August 10, 1998
Greetings Accumulators!
Yes, yes, I know this is late. My friend Nikki thinks it was the full moon. No - it was a crushing schedule.
I needed to have dinner with my Mom, who is leaving for a month in California, I had to complete work on a
project with a deadline, had to get my darling niece, Mallory at camp, have to get ready for a ten day road
trip, and had to write some stuff. But here I am, bloodied but unbowed, ready to dish.
*SPECIAL NOTE: If your cable company is Cablevision, you can see me tonight at 8PM Eastern on their
Metro Learning Channel in New York City. Artie will be making his TV debut as well. We'll be discussing
kitchen collectibles and World's Fair collectibles. Watch, and pump up the ratings!
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MAX AND LOOEY - TWO WILD AND CRAZY GUYS WITH A FREE
EVENING ON THEIR HANDS
There's a stained glass mural in the Curtis Building in Philadelphia, PA. It was designed by Maxfield Parrish
and executed by Louis Comfort Tiff any, using more than I 00,000 pieces of glass, in 260 shades of color.
The title is "Dream World", and the 1 5 ft by 19 ft work was commissioned by Cyrus Curtis, publisher of The
Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post in 1914. Why is this news (aside from the fact that it's
possibly the most beautiful mural in existence, and represents the combined efforts of two of the greatest
artistic talents America ever produced)? Because, it's been sold. And they can't figure out how to get it out
of the building lobby. The sale price is estimated to be at least $5 million, but the buyer's name is a
confidential matter. The building is a landmark, but that doesn't preclude anyone from altering its interior.
Naturally, Philadelphia city officials are not elated - the mural is a tourist attraction. And, considering that it
took six months to install, it will not be possible to just put it into a nice shopping bag and send it home.
ANOTHER TALE OF THEFT AND RECOVERY DEPARTMENT - NO NAMES, PLEASE
In Independence, MO, police were called by a man who inquired whether they were looking for any stolen
brass artifacts. Turns out they were. In 1994 part of the Beatrice Holt collection of antique Oriental brass
figurines was stolen from the Ottawa University in Kansas. The caller had been summoned to a private home
in Independence by the owner, who said he had recently found the items stored in his house. It seems that
another man had sent the pieces to the homeowner (crated) and, now that the individual had died, the
homeowner opened the boxes to see what was in them. And back they have gone to Ottowa. I love a happy
ending.
SINCE YOU ASKED - ABOUT A MILLION TIMES
Many of you have written asking for the magic formula to be applied to the technique of microwaving books
and other paper items in order to kill mildew and bugs. The magic formula is that there is no magic formula.
Each microwave oven is different - which you probably know if you've ever tried to follow a recipe for baking
in one of them. And each book or piece of paper is different. So, you must use trial and error to nuke a book.
Start with a very short length of time - about ten seconds - and go from there.
MADISON-BOUCKVILLE: BRIMFIELD AS IT USED TO BE
If any of you have attended the legendary Brimfield, Mass. antiques orgy through the years, you know it's
not as it used to be. The town has always had a love-hate relationship with the antiques weeks, gouging the
dealers for everything from parking to hotels. And lots of repros have begun to appear in recent years, not
to mention very high prices and some dealers who are less than honest. In addition, there's been a
frightening increase in shoplifting, which will only serve to increase prices as dealers try to cover their losses
and escalating insurance premiums. Enter the pleasurable alternative: Madison-Bouckville. Located in the
two tiny towns of Madison and Bouckville in New York State, this is a week-long extravaganza, beginning on
Monday, August 10, in a place where the populace know on which side their bread is buttered, and welcome
the dealers and customers with open arms. None of the fields charge admission, except the giant one (more
than 1,000 dealers) that opens on Saturday, August 15. And all fields are open all week, so there's very little
hopping around by dealers from field to field, with prices that escalate through the week as the same items
change hands again and again and again. There's lots of fresh merchandise brought down by Canadian
dealers, and the atmosphere is friendly, with clean, reasonable motels and pretty good varied food choices.
Madison and Bouckville are located on Rte 20 (the same Rte as Brimfield - but farther west), near Utica,
New York. I'll be doing the big show (early buying begins on Friday at IOAM) and my Booth number is E-1.
So, accumulators, I bid you a fond farewell - for now, anyway. Artie and I will be blowing town after
tonight's broadcast, and heading up north to Madison-Bouckville. After the show, we're taking a couple of
days of R&R. So, there'll be no newsletter next week. If any Personal FX news pops up today - and it might -
I'll send you a special edition. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 1998 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #53
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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