"brush with greatness"

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

On the whole, a lousy series of posts on my part---Barry has some gray in his beard too, what?

The Sloates let me stay in their house when I was visiting Brooklyn (and sister--couple of blocks away, with miniscule apartment--unless you count ceiling height!)). Barry was getting ready for an auction, and had, amoung other things, a complete set of Dukes--the first ones I'd ever seen. They were real nice people, and very hospitable. I remember it was the weekend Joe DiMaggio died; coincidentally, I'd brought my rookie Joe (WWG '36) with me-along with way too many other cards--to show Barry and my sister, who complained that there were too few American League ones.

Many of the houses in Cobble Hill, where Barry lives, are 19th century, including Barry's (so's my sister's, in Brooklyn Heights, next neighborhood). They had a few antiques, basebvall and other photos on their walls--I imagine there're more by now!---including the surround for their fireplace, beautifully carved, and original to the building I wanted to get them something REALLY old as a thank=you gift, and found a tiny, 17th century blue-and-white porcelain jarlet--aa it turned out--the Asian Art Nuseum store had set the date a little earler: 1644, latest), on the bottom of which the firer or the glazier had left a thumbprint. Wow--prehistoric Chinese thumbprint! Barry's wife called to say "Julie, it's the OLDEST THING IN THE HOUSE!" That's what i wanted!

Probably isn't any more...gee, they're fnding 18th century true baseball engravings, and much earlier ones of some ball-and-bat game...

Anyway, thank you Sloates, for a great few days!