Back at the Gateway Center at
noon, I ran into Paul Gronquist. Paul is a Kansas City collector: if
you've ever tried to bid on an unusual Kansas City glass on eBay, it was
Paul who flattened you ("kcwhiskey").
Back at the Gateway Center at
noon, I ran into Paul Gronquist. Paul is a Kansas City collector: if
you've ever tried to bid on an unusual Kansas City glass on eBay, it was
Paul who flattened you ("kcwhiskey").
I first met Paul at the FOHBC National in Louisville and we've been trying to figure out a way to document his extensive collection ever since. He has around 200 unique KC glasses, 150 or so or which are not in the database, plus he has a rich collection of paper and other relics from pre-Pro KC. Collinsville turned out to be the answer: he drove down from KC with his glass collection wrapped in paper towels in the trunk of his car, I drove up with my camera and tripod and recording equipment in the boot of my MINI.
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(photo © Joe Swafford, 2007) |
I whiled away the final minutes before show opening with kcwhiskey, xxxtruk, the rbra72 husband-and-wife team (complete with a nice rigid basket in which to collect fragile glass, and walkie-talkies to co-ordinate on the show floor), lakerdude33 and stilz (Paul Van Vactor), and before we knew it, the doors were open, and the games began.
The opening moments of a show are always frenzied and this one was no exception. I didn't have very high hopes of landing anything noteworthy since there was so much serious competition here, but as I cruised up the first isle with xxxtruk trawling up ahead of me, I noticed shot glasses being pulled out of a box three aisles over. I quickly cut through dealer space, -- ''scuse me, 'scuse me", -- and went to see what they were. There were three or four beers, a highball, and a couple of shots. All were well purpled by sunlight, but the shots were in great condition and they were picture glasses: a Moose Club and a Cabin Creek. One I had (but not in great condition), one I didn't, but I figured I could use them both. Neither had price tags. I asked the lady pulling glass out of boxes how much she wanted for them, but, well, she didn't know. "They're my husband's and he's -- well --".... she wasn't sure exactly. "He's around somewhere!"
Not wanting to stand around
waiting for husband to show up while pristine lugs were being pulled out of
boxes at the other end of the room (the everlasting show fantasy), I told her
I'd take them. I put down a $20 deposit on each to hold them and told her
I'd be back. Hubbie probably would have marked them at $15 each if I
hadn't turned up, but these were desperate times!
Hubbie still hadn't shown up by the time I'd circled the floor again, but as I was leaving the table for yet another circuit I was greeted by Clint Baker (rye2be) and his better half Romney (yenmor). I've been talking to both of them through the website almost since its beginnings, but never met either in person. I had no idea they were planning on attending and it was real pleasure to meet them - a prime example of what Arky Joe was talking about in the chatroom when he said "Geeze, do we have some wonderful people collecting, never met more nice people anywhere...."
But despite the excitement of the first minutes, Collinsville 2007 quickly took on the feel of Grand Rapids 2005, for a shot-collector, at least. It was not just that the venue was far larger than could be justified by the number of dealers or attendees, there was just not too much of quality to look at. Few shots. No paper. No trays (with one exception: see the next page). Beloved baltimorebuyer Bob, please, come help! These guys need the yellow cap treatment!
But bizarrest of all was that fact that there was virtually NOTHING local! Where was all the juicy St. Louis stuff??!!! This was the home base of Graf, Lynch, Scharff and Wittenburg (among many others), all of whom left us with wonderful etched picture glasses.
I cornered one of the show organizers and tried to find out what the story was.
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