Facing It

Good to remember:

...and another thought, inspired by our weather lately:

Well, It's Back...

It's snowing. Again.

Colorado has had plenty of late-season snows before... although we've had more than usual this year. The poster child was May 1898, with at least an inch (and often more) on five consecutive days.

Storms like this are unpredictable, in part because the mountains tend to either protect us from the elements -- or hug them closer. The higher altitude doesn't help, either. (We live at 6250 ft, versus Denver's 'mile-high' altitude. Daughter #2 and Son #1 live a few thousand feet higher than we do.) We could just as easily get a few inches, as we could a few feet. Go figure.





We don't have any commitments tonight or tomorrow. I have homemade rye bread to make, plus jam to simmer. Even if the power goes off, we've got the woodstove and warm doggies.


Do your best, late Winter!  We'll be fine.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: I Must Be Hungry

    Sunday dinner's finished, and the sun is clouding over. By nightfall (and a well-earned nap, thanks to Worship Team for two services, PLUS the dinner), a sharp patter of rain hits the chimney. We're supposed to get rain much of this week -- I hope so! 
    For some odd reason, a good share of the the items that hit me as worth passing on this past week were food-related. But right now, I have little time to cook... 
     Hopefully you do, instead.

Caramel corn and popcorn balls: a classic from Holiday Goodies, one of yours truly's other blogs.

President Lyndon Johnson orders a new pair of pants...and some other stuff! Friends told us about this strange (and rather funny) taped phone conversation:

I just wonder who taped him...and why.

When your friends trick you into wearing an Ugly Sweater... and they're not.  Ask Ryan Reynolds how he feels about that.

TV and cable series that were renewed...and axed for next season.

Financially literate kids -- a small victory.  (From Len Penzo)

"What is something you swear happened -- but nobody believes you?" Actually, I do... and you should, too.  (From Quora)

Cheesy Slow Cooker Taco Soup.  Yum.  (From Who Needs A Cape)

Eleven ways to cheat during a marathon.  And hopefully get caught.

A 1,758 carat diamond found -- in Botswana.

Ten strange things found inside statues. Including...teeth?!?  (From Listverse)

A dozen last-minute (and elegant) vegan dishes.  The post plugs for Thanksgiving, but these look perfect for any special occasion.  (From Jessica in the Kitchen)

Eight of the most unique dining experiences in the world.  Largely out of the U.S., unfortunately. (Collected by Travelzoo)

Saturday Night Beans -- New England-style.  (From One Hundred Dollars A Month)

Georgia O'Keefe's paintings are showing 'art acne.' And museum professionals aren't sure what's causing the tiny blisters and bubbles.  (From Science Daily)

Porcelain dolls: how to determine their value.   More about history than values -- but still helpful. (From In Good Taste)

A biomaterial, based on artificial DNA, that looks and acts 'alive.' I don't know whether to be thrilled, or terrified.

An 1100-year-old Viking sword, found lying out in a small boulderfield on a mountain in Norway.  And in terrific shape!

Another recent discovery: a Viking gold crucifix pendant that changes the accepted history of Christians in Denmark.  Only 1 1/2" tall!  (Fox News)

The best paint colors for whites and grays.  (From Emily Henderson)

Bernie Sanders and his wife gave 3-4% of their income to charity. In a good year, that is. Sometimes they donated less than 1%. (Wait a minute -- isn't this the same person who is a multi-millionaire and owns several homes, but wants the ultra-rich to cough up more money for the poor?)

Gluten-free bagels you can make yourself.  (From Kosher Everyday)

Penniless Parenting has her own version of these to try -- she uses potato starch, instead of a tapioca starch. She has some interesting comments, as well, for trolls who accused her of 'stealing' the recipe. (Ironically, the blogger at Kosher Everyday 'stole,' if you can call it that, HER recipe from another blogger, Carrot and Kiwi.)
      The lesson here: attribute attribute attribute. Since PP did that -- and so did KE, for that matter-- I don't see any reason to accuse them of anything.

John Lennon's favorite piano just sold at auction: more than $718,000.

Guess Blac Chyna isn't headed for Harvard Business School, after all -- because instead of an online company doing all the coursework for her, she would have to do it herself. Darn, darn, darn.

One of New York City's rare old wooden houses is up for sale: a cool $12 million, but boy, is it nice.

Photo by Brian Zak for the NY Post -- see link

English muffin bread.  (From the Frugal Girl)

Tax advice for my British readers... including basic ways to increase your savings.  (From Make Money Your Way)

NOW who should you believe?  A classic from yours truly. Did you notice the post about one of these dear individuals last week? (Look here if you didn't.)

