eBay Return Fraud: The old "empty box" trick

Dear Joanne Robinson of Newport News, VA,

Thanks for buying that Tiffany necklace from me on eBay. It was a good deal at $150 with free shipping. I knew something was up, though, when you decided to return it because it did not fit: your request just seemed off. Good thing I asked you to go through the eBay returns process 'cause I know you started off contacting me directly. It took you a while to get it shipped back to me. I kinda think you planned it to arrive the Friday after Thanksgiving, hoping I'd just refund your money without thinking about it. But when I did open your box on Tuesday, I was only a little surprised to find out the box was empty. Honestly, I thought you would do something more clever like swapping it with a fake one.

So, I spent a half hour on the phone with eBay. I guess situations like your little "empty box" trick as they called it used to go right to the Fraud Department. Now, they asked me to contact you first, hoping it was just a misunderstanding. Did you, perhaps, simply forget to put the necklace in the box before mailing? I know I've got a lot going on, I could see it might just be an honest mistake, right?

Anyway, I had to write you a nice and professional note through eBay. I wanted to say how stupid are you? What kind of half assed scam is this? Does it actually work sometimes?!?! But I was polite. So far, you haven't responded to my message. It would probably just be smarter of you to let it go at this point, instead of pushing it. I mean, mail fraud is not something you really want to get involved with, is it? But then again your choices this far have not been very clever...

Little Notes Hidden Inside Things

I bought this odd but very old hookah base. When I got home, I noticed there was a little piece of paper inside (along with some paperclips, dead bugs, etc.). The note was fragile and I had to laminate it with packing tape to keep it from crumbling. Which is not, incidentally, a recommended archival method! The little note says the "old Russian pipe" was from Cousin Mary, and the note-writer, who initialed the piece of paper, thought it would make a nice lamp. It would have been nice to have a date on the paper, but even without, the little scrap of paper is a treasure in its own right.

The Closest I'll Ever Get to Superman #1

I was recently digging through a collection of comics I bought. At the bottom, there was a curiously wrapped bundle. I thought to myself, C'mon, be Action Comics #1! It was Action Comics #61 instead, from June 1943. It is probably the oldest super-hero comic I will ever find.
This comic was in terrible condition, with old water stains and mold spots. The pages were brittle and flaky. It sold for $100 on eBay.
Action Comics #1, featuring the debut of Superman, was published in June 1938. It is estimated there are only 50-100 original copies in existence. I would love to find one in any condition!

Someday, this will be me.

A rare Chinese Song Dynasty bowl was bought at a yard sale for $3 in New York. It was estimated at $300,000 and sold for $2.2 million. Someday, this will be me.

The Secondary Market for Used Loveys

There's a market for everything! With two little kids, I know the significance of a lovey or security blanket. I'd tell everyone who's having kids to just BUY TWO so you have a back-up. The problem is, you don't know which soft blanket or toy will become the lovey until later. If you're unlucky, the "one" will no longer be in production, or some slight design change will make your child reject it.

People are paying up to $50 for even some lightly used loveys because they are so desperately needed.
My boy loves this soft rabbit by Angel Dear. Not the one with the open eyes. Not the one with the floppy ears. This specific one. The sleepy one with short ears. Fortunately, this is only a $20 replacement on eBay, not much above retail.

I've never look for old loveys at yard sales, but I'm always looking to one-up the competition, so perhaps it will be a gold mine!

BTW, if you have a Lovable Lounger "Pipa Pig" by Ganz, we desperately need one!! Seriously!!! Contact me!!!

The Aesthetic Movement & Some Victorian Wallpaper

I found an old crate of wallpaper rolls from an 1880s Victorian house at a local estate. Many were in the vivid reds and golds so associated with the era. But a lot were more subtle and still "timeless" in their design and colors. The style was from the Aesthetic Movement, a style less widely regarded than Art Nouveau or Art Deco, but in my opinion equally impressive. It was popular in the late 19th century and draws from a Japanese influence, combining geometric shapes with animals and plants from nature. I highly recommend reading about James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room if you are interested in this style.


Below you will find a fragment of my Aesthetic wallpaper, which I have digitized just for you. It is repeatable and looks awesome just about anywhere.

Researching Antique Photos - Rouen, France Mystery Church

I found these two antique photos in a circa 1920s album (top left). They were both marked "Rouen Cathedral." Now, it might have fooled Aunt Maude flipping through it 90 years ago, but looking closely these are clearly NOT the same church.

While researching to keyword Rouen Cathedral (the one on the left), I came across this image (center) from here which showed me the mystery church was within sight of the Rouen Cathedral. That's a big clue.

Using the satellite images at Google maps, I went looking for that large round courtyard in the vicinity of Rouen Cathedral. I found it after a few minutes. My mystery church is the Church of St. Ouen (top right). It is very satisfying to discover the solution to a historic puzzle like this.

The album also contained this image (left) of the Church of St. Vincent, which was destroyed in 1944 by German bombs in World War II. All that remains now is a stone arch in the town.