Page 31 - 0719

July, 2019 The Antique Shoppe Page 31
Once In a Lifetime read about.
Granted, those are exceptions. But let me tell you of a real life story that I

In 1989, a gentleman is at a flea market in Adamstown,
Jeff Figler Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. He is attracted by an old
It is only human nature to occasionally daydream. I do it painting of a country scene. It is not so much the painting,
a lot. but rather the frame that appeals to him. And the price is
I often wonder about many things. For example, would right. Only $4. But the painting appeared to have a tear in
my life had been different if I had stayed in the Midwest the canvas. He bought the painting and took it home. He
instead of migrating to the Southwest and, later, to tried to separate the canvas from the frame. He noticed an
California. I always come to the same conclusion that I old piece of paper. After unfolding the paper, he saw what
would not miss the weather. looked like the Declaration of Independence.
I think about what my life would be like if I had not met The man’s curiosity got the best of him. He did not know
my wife. Of course, it would not have been as exciting and what to make of it. Maybe it was something valuable. He
full of warm memories. Are you reading this, my dear? went to a friend who collected Civil War Memorabilia.
But like most people I wonder what I would do if I ever The friend told him that he would be wise to take the old
won the lottery. Well, I try not to dwell on that idea too document to have it appraised. Smart move. It turned
long because the chances of ever winning anything more out to be the missing copy of the original Declaration of
than ten or twenty dollars is slim. Very, very slim. I can Independence. Each of the original colonies was given two
barely win at the horse races or at the slot machines, much copies. One of the copies given to North Carolina had been
less megabucks in a lottery. I rarely win a door prize at missing for ages.
some activity after buying a string of tickets. So, I have given up on the hope of Legal battles ensued, as to whether the copy belonged to the man, or to the
winning millions. State of North Carolina. The man prevailed. The man who had spent all of four
However, I do constantly encounter people who tell me that their life dollars on a painting in Adamstown, Pennsylvania because he liked the frame.
would be different if they had a mother like I did, who never threw away their The copy was offered for sale on June 4, 1991, and sold for $2.42 million. It
baseball cards or comic books. I caution them that they should not hold that was the highest price for any historical Americana item. It is one of only three
against me. To this day, my mother tells me that she knew exactly what she remaining copies in private hands.
was doing. And to this day, I doubt it. But I don’t tell her that. You just refrain Several years later the same document sold for $8.14 million. Television
from saying anything contrary to a feisty lady who is only a few short months producer Norman Lear bought it, and it became the key item of the Norman
from becoming a centenarian. I merely nod my head and agree with her. Lear Center’s Declaration of Independence Road Trip which toured the country
But every so often people tell me about an item that, much to their surprise, for more than three years.
is worth more than a cup of coffee at Starbuck’s. One man told me about his The story makes you wonder if something similar to that can ever happen
grandfather’s old model train set that he was considering giving to a thrift store. to you. Who knows? And by the way, you might be wondering about whatever
Another man had a few first editions of Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the happened to the painting and the frame. The painting was kept. The frame
Sea”. And I remember the lady who saved her memorabilia from Woodstock. could not be salvaged.

1

2 6