Why it WOULDN'T be a good idea to travel full-time. From someone who's been doing it for a few years...and plans to continue.  (Thanks, Making Sense of Cents)

Which birth dates are more... or less... common?  This didn't work out so well with my family -- I'm the only one in September. (The 22nd -- ironically the fifth most popular date to be born, according to Wikipedia. I've only met one other person with that birthday -- she and I are exactly the same age.) It's August and February that are the killers. (From Len Penzo)

25 of Get Rich Slowly's best articles from the past thirteen years.  Including what J.D. Roth calls his most important article ever:

The razor's edge: Lessons in true wealth.


Have a great week. Now go get a snack!

Frugal Hits & Misses: April Report

It looks gray outside much of the time -- a little rain, some spits of snow, but not nearly as much precipitation as most of you get, with skies as overcast as they've been. Leaves are popping all over, and our neighbor's crabapple tree is fully in bloom. Surprisingly, ours (also north-facing) is not. But it, as well as the lilac nearby, is promising beauty. Just a little patience is needed.

     We continue on with schlepping here, discarding, packing and picking up there. I need to schedule a donation pickup -- then another one after that. Busy, busy.

More, please!

    
 Ironically, with all the bags collected from the trailer, the house looks messier than ever -- but a good share of those are put away. We ARE making progress. I keep reminding myself of that. 


FRUGAL HITS
(This includes some last-minute March deals, as well.)

*Found money: a quarter retrieved at DIA! Watched our young nephew find a nickel at a steak restaurant -- that was just as good as nabbing it myself.

*A free pint of Michigan maple syrup -- from our cousins' sugar bush. (Thanks, guys!) The Mama threw in another quart, as well, as a birthday present for the Brick.

*Good buys from Daily Deals -- this Grand Rapids, MI chain has all sorts of bargains. We got large jars of mixed nuts ($7.99 each), a frozen cheesecake ($1.24!) and some good buys on frozen fish filets ($2.99/lb), sausage ($1.49) and bacon (2 lb/$5.55) to help restock The Mama's protein supply.

*Restaurant freebies -- a free burger from Red Robin and Bloomin' Onion from Outback.

*Leftovers magic for dinner with friends:  Cleared out the remains of a smoked turkey breast, plus some wonderful fish chowder the Brick made. (Recipe coming)  Since they're already cooked, it's a simple matter of heating them up and serving. (Our friends contributed salads to dinner.) Used some 49-cent stuck-together marshmallows, plus a free box of rice krispies (from Safeway), to make rice krispies squares; they'll be served with what's left of a gallon of ice cream that was in the trailer freezer. All this for good friends who won't mind threading through the piles and bags around the house.
                 We all need people like this, who love you for yourself -- not your stuff. 

*Dollar store deals. If you haven't visited one lately, you should. Avoid the junk items and stock up on the good stuff, like a 10 oz bag of frozen blueberries, a 10-pack of Vietnamese spring rolls and a huge tube of Dermasil hand lotion -- all for a buck each. Our local Dollar Tree has 4-packs of bagels, as well as 16-ct mini doughnuts and our favorite chocolate-covered grahams for the same price. (Warning: unless it's a brand you know, their chocolate doesn't taste like much.)
         I also got Easter cards there 2/$1. (The doughnuts were Easter presents - enjoyed by the Brick more than candy, though he doesn't get them often.)

via Pinterest

*Easter baskets. Said doughnuts, plus packages for the girlies with caramel corn, cheddar popcorn -- and  videos from the library's used book room. I made hot cross buns, as well, for our family and a neighbor's.



*Just found more doughnuts at King Soopers, before posting this: 79 cents a dozen! People must eat more doughnuts around Easter.
      Also found a huge, lovely bouquet of flowers -- for a third of the original price. Several blooms are long-lasting, and should keep the table cheerful for weeks.

*Free rides to/from the airport, thanks to kind friends. We schlep them back and forth when they need to go places, too. (The Mama picked us up and dropped us off in Michigan.) We did cover the tolls, which are horrendous around here.

*Four free drink coupons from Southwest Airlines. Guess they liked all the travel we've been doing lately.

*Kept the heat low, while we were away. We've had warmer weather, so it kicks on a little in the mornings -- and that's it. We work and sleep better at night if it's a bit chilly. I don't mind wearing a sweater, or pulling on an afghan. Our monthly heating bill was $40 lower than its predecessor a year ago.

