Earthquake Rattles Czech Diecast Museum

Tragedy can strike without warning nor regard as Eduard Pařízek and the Museum of Metal Models recently discovered the hard way.

The museum located in Týniště nad Orlicí sustained major damages as a result of a short, but powerful, earthquake on June 27 that shook the Czech city.

It’s estimated that Pařízek – who began amassing his collection of 1:43 and 1:64 scale models some 50 years ago – saw roughly a third of his 6,000-car exhibition damaged in the temblor.

Here some more and after shots –

Museum of Metal Models

Read more about the incident and Pařízek’s collection here.

Panic! Priceless Packard Plunges Into Pond

1938 Packard in pond

Aside from your own garage or a museum, there’s probably no safer place for a priceless classic car than a concours event. Not just any old show ‘n’ shine gathering, but a high-end concours d’elegance, where the spectators keep a respectful distance and no one does a burnout to impress everyone as they leave the park.

What could possibly go wrong?

The owner of this 1938 Packard 1605 Super Eight Convertible Sedan found out the hard way. The one of a kind car (literally… there is only ONE of this convertible/hardtop in existence) was parked on a gentle slope at the 2016 Councours D’Elegance at Port Royal Plantation, when it started to roll backwards. Into a pond.

1938 Packard in pond

The mostly submerged car was too heavy to be pulled out by volunteers. Divers had to be called in to attach cables so the car could be winched out.

Below is a video of the rescue effort.

While the car didn’t appear to be severely damaged, the repair bill must have added up quickly for the million dollar car. Just cleaning the mud and muck out of every little corner will probably cost a pretty penny. Let’s hope the owner had really good insurance coverage!

Heroic effort saves priceless items in museum flood

Museums have large staffs who can quickly act to prevent disaster. If you don't have that kind of manpower, you really need to insure your collection the right way.
Museums have large staffs who can quickly act to prevent disaster. If you don’t have that kind of manpower, you really need to insure your collection the right way.

Staff at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, B.C. are being credited for their quick action to stop major damage to the museum or to any of the priceless anthology of B.C. First Nations art during a massive flood yesterday.

The cascade that flowed down from the road was quickly stopped at the lobby. In all, 25 people sprang into action thanks in part to a thorough emergency preparedness plan, giant disaster preparedness kits, and a bit of good luck according to exhibition designer Skooker Broome.

“The waterfall was this incredible sight that was not something you should see. It wasn’t Niagara but it felt like it,” said Broome. “If this was 2 in the morning or even 6 o’clock at night without staff the remedial work that we did wouldn’t have happened.”

Read more at CTVNews Vancouver.

Buzz Lightyear doll thwarts Atlanta collection bin theft

Buzzlightyear-gps-jpg copy 2OWING MILLS, Md. —A Buzz Lightyear doll was pivotal in thwarting a string of recent thefts in Atlanta. Mid-Atlantic Clothing Recycling, based out of Maryland, used a GPS transmitter to help solve the thefts of clothes from its collection bins. A company employee placed the transmitter in a stuffed Buzz Lightyear doll in bag containing used clothing items.

GPS tracking is a cool idea, but good insurance and accurate records are safe ideas too. You can easily record and manage your collectibles at hobbydb.com. Read more at wmur.com

Marklin Museum Robbery 2005

The museum director had just taken seat at the breakfast table, with newspaper open, when the phone rang. The caller was the CEO of Marklin. That did not bode well. Very rarely he called privately at home and certainly not so early in the morning. The news was devastating and at breakfast, the newspaper was no longer conceivable to read. The scene was much worse than he had feared. The emergency exit door was damaged, display cases with glass over a centimeter thick were broken. Also on the wall with anti-theft cases, there were traces of forced entry.

