Christmas is coming, baseball fans!

With the annual Winter Meetings closing yesterday, baseball is on the minds of fans during the cold winter months. With Christmas just around the corner, fans can peruse our Baseball Emporium to find great books, along with various Cincinnati Reds items. I still have some Ken Griffey Jr. items in the store, some commemorating his 600th home run last season. I also still have a couple of the Joe Nuxhall replica bronze statuettes.

As always, we ship quickly. Remember on the books, the shipping costs reflects U.S. Media Mail, so if you need 1st class or Priority Mail, contact me directly.

Chagall's Fiddler Screenprint Reproduction

I haven't put this up for sale, but I thought I'd solicit some help from our readers. I picked up a screenprint of Marc Chagall's Fiddler this weekend at The World's Longest Yard Sale. I've tried researching who may have produce a screenprint version of the famed painting, but haven't foudn anything. There are no identifying markings on the front or back of the piece.

Any clues?

Ken Griffey Jr. Moves on - now with the White Sox

It wasn't unexpected, but the anticipated move of Ken Griffey Jr. from the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox took place on the last day of July. For Reds fans, it was a thrill to have one of the greatest baseball players of all time on our team, even if it never turned out as expected. Griffey did hit more than 200 home runs with his hometown team. Included were home runs #400, #500 and #600 just this season.

We have quite a number of Griffey items in our store:

• KEN GRIFFEY JR 600 HOME RUN PHOTO CINCINNATI REDS W/TICKET



• KEN GRIFFEY JR 600 HOME RUN PHOTO CINCINNATI REDS



• KEN GRIFFEY JR 600 HOME RUN CARD CINCINNATI REDS



• Ken Griffey Jr. Cleo Valentines - 32 count box



• Junior: Griffey on Griffey 1st Edition

Indiana University IU Basketball Championships Blanket

SOLD OUT - Thanks!

Every now and then, I come across an item which is just unique. I've had such an item for a while now and now have it listed in my store. It's a nice knit throw blanket celebrating Indiana University's five National Championships - 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981 and 1987. It is 100% acrylic and made by Logo Knits. You can see the blanket here.

Silver Screen Books shelves are filling up!

The store still isn't huge, but we're gradually filling the shelves and open for business - opened this summer, Silverscreenbooks.com has many volumes of books which have been made into movies. A number of them are vintage copies - a great opportunity to read the works that inspired some of the best movies made with some of the greatest actors on screen.

<----- a handful of James Bond books by Ian Fleming!

Travels with Charley - Steinbeck on Antiques

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's travelogue Travels with Charley, In Search of America. Towards the beginning a bit jumped out at me as a seller of items found here and about. It made me think of the selling online that many of us do, finding treasures here and selling them to others all over the world.

He wrote:

I can never get used to the thousands of antique shops along the roads, all
bulging with authentic and attested trash from an earlier time. I believe
the population of the thirteen colonies was less than four million souls, and
every one of them must have been frantically turning out tables, chairs, china,
glass, candle molds, and oddly shaped bits of iron, copper, and brass for future
sale to twentieth-century tourists. There are enough antiques for sale
along the roads of New England alone to furnish the houses of a population of
fifty million. If I were a good businessman, and cared a tittle for my
unborn great grandchildren, which I do not, I would gather all the junk and the
wrecked automobiles, comb the city dumps, and pile these gleanings in mountains
and spray the whole thing with that stuff the Navy uses to mothball ships.
At the end of a hundred years by descendants would be permitted to open this
treasure trove and would be the antique kings of the world. If the
battered, cracked, and broken stuff our ancestors tried to get rid of now brings
this much money, think what a 1954 Oldsmobile, or a 1960 toastmaster will bring
- and a vintage Waring Mixor - Lord the possibilities are endless! Things
we have to pay to have hauled away would bring fortunes.

Andersen's Fairy Tales - Beautiful Edition

Sometimes you find a book that just catches your eye. Some time ago, I picked up a very nice 1945 edition of Andersen's Fairy Tales with illustrations by Arthur Szyk.

<------ Here's a photo of the inside front cover (and the identical illustration is on the back inside too).

There are similar one page illustrations throughout the book, along with some black pen drawings.

Check out my books at http://silverscreenbooks.com/

Cincinnati Reds Honor Ken Griffey Jr. at 6/17/08 Game

Last night the Cincinnati Reds comemmorated the 600th Home Run hit by Ken Griffey Jr. with three giveaways at the game. I've got those items listed in my store available to his fans - a poster, an oversized card and a photo (including one listing with the ticket stub). Check them out here. Fast Shipping!

