September 18, 2004
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES NEWSLETTER #248
Greetings Accumulators!
Well, well, well! And where the heck have all of you been for the past two months? The rumors of my early demise
are all untrue. I'm still here - I just haven't been right HERE. Artie and I have traveled as far away as Vancouver,
BC (great town!. You Accumulators who live there are so lucky. There is beauty everywhere you look). We've been
on our annual buying trips around the Northeast. And we've done a few antiques shows. Speaking of which, "Antique
Show and Sell" has now been cancelled.
We've also been through a disaster up at our little country house, or at least the town has been declared a disaster
area, due to a flash flood three week ago. The damage to our property so far consists of a rearrangement of our
landscape: we now have a sandy beach where we once had grass and moss and lichens; and we also have a large
boulder in a tree. Some people in our town lost their homes, and the main road has caved in, so we have to go "the
back way" to get to our house. Who thought water could do so much damage!
And, speaking of damage, I did some to myself when I fell off my platform shoes one morning (not as hilarious as it
sounds, believe me) and tore all the soft tissue in my left foot. I am now on the mend, thank you very much, and
ready to do battle once again with The Mighty Gym Monster. I have already resumed the regular trek through
Central Park and so far so good.
In the interim, our in-laws showed up so my brother-in-law could have shoulder surgery, and they stayed with us for
ten days, which was like an endless party, except not for my brother-in-law, who was actually pretty good-natured
about our dragging him all over the place.
So, now you are completely filled in and now it's time for news of the collecting world.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EARLY GARBAGE DISPOSAL UNITS
Connecticut archaeologists are studying a large cache of artifacts found under the floorboards of the Ward-Heitman
House Museum in West Haven. The find dates back to the American Revolutionary period, according to the experts.
Unfortunately, most of it is trash: there are flints, scraps of fabric, leather and paper, a shoe buckle, a horseshoe, and
many, many cornhusks. State archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni says it appears to be the largest discovery of its kind
on record in Connecticut. I'm sure the housewife in question thought the world would understand three hundred years
later that, on cold winter mornings, it was so unappealing to have to drag all those cornhusks out to the trash
compactor.
STUPID CRIMINAL TRICKS DEPARTMENT
In Chicago, police were hunting for the man who robbed several jewelry stores by throwing bricks through the windows,
and then reaching and running off with the jewelry on display there. The helpful thug actually caught himself, after he
threw a brick at a plexiglas window. The brock bounced off the plexiglas and hit him in the head, knocking him
unconscious while he peacefully waited for the police to arrive. And then there was the Rhode Island man who was
caught burglarizing vending machines. He tried to post his $400 bail in coins. I'm assuming his membership in Mensa
will now be cancelled.
SHORT NOTES
Congrats to Rich and Ron and the gang at Fernwood Marketplace Antiques in Fernwood, New York. Their lovely
building has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. If you're in the Hudson River Valley, don't miss a
stop at their wonderful shop.
Golden Age Cartoons - Among my collections are the cartoon character stuff I love. I have an extensive collection of
vintage Betty Boop material and old Felix The Cat memorabilia. This site is a Judith magnet. You can actually view old
cartoons, and I've been watching Felix all morning. No Powerpuff Girls here. These are the classics.
Golden Age Cartoons
Club Meetings - The International Match Safes Association will be holding its annual convention in San Jose, CA October
8 - 10. The North American Vexillological Association (that's flag collectors, to you) will be conducting their annual
meeting in Indianapolis on Oct 8-10. And the Toaster Collector Association Convention - OcTOASTERfest 2004 (I'm
not making this up. That's what they're calling it) - will be held in Toledo, Ohio on October 7-9.
Well, Accumulators, since it's raining again, we've decided to stay in the city. No point in slogging through the mud at
the country house. He Who Is The Light Of My Life is on his laptop, trying to download Cab Calloway singing,
Everybody Eats When They Come To My House for me. I really, really, really want that song, and can't find it
anywhere. So, I hope the sun is shining wherever you are, and that you're out there seeking treasures at yard sales
and flea markets and great shops. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2004 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #248
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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