August 1, 2003
Greetings Accumulators!
Yes, yes, I know this is supposed to be a weekly newsletter, but you
longtime subscribers know that we travel a lot in the summertime, and
sometimes I just can't fit the newsletter in among all the public speaking,
appraisal days, and antiques shows we do. In fact, Artie and I are off to
Essex, New York in an hour or so, to participate in their town-wide
celebration so, since I can hear him snoring in the background, I have a
few moments to type to you on this rainy morning in New York City.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EEEUUUWW, WHERE ARE THE PETA PEOPLE WHEN YOU NEED THEM?
Now, I'm not saying that our friends across the pond have a lock on
weirdness. We have plenty of that here in the good old USA. But, they're
just so creatively weird in England. Mr. Potter's Museum of Curiosities in
Bolventor, a hundred-year-old shop of horrors, has gone out of business,
and is about to sell off its inventory at auction on September 23 and 24.
The museum consists of dead things. 10,000 or so various stuffed animals,
from rhinoceri to squirrels, are displayed in the museum, some under
circumstances that could keep some peopl up at night just thinking about
them. Take, for example, The Bunny School, a tableau of stuffed rabbits in
a schoolroom. How about the Kitten Wedding? There are also animal oddities
(as if the rest of it is not in the least odd, right?) such as a two-headed
lamb and a four-legged duck. Hmmm. I guess a four-legged duck runs around
in rectangles. But, I digress. There are also (in a magnificent parody of
all those paintings of dogs playing cards) rats in a gambling den, a
mummified hand, and a hen that laid 462 eggs in one year. So, if your decor
seems less than complete, perhaps what is missing is a lovely display of
dead kittens in bridal gowns and veils, and you should contact Bonhams
immediately. I did visit their web site at http://www.bonhams.com/ and,
astonishingly, the sale is not listed on their schedule, so you'll have to
ask for The Atrocities Department.
STOLEN ART (OR NOT!) DEPARTMENT
There seems to be a fun tradition in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts.
Well, fun for some people, anyway. The tradition involves stealing statues,
mostly those associated with one business or another, and then returning
them, not always to the same place from whence they came. The latest in
this long line of felonies took place recently outside Spaghetti Eddies
restaurant in West Dennis, Massachusetts, where the fiberglas statue of a
chef named "Fat Boy" was taken the other night. Or at least most of Fat Boy
was taken. The thieves left his feet and a sign behind, choosing to abduct
just the amount of Fat Boy they could acquire by running at the statue and
tackling it to the ground. The real chef of the restaurant, one Robert
Swanson, says his staff searched the garbage and the nearby woods for the
$1,500 7-foot tall statue, but with no success. They are assuming, and
rightly so, I think, that their case will not be a high priority for the
local police. The local police apparently have their hands full, and a
certain amount of experience in dealing with these statue thefts. In the
past few years they've had to investigate the abduction of a six-foot
banana (taken from a fruit stand), a deer and a dalmation. The deer and
dalmation were both stolen by the same group of individuals who simply
replaced each with the other. People have tried to steal a statue of a
growling bear from outside the ZooQuarium in West Yarmouth, but all efforts
have failed, including one attempt where the gang, using chains and a
truck, lost their bumper. This is because the bear, whose name is Martin
(just thought you should know that), is made of concrete and his base is
sunken four feet into the ground. Police Capt. William Monahan said he
thinks it may only be a matter of time before Fat Boy reappears. "It's
sorta hard to hide a 7-foot footless chef from view," he said. Not like a
six foot banana, is it, Captain?
INTERESTING SITE
If you collect old photos, or if you just like looking at them, visit Time
Tales, a site that displays old photographs found at flea markets, thrift
shops, the street, wherever. The collection is divided by time periods, the
oldest being pre-1930, and some of the photographs are quite fascinating.
Visit the site at LINK.
Dear Accumulators, it is now 8AM, and the sun has come out, however
temporarily. He Who Is The Light Of My Life has awakened and had his
coffee. So, we are off. Have yourselves a great week, Accumulators. Hope
you find that one item that completes your collection, and that one item
that gets you started on the next one. Have fun. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2003 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #223
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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