September 27, 2002
Greetings Accumulators!
We're being buffeted by Isadore today here in the Apple. I know some of you have been hit much worse than we were, so I hope all your trees are still standing, and you're safe at home.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF A LITTLE COLLECTING HUMOR
This little story is funny! It was sent to me by ALert Accumulator Sandi Ferguson:
A Charlotte, NC lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars
then insured them against fire, among other things. Within a month, having
smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having
made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed a claim
against the insurance company. In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars
were lost "in a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to
pay, citing the obvious reason: that the man had consumed the cigars in the
normal fashion.
The lawyer sued....and won!
In delivering the ruling the judge agreed with the insurance company that
the claim was frivolous. The Judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held
a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were
insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire,
without defining what is considered to be "unacceptable fire" and was
obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance
company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss
of the rare cigars lost in the "fires."
NOW FOR THE BEST PART...
After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on
24 counts of ARSON! With his own insurance claim, and testimony from the
previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of
intentionally burning his insured property and sentenced to 24 months in
jail and a $24,000.00 fine. This story was the 1st place
winner in the recent Criminal Lawyers Award Contest.
What was the award for? The most criminal lawyer?
BRILLIANT POSTAL OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT
If you're a stamp collector, hurry on over to New Zealand. Howick Village produced thousands of stamps bearing the town's logo, and they'd be a great addition to anyone's mail except for one thing: the adhesive is on the wrong side. Howick Village attempted to recall the stamps, but some are still out there. A neat collectible, but oh so tough to display.
SCHWARTZENEGGER REBUFFS STATUE BUILDERS
If you've been following the hubbub going on over in Graz, Austria, you know that some of the townspeople want to erect a large statue of Arnold Scwhartzenegger, their most famous son, while others feel he's not an eminent enough figure to be commemorating, and statues should honor other prominent Austrians. Like, say, Mozart. Well, up steps Arnold himself to the plate, telling the good townspeople that they should take the money they've set aside for the statue and use it for a good cause instead. Which is fine with the mayor, who says he likes Scwartzenegger as a person, but not as a statue. It was thought by some that the statue would encourage tourism tot he town. Speaking as someone who won't even go down to the local millionplex to see one of his films, I don't think I'm going to be calling up the airlines and trading in the frequent flyer miles to go all the way to Austria to see a statue of Mozart, much less of Arnold.
This is a brief one, Accumulators. He Who Is The Light Of My Life and I are in furious Home Improvement Mode. We are the DIY King and Queen of The Hudson River Valley. So, off we go to the country house, there to labor until the place looks fab. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2002 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #193
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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