Should you be able to sell the love letters from a famous ex? Joe Montana doesn't think so. The NFL football great has sued his ex-wife Kim Moses and Heritage Auction over the sale of love letters and other memorabilia dating back to his college days at Notre Dame. Montana says that the items which were sold at Heritage on May 3, violated his copyright and privacy rights. The items sold include the couple's marriage certificate, her bridal veil, Montana's college I.D. card and a lot of personal letters and cards full of all sorts of intimate details. Montana is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and the lawsuit says that Moses obtained some of the items without his consent after they were divorced (the couple married in 1974 and divorced less than three years later). Whether or not it is legal remains to be seen but it does show questionable taste to auction off one's college love letters to the highest bidder.Joe Montana Sues His Ex Over Selling His Stuff
Should you be able to sell the love letters from a famous ex? Joe Montana doesn't think so. The NFL football great has sued his ex-wife Kim Moses and Heritage Auction over the sale of love letters and other memorabilia dating back to his college days at Notre Dame. Montana says that the items which were sold at Heritage on May 3, violated his copyright and privacy rights. The items sold include the couple's marriage certificate, her bridal veil, Montana's college I.D. card and a lot of personal letters and cards full of all sorts of intimate details. Montana is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and the lawsuit says that Moses obtained some of the items without his consent after they were divorced (the couple married in 1974 and divorced less than three years later). Whether or not it is legal remains to be seen but it does show questionable taste to auction off one's college love letters to the highest bidder.Will the Real Asprey Please Stand Up?
It's one of the economic vagaries of the business that storied British luxury goods firm Asprey of London no longer has any connection (save an historical one) with the actual Asprey family. After the 200-year-old company was sold to Prince Jeffri of Brunei in the '90s, family scion William Asprey decided to start his own firm catering to the aristocratic trade (Asprey had long held royal warrants). However, he discovered to his dismay that he was no longer entitled to the use of his own last name; while Prince Jefri subsequently unloaded Asprey to a hedge fund, William opened a beautiful shop in London's Mayfair under the name William & Son.
Under its new owners Asprey has gone in an increasingly fashionable direction, and while producing some beautiful things it has suffered financial setbacks from over-enthusiastic expansion. William & Son by contrast hearkens back to Asprey's traditional roots, and still maintains an air of clubby exclusivity in its Mayfair premises (pictured above), which stocks high-end jewelry, silver, watches, leathergoods, china and crystal. A key facet of the business is its bespoke service, which will basically fashion anything you like in whatever precious material strikes your fancy as long as you can afford it. More recently William added an adjacent gun room, where beautiful silver-inlaid shotguns can now be had for $100,000 and up. He is certainly following through on his promise to "maintain his family's reputation in the historic splendour of No. 10 Mount Street." And what's in a name, after all?
Gallery: William & Son, London
Golf Getaway Package at Inn & Spa at Loretto
Looking for a little fun in the sun where mesa landscapes and nearby Santa Fe create a relaxing atmosphere to get your swing in gear? Offering one night's lodging and two rounds of golf at Black Mesa Golf Club, including a complimentary breakfast for two, the Inn & Spa at Loretto's Golf Getaway is the perfect excuse to get out of town and enjoy one of the "Top Ten Courses You Can Play" as distinguished by Golf Digest. Beginning at $379 per night per room the boutique hotel in the heart of Santa Fe also offers their guests a chance to unwind with spa treatments and yoga as well as top notch dining and live entertainment. Enjoy the unique atmosphere and historic surroundings while partaking in the time honored tradition of 18 holes.
Gallery: Inn & Spa at Loretto
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Million-Dollar Paintings Headline Sporting Art Auction
On May 7, Sotheby's in London will stage an auction of important Sporting Art, headlined by two Sir Alfred Munnings equestrian paintings worth several million dollars. The top-priced piece of the sale is Munnings' "A Boy And His Pony - Portrait of Daffern Seal on Canary" painted in 1926. With an estimate of $3 - $5 million, it's one of the highest-priced equestrian portraits ever; however, it's worth noting that in 2004 Sotheby's sold a Munnings entitled "The Red Prince Mare," which had formerly belonged to Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney, for $7.8 million, almost $2 million over estimate.
