A Crowning Touch to My KGVI Collection!

eBay is a good way to find things that are unavailable in your own local area, but --- it's also frustrating at the same time. Half the time the item that you receive is not as nice as it was described in the listing. Or the seller is slow and/or rude. Or the packaging of the item is so bad that the item you've been waiting for arrives in a ruined state that is irreparable. Buying on eBay can be quite disappointing.

I'm also fed up with the "sniping" programs that so many people use to place their bids. I bid on an item and wait there, hoping to win, for days. Then in the last five seconds some sniping program comes in and beats you out without even a chance to see what's happened. In fact, I barely look at stuff anymore, and then only bid towards the end. I can't stand getting excited about something and then being disappointed in three final seconds.

Well, Mom and I sat and browsed through the "George VI" category the other day. I've collected stuff from his reign for almost ten years now. Mom and Lizzy even gave me a flag from his Coronation one year for Christmas! That is cool. Not to mention the sheet music song of the theme song at his Boys' Camps. Over the years it has become increasing difficult to find "new" items that I haven't already seen or purchased, so we don't browse through the category very often. Well, we were sitting there eating lunch with nothing else to do (right?!), so we browsed. Boy, did we hit on something cool! A brooch/pin released in commemoration of the Coronation shipment of Cutty Sark Blended Scots Whiskey. It's a gorgeous gold tone, enameled crown with red, green, white and blue accents. It says "Coronation George VI" on the front.

Oh joy! It arrived today, and it's SO much more beautiful in real life than any pictures. Wow! It's been a while since I was this happy with an eBay purchase. I just had to post a picture of it.

I also collect George VI postage stamps (from Great Britain and the entire Commonwealth). We're all counting down the days until the National Stamp Show, which is actually being held in Columbus this year!Oh joy, again! The show is actually four days long, and some of the dealers have told us that it will literally take that just to make it around to all the booths. Not even counting any displays and exhibits! I'm hoping to pick up some of the harder to find stamps --- we'll see how it goes.

And no, we're not going to watch the new movie about KGVI. I'm so irritated, disappointed, upset and disgusted that they would turn my favorite king into that. What a shame. Historically inaccurate and offensive portrayals of some amazing people. That's another post. Sorry that this sounds so "down". I guess that's what I get for typing a blog entry so late in the evening, right?!