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.
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.
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!
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.”
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…
Plutarch (AD 46–120) wrote that during his visit to Alexandria in 48 BC Julius Caesar accidentally burned the library down when he set fire to his own ships to frustrate Achillas’ attempt to limit his ability to communicate by sea.
After its destruction, scholars used a “daughter library” in a temple known as the Serapeum, located in another part of the city.
Kevin Johnson and Lupe Lomu were at the checkout buying groceries Monday when his cell phone rang. Their apartment complex was on fire. The Lynnwood couple raced out of the supermarket, leaving their food behind. As they neared home, they could smell the destruction. It took just one glimpse to realize the fire had taken everything.
“That’s all I have,” Johnson said Tuesday, pointing to a donated red-striped shirt lying on a cot at a makeshift American Red Cross shelter. Johnson, a toy collector, lost his mint condition collections of Hot Wheels cars and G.I. Joe action figures. “It was just a hobby but a hobby I was really passionate about,” he said “It’s a small thing to most people, but a big deal to me.”
A weekend fire at the historic Georgetown Train Station damaged more than the building. The Delaware SeaSide Railroad Club said it lost up to $40,000 in trains and equipment on the second floor of the building. President John Hodges said some pieces cannot be replaced because the manufacturer is out of business. “My colleague told us that we had a real serious situation,” Hodges said. “The building was fully involved upstairs and we probably lost everything.” In total, five model train displays were destroyed in the May 7 fire, Hodges said. One display was not in the building at the time. Investigators determined the fire started on the second floor but have not pinpointed a cause. The rail club was finishing up an open house at the time.
“The club, especially, lost a lot of value and a lot of money in trains, train accessories, tracks, transformers and all the equipment it took to set these displays up,” Hodges said. The Greater Georgetown Chamber of Commerce occupied space on the first floor, which mostly saw smoke and water damage, Hodges said. Mayor Brian Pettyjohn said the group is temporarily working out of space at town hall. Train club members are scheduled to return to the building on Friday in hopes of salvaging some pieces. In the meantime, volunteers hope to raise the necessary funds to buy new trains.
Hodges said the club’s goal is to replace the trains and have displays ready in time for Christmas.
Hundreds and possibly thousands of rare comic books were damaged at a comic museum’s warehouse in western Pennsylvania last week.
Executive director Joe Wos says the most valuable comics weren’t at the warehouse, but some of what was lost will be “very difficult to replace.” He says much of the material was waiting for transfer to the ToonSeum’s new on-site library.
Jacob King used to buy toys every now and then from a lady that lives about a half hour away from his place. She had 3 large sheds (one roughly 12×40′) full, top to bottom, of boxes of mint, packaged toys from the 80’s. In this shed she had a complete collection of every Kenner GB action figure: the original line, the glow in the darks, the monsters…
Some kid decided to play with fire behind her sheds and burnt everything to the ground. She had almost every toy from the 80s and early 90s: ghostbusters, ninja turtles, aliens, all gone.