The second-highest lot in the May 7 auction is also a Munnings, "Portrait of Lady Barbara Lowther on Horseback" painted in 1919, with an estimate of $1.6 - $2.4 million. However, we happen to prefer the work of earlier artists such as Ben Marshall and John Frederick Herring, Sr., whose "The Match Between Priam and Augustus at Newmarket," painted in 1831 and pictured above, is estimated at $1 - $1.4 million -- a relative bargain.
Gallery: Sporting Art Auction
Michael Toschi Golf Shoes
A reader brought my attention to Michael Toschi golf shoes. These are some of the most attractive golf shoes I have seen. They are basically fine Italian footwear that is wearable out on the golf course. The shoes have an Italian calf upper with a kidskin lining and the CONTAC sole. The days of lethal spikes are gone, these shoes have a terragrip outsole with a stance-stabilizing traction system. The shoes start at over $400 with most of the styles selling for $530.[Thanks, Marc]
Gallery: Michael Toschi Golf Shoes
Porsche's New 'White Collection'
Think "Porsche Design" and you probably think sleek black accessories, but in a departure from their usual color scheme Porsche is launching the new "White Collection," which is all about crisp whites and shiny silvers. Chosen because it both represents purity and highlights the design of the product, the new white color theme uses all white materials mixed with technical metals like stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. And besides premium materials and craftsmanship, the White Collection also features premium technology -- for example the mobile phone has a patented fingerprint feature and the lighters have a nozzle that makes them safe to use in inclement weather.
Via Goldarths
Gallery: The White Collection by Porsche
King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament
We've seen polo in the snow before but perhaps the most unique type of polo match in the world is elephant polo. The 2008 King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament is currently going on in Thailand. The event is sponsored by Audemars Piguet watchmakers and takes place on the grounds of the Anantara Resort Golden Triangle. This year seven teams from 15 countries are competing for the King's Cup trophy with a total of 28 elephants.The opening match begun with a blessing ceremony and the animals were given a buffet of fruits and vegetables. The festive event raises money for the National Elephant Institute, which provides medical care and sustenance to Thailand's elephant population. It is estimated that Thailand has around 2,500 domesticated elephants and 1,500 wild elephants.
Yankees Offer Pricey Tickets For 2009
If you want to get a deal on Yankees tickets you might want to try to go in 2008. The New York Yankees will charge $500 to $2,500 for seats near home plate in the first 5 to 8 rows of their new park which opens in 2009. The Yankees have already gotten commitments to buy for all 122 of the front-row seats.
The $1.3 billion ballpark will have 1,800 Legends Field Suite seats in 25 sections ringing home plate, with seats 20 feet closer to the infield than they are now. The ticket price also covers food and non-alcoholic drinks as well as access to a private entrance, elevator and concourse and the all important private restrooms. The seats will be cushioned and have teak arms. If you want these seats, you have to make a serious commitment, the seats must be bought for three, five, seven or 10 seasons with a specified scale of price increases. ESPN says that New York has lease commitments for 29 of 47 luxury suites selling for between $600,000 and $850,000 and there will be a 74-seat Club Suite priced at $700 per ticket.
These pricey seats have raised some eyebrows but the price of the suites does allow for cheaper seats elsewhere in the stadium. Bleachers will be $12 and the grandstand will be $20 and $25.
