When late night show host Tom Snyder died in ~2007, his wide-gauge (standard gauge?) layout - on custom cabinetry - was on display at the Golden Gate Model RR building in the SF Bay area (Richmond). It was certainly a beautiful collection of cars and engines - and a lot of fun to watch. I have no idea whether any of it was considered rare or "collectable" - since that gauge isn't my 'thing'. For all I know, it could have had restored items in it - if so, the restorations were well done. All in all, a very pretty collection that ran like a top. I believe the collection now rests with the NJ HiRailers, who apparently had the room and interest in taking it on. A long way of saying that these types of collections - when shared/displayed for others to see - are great.
EscapeRocks -- Maria pottery, eh! Nice going - just extraordinary artistry (something I'm not sure her kids were able to duplicate in terms of the finish/patina). Waaaay back when, my wife and I had a 'chance' at buy some of her work - we spent a summer at Los Alamos on my way to grad school and San Il Defonso was just down the street. What we wanted to buy cost the equivalent of a month's rent, or more, and as poor starving students, we couldn't figure out how to make that work. Now, of course, we look back on it and kick ourselves for not trying harder...