I also still have the Joe Nuxhall replica statue.

Joe Nuxhall Remembered At Cincinnati Reds Game Last Night

On the 64th anniversary of Joe Nuxhall's debut in the Major Leagues at the age of 15, the Cincinnati Reds and the City of Cincinnati renamed the 100 block of Main Street in downtown Joe Nuxhall Way. In commemoration, the Reds gave away replica bronze statues of Nuxhall; the same statue that stands in front of Great American Ball Park. I have four statues up for sale in my store's Baseball Emporium.

I also still have copies of both Cincinnati newspapers remembering Nuxie after he passed away - both the Cincinnati Enquirer and the now defunct Cincinnati Post's editions.

Ken Griffey Jr. Joins the 600 Home Run Club

Cincinnati Reds outfielder, Ken Griffey Jr. hit home run #600 last night in Miami. He is now one of just six players in history to hit 600 or more home runs.

We've got a great book in our store titled Junior: Griffey on Griffey - a 1st edition copy.

I've also listed some packages of Ken Griffey Jr. Valetines - another great find.

Happy 100th Birthday, Ian Fleming!

Today is the 100th anniversary of the British writer, Ian Fleming. Famed for the James Bond series of books, as well as the classic children's story "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". Our story has a set of three classic Fleming James Bond's books - Casino Royale, Thunderball & You Only Live Twice. These are three very nice paperback editions from the 1960's.

Shaken, Not Stirred....

While you're at it, go all the way and enjoy a martini made from one of the recipes in the volume Vintage Cocktails for sale in my TSCSales store!

Silver Screen Books is now open!

Introducing Silverscreenbooks.com

I have added another store on eCrater.com, one specializing in books which are made into films. As my daughter asked, how many times have you commented after seeing a movie, something like "the book was better."? The books in this store have had films made from them.

I also have biographies of actors and as well as books written by performers in two other sections of the store.

But the bulk of our stock will be Books to Film. Check out Silver Screen Books now!

Spreading the Chili Gospel

Our weekly free city newspaper, City Beat, had a great column about Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili and its hold on its afficianados. I've shipped hundreds of packs of this local delicacy all around the country.

Here's the column:

Living Out Loud

Spreading the Chili Gospel

By Sara Bedinghaus

If there's one thing people from Cincinnati love, it's chili. We love eating it, and we love talking about it.

Those of us who have moved away from the area have cans of chili and spice packets mailed to us. When we return home, it's often the first thing we eat, and then we continue to eat it on a daily basis to hold us over 'til next time.

Another thing we love is making people who aren't from Cincinnati eat it.

Last summer, I made a decision that many Cincinnatians in their twenties make: to leave town and live somewhere else. Since moving across the country, I've forced canned chili upon many of my new friends, only to find that most of them think Cincinnati chili -- specifically Skyline -- isn't that big of a deal.

Since most people I know from home seem to have a substance abuse issue when it comes to Skyline, I'm still caught off-guard when someone isn't elated upon tasting this wildly delicious and comforting dish for the first time.

I recently made Skyline three-ways for my two roommates, one who went to college in Cincinnati and one from Minneapolis. The Minneapolis roommate sat silently while we chiliphiles reminisced about chili days past.

"Did you ever see Alan and Stevo go to the chili eating contests? They used to eat, like, three three-ways and four cheese coneys. It was so awesome!"

"When I worked at Skyline, the old people would bitch about the price of coneys. 'I remember when cheese coneys were a nickel!' "

"Oh, this brings back memories. I wish I were drunk right now."

My chili-appreciating friend and I did try to change the subject in order to be inclusive to the Minnesotan, but the conversation kept going back to all the fun times we had stuffing our faces with cheese-covered chili spaghetti and hot dog dishes in the middle of the night. We've now begun trying to recreate the experience for those who never had the pleasure of injesting these 1,000-calorie bombs at 3 a.m.

Those of us who prepare the homemade version outside Cincinnati just love watching people eat it for the first time. We get no greater joy than when the chili virgin enjoys the meal, and we enthusiastically embrace their naive questions about the cuisine.

"What is 'Skyline'?"

Skyline is to chili as Kleenex is to tissue.

"Wait, you put the chili on the noodles?"

Yes! See how exciting this is?

"Where are the beans?"

No, silly, beans are only on four-ways and five-ways. Baby steps.

"That's a lot of cheese."

Yes, it's obscene. That's how you have to do it!

"Do you ever actually feel good after you eat Skyline?"

