Post #5183 by woofmutt on Tue, Aug 6, 2002 1:27 AM

The tale of the unfortunate mix of gravity and alcohol is a cautionary lesson to us all. And in this tale there is another lesson for the Tiki collector: bigbadtikidaddy found these s&ps under the listing of "totem pole". Another search phrase to add to your arsenal when ferreting out the hidden Tiki on eBay.

As for the nephew student who learned too quickly and too well...I think the mistake was in the teaching. While young relatives are very useful when shopping junk stores (their keen eyesight can spot things sooner than their elders, and small hands can remove a coveted item from another's basket without being noticed) it must be made clear at the outset that "We are looking for Tikis for UNCLE'S collection. Help uncle find neat things for HIMSELF. Later we'll get ice cream." In the case of the beginning collector nephew I'd offer him a half dozen duplicate mugs (or one of those box sets from Archie McPhee's) for the rare finds he scored (and as he's 14 you can't go wrong with throwing a bottle of rum into the trade). If the swap offer fails you may still get another chance at the mugs...He said "I just wanted to be like you", maybe he's going to put them up for sale on eBay.