Dear Lee,

We cleaned our desks to get ready for the new year and uncovered some stories too good to ignore. By now you may have heard about the 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich with scorch marks that resemble the Virgin Mary. It sold for $28,000. A woman sold her father’s cane along with her father’s ghost for $65,100. The world’s largest rubber-band ball-the proof is a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records-auctioned for $8,260. It weighed over 3,000 pounds. Superman did well, too. A rare enameled-brass shield-shaped badge picturing Superman sold on eBay for $4,494. It was made for the Folee Gum Corp. of Philadelphia in 1949. Skinner’s auctioned a presentation chamber pot decorated as a wedding gift. Inside is the picture of a woman asking, “Oh dear me, what do I see?” The pot, broken and repaired, sold along with eight other earthenware pieces for $633. But strangest of all was an item sold in England-the antimony “purge cup” that belonged to Captain James Cook (1728-1779), the English explorer. Wine poured into an antimony cup creates a chemical reaction that causes purging of both stomach and bowels, once thought to be a cure for fever, constipation, and other symptoms of ill health. The cups were not used much after the 17th century, except in the British Navy, and few still exist. This one with its case sold for $397,440.

We often read articles that suggest collectors like us are obsessive-compulsive. We know collectors have more fun, more friends, and do more research. We like this quote from Vintage Bar Ware by Stephen Visakay: “One more word of advice-buy! I’m only sorry for those items I left behind. Buy doubles and triples … if the price is right. You can sell or trade them later. Greed is an acceptable trait in collecting; in fact it’s the only area where it’s downright admirable. Most of all, remember to have fun! For me the best part of the search is finding an item that’s not in my collection. At the end of the day when the washing, cleaning, and polishing are over, I like to mix a drink in that newly found cocktail shaker, or pour one into that cobalt martini glass as a way of celebrating.”

We agree. Collecting is a yearlong New Year’s celebration!