When DIY goes bad

DIY didn't "go bad", it went "stupid". The actual DIY project sounds like it was entirely successful.

Still a bigger screwup than I think I've made so far-- but down near the end of the article, after leading with "Hole drilled in vase costs owner £250K" and giving the current value as £20,000. . .

the article says; "it would have been worth £250,000 without the hole and if it had been accompanied by its matching pair. "

My math & general knowledge of antiques says a single vase was probably 'only' worth £110,000 or so- less the £20,000 that she got it appraised for and we're left with £90,000. Google converts that to $178,551 USD today. Not exactly chump-change, but not 1/2 million, either.

Jim

Yeah. The math troubled me too. I wonder if she has the other vase?

First, the article states it would only be worth £250,000 if it had been accompanied by it's matching pair. We can't just assume a single vase would be worth half as much.

In any case, I always have to laugh when I hear things like "this will be worth something someday". That priceless object you hang onto isn't worth a penny until you sell it. Until then, it's just a piece of junk taking up space. "Potential" value won't pay the bills.

What's the old saying, "one man's junk is another man's treasure"? If the vase worked better as a lamp for the woman, I say she found her treasure. Otherwise it was just an ugly vase passed down through the family.

Anthony

The other half of the pair is probably being used as a catch for when changing oil in the car

That really totally hurts. Ouch!

Shrug. And if everyone had saved their copy of 'Action Comics Superman #1', they'd be worth about 10 bucks, probably. You glossed over where it said a matched set would be worth 250k pounds.

The value of collectibles is only meaningful if you have a rich buyer that wants it, as many people with dollar signs in their eyes have learned the hard way. Remember beanie babies?

As to the vase- well, if you're into that stuff, I guess it is pretty, but I'd never pay Art Collector prices for something like that, even if I was rich. Whoever buys it will probably just keep that side turned to the wall, or something, and nobody will ever notice.

-- aem sends...

The amount of money isn't the important thing (other than it was a lot). It's the notion of taking something lovely (to somebody) and ruining it for the connoisseur while turning it in to some horrid, utilitarian bit of crap.

My ex-wife PAINTED a walnut bookcase with some hideous, oil-based, exterior concoction. I wasn't about to wait until she turned my lucky bowling ball into a pair of bookends to match.

HeyBub wrote: ...

But it may have been nothing more than a chamber pot originally, anyway, and it's only the pretentious that have turned it into something other than a bit of utilitarian earthenware...

--

aemeijers wrote in news:sA7ek.114650$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Oh heck. I'm not a sports fan but 5 cent packs of baseball cards were a big thing when I was a tyke. It was cool to clip them to the bike forks with a wooden clothespin so they hit the spokes and made a cool flapping noise.

Mickey Mantle, Roger Marris & Willy Mays powered my old Raleigh bike. Vaaaaarooooom!

On Sat 12 Jul 2008 09:30:39p, Red Green told us...

Sounds like you're from my era!

Yah, but now it is a leaky chamber pot...

David.