Silver and Silk

It’s been awhile since I posted on this blog, but I’m going to try to keep it going. Here’s a little history to my selling on Ebay. Back in 2003, I had a slew of books (mostly non-fiction) that I had collected while doing Revolutionary War Re-enactment. I had books on how to make dyes from plants, colonial attire and how to make my own garments, cooking in colonial times, etc. I needed to make some space in my apartment, so I started to list the books. It a lot easier to sell books in Ebay back then than it is now. Anyway, I ended up making enough money to buy a new computer and computer desk. I even sold the bookcase. Along the way, I switched from books to vintage advertising. It took up a lot less room and was a lot more fun. However, even those starting taking up too much room and not really generating enough money to make it worth it. Then I moved onto neckties. I had bought some ties at a thrift store with the idea that I was going to use the fabric to make a crazy quilt pillow. I started taking them apart but was really struck by some of the beautiful silk fabric. As my scissors cut into one particular tie, I decided to look it up. Damn. It was a Leonard of Paris and worth a lot of money. I wanted to go back in a time machine and undo what I had done with the scissors. That was the beginning of my fascination with ties. It’s been about eight years and I have stopped and started, rethrifted about ten bags of ties when I left my last apartment – determined to be done. But they have slowly sneaked back into my life. Sure, I was only going to buy the Hermes, Gucci and other high end ties. No so. The Brooks Brothers and Zegna ties started creeping back in. I knew I had a problem, but there’s no rehab for “necktie addiction”. Before I knew it, novelty ties were hung from a rack in my closet. NO, NO, this can’t be. But, alas, I finally gave in and admitted that I was “The Tie Whisperer”.