November 21, 2003
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES NEWSLETTER #233
Greetings Accumulators!
For those of you planning to contact Antique Show and Sell so you can
participate, a note from the Supervising Producer: When you call please
mention that you got the phone number from me, and that you are supposed to
be scheduled for the show, and not for the outside event. The person on the
other end of the phone will know what that means. Hope some of you can make
it - it would be fun to meet some Accumulators in person! If you need the
phone number or email address again, please contact me.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ONLY MICHAEL JACKSON SPENT MORE ON HIS
Now that the Concorde is no more, auction houses are doing a brisk business
in Concorde souvenirs. Christie's just auctioned the Concorde's nose to an
anonymous bidder for $550,000. according to Reuters. The needle-like
proboscis (sounds like a giant sea clam, doesn't it?) was expected to bring
far less money than it did, but what else is new? Right now I know you are
asking yourself why Concorde souvenirs are so popular when the Brits and
the French grounded the plane because no one was interested in flying in
it. Another unsolved mystery.
EARLY MULTITASKING DEPARTMENT
Associated Press reports that German archaeologists have dug up what they
think could be Europe's oldest toothbrush. The toothbrush, which was found
at the site of a former hospital in the town of Minden, is believed to be
at least 250 years old. About the same age as the one you have in your
bathroom. The archeologists report that the bristles on the brush have
rotted away, just like the teeth they once serviced. The handle of the
brush is made of animal bone and, because 18th century Man was not one to
waste a good hunk of bone on a single function - and it is hurting me to
type this to you - the other end of the handle is carved into a tiny spoon
they surmise was for cleaning out the brush's owner's ears. Let's move on,
shall we? The 18th century is when toothbrushes (shouldn't they be called
teethbrush?) first became widely used, about the time that sugar became a
staple of the European diet. Apparently, prior to that, people just ignored
each other's breath.
OKAY, PERHAPS ALL THESE GUYS THINK THEY'RE ARTISTS BECAUSE THE PUBLIC IS SO
DUMB
Students at Budapest's University of Arts noticed the modern sculpture
hanging from the rafters in the newly reopened garden building. I'm sure
many of them commented on it. Too bad it was the body of a man who had
hanged himself in the closed building more than a year before. It was an
entire day before someone realized the body was not the work of some
budding talent, but a dead man, and called the police. Connaisseurs of art,
I guess.
This is a family weekend, Accumulators. My brother, Arnie, and his family
are coming in from San Diego for the week, so there'll be visiting going on
all weekend. Wishing all American Accumulators a very happy Thanksgiving
holiday. It's a great time to count your blessings. Remember to finish
your last alcholic drink at least one hour before you leave the party. And
watch out for the other guy. Maybe nobody loved him enough to take away his
keys. I will try to climb out of the turkey-induced torpor long enough to
type to you next Friday. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2003 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #233
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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