The Players Club, A Magazine For Pro Athletes
This week's New Yorker features an article about ex-baseball player Lenny Dykstra and his new luxury magazine aimed at professional athletes. The Players Club is being published by Doubledown Media which does other niche luxury mags such as Dealmaker and Private Air. The magazine isn't just to show the players how to spend the massive amounts of money they earn but also how to keep their wealth and make smart decisions so they don't join the ranks of players who earn millions and wind up in financial trouble just a few years later. The case of Latrell Sprewell springs immediately to mind but there are many other instances of athletes who have earned enough money to be set for life but end up in financial trouble. Dykstra's magazine will have articles by past players as well as professional journalists (former Mets player Keith Hernandez will serve as food critic). The Players Club will have a circulation of 20,000 and will be spent to athletes in major sports leagues, soccer, professional tennis, the PGA, NASCAR, Formula I and others. Agents, team management, team offices and financial advisors will also receive the magazine. The circulation may be small but luxury advertisers have already committed to the magazine because of the audience. The Players Club will debut in April.
Salvation for the House-Bound Golf Nut
Are you stuck in the northern climes, glued to the tube watching Tiger win one tournament after another on sun-drenched southern courses? Before you snap and find yourself sneaking onto your closed local course garbed in seven layers of sweaters and hip boots, consider investing in the world's best golf simulator, by Full Swing Golf.I use the word 'invest' because this system will set you back $40-50,000, about the cost of a weekend at Pebble Beach.
But your money will bring you as close to the real course as you'll find in the virtual world. Full Swing Golf includes a enclosure with a hi-def projector, 680 infra-red ball tracking sensors and a touch screen game controller to register the distance and direction of your ball strike. Different surfaces are available to simulate the tee boxes, bent grass fairways, and rough (not the knee-length gorse of the U.S. Open, though; reasonable rough.) Players can choose among 50 championship courses that have been digitized in exacting detail.
The entire system can be internet-connected to allow you to play against other live opponents and compete in on-line tournaments. Practice features allow you to record and work on the weak parts of your game ( in my case, that would be everything).
The system still doesn't quite capture the full flavor of a round of golf, though. For that, they'd need to include a foursome of glacial-paced golfers preceding you that refuse tot wave you through, a sprinkler that decides to start halfway through your back swing, a swarm of mosquitoes in the tee box, and blisters that appear on your heels halfway through your first round wearing your new $300 shoes.
Come to think of it, this game may be better than real golf. Especially if my wife would put on a bikini and bring me a beer every few holes.
Thistle & Broom Talisman Golf Ball Markers
Out of the many companies making golf ball markers, Thistle & Broom, Scotland's luxury goods producer, might have the most natural right to do so since. Their new Talisman ball marker is named after the Scottish golf course located in the geographical region in which the semi-precious stone used for the market was found. The markers come in 18K gold or sterling silver bezels. The Talisman range currently includes: the Royal Dornach in deep purple amethyst, branched moss agate chosen for Carnoustie, smoky Cairngorms for Speyside's Boat of Garten, grey and pale pink East Sands banded agates for St. Andrew's, mulberry jasper for Loch Lomond and a mustard and persimmon Burn Anne agate for Turnberry. These are some of the most simple and beautiful ball markers I've seen out there.
Jordan 23 Basketball
If you are planning to pick up the new Jordan jeans and the Air Jordan XX3 sneakers, then you are probably going to want to get your hands on this too. The Nike Limited Edition Jordan commemorative basketball is made of full-grain leather and has a graphic that wraps around the ball. There are 2323 of these balls made and each one is individually numbered on the box and ball. It also comes with an embroidered sport sack with shoelace drawstring and it sells for $150.
[via Uncrate]
Former NBA Star Facing Foreclosure
The latest celebrity victim of the foreclosure crisis is former NBA star Latrell Sprewell. Last summer, Sprewell's yacht, the 70-foot "Milwaukee's Best" was repossessed now his home is meeting the same fate. RBS Citizens NA, or Citizens Bank, has filed a foreclosure suit on Sprewell's $405,000 home in River Hills, a suburb of Milwaukee. Sprewell bought the home in 1994 and owed $295,138 in outstanding payments plus interest. The documents say that Sprewell failed to make his mortgage payments of $2,593 per month since last September.Sprewell, now 37, was once one of the NBA's infamous bad boys, known for choking a coach during practice. He played 13 seasons total for three teams. Just a few years ago he turned down a three-year,$21