Local Connection to Dinnerware Auction Story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=816&e=5&u=/ap/20041119/ap_on_en_ot/art_expensive_dish

The link above tells the tale of the multi-million dollar auction of a family heirloom plate that turned out to be a rare Ming dynasty porcelain piece. The history of this plate has a local link for me.

The story notes that the dish belonged to the Alexander Majors family. Majors made a remarkable fortune as a freight hauler, primarily over the Santa Fe Trail, back in the days of the Westward migration. His home is now a historical site located in Kansas City. As luck would have it, I have played Christmas music several times over the years at their annual holiday event at the Majors home.

It struck me as kind of cool that I had actually walked through the room where that dish must have been at some time in the 19th Century.

Man, imagine having $5.7 million in disposable cash you could throw down to buy an 'old dish'? It got me thinking though, I went looking through all my old 'dinner ware' and came to the sad realization that I probably couldn't get $5.70 for the whole lot. :(

Imagine picking up something like this at a yard sale for $10. :)

Imagine finding out you sold something like this at a yard sale for $10. :eek:

I often think about that when people are telling their "I got it at a yard sale" stories on Antiques Roadshow.

Although I really like seeing the puffed up, self important, pseudo-experts deflated when they are told they overpaid for a fake. And not even a good fake.

Those are usually better to see than the folks who didn't know they had a treasure in the attic.

I also don't like the smug guys who know the appraised value of their treasure and don't even have a flutter of excitement over being given a price tag of over $20K.

I still want to see someone freak out over the price and destroy their item. I think that would make ratings. Surely it's happened ...

wolf wrote:

I still want to see someone freak out over the price and destroy their item. I think that would make ratings. Surely it's happened ...

I think there was an episode of (Frasier?) where they took in a (teapot?) in to try to fool the appraiser. He suprises them by appraising it for about $1000. They get so excited they knock over another item being appraised for $1000. The appraiser gives them a long look, reaches over, takes their teapot, and hands it to their victim. Cute gag. ;)

Somebody posted a clip of someone showing an original phonograph roll made by Edison himself.....and broke it. :bawling: