a sad ending for a collection (c1995)
Toronto. Every so often editor Ev Roseborough would reprint an article from others he felt would be of interest to PHSC members. In 20-5, he reprinted an article found in the PHSNE Journal. The article, by Jack Naylor, is titled, “End of the Mamas Collection”.
While Harry Mamas in Jack’s story collected movie gear, Jack’s cautionary tale applies to all collectors. It is indeed a sad story that he tells.
Part way through the article Jack writes, “Harry knew that he was not going to last very long. He died in 1992. So did his wife. He wanted to see his collection go to one place (all collectors have the same wish). His asking price, working through an agent who was less than helpful, was $50,000 for everything.
“From what I could see, there were enough fine items there to make the collection worth the price. There was no cherry picking. Harry would have accepted a lesser amount, but there were no buyers – perhaps because it was such a mess.”
To read all of Jack’s story, pull out the members-only free DVD and see the pdf file for issue 20-5. No DVD? Not a member? Easy to fix! See the MEMBERSHIP sub-menu above (especially the Membership Form) and the article at right (PayPal).
Send your payment with the form or send the form after using your credit card/PayPal account. Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca. Membership is rewarding – and inexpensive.
If you have passed your ‘best before’ date, and see this tale applying to you, be sure to contact Clint (our president) through this website (info@phsc.ca). We are ready and able to help.
Note: The title for this post is from a poem I learnt in grade two and often recited (slightly amended over time) to my children many, many years ago to their delight.
