Wednesday 22 June 2011

Candlesticks? Huh!

For the last couple of days, I have been entertaining (and being entertained by) my long-lost cousin, who spent the night around here and has now gone back. I haven't seen her for over 35 years, and we did a little catching up. It was fun.

She had been in the area for a doll convention - she collects dolls and the one above is her latest acquisition. When I parked her car, she asked if it was a safe area, and I said probably, but let's take the bag home anyway - just in case. We arrived back to it this morning to find TWO parking tickets on in, because I had not noticed that they had sneakily changed the rules without telling me.

I looked at this doll and asked how much she paid for it. She told me and said it is a 19th century, French one in very good condition. I had to ask twice.

Any guesses? Ok, I'll tell you....








£14,000. Yes, fourteen thousand pounds.

So I do not want to hear another peep out of any of you when I tell you that I have just paid £500 for a a brass candlestick dating from around 1500.

Some people are just more stricken than others, and had richer parents.

17 comments:

  1. Right Dijk, get the ping-pong balls and the little dresses out...seems there's two born every minute!

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  2. OMG - Boy, that's a lot of dosh for a doll! Look, I can't really see what the problem is Tom. If you like it and can afford it then that's fine! Did it arrive yet? Hope it's all you expect it to be. S x

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  3. I'm going over to your blog in a minute, Chris. I hope I will be welcome in the weeks to come.

    It hasn't arrived yet, Sue, but at least I have had an email from him. He must have wondered how I knew his first name... I am pretty confident that it will fetch a few thousand when the time comes, but thanks.

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  4. Now she'll to have to sell the doll to pay the tickets! And I love your answer to her, "probably".
    m.

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  5. Tom I think it was great, you meeting up with your cousin after 35 years. Good for her- she's obviously done very well for herself! It was a bit tight though being landed with two parking tickets, some people have got no sense of humour!

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  6. Yes, Moll. Some people do not have a sense of humour. I wonder who they are?

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  7. Tom, the candlesticks you have collected and shown on your blog are beautiful and apparently very valuable. Dolls, on the other hand, creep me out. Have you ever seen "Chucky"?

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  8. Shoot!!! My grandmother had a doll that looked very similar and I allowed my cousin to inherit it!
    Great that you got to reconnect with yours after so long a time! I was really impressed with your candlesticks BTW.

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  9. I haven't seen Chucky for 35 years either, Maybe. I am glad the rest of you like the candlesticks, Donna included. Don't worry - I can't tell the difference between a £50 doll and a £15,000 one either, so best not think about it.

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  10. whatever floats her boat!
    I paid 600 quid for a scottish terrier once.....
    and only last week I forked out 65 pence for a mars bar

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  11. I agree with Starting Over that dolls are creepy and candlesticks are not. Your recent very old one is especially handsome. Does writing a letter to the parking department help at all? We got a huge parking fine in Washington, D.C. and wrote a letter explaining how utterly clueless we were about the area and they reduced the fine by half.

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  12. I quite like the creepy doll, the price did however shock me. So did the candlestick but I know nothing about them, and if you can make 1500 pounds that would be great.

    I got a parking ticket for backing into a spot in Florida last week. Apparently the front of your car has to face the meter, which made no sense to me as Florida cars only have a plate on the back, so it should be easier. I can also only pay by cash or cheque and we are in the middle of a mail strike, so now it will double.

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  13. I live right next to the office that collects the fines, so I will be going in and breathing steam on their bullet-proof glass window.

    A friend of mine who used to live in New York City returned after an absence of about 12 years, Raz. He was arrested at JFK as soon as he went through immigration for an unpaid parking ticket from about 12 years before, and only released when his clients bailed him out for about $5000. He could have spent that money on a decent candlestick.

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  14. OK, Tom, no peeps. No more peeps.

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  15. The eyes have a 'Thunderbirds' look about them. I wonder how much those 'dolls' would fetch?

    Fourteen grand; she woz robbed She could have bought 2 of my paintings for that!

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  16. John paid 65 pence for a Mars bar. Last time I bought one I'm sure I only paid 57 pence!

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  17. I knew she reminded me of someone, Cro - Lady Penelope!

    And have you noticed that Wagon Wheels are getting smaller, Eileen?

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