March 5, 2001
Greetings Accumulators!
As you can see, I started this newsletter more than a week ago.
Unfortunately, the Work and Strife Fairies arrived simultaneously, and I
had to let it sit for a while. Today we in the Big Apple are prisoners,
waiting out the Blizzard of Ought One. So, you and I may as well pass the
time together, no?
February 25, 2001
Greetings, Accumulators!
We're in the middle of an awful ice storm. The better to write to you, my
dear. Let's see...Kimmi got kicked out of the Outback, Grammy Award-winning
folk singer Dave Alvin, when asked what he thought of the Eminem
controversy, replied that he hates the brown ones, and the Swiss are
infuriated because US government regulations require the holes in Swiss
cheese to be too small. What a wacky world!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF LOOK WHAT "THE SOPRANOS" HAS DONE FOR THE MOB'S "Q" RATING
A midtown shop here in NYC is doing a brisk business in mob memorabilia.
Official mug shots of John "Dapper Don" Gotti and Paul "Big Paul"
Castellano (I wonder if, when these guys are born, the hospital leaves a
blank space between their first and last names on their birth certificates,
to be filled in later) are for sale at Gotta Have It!, along with John
Dillinger's first arrest record, from September of 1924, a baseball signed
by Al Capone and a bank check written by Elliot Ness. And what are these
treasures going for? The Dapper Don's mug shot is priced at $4,500, Big
Paul's is $3,500, Scarface's baseball is $40,000 (hey - his toenail clipper
sold for $5,000 at auction two years ago!), and Dillinger's document is
$30,000. You might think that's a high price, but it comes with a sample of
his handwriting that says, "This is a specimen of my penmanship on entering
the Indiana Reformatory." Of all the specimens the law enforcement people
could have ordered Dillinger to provide, this is probably the one you'd
most want to have in your home.
REAL HEROES WHO HAVE FALLEN INTO THE HANDS OF CRASS COMMERCIALISTS DEPARTMENT
Remember Rudy Boesch, the retired Navy SEAL who made it to the finals on
the first season of "Survivor"? Rudy now has an action figure on the
market, a figure in the tradition of GI Joe. The 12 inch plastic Rudy, by
Blue Box Toys, comes with all the necessary weapons of destruction one
would expect to acquire with a Navy SEAL figure. Boesch concedes that the
figure looks nothing like him, and Blue Box concedes that they had the toy
all ready to go before Rudy, one of the most highly decorated Navy SEALS in
American history, invaded the hearts and minds of America by telling
everything exactly "like it is" on the remote island on which the show was
set. Rudy is taking it all in stride, just as he is the full schedule of
appearances he has maintained since the series ended.
GREAT IDEA FOR A CHEAP (AND I MEAN CHEAP!) WEDDING
Duck Brand duct tape (already you know these guys are a goofy bunch!) is
holding a contest for engaged couples. Contestants are invited to send in a
two to three minute videotape describing why they would enjoy a "Duck Tape"
wedding, why their marriage will "stick through the ages" (I'm not making
this up!), and what they love about Duck Tape. And what is the prize for
all this creative stickiness? A wedding at Universal Studios Hollywood on
September 29, 2001. The party will include a reception for 75 guests, cake,
entertainment, limousine transportation, photography, and a honeymoon trip
for two to Hawaii. Oh - one thing more: all the wedding apparel and
accessories will be made of or accented by duct tape, including the wedding
gown, wedding invitations and flowers. If you are still interested in this,
you can enter the contest by sending your videotape to "Stuck On You", c/o
Cerrell Associates, Inc., 320 N. Larchmont Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90004.
For more information, visit the website at www.duckproducts.com. No word on
what will happen when the limousine arrives at the wedding and the groom
tries to haul the bride out of it.
Okay, Accumulators, I've amused myself enough for today. Got to get those
taxes done. I'll be in Dallas from Wednesday through Sunday, teaching at
the ACA Convention, so no newsletter this weekend. If I were going to be in
the East, I'd be attending the auction at Roberson's in Pine Bush, NY, so
if you go, say "hello" to Lou and Dell for me. Since this is only the
second day of being housebound, Artie and I are not at each other's throats
just yet. But the storm is supposed to last through tomorrow, so those
screams you'll hear will probably be mine. How much TV can you watch, how
much backgammon can you play, how many articles can you write, how much
cooking can you do? I'll let you know. Have a great week, Accumulators.
Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2001 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #142
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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