PREVIOUS NEWS

Friday, February 18, 2000

Fellow Belleekers !!  (lettre # 4.2)

** HEADLINE NEWS !! **

I JUST received the preliminary request documenting 
the recognition of our fellow Belleekers of Florida 
as the SUNSHINE chapter of the B.C.I.S. !!  They have 
applied for membership with an enthusiastic 22 members !!
A BIG BELLEEK welcome to the SUNSHINE Chapter, our 
29th, I believe !!  I don't have ALL the details at 
this time, but to you fellow Belleekers out there in 
Florida land that pick this up off my Web Site, please
contact me and I will pass hour information onto the 
Sunshine Chapter Officers !!  I've been trying to 
contact them to see if they would reconsider their 
name and apply as the "HURRICANE" Chapter !!

** Collectors' NEWS and UPDATES !! **

In my last, unfortunately quite short, newslettre, 
I introduced everyone to Gina's Index of the Belleek 
Collector's Newsletter !! I have performed additional 
work on this index and you now have the option of 
printing, from my Web Site, either a formatted or 
unformatted index !!

The FORMATTED index enters at thee documents index 
and you can pick and choose the actual pages, i.e., 
like teasets, etc., to print !!  ALL the pages in 
the formatted style contain a "PAGE LAST UPDATED" 
feature allowing you to ONLY print those pages that 
have been modified !!

The UNFORMATTED index is EXACTLY what it states !!  
You get NO page numbers, NO Index (face it, there 
are NO page numbers), NO "LAST UPDATED" date, JUST 
a simple page after page listing with the ONLY 
reference to sections being that the headings are 
in a PUCE Colour !!

** CHICAGO SUMMER ANTIQUE SHOW **

ALL the information has been posted on my web site 
under the UPCOMING EVENTS page !!  More on this in 
my next newslettre !!

** THE PRISONER **
** BOOK # 2 Chapter # 2 **

I TOTALLY promised ALL of you out there that that 
Chapter # 2 WOULD be in print PRIOR to my journey's 
to the BIG Antique Fair in Atlantic City in March !!  

Well, HERE IT IS !!

This has become somewhat of a soap opera where it is 
increasingly difficult to keep proper track of all 
it's players ??

In any case, to conclude with out friend Bob, a GREAT 
Belleeker, whom added innumerable insight to this story,
I again quote directly from him :

"Based on your accounts, I'll have to 'merge' them into
my accounts, which came directly from Sydney, Jr. ?? 
Sydney's son who ran the store (Sydney Reynolds) name 
was Geoff he was more interested in cars than selling 
china and eventually sold the business to Dick Wedgwood
(no "e" in his name) Geoff died 10-15 years ago. I 
worked with Paul one of Geoff's sons. Anyway Dick has 
gone and got a job with Barry Lee of Butchart Gardens. 
He was the Guy that was trying to peddle the prisoner 
of love at the Seattle convention, This is becoming a 
FACINATING story !!"

Bob further continues :

"Dick Wedgwood sold Sydney Reynolds to the outfit that 
has a couple of other china shops including the one in 
the Empress hotel, don't know their name off hand, will
phone if you want. My version of the Prisoner of Love!!"

Now, everything gets TOTALLY fascinating !!  Bob's
research discouvers the following facts !!  Again,
I quote :  

"To change the subject a little, you mention that the 
international center piece was sold to Horace Mann, 
I agree that an American bought it BUT what I was 
wondering is in Sydney's "Romance of Irish Belleek" 
the International Center has 6 strings on the harps 
while the International center in the Mann Catalog 
has 7? also Sydney's has the dog chains missing which 
is possible, also the flowers are different, picture 
could be taken from different direction, and last 
Mann's is suppose to be 5 period 1955-65 where as 
these pieces where to have been shipped out before 
the war which should 3 Black or older. Let me know 
what your thoughts are. Paul is going to try and verify
the exact dates the closest so far is 1989 for his dad 
death. I made some good contacts so far with this 
project, will go further Bob ."

I want to thank Bob for ALL his labours and timeless 
research to discouver these absolutely splendid facts !!

One might want to consider another observation by 
myself !!  During my original meeting with Geoff, he 
produced not only an original Lithopane, BUT 
additionally, a SIGNED cheque from Horace Mann, 
with the directions that upon deciding to sell the 
Prisoner that his henchmen would deliver her from 
Vancouver to Texas upon demand !!  This seems to 
provide us with additional facts that Horace did 
indeed purchase, at some time, additional items from 
Sydney Reynolds, possibly a THIRD Prisoner of love as 
by working backwards in this diatribe, it seems 
impossible for the original purchase to have been the 
International Centerpiece ??  I leave this as GREAT 
food for thought !!

A FINAL observation to complete this work !!  If one 
takes a close, actually, you can see it from quite 
some distance, study of the picture of the Prisoners' 
head, you will notice that she looks somewhat familiar ??  
Well, SHE SHOULD !!  The Bust of Sorrow is nothing more
than a chiseled down Prisoner of Love !!  If you have 
ever been to the Pottery and seen their Prisoner in 
their Museum, one can easily notice that her arms are 
essentially applied to her torso as are numerous other 
body parts, etc. !!  The designers of Sorrow simply 
snipped off the Prisoner at her bust, leaving the bare 
shoulders and head and applied this work to a pedestal !!  
Voila !!  The Bust of Sorrow !!

ENDE (or Beginning ??)
    of The Prisoners' Affairs !!
 


          A wonderful clasp of the Prisoner's visage,
                complete with her Golden Tiara
             and flowing locks to her shoulders !!


Belleekingly,

Del E. Domke, Belleek Consultant
16142 N.E. 15th. Street
Bellevue,  WA    98008-2711
U.S.A.

Telephone :  1 (425) 746-6363
Message :    1 (425) 746-6363
FAX :        1 (425) 746-6363 
E-mail :     delyicious@comcast.net
Web-site :   The Beauty and Romance of Irish Belleek  (or) : 
              http://delyicious.magix.net/public/index.html