December 14, 2003
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES NEWSLETTER #236
Greetings Accumulators!
The television networks have been alternating the relentless screening of
Saddam Hussein being examined for cooties with coverage of our weekly
weekend blizzard here in New York City. I'm assuming you're as bored as I
am, which is probably why you are reading your email now. He Who Is The
Light Of My Life has actually ventured out and will no doubt be puddling up
the floors in an hour or so.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PERHAPS THE ELKS SHOULD CONSIDER THIS FOR THEIR NEXT
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
An 18th century drinking cup recently sold at auction in Edinburgh,
Scotland for approximately $4,700. The cup was formerly the property of a
club called Beggar's Bennison. It was a three-handled cup called a "quaich"
taken from the club in the fishing village of Anstruther in Fife. What
makes the cup interesting - to someone, anyway - is that the club was a sex
club. Its members performed public sex acts and used their spare time to
watch local girls dance naked. And the cup was used for "communal heavy
drinking", according to the BBC. The BBC also says, "King George IV and
several aristocrats were said to have joined the club." Founded in 1732,
the obviously very classy club was the idea of one John McNachtane, a man
who made his living as a crooked Customs officer. Membership included
several dukes and earls, as well as local merhcants and church elders.
There are apparently many relics of the club in existence, such as punch
bowls and glasses, which are adorned with phalluses and the inscription,
"May prick nor purse never fail." Another well-known story says that some
club memorabilia was once offered to a museum, but that they were so
graphic that the curator fainted. The BBC also says, "Only in the last few
years has the full nature of the club - which had regular meetings for
almost a century - been understood." Apparently there are not very many
Mensa members in Scotland. Perhaps they thought the penises on every single
artifact indicated that the club was a gathering of urologists.
I'M GLAD THEY'RE NOT CHECKING MY CLOSETS DEPARTMENT
This story is from Alert Accumulators, The Fabulous Dunnes, DeeDee and
Petey. It comes from The Los Angeles Times. Lloyd Drum, a real-life
accumulator, was living the nightmare we all secretly dread. He had
accumulated so much junk, he was sleeping on his porch, having given over
the house to all sorts of refuse, like old tires and TV sets. And Drum, 75,
was on his way to jail if he didn't clean up the rat and insect infested
mess. He had joined Clutterers Anonymous and had actually stopped hoarding
things, but didn't know how to get rid of the stuff he already had. Enter
Dorothy Breininger, a professional organizer, appointed by the judge in
Drum's case to help him clean up the mess. Her goal was to get rid of
themice and rats, clear everything out of the house, sort it, clean and
replace what was to stay in neat boxes, and dispose of the rest. After six
weeks and $10,000 of her own money spent, Breininger and her crew have
managed to uncover a Steinway grand piano in the living room, several
pieces of antique furniture, and thousands of bicycle and bicycle parts.
The judge is so pleased with the progress, she has granted Drum a
three-month extension to finish clearing up all the violations. Hoarding is
a variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Drum, who was valedictorian
of his high school graduating class in White Plains in 1946, continues to
attend meetings, and continues to sleep on his porch, because the dust
inside bothers him. The lesson here is that this can happen to any of us.
So, use it or sell it or donate it or throw it out. This is addressed to me
as much as to you. Yeah, you!
SITES TO SEE
New York Signs: Here's another one of those outdoor in New York City sites.
This one pictures signs from the streets of New York, from 14th to 42nd
Streets. That's more than 30,000 signs, some of them no longer in
existence. Quite an interesting site.LINK
Corrosion of Historical Landmarks: We've all heard about how the Leaning
Tower of Pisa was sinking. This site travels the world to assess and
educate us about the corrosion of various landmarks, whether by nature or
men, and details steps taken to reverse the damage. Included are The Eiffel
Tower, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Statue of Liberty, The Great Buddha and
many others. Worth a look.
LINK.
Yesterday's Office - Who knew, when you first went to work, that the
equipment in your office would one day be considered an antique? Technology
has carried us so far from typewriters, slide rules and old fashioned
calculators, that these things are relics. Here, a site devoted to these
obsolete tools. Great links to other office collectibles sites.
LINK.
No point in telling you what we're doing this weekend. It's Sunday evening
already. It is no longer snowing here. It is now raining, sleeting, hailing
- whatever that is that's hitting the window, it isn't sunshine. I hope
it's nicer where you are. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2003 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #236
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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