Happy Estonian Independence Day!

Now let us celebrate by having some ice cream!

Thanks to Tiny Miss Fran and "Bucky" for the reminder!

The pre-taped call-in show

Tie Rack

I forgot to include a photo I took of my tie rack in that last post...

Oconomowoc

I've been buying a bunch of cheap vintage ties via Ebay lately, to feed my tie habit. My current quest is silk paisley ties between 2.75" and 3.25" width. I've had a hard time finding these new, even amongst the narrow ties now available in stores.

One I received yesterday (and am currently wearing) was originally bought at a store called The Country Squire, in a place I'd never heard of, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

At first, I wondered if the name was a tie-po (gettit?), but then I could tell it was an Indian name, so I was guessing upper New York state, but then I googled it and found the real location.

Then I found this old photo of downtown O, where the Country Squire may have been located, unless it was in a sixties-style suburban shopping development. This was back in the days before everyone bought their clothes at Old Navy, The Gap, and other monolithic national chains. For men's clothes, you'd go to a department store, or a place with a name like The Toggery or Hibberd and Cole.

One of the things that drew me to this particular item was the fact that my name is already on it:

Nifty, huh? (Hand modeling by Beebo)

A letter from Jonny G. Fairfacts (partial extract)

My Short-sighted Parents

They really should have bought this for me in 1973 when is was going for $400. But they wouldn't listen!

Superman's debut comic book issue sells for $1M

By JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK – A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold Monday for $1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.

A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold from a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.

The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.

Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time (1530 GMT). He said that the seller was a "well known individual" in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.

"It's considered by most people as the most important book," said John Dolmayan, a comic book enthusiast and dealer best known as the drummer for System of a Down. "It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes."

Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics, last year paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue for a client. Others have sold for more than $400,000, he said, but this copy fetched a much higher price because it's in better condition. It's rated an "8.0 grade," or "very fine."

Dolmayan said he didn't buy this copy but he wishes he could have.

"The fact that this book is completely un-restored and still has an 8.0 grade, it's kind of like a diamond or a precious stone. It's very rare," he said.

There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It's rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.

"The opportunity to buy an un-restored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades," Fishler said. "It's certainly a milestone."

The sticker shock was astounding to Fishler, nevertheless.

"It is still a little stunning to see 'a comic book' and '$1 million' in the same sentence," Fishler said. "There's only one time a collectible hits the $1 million threshold."

Tasteful Home Decor

We have several framed original movie posters in our apartment, and one of my hobbies is looking for new inexpensive posters to swap out and frame. This is one that's always appealed to me, though I think Beebo wouldn't let me put it up:I think it would look great with our The Evil Eye and Shadow of the Cat posters.