October 2002 News from Readers

An Oklahoma reader interested in our article on fishing lures in the August issue of KOVELS wrote to tell us that the Web site of the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club is www.nflcc.com. The “org” ending on the site listed in our article takes you to a Japanese Web site.

From a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, reader: I just renewed my subscription and have been a subscriber for many, many years. Now that I’ve reached the age of 96, I thought I would give up your publication, but I cannot. I need your help. I have an album of advertising cards that my grandfather put together. The cards are in good shape, but the album pages are crumbling. Most of the ads are for companies once located in Concord and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Do you know of a collector or museum that might be interested in buying the album? We have always said collecting is a lifelong interest, and you prove it. The scrapbook would interest many. Advertising cards are selling for a few dollars for common cards up to thousands of dollars for rarities like ads for mechanical banks. At a recent flea market, we saw a crumbling scrapbook the same age as yours that had an asking price of $1,200. Perhaps a local collector could tell you how rare your cards are so you can judge a fair price. Then check with dealers nearby. But be sure the scrapbook finds a good home. Perhaps it could be a donation to an historical society or museum; cards for local companies would be important to them.

A reader from Corvallis, Oregon, questioned our use of the term “quartersawn oak” in our article on oak furniture in the July issue. He said we should have referred to the wood as “rift-sawn.” Quartersawn wood is produced by quartering a log, then sawing it perpendicular to the growth rings. Rift-sawing is similar, but the angle of the cut is altered slightly so there is less waste. Our research came across lumber company lists that say “quartersawn white oak (tiger oak).”