From Furry Friends Country Blog, via Pinterest

*More restoration work squeezed in.

*A $25 restaurant gift card -- cashed in points from one of our hotel rewards programs.

*Picked up some freebies from both King Soopers and Safeway, including candy bars, smoothies and a free donut, thanks to Safeway's Monopoly promotion. Found 3 pounds of hamburger for $3.99. Returned a bag of Yukon gold potatoes. (They were frozen.) Got several jars of pasta sauce for a buck each, and mushroom/cream of chicken soup for an astounding 49 cents. (I bought a case.) Also bought 6 packages of pasta -- also 49 cents each. Used up a few freebie coupons before they expired. I also baked a fair amount of bread, biscuits and cinnamon rolls, instead of buying them. Even day-old goods are more expensive.

*Sardines for 60 cents each. This warehouse deal from Amazon is for me; the rest of the family isn't fond of them.  Hopefully, they will also keep Charley's allergies at bay this summer. (Or so I've read.) We're using up a tin of anchovies right now, to see if that works. So far, it is!

Bring 'em on, Mom -- I love fishies!

*Excavating goodies from the trailer. When we cleaned it out, I found all sorts of items stashed away, including crackers, boxed brownie mix and all sorts of staples: cans and boxes. The freezer provided a smoked turkey and garlic sauced mussels for pasta.Since we won't have a lot of room for storing these, they're providing a lot of meals right now.

*Avoided a scam -- thank God.

*Three pairs of Chaco sandals: $10 each, thanks to a generous contact. (These retail for $70-110, normally.)

*Threw away a bunch of clothes -- worn out, stained or too well-used. (This was hard to do, but necessary.) Also donated nine bags of mixed clothing and books.  (More donations are coming.)

*Got my first royalty check for the Ghosts & Legends book.  Finally! Gave away a few books and sold some, too.

*Did an appraisal day for the Pueblo Quilt Guild -- had an apprenticing appraiser not only scribe for me, but make the drive to Pueblo. (Thank you, Gina.) Plus some extra appraising; I've had work regularly this year, in what normally is a quiet period.

*Storage items, plus some kitchen utensils from the thrift shop. For the trailer, naturally. That small colander, plus two copper mesh storage drawer inserts, will really come in handy.

*Two new pairs of pants: $11 and $13 on sale, respectively. I needed them.

*Did our own taxes. Thank God THAT'S done.



FRUGAL MISSES

*Did our own taxes. This drives both of us Absolutely. Nuts. And we found a few corrections that necessitated sending a revised version later in the week. At least we submitted them on time, and got a small refund.

*Watched the trailer go away. In a sense, this was a hit, too; we were spared having to deal with some serious water damage we didn't know we had. Thank you, God.

*Bought fried chicken and cheese at one store...after I got home, noticed they were on sale at another. This drives me CRAZY.

*Bought a bunch of groceries plus flowers for The Mama...but this is really a hit. She and Dad provided so much for us over the years that anything we do now is just a drop in the bucket.

*Two new crowns for me, courtesy of Tedford Dental -- and $$, until they're paid for. A day after the ordeal, the temporary caps popped off while I was cleaning around them. The office was closed -- but a staffer kindly met me there and glued them back on.

Actually, more than that...

*Not as much side income. No piano lessons this month, or dogsitting. On the plus side, our neighbors took care of Charley & Ruby while we were in Michigan. (We owe them one.)

*A bunch of dinners/coffee out in Michigan. Granted, we paid for some -- and The Mama paid for some. We also had several meals/coffees in airports -- never a bargain.


Take a look at March's report to see what's happening around here at Chez Brick. Here's last year's report... and the 2017 version, as well, just for grins.
    Back to work.  P.S. After the rain this weekend, it's supposed to snow. Go figure.

Weekend Lament

    Moms everywhere can relate...

Lesson Learned

...almost the hard way.

Now that our trailer is a fond memory, we've been thinking about what to do next. The current plan is to buy a small storage trailer to park in the driveway. We would fill it gradually as we empty the house, empty it in our current storage area...then eventually sell it.

Hollanders that we are, we'll only buy if the price was right. And boy, was it! Horse trailers are just as common as storage trailers in our part of Colorado, if not more so. And this was a beauty -- a good brand, and priced about a third of the others on Craigslist.

A flurry of e-mails...SOLD. But after we'd agreed to buy, the seller said, 'I brought the trailer to Utah -- Ebay Motors will be shipping it to you.' No extra cost.

