October21, 2000
Greetings Accumulators!
Don't know what it's like where you are, but here in the northeastern U.S.
it is like a summer day! The sun is out, the temperature is in the
seventies, and The Subway Series is about to begin. We New Yorkers are
passionate about our baseball teams - we cheer them when they're winning,
and we're just as vocal when they're losing. So, this could be a noisy
week in the Big Apple.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ONGOING SAGAS
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Here at Accumulator Central we like to follow up on stories we've covered,
just to see how it all comes out. We've a bunch of real doozies today.
Division of Statuette Retrieval
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Remember right before last year's Oscar presentations, when someone stole
52 of the statuettes on their way to Hollywood? Remember Willie Fulgear,
the hero in the incicdent, who found the awards in the trash and turned
them in and was then given a $50,000 reward and invited to the Oscar
broadcast, which he attended in top hat and tails, and at which he enjoyed
the humorous commentary about the incident, dished out by Billy Crystal
before a worldwide audience? Well, the police have finally made an arrest
in the case. The suspect is John Willie Harris, 54, who happens to be
Willie Fulgear's brother. Harris will be arraigned on November 8th. His
brother says he had nothing to do with Harris' alleged theft of the
statuettes, and the police say - nothing.
Less Puzzling Endings Division
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Last April we reported that one of only three existing four-rotor "Enigma"
machines, used to help the Allies defeat the Nazis in World War II by
decoding their messages, had been stolen from the Bletchley Park Museum in
England. The BBC reports that the machine has mysteriously reappeared,
packed in a wooden box, on the doorstep of a BBC-TV newsman. The
recipient, Jeremy Paxman, says he hasn't a clue why. The museum had been
contacted by a man calling himself "The Master" (tee hee), who said he was
representing a third party who had unwittingly purchased the machine in
good faith without knowing it was stolen, and who demanded a ransom of
$37,500 for the machine. He said if the demands were not met, the machine
would be destroyed. The Museum, aided by a "generous donor", came up with
the money, and waited. And then one day, there it was, sent Special
Delivery, from Birmingham. Maybe "unwittingly" is the wrong term for the
mysterious buyer. "Half-wittedly" would be better, if he believed he was
buying a World War II spy machine that wasn't stolen. Somehow the honesty
of a person who demands a hefty ransom for the return of something he
bought "in good faith" is a teensy bit questionable, don't you think? The
Master, indeed.
Stupid Collector Tricks Division
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Now that sports fans are no longer pursuing OJ Simpson for his autograph,
it seems that collectors are. According to Rolling Stone Magazine, Simpson
has been earning a nice living attending autograph signings and memorabilia
sales. One wonders what sort of memorabilia. Knives? Gloves? His agent
says he's earning far less than the $3 million a year an expert witness at
his second trial said he could make by trading on his name. Simpson also
says he has paid not one cent of the money in the judgment against him.
"The only money they've gotten", he says, "has been from the things they've
been able to auction". We covered that story too. They didn't make much.
You know, Accumulators, I could go on and on about stuff. I mean, the
French Foreign Legion has just begun to admit women (like they'd want to
apply!), in imitation of the Spanish Legion, known as The Bridegrooms of
Death (ditto!). And International airlines have begun threatening Nepal
that they will no longer schedule flights into the country if they don't do
something about all the vultures crashing into the planes. And the Dutch
government wants to send the remains of Kaiser Wilhelm II back to Germany,
but the German government has just told the Dutch to keep him, we don't
want him. But, it's so lovely outside, and it would be a shame to stay
here and dish the dirt, much as I love typing to you. So, I'm off! Artie
and I will be attending the gala party celebrating the 50th wedding
anniversary of my Aunt and Uncle, Roslyn and Aaron Miller, this evening. A
wonderful occasion, as long as my cousins don't start a food fight in the
restaurant (all those years of sitting together at the children's table
have taken their mental toll).
So, stop reading this and get out there! Hit those garage sales and start
haggling. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2000 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #131
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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