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Monday, July 08, 2002

Fellow Belleekers !!  (lettre # 6.4)

** RUMORS !! **

By now, most ALL of us have heard one or more of a 
growing number of mindless rumors circulating about 
regarding the Pottery !!  I will repeat NONE of those,
I have heard, here, as they are mostly malevolent in 
a similar fashion to those Computer Virus' that the 
Computer Geeks seem intent on distributing !!  Let's 
exercise our patience and wait for ANY PROPER 
announcement that our 'Fearless Leader' wishes to 
divulge and disseminate to us !!  

NOW, if any of you Belleekers out there have some 
'spare' time on your hands and wish to validate the 
following excerpt from the New York Times, I would 
GREATLY appreciate your research !!  And, I KNOW than 
MANY of you read the Times Daily !!  I QUOTE :

"Somebody hit the delete key, please

What if you died at you computer, mouse in hand, email 
unread? Do you still have those images downloaded from
www.hotcha.com? Want your heirs to discover them? Now 
you can put a program called "Deadman's Switch" on your 
machine. If you don't reset it after a specified time, 
it carries out your last instructions, such as deleting 
those images, on the assumption that YOU have been 
permanently deleted.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com  "

The above is a DIRECT quote that came across my E-mail 
desk about a week prior !!  I have been able to verify 
the source, but NOT the Date or ACTUAL Application !!

Another GREAT source of 'Rumor Validation' can be found 
at the following Site, the address of which was 
GRATIOUSLY provided to me by a WONDERFUL fellow 
Belleeker !! 

     http://urbanlegends.about.com/mbody.htm

The above Link is maintained by a group dedicated to 
the research into and subsequent validation of rumors, 
scams, cons, etc., etc., floating around CyberSpace !!  
I have found this Site immensely valuable in verifying 
the 'claims' made regarding 'potential' Virus threats
and 'GREAT' Giveaways !!  Let's face it, Bill Gates is
NOT distributing his fortune to hapless 'Chain Letter'
subscribers !!
 
NOTE : NEVER DownLoad and Execute a 'Virus' Fix that 
you are notified of via E-mail !!  This supposed FIX 
is MORE THAN LIKELY, THE ACTUAL VIRUS !!  Go to your 
Virus Manufacturers Site, i.e., like Symantec (Norton),
McAfee, etc., and, IF this is a REAL Virus, they will 
have a 'Posting' regarding this threat AND the PROPER 
Inoculation !!

** GINA IS IN CONTROL !! **

Our friend and GREAT Belleek Restorer, has now 
published her Cross-Reference to the Belleek 
Collectors' Newsletter !!  I have modified the 
Links on my Site to Link directly to hers !!  The 
Absolute Link to Gina's X-Ref is :

 http://mysite.freeserve.com/belleek_col_index 

You may also discouver this X-Ref thru the UK Group's 
Site at :

 http://geocities.com/simel9/belleekukgroup.html

The UK Group has ALSO begun to publish their WONDERFUL 
Newsletter on their Site !!  It is DEFINITELY worth 
reading !!  Barnes and Noble would place it on their 
TOP 10 BEST SELLERS List, a DEFINITE MUST READ for 
ALL Belleekers !!

** SOTHEBY'S 2002 IRISH SALE !! **

UNFORTUNATELY, this years Irish Sale was 'FAIRLY' 
DISMAL, to say the least !!  Only about ONE HALF the 
Lots were sold at Auction !!  NOW, a somewhat verified
rumor, or is that an oxymoron, is that ANOTHER Irish 
Sale will take place THIS Fall, probably in either 
October or November !!  I will attempt to keep everyone 
informed as more information develops !!

Fortunately, I was the LUCKY recipient of several of 
the Auction Items during the Post Auction Hype !!  ALSO,
I have already noticed at least a DOZEN of the SOLD 
Auction Lots Posted at Auction on E-Bay !!

The COMPLETE Belleek portion of Sotheby's 2002 Irish 
Sale has been posted on my Site !!  I have ALSO posted 
the Millennium (Year 2000) Belleek Suggested Retail 
Price Guide !!