Hmmm. That low price -- and free shipping? On the other hand, 'she' said she was getting rid of it because it was too much a reminder of her husband's death. And the price compensated for not being able to see it close-up. (The photos were GREAT, by the way.)

She would have Ebay Motors send us the invoice the next day. Good...so far. 

The invoice shows up. I'm doing something else, so don't pay a lot of attention. The Brick is staring at the computer screen. He read it through carefully. (We're both surprised we don't have to pay for shipping; he wanted to make sure there wasn't some exemption clause in the fine print.)

*Only the invoice didn't originate from Ebay. (And it's from Ebay Motors?)

*They would ship -- AFTER we pay. (They're not offering a receipt...but say if we're not happy, the trailer will be shipped back for free. Really? After shipping it to us for free?)

*They wanted us to pay part of it via Paypal -- and the rest in Ebay giftcards. (Interestingly enough, the giftcard amount would be just beyond what Paypal would be willing to refund, if the transaction was bogus.)

*And the seller's English was somewhat odd at times. (She was supposed to be American.)

Put it all together, and what have you got? S-C-A-M.

For one thing, we would never pay in giftcards. That's typical modus operandi for scammers. For another, there was no corresponding invoice in the "My Ebay" account. (From Ebay Motors?!?) And for a third, when I looked up the ad again, Craigslist had forcibly removed it. Hmmm. Did someone else catch the uneasy red flags the Brick noticed, and complain -- or were they fleeced of their money first? We'll probably never know. (P.S. The seller never answered our e-mail explaining why we weren't going forward with payment. Go figure.)

Or maybe we should try Ruby's approach: "I'll rip their faces off!"

It's back to looking for a storage trailer -- plus a 'live-in' trailer, as well. We're thanking God He gave us instincts for a reason.


P.S. Let us know if you've got one -- a trailer, not a cabbage -- for sale. We might be interested.

Paducah Show Winners

The votes are in, Gentle Readers. Here are the winners of the American Quilters Society Paducah, KY competition. And Best of Show is:

Muttons & Buttons & Pearls, Oh My! by Janet Stone.

'Wait a minute,' you say. 'Didn't I see this quilt before?'

Yep, it was one of the lesser winners at AQS' Daytona Week Show.

The Best of Show winner at Daytona, Sherry Reynolds, took Best Stationary Machine Workmanship award at Paducah for her quilt, Eternal Beauty:



Best Hand Workmanship went to Reminisce by Mariko Takeda:

Andrea Brokenshire's beautiful Dance of the Twirly Girls received high praise in both places (and a higher award, Best Wall Quilt, in Paducah):



All this is a helpful reminder that when quiltmakers lavish time, energy and materials on a piece, they tend to enter it in competition at several national festivals -- not just one. But since the judges are different for each venue, they often make different choices. You judge based on what's offered at that particular venue -- not on what else is out there. As a national judge myself, I actually find this "mixing up the waterfall of greatness" refreshing. You never know what (or who) is going to surface.

Show quilts are so beautifully made, generally, that it IS difficult to pick out 'the best' from a lineup of truly great pieces. Here's an excellent example of that struggle -- Sharon Schlotzhauer took an honorable mention for her Ghost Town of St. Elmo small quilt.
                            But I have seen and examined this piece -- and it is amazing.

I especially liked Brigitte Villaneuve's Race to the Summit, too. It won Donna Wilder's judging award.

Quilttv, the AQS channel on Youtube, features interviews with the prizewinners, as well as the techniques they used, hosted by Bonnie Browning, one of the great ones in today's quilting world.


Go here for the full list of Paducah prizewinners... Congratulations!

Too Bad...

(Thanks, Bizarro.)

Easter Doesn't Just End With Sunday

...There's much, much more to life. God wants to be a regular part of YOUR life.

(Clay Crosse - 'Saving the World')

(Mercy Me - 'Best News Ever')

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Who Needs Stability?!

The past few weeks have been really freaky. Now that our plans are changing, it makes sense not to worry about the future. 

At least, not right now.

I have faith in the King and my family. My weaknesses...as well as my strengths. I know what I can do -- and what I can't. 

So it's just continue to clear out the house, plus work on appraisal reports (and a book proposal for a Ghosts & Legends sequel!). And behave myself. 

For now. 

Meanwhile:

If you're thinking about retiring, plan to build in some 'cushions.' Trust me -- these are important.  (From Thrifty Gal)

Some fascinating archeological/treasure finds recently in Israel, including a 1600-year-old gold coin found by four teenagers while orienteering.

