Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Battling my acquisitive nature

kw: collecting, manuscripts

About an hour ago I had this document in my hands (protected by an acetate sleeve), while on a visit to the Stamp Center. It is described thus:

"Lot 390. Manuscript court document dated 1502 & signed by Queen Isabella I "Yo La Reyna" (I the Queen) 8"x10" w/ authentification by Dr. R. Ayerbe-Chaux of Syracuse Univ Document shows normal aging & toning but no tears, repairs or restoration is evident, far nicer than the few others that have appeared on the market on occasion. This dictate concerns a financial dispute between the "Village of Madrid" & the Real De Manzanares a Unique historical item!"

As a lover of history, I was strongly drawn to attend the auction (in a couple days) and bid. The manuscript is likely to auction for a few thousand dollars. However, if I buy it, where will I keep it? Hanging it on a wall at home is too scary. I don't have anything else of comparable value except a nice piano, which would be much harder to steal! I'd need to rent a larger safe deposit box at the bank to avoid rolling or folding it.

Too much trouble. Whew! Glad that is over. 


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