** 2003 COLUMBIA CHAPTER CONVENTION !! **

If you're NEW to the World of Belleek Collecting or an 
'Old Hand' Affectionardo, the 'Host' Columbia Chapter of 
Oregon has promised ALL Belleekers a WONDERFUL excursion 
to the BEAUTIFUL Pacific Northwest !!

Pat, the Convention's organizer, has recommended that
you plan to either arrive a few days early or schedule
several days following the Convention as the Chapter is
offering some exquisite tours of the Pacific Northwest 
and surrounding regions !!  Check out the 'brief' tour 
synopses at my Site for additional information !!

Complete information, including Registration Forms, can 
be located thru the EVENTS Page on my Web Site, address 
below, OR directly thru the following Link :

http://delyicious.magix.net/public/conv_2003.html

Again, if the above Link is NOT Clickable, simply 
EDIT/COPY then EDIT/PASTE it in your Browser and GO !!

** CHICAGO SUMMER ANTIQUE FAIR !! **

I'm arriving on Thursday, 15-Aug-02, and staying at the 
Doubletree !!  If you're planning on attending, PLEASE 
look me up !!

** EGG CUPS !! **

As one of the Post Sotheby's Auction Items I acquired 
was an Egg Cup, I JUST couldn't hesitate to compose 
this bit !!  In some rather extensive research, I was
FINALLY able to discouver the following :

"FROM : Youth's Educator For Home And Society - c1896

CHAPTER XIII.  IN THE DINING-ROOM. 

EATING EGGS.  Eggs that are boiled in the shell should 
be placed in an egg cup, the shell broken at one end, 
and then eaten from the shell."

I find this quite refreshing in that during the years
I spent on the Continent, we rarely feasted at Breakfast 
without the addition of an Egg course, ALWAYS, properly 
served up in their own Cups !!

In addition to your Egg Cup, utensils for proper 
consumption include a rather small knife, much the same 
size as a butter knife, but a bit on the 'heavier' side, 
accompanied by the actual dishing implement, the 'Egg' 
Spoon !! 

The knife is utilized to gently tap around the LARGE end 
of your egg shell, thereby exposing a small cap, which 
is removed, much like a hat, exposing the edible 
interior of your SOFT boiled egg !!  The LARGE end 
is exposed simply based on the occurrence of the Eggs 
Air Chamber occupying that area within the shell !!

The spoon would remind one of a 'salt' spoon based on
the size of the 'bowl' although the handle or 'stem' 
would better be described as that of a shrimp or 
cocktail fork !!  The 'wee' size of the spoon bowl 
is, obviously, necessary for entrance into the small 
circular top opening of your egg, with the length of 
the stem allowing effortless access into the depths 
of the shell !!

UNFORTUNATELY, with extreme excesses of today's genetic 
engineering affecting BOTH animal and plant products,
the beautiful Egg Cups of yesteryear have fallen by the 
wayside as they are JUST physically TOO SMALL for even 
our industry classified and sorted SMALL Eggs of 
today's market shelves !!

Which brings to mind another classification scheme in 
common use today, that of the OLIVE !!  But that is 
ANOTHER story from SMALL to SUPER COLLOSAL !!

BON APPÉTIT !!



 
              A Trio of Egg Cups !!

On the left, we see a beautiful example of Royal 
Worcester's Chinese or Dragon Ware (c1954), in BONE 
China, thus the EXTREME white colouring !!  This Item 
I JUST recently purchased via E-Bay !!

Next, in the center, we see a RARE example of the 
Grass Pattern (1st. Period), complete with ATTACHED 
'Drip' Plate, thus the somewhat uniqueness !!  This 
particular Cup was purchased in the 'secondary' market
following Christies' Belleek Auction of 2000 !!

Lastly, we see a wonderful example of Belleek's Limoges
Decoration (also, 1st. Period) on their Ring Handled 
Ivory Ware !!  This example was acquired from THIS 
Years Sotheby's Irish Sale, but again, on the 
'secondary' market !!

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