Four Merry Marys

For a long time...my wife had a "thing" for Hummel figurines imported from Germany. We bought them for holidays, birthdays, and for babies being born.

I just asked her how many figurines we have. She guessed 20-30, but said she hadn't seen them for years. Which leads me to this rant...

One problem I have with shows like Antiques Roadshow (which my wife loves, and I sometimes watch)...is that no matter how much the item is worth...it doesn't matter because the people aren't going to sell it anyway. Our Hummels are a case in point. Say the cheapest one costs me 40 dollars, and my biggest one costs me 125 dollars. How much are they worth today? It just doesn't matter because we would rather put them away like a squirrel who hides his nuts. They are too valuable for our adorable little monstah Merrick to be swinging at with his bat.

Which leads me back to the 4 Marys. Mary Catherine...Mary Elizabeth...Mary Anne...and Mary Christmas. The Post Office where I worked held a silent auction of items that had been broken. I took my wife in to see the Hummel. The 4 Marys stand about 8 inches tall...dwarfing the smaller-sized figurines. The price on the bottom of the piece was $1800.

My Lisa really wanted it, and nothing is too good for my Lisa. I put in a bid of $6.25. (Just kidding.) I put in a bid of $50.00. Nobody bid close to that, so they let me have it for $30.00. A small tube of Super-glue, and you can't even tell it was broken.

You can't tell...until...the day we take it in to the Antiques Roadshow...and the experts point out the flaws with the 4 Marys. Mary Elizabeth on the far left is the one that is not all she is cracked up to be. You can see her mark on her brown dress right near her right shoulder. Maybe a touch of oil paint is in order.