My past week was largely one of anticipation.

Yesterday, I picked up the Charles W Haertel estate’s postal history collection. I will be preparing it for sale on eBay over the coming weeks.

Included in the collection are presidential free franks, many other better free franks, significant stampless era material, ships boats steamers, domestic rates, Civil War patriotics, Confederate covers, postal currency, Well over 100 very attractive fancy cancels on cover, a section of Wisconsin dpo’s, and more. Highlights so far are a Free Franked cover signed by John Quincy Adams as a Senator. A $1 Guam overprint tied on cover (Guam #12). And an 1860 Lincoln the Railsplitter Campaign cover.

There is a lot of better material in this consignment, and I expect to be putting about 5-600 lots up over the coming few months. I will have these scheduled by next week’s newsletter.

I will be blogging about these on a regular basis. I also intend to set up a separate email alert for the various auctions when they get set up. Be watching for details.

I will build some Squidoo lens on each major category to preview at least some of the better items. While I welcome inquiries, my intention is to sell all the items on eBay.

I will run these as ten day auctions starting on Thursday Nights, perhaps twice a month, perhaps more frequently. Many items will start out at $24.99 many will go for $100’s. I expect to see a few $1000+ items as well.

You will want to be paying attention if you are into 19th century and earlier postal history.


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Last Saturday, I went ice fishing with my new son in law from Turkey and 10 year old grandson at my brother’s ice house on Lake Minnewaska in west central Minnesota.

There for the second weekend in a row, I took the honors for the first fish, the most fish, and the largest fish! Unfortunately, it was also the only fish. I guess I’m bad luck for my fishing mates.

Despite the lack of fishing success, everyone had a great time. We started out on the open ice, drilling holes with a power auger through about 2 feet of ice. There we stood in the roughly 14 degree weather with a slight breeze.

We used both wax worms and tiny crappie minnows, starting at just above the bottom and working our way up. If the fish are there and in a feeding mood, one or the other should eventually work, and in one instance it did and I pulled out an okay sunny but that would be the last of the fish for the day.

Standing on the ice, we could see a line of fish houses stretching at least half a mile consisting of 100’s of little portable ice shanties. They curved in an arc to follow the underwater contour.

Most appeared empty, but cars were alongside many, a couple kids here or there to be seen, and some comings and goings as well a couple nice fish being caught within eye or earshot up and down the line.

Part of our expedition was the moving of my brother’s ice fish house from its previously unsuccessful location to the greener pasture. The process took about an hour and a half, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy standing on the ice, jigging away ever watchful for the illusive crappie bite.

Thus Serder was able to experience the contrasting forms of ice fishing, the stalwart stand on the ice approach and then the cushy roast and toast of the indoor fisherman. I think he enjoyed both, and I am sure his mother in Ankara is already wondering about her son’s sanity as the pictures have long been emailed.

Standing out in the fresh air makes one hungry, so we grilled up some brats and wieners in a baby weber. Add some cookies beer and other gedunk and we were happy campers. Not quite a shore lunch of tasty walleye or crappie but delicious nonetheless.

As we packed up for home, I again marveled at the clear cold night sky, so much darker away from the city and so much more full of stars and wonder.

I only wish we had caught more fish.

Maybe next weekend. etn