Auguste Victoria

The complete historic Gauge I, Gauge 0, the Scale 00 from before 1945, steam engines, drive models and most tragically, the valuable ships “Auguste Victoria” and “Mecklenburg” and the extremely rare lighthouse were missing. The valuable figures of the ships, the captain of the “Auguste Victoria” was worth in good condition a 4-digit Euro sum at auction. Partially broken into fragments, a figure, a sailor, even completely, they were and gave testimony about which way the exhibits had left the premises. Clearly the burglars of the valuable pieces could not have been collectors or connoisseurs. The suspicion that the “loot” was subjected to abuse and roughly handled came on. The complete area surrounding the firm’s fence was then searched very carefully, but no more traces were found. Because of the amount of the stolen loot, with around 184 pieces missing, it was suggested that a truck would have been the getaway vehicle.

Read more at Marklinstop.com

Missing Dr Who Dalek found on Tor

No collectible is completely safe from theft.
No collectible is completely safe from theft.

A Dalek stolen from a Somerset tourist site has been found on Glastonbury Tor after thieves said it was “too hot.” The prop, which was at Wookey Hole Caves, near Wells, for a Doctor Who exhibition, was taken more than a week ago. A “ransom note” was then issued.

Cave owner Gerry Cottle made appeals for information. In the early hours of Tuesday, staff recieved a phone call telling them where the Dalek was.

Read more at BBC NEWS UK

 

Dog destroys £40,000 Elvis teddy

Nothin' but a hound dog...
Nothin’ but a hound dog…

Dobermann Barney was looking after the rare Steiff bear, named Mabel, which had been loaned for an exhibition at Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, Somerset.

The dog ripped the head off the bear and attacked scores of other teddies.

Barney’s owner could only suggest that the bear had a rogue scent on it – or that Barney had become jealous of it.

The bear, made in Germany in 1909, was bought at auction in Memphis, Tennessee, by Somerset aristocrat Sir Benjamin Slade.

Read more at BBC NEWS UK.

Disney Classics Collection Disaster!

hobbydb disney insure your collection
Disaster at the Tragic Kingdom

On Friday morning we were jolted awake by a CRASH, followed by what I would describe as the sound of a giant rock being thrown through a plate glass window.  But it wasn’t a rock, and our window was untouched.  Our full case of Walt Disney Classics Collection it’s a small world figures collapsed in on itself.  25 figures, SMASHED.

So how did this happen?  A slight miscalculation when putting together an Ikea DETOLF shelf.  One rail was installed backwards and we didn’t catch it.  Three of these shelves are in our house, all put together correctly except this one.  We think we were within the weight limit, which is 13lbs. per shelf.  The problem was that the shelving is able to slip when not installed correctly, and when we placed our newest piece in the cabinet it was enough weight to cause slippage…

Read more at themagickitschdom.

Real Bear Steals Toy Bear From New Hampshire Home

A black bear walked into a New Hampshire house through an open door, ate two pears and a bunch of grapes, took a drink from the family fishbowl and grabbed a stuffed bear on its way out the door.

3Mary Beth Parkinson said the bear apparently took advantage of the open outside door to get into her kitchen Tuesday in Laconia, about 20 miles north of Concord. She thinks the garage door going up scared the bear enough that it fled the house.

Courtesy of Huffingtonpost.com

Star Wars Collection Worth £20k Stolen

Hampshire Police are appealing for information after 80 Star Wars figures – thought to be worth in the region of £20,000 – were stolen from a house in Knowle Village near Fareham. According to a checklist kept by the victim, he had a number of extremely rare figures including the unfortunately named ‘Yak Face’, Darth Vader with ‘telescoping lightsaber’, a Jawa with its original vinyl cape and ‘Blue Snaggletooth’. These figures alone are worth several hundred pounds and a Yak Face recently sold at Vectis Auctions for £280.

2-7th-tabThe items – which also included 500 DVDs and limited edition items – were stolen while the owner was away between 3pm on Friday, 13th July and 12.30pm on Sunday, 15th July. Detective constable Craig Rainsley said: “This burglary involves the theft of science fiction collectables which are very identifiable.

Courtesy of Collectors Club of Great Britain