No, but it doesn't matter, because it feels so good when you're chewing it.

"Is there a healthy version of this?"

Of course, they offer the low-carb bowl: two hot dogs in a bowl of chili. Duh!

"Hey, I'm switching planes in Cincinnati on my way to New York."

Eat some chili! They have Gold Star at the airport, and that's close enough for these purposes. Your unsophisticated chili palette won't know the difference.

When the chili newbie enjoys our concoction, we feel as though we've helped someone reach a heightened level of food enjoyment. To think they've come this far without ever passing such beefy gold through their digestive system. A travesty, really.

The same phenomenon of chili gospel applies to out-of-town visitors.

My friend once brought her boyfriend from Colorado to Cincinnati to meet her friends and family. We all converged at Northside Tavern, and immediately after introductions we pounded the poor guy with chili questions.

"Did Rachel take you to Skyline? What did you order? Did you like it? Did you like it?"

He thought the chili was OK. He thought we were truly insane. We haven't seen him since, and I wonder if the chili interrogation has anything to do with that.

Some people get it, though. I once treated a friend from Washington, D.C. to late night Skyline at the Clifton location.

"Oh, oh my gosh," he mumbled through a mouthful of steaming hot spaghetti. "This is the best drunk food I've ever had in my life."

I will never forget that victory, but I'm also aware that many who have witnessed a Cincinnatian's eyes light up with enthusiasm for teaching people about chili might think we're nuts. After all, do any other cities have such a loyal food following?

I've never heard of anyone from Baltimore or Seattle or Atlanta or Philadelphia having canned local food shipped to them "for an emergency or special occasion." With so many losing sports teams, depressing election results and a national reputation for weirdness (Jerry Springer, Marge Schott, Larry Flint, Maplethorpe censorship, race riots), this is the one thing we hold onto with pride.

Please know that those of us who have left Cincinnati probably miss the chili more than anything else. We're littered among many American cities, wielding cans of chili and an enthusiasm for preparing foreign fare.

Outsiders don't have to like it, but we demand to be humored. It's the only thing we have that might possibly impress them.

Journeys Through Bookland

What a great title for a eleven volume set of books for children's classic literature. Published in 1909, ten volumes are the literature itself and the eleventh is a Guide book, introducing the wealth of the material presented.

These volumes are in tremendous condition for a series which will be 100 years old next year. I'll have a photo to put up tomorrow, but here is the listing in my store - Journeys Through Bookland

The New York times announced the publication of the final eight volumes in 1910, an interesting read (it opens as a PDF file).

Opening Day - A Holiday in Cincinnati

Well tomorrow is what I call the "high holy day" - Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Reds are the 1st professional team in baseball (established 1869) and every season, we're the only team which begins its season at home.

Prior to the game, we'll have the annual Findlay Market parade, beginning at the market in the historic Over The Rhine section of Cincinnati. The whole town celebrates and we hope the Reds bring home a winner!

With the start of the season, check out our Baseball Emporium for lots of baseball books, Cincinnati Reds items and even copies of both the Cincinnati Enquirer and Cincinnati Post's tribute to the late, great Joe Nuxhall.

El Molino Best Recipes - 1953 Cookbook

I've added yet another listing to our cookbook section - a vintage 1953 El Molino Best Recipes cookbook. This volume is in a 13 ring binder, but the cover has become detached. Great looking recipes in there, including a whole section devoted to Allergy recipes for wheat, egg and milk allergies.

There are now six listings in our Cookbook section, so check them out. Yum!!!!

What's Cooking? New Cookbook Section to our Bookstore

I've added another section to our bookstore - cookbooks! I'm listing some today including a 1958 Good Housekeeping Cake Book, chock full of delicious cake recipes from years ago. Another is a five volume set of Favorite Recipes of America, a 1966 set of hardback cookbooks. I'll be adding some of my other cookbooks, so keep checking my bookstore for new editions.

Later today I'll be adding a fun titled - Vintage Cocktails, Authentic Recipes & Illustrations from 1920 to 1960 and Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes Revised, signed by the late Tennessee Congressman, John Jennings Jr.

eCrater.com growing - reaches the One Million mark for listings!

I've been listing items on eCrater since last summer - but the site has been growing considerably since the boycott of eBay began in February. Following is a press release about eCrater.com reaching the 1,000,000 items listed mark.

Check out all the items I have listed on eCrater - and this blog entry for a breakdown of the store's sections.

http://tscsales.ecrater.com/ - our featured item is Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili

eCRATER.com passed the 1,000,000 item count on Monday 3/10/08 !!!


