Saturday, 21 Feb:
Spouse and I went to visit a small town about 100 miles from here and about 
20 miles outside Abilene, TX.  We also visited a antique "mall" (really was a 
big barn) just at the edge of Abilene and found a desirable piece.  Was 
walking at the rear of the barn (poor lighting) and peering into various bins 
and glass cases when I noticed a dark plate of some sort in the back corner 
of an unlighted case and it was all covered with cobwebs and dust.  After 
having an elderly lady open the case and get the item for me, cobwebs and 
all, I almost dropped it! it was a 1970 special edition Black Basalt "Mother" 
plate, edged in gold, priced at $35.00 and I received a 15% discount. No, I 
did not feel guilty - just extremely lucky!  A piece of Wedgwood this rare is 
worth substantially more than $35.00; it will easily be in the triple digits. 
 Monday, we took another short trip and found a small dark shop about 75 
miles south of us; located a piece of Lilac we had been searching for - a 
large Lilac heart box (5" long) with white relief. It too is a fairly rare 
piece so the price was worth it - just more than I had hoped to spend.  Such 
is the life of a collector, eh?
I do hope you find some pieces of interest to add to your collection. There 
are exclusive pieces made for the US outlet shops.  Be sure to ask about 
em.
Regards,
Frank
e-mail:  fstarns@flash.net
--- GoldED/386 2.50+
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