[Ansteorra] FW: eBay item: SCA - Ansteorra Cushions -Black Velvet with Embroidery (#4427833081)

[Darlene Vandever]

>> It saddens me to see these beautiful pieces of our history on
>> EBay. It saddened me when they were auctioned a few years ago,
>> and I, along with a few Roses bought as many items as we could.
>> I truly wish that items with Royal insignia be kept.  When the
>> time comes for an article to be retired, perhaps offering it to
>> a Royal Family member or the original artist is more appropriate
>> than Ebay, or a general auction.
> I also agree with this sentiment. These items need to be taken off  EBAY 
> immediately and/or sold to a member of the Ansteorra Royal  family past or 
> present. They should have never been sold in a general  auction in the 
> first place.

While it seems somehow wrong to sell such items, it *was* a "period" thing 
to do and was done throughout history. Perhaps those who are bidding are 
planning on doing the very thing you are discussing here...buy them off EBay 
and then keeping them for the history. We can hope. I would have bid on them 
myself but even when first put on EBay they had already gone beyond my price 
in bidding. I am attempting to bid on the Atenveldt chronicles which should 
have some interesting history in it as to the beginnings of our own kingdom 
in it.

The fact is that the kingdom locker was a terrible place to store such 
items. It is not climate controlled and had become stuffed full of these 
many "treasures" which sat for years (decades sometimes) gathering dust, 
grit and cockroach dung. I know because when I became Kingdom Historian, I 
rescued thousands of records from there, dusted and cleaned them up and they 
are now stored in a spare bedroom here in my home where I am attempting to 
make sense of some 25+ years of paperwork. Frankly, I don't think most 
people realize (I know I didn't) exactly how much "stuff" a large active and 
long-lived kingdom collects as the years roll by. You just can't keep it 
*all* and sometimes items *must* be allowed to go to others.

My suggestion might be that a group might go together (are you listening 
various Shires and Baronies?) to bid on the item before the auction closes 
and then lovingly put these items into their own history collections to save 
for such a time of display such as we had at the 25th year celebration. And 
of course, let me know in my capacity as Kingdom Historian where they are 
located. Thanks to the folks who have posted the history of these cushions 
here. I have saved your posts so we at least know who made them and why.
Mesterinde Annes
Kingdom Historian