folding
chair. Which promptly broke. The questionable patron of the arts
apparently either did not see or ignored a "do not touch" sign. Museum
spokespeople say the chair had previously broken, and that it re-broke
along the same break lines as the old mishap. The unfortunate pile of
splinters is being sent to the London restorer who repaired it the last
time (and this time, use glue, willya?) and no charges are being filed
against the unnamed man (well, what would they charge him with?
Unauthorized placement of derriere?), who, say the spokespersons, is very
embarrassed and apologetic. Needless to say, the Institute's security
practices are being reviewed and, in all likelihood, revised. What a tough
way to get your fifteen minutes of fame.
ANIMAL HOUSE DEPARTMENT
***********************
Okay, all cities with even the slightest degree of creativity please step
forward. Not you, New York, Toronto and Cincinnati! You stay where you
are, which is in the shadow of Chicago, who thought of it first (well - not
exactly. It actually originated in Geneva, Switzerland). Last year
Chicago treated us to a parade of truly bizarre cows, at whose expense we
had great fun all summer. This year, Cincinnati is celebrating pigs, and
Toronto is doing it with moose. New York can't even come up with an
original animal. We're going to be displaying individually decorated cows.
And so, we bring you the very first news flash of this year's Extremely
Silly Animal Parade Season: From Alert Accumulator Vince Smith comes word
that someone has stolen a pig from the Floral Conservatory in Cincinnati.
Just can't wait to see the Graffiti Pig in NYC - come to think of it, that
could be all of them.
EL PRIMO PUPPET
***************
I confess I have a serious jones for Pets.com's Sock Puppet. That goofy
spokesmutt is my kinda guy. Well, Pets.com isn't stupid - they saw a great
merchandising opportunity, and they took it. They are now accepting orders
for replicas, complete with a news microphone, wristwatch collar and
mis-matched eyes. By July, they expect to launch a licensed merchandising
program, to include items like finger puppet key chains, the replicas and
stuffed animals. Eat your heart out, Ty Company.
MARKET TIP
**********
If you like old movie props, there's an ongoing auction by a company that
rents the props to the moviemakers. It's at
http://www.remarketingassociates.com. Caveat: if it's prevenance you want,
you may be disappointed. The company says it threw out the paperwork years
ago.
Accumulators, it's time to toddle off now. I have a friend in the hospital
to visit, errands ro run, and that pesky deck to finish (and all those yard
sales to "do"!). Enjoy yourself, wherever you are. Have a great week,
Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2000 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #124
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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