September 24, 2004
ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES NEWSLETTER #249
Greetings Accumulators!
It is now officially autumn, which is kind of a bittersweet time for me. It's harvest time, which means the abundance
of the earth is everywhere, but the days are getting shorter, and Nature is winding down. And that means the long
cold dark winter is coming. I detest days when it's dark by 4PM!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SURE, I LOVE MY COLLECTIONS, BUT THEY'RE JUST THINGS, AFTER ALL
A Maryland couple have raised their Cabbage Patch doll as their son for 19 years. I'm not making this up. Pat and Joe Posey treat the doll as if he is a live human. He is called Kevin, and he has, among other things, a 1,000 square. foot. playroom (bigger than my apartment!), a pet dog, and a savings account for when he goes to college. A little late for that, isn't it, Poseys? I mean, he's 19 already. Time to get out of high school and move on.
Pat said: "With every kid that you adopt, you promise to love them and be a good parent and take care of this child. And that's what we did with Kevin." She said the doll is "easy-going, quiet and well-behaved". I'm sure that's true. The Poseys talk to Kevin, and he answers, using Joe's ventriiloquistic abilities, which I'm sure cuts down on some of the back talk.
Joe says the doll's favorite hobby is fishing, and father and son go on frequent trips to a pond near their home. At least that's what they tell Pat.
SILLY CONDIMENTS DEPARTMENT
Celebs with nothing better to do are now lending their brilliant words to ketchup bottles. The Heinz Company recently announced that limited edition bottles of ketchup (oh no, not limited editions!) will carry quotes by Lindsay Lohan, Mia Hamm, WIlliam Shatner and Terry Bradshaw. According to the Associated Press, a portion of the profits from the sale of these bottles will go to charities chosen by the celebrities. Since I know you are dying, Dear Accumulators, to know what pearls of wisdom these esteemed personages have contributed. So, here they are: Lindsay Lohan said, "Burger-licious," Mia Hamm, just back from the Olympic games, said, Worthy as Gold." Shatner said, "Fixes Burgers at Warp Speed.", and Bradshaw said, "Served at the Immaculate Reception," a reference to his 1972 pass to Franco Harris. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to line those babies up on the mantel.
STUPID PARENT TRICKS, OR WHY DADDY IS NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND AUCTIONS ANYMORE
Australian newspaper The Herald Sun reports that a painting by kindergarten children was sold for more than $75,000, after a bidding war among rich parents. The picture of children and animals was painted by a pre-school class at St. Catherine's School in Melbourne. John Ilhan, a millionaire whose two daughters attend the school, confirms the selling price, but says he was just the under bidder. He says he pulled out of the fund-raising auction at a Melbourne hotel when things "got seriously out of hand". Mr Ilhan said his eldest daughter, whose classmates all contributed to the painting, had her heart set on taking it home. "There were a couple of children on it, a couple of animals and a flower, at least I think that's what they were. Lots of blues and other colours," he said. "I just put a couple of hundred dollars down for it. Then one of the other parents... started bidding. I thought it was a joke, but she was trying to prove a point to me, I think. She said her pockets were deeper than mine, and I said, 'I don't really care, you are doing it for different reasons. I want the painting.' When it kept going, I thought, 'this lady... is just trying to prove a point.' "So I stopped there, at around $75,000," he said. "It was unbelievable." Oh, I believe it.
Okay, Accumulators. He Who Is The Light Of My Life and I want to wish all our fellow Hebrews a peaceful Yom Kippur and a happy and healthy New Year. To everyone else, I wish you peace, health and happiness as well, with or without bagels and lox. We will be spending the weekend with family, which means you have all the sales, auctions and shops to yourselves. One correction: last week I congratulated my friend Rich Delia on his shop having been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, I gave the wrong town as its location. It is the Ferndale Marketplace in Ferndale, New York (I said Fernwood - Martin Mull fans will understand). So, have a great week, all, especially all of you Accumulators who have spent the last five days driving around trying to find Fernwood. Sorry about that. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2004 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #249
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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