Love to buy and sell online? Try www.ecrater.com for jewelry, books, fashion, antiques, electronics,etc.

eCrater is more than just a marketplace of fixed-price listings. It's a free web-hosting site where sellers manage their own stores (like eBay Stores but better organized).

On eCrater, shoppers can access an individual seller's site directly or may search for products from the main eCrater.com website (http://www.ecrater.com).

The beauty of eCrater is that it is so simple. Sellers can point their websites to their eCrater page using URL masking, so buyers will only see the seller's website address (not eCrater's). This makes it seem more professional, and more like your own website rather than a page on someone else's site (as you get with eBay Stores).

eCrater has a feedback feature just like eBay, and some of the better features of Feedback 2.0 were integrated, well before eBay launched them. eCrater allows sellers to accept PayPal and Google Checkout and has plans to add Amazon Payments.

Premium Listings

eCrater is completely free, but the site does offer premium positions. A position on the home page, which merchants can use to rotate their products, costs $100/month. (The position is booked through the end of March 2008.) A position on the top of all listings in a category costs $25/month per item and guarantees a premium top spot in the category.

New Features

eCrater also added a "mods" system. The idea is similar to the Wikipedia content control. Moderators make sure that all the listings belong in the correct category and are compliant with eCrater's policies. As a certified Google Checkout partner eCrater will make sure that all listings are compliant with Google Checkout's and Google Base's policies too.

Moderators receive a small icon next to their store name as a bonus for their efforts, making their stores stand out from the others.

See what I'm selling on iOffer.com

Now up & running on iOffer.com

I've added a store at iOffer.com so check out my items there too. I've got the chili listed there, plus I put up the NASCAR P&G Tide Racing jacket - make me an offer on the jacket. That's why they call it iOffer!

We Can't Seem to Shake the Winter - Some Skyline Chili Would Be Just Right

Here in Cincinnati, winter has come late and we can't seem to shake it. While we're not being buried in snow, the last couple of weeks have been a weather roller coaster; warming up a bit, bitterly cold next and snow, ice, rain and then more snow. A little bit of sunshine has been mixed in and we no spring is just on the horizen because the Reds are on the radio now (a good time to see our Baseball Emporium).

But the Reds are not the purpose of this blog entry. Rather it's to let you still in the throes of winter that we've got plenty of Skyline Chili in stock ready to ship to you. Nothing can stave off the winter blues than some of our famed chili! I ship to anywhere in the United States - sorry no international orders. And for those snowbirds who've migrated to warmer climates - it still hits the spot!

NCAA Great John Wooden - SIGNED copy of They Call Me Coach

You never know what you're going to find and this morning I came across a 1973 1st paperback printing of NCAA Hall of Fame player and coach John Wooden's book They Call Me Coach. The book is SIGNED by Wooden, inscribed: May you enjoy this story about a coach -John Wooden.

Wooden is now 97 years old and led the UCLA Bruins to ten NCAA Championships. He is the first and one of only three people in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

Take a look at the listing at my eCrater store.

Richard Petty NASCAR cars from General Mills Cereals

A few years ago, I had some success selling little Hot Wheels or Matchbox type cars that General Mills put in their cereal boxes as a premium. They're back and I have a couple listed on my eCrater Store site. The pictures are a little blurry as my camera seems to have something wrong with it, but the cars in new, in their original packages.

Joe Nuxhall Remembered

Here in Cincinnati, we were all disappointed to hear that the late Joe Nuxhall was not selected as this year's recipient of the Ford Frick Award from the baseball Hall of Fame.

For those who are one of Joe's many fans, I still have copies of the tributes from both the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post. I will combine shipping if you buy a multiple copies of the papers.

Maybe next year we can celebrate Nuxie getting into the Hall of Fame!

Restructuring the Old Storefront - the Baseball Wing

I've been spending tonight updating my eCrater store, in particular listing more items, plus I've added a new Category: The Baseball Emporium - and moved the baseball books into that category, still known as Take Me Out To The Ballgame. Come take a look and let me know what you think of the updated sections.

And remember, Pitchers & Catchers report on Valentine's Day this year. How's that for Love?

Cincinnati Post Final Edition 12/31/2007

Sadly, my beloved hometown, Cincinnati, became a one newspaper town after December 31, 2007. The Cincinnati Post, founded in 1881 closed its doors. I have an auction up right now for the final edition of the Post from New Year's Eve on eBay. It already has some bids, so get it while you can.