The lady who sent more than 159,000 texts to her one-date man...thinks that if she went on trial, the jury would require him to marry her!

A dog found swimming -- 135 miles off the coast of Thailand!  (He's safe now.)

Eating out for less than 2.50 a day. Where? In Thailand.   And you don't have to swim out to get the bargains, either. (From Travelnanna)

What do you do (and say) to an officer, if you're stopped for speeding? Look for Dave Arnold's answer, in particular -- it's perfect.   (From Quora)
     Or do what I did, years ago, on a very bad day -- burst into tears. Our girlies, who were walking home from school and saw me stopped, also burst into tears. The poor policeman didn't know what to do with three crying females, I'm guessing -- and let me go. 

Ten incredible moments documented by police dashcams.

Traveling all the time -- how this couple managed to accomplish it. (I know...some people wouldn't enjoy this. Others would.)  Thanks for hosting this post, Making Sense of Cents.

'Overheard at the coffee shop:'  Vol. 5 of some very interesting answers and comments. (From J.Money)

Big-time bitcoin hackers who stole millions. Do they look sorry for what they did? Naaah. Rather pleased with themselves, actually.

'Have you ever had a bad feeling about a place, then got out of there -- fast?' Some intensely creepy answers, thanks to Quora.
     My own feelings on this subject -- God gave you instinct for a purpose. Pay attention; you won't regret it. The only times I've had regrets were because I didn't listen to that small voice!

Willard Buttrick's powder horn. Used during the American Revolution!  (From Skinner Auctions)\\

Copycat pizza recipes. Your favorites, interpreted for home.  (From Taste of Home)

An honest look at what a single woman actually eats during the week. At least this one... (From the Misadventures of Widowhood)

Ten habits of people who don't get stressed... much.

Adventures in the clearance section. One of my favorite places. (From Surviving and Thriving)

Cashing out stocks to buy real estate -- should you do it?  (From the Financial Samurai)

Ten historic sites -- gone out of stupidity.  (From Listverse)


Have a great week. And always bear in mind:

Happy Easter!

Christ is risen.

He is risen, indeed.

Another Great One is Gone: Gwen Marston

Gwen Marston died this month, on April 18. 

    She fit the "March to your own drummer" philosophy perfectly. Although she was a fine quilter, traditionally-speaking, she also became a big advocate for designing as you go: pick up some strips, hack out a few scrappy shapes...then just stitch! Her lopsided houses and Log Cabin blocks were a special inspiration to many quilters too focused on 'being perfect:' me included.

     'Liberated quiltmaking,' she called it.

Some of her eccentric Log Cabin blocks, as shown in:

She lived on Beaver Island in Michigan  -- a small Great Lakes island out in the middle of nowhere. But her yearly retreats were famous. I'd always hoped to go there -- always 'next year.'

She had a decades-long partnership with Joe Cunningham, who now has his own fame...and rarely mentions Gwen. (To his credit, he did post recently on his Facebook page: "When I met Gwen Marston my life was transformed. We had many adventures together. I am deeply saddened to hear of her passing.") But she was well-known within her own right as a writer, teacher and designer. A fast-moving cancer took her away far too quickly.

Gwen and Joe's book, American Beauties: Rose & Tulip Quilts, was one of my favorites.
One of the best references for researching floral-themed antique quilts.

You can see Gwen in action via this blogpost from Kristin Shields Art, including many photos and a review of her 'Abstract Quilts in Solids' class. She had a reputation as a brilliant teacher.

From Kristin Shields' blogpost, via Pinterest

I had always hoped to meet her. Take a class from her. Never did.

She will be missed.

From therootconnection.blogspot.com, via Pinterest

Good Friday

...the day when the King's children remember the sacrifice He made for them. 

Thank you, Lord.

A Major Change in Plans

If you read my blog for just for the posts about Bigfoot, weird stuff and fabulous textiles, stop now. Go have a cup of coffee and read elsewhere --

    Because this is personal.


Remember the fifth-wheel trailer we have been planning to move into, once our house is sold?

Yep, that one. Poor baby.

Well, it's gone. 


Totalled...by the insurance company.


We had a small fender-bender on the tail end of That Big Blizzard. (You know the one I'm talking about, don't you, fellow Westerners...) Another area on the trailer was banged up, as well. (The truck was fine, by the way.)
Also noticed: a water leak on the roof. All told, it didn't seem like that big a deal.

So we took the trailer into the repair people for an estimate --

Who noticed a lot more leaks hiding under the roof and behind the wall panels. And gave us a hefty price on total repair costs. A very hefty price.  Frustrating.

Sploosh.

The insurance company said it wasn't worth it to fix...and gave us 24 hours to get our stuff out before they hauled it away.

Which they did, yesterday.

What just happened??

It's clear to us that we're supposed to put the house on the market this spring. That's the prime focus for the coming weeks. We had then planned to move... into the trailer.
     As Rob Gronkowski says, "Oopsies..."

Now what?!?

We're not sure. Either way, the house we're living in is God's house -- He owns it, not us. The trailer was His, too. We'll work on the house, look for some mode of storage for the things we plan to keep...and trust God to point out what to do next.

He's never let us down yet. 

Now THAT'S A Cracker!

One of RMS Lusitania's strangest artifacts is coming up for auction April 27:

A hardtack cracker. 

Yep, that's it.

The Lusitania, about 1907  (Wikipedia)

     The passenger liner sank on May 7, 1915, torpedoed by a German U-Boat, nearly 1200 passengers lost their lives. Those who made it via lifeboat left a fair amount of items inside when they were rescued. The cracker (or biscuit, as the Brits would call it) was one of them. (It could also have been part of the survival food generally kept inside such boats.) From the article:

The biscuit will be auctioned by Henry Aldridge and Son on April 27. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge told Fox News that the biscuit comes with a letter written by a British soldier in the Royal Engineers explaining how he obtained the unusual item. The soldier got the biscuit from one of Lusitania’s lifeboats when the liner’s survivors reached Queenstown (now called Cobh) in Ireland.

Weird, huh? Except...

This is one of only two examples of Lusitania's survival rations. (The other cracker is kept in an Irish museum.)

A side rabbit trail: at the time of Lusitania's sinking, the Germans explained that, even with its civilian status, the ship deserved to be fired on because it was carrying LOTS of munitions. No way, the Powers That Be, shouted. A lot of innocent people just died...How Dare They... etc. etc.

In 1982, the British government finally publicly admitted:

Successive British governments have always maintained that there was no munitions on board the Lusitania (and that the Germans were therefore in the wrong to claim to the contrary as an excuse for sinking the ship) ... The facts are that there is a large amount of ammunition in the wreck, some of which is highly dangerous. The Treasury have decided that they must inform the salvage company of this fact in the interests of the safety of all concerned.

So far, based on what various dive teams have found, more than FOUR MILLION rounds of .303 ammunition were on the ship at the time of its sinking. Not to mention the other ordnances...or the mysterious second explosion that occurred as it was going down. Hmmm. Go here for more. Some experts even argue that the Lusitania was deliberately exposed, in the hopes that she would be attacked -- because then out of loyalty to the Allied cause, it would draw the Americans into WWI. (It did...and they did.)

Back to the cracker...er, biscuit. Hardtack. Whatever.


This could all be considered irrelevant, and a bit silly, had not a Titanic cracker sold at auction in 2015 for $23,000.  (15,000 pounds at the time -- or $19,483 US smackeroos today.)

Here it is...worth more than its weight in gold.

   
     RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, taking more than 1500 passengers with it.

The Titanic, proudly steaming along, only a few days before she sank. (Wikipedia)

Based on the provenance:

James Fenwick, a passenger aboard another boat that came to the aid of Titanic survivors, took the Spillers & Bakers “Pilot” biscuit from the survival kit on one of the doomed ocean liner’s lifeboats and kept it as a souvenir. He slipped it into an envelope with a note that read, “Pilot biscuit from Titanic lifeboat April 1912.”

Titanic artifacts have been incredibly popular...and pricey. Margaret Brown's loving cup, awarded to the captain of the rescue ship Carpathia, sold for $200,000 in October 2015. Of course, items like this require a strong provenance -- and the loving cup was memorialized not only in print, but many photos.

Curious about Mrs. Brown? Find out more in my book, Quilts of the Golden West --
 she's one of the people featured, along with a pattern based on this famous image.
Go to the Brickworks website for more.
Mention this post, and we'll even knock $5 off the $20 purchase price. Free shipping, too.

A cracker is a little more difficult to document, but there are obviously few doubts about its authenticity. We'll have to wait until April 27 to see if the Lusitania is just as popular as the Titanic, artifact-wise. My bet: we're talking at least $15,000 USD.


More on the Lusitania biscuit auction here. 

More on the Titanic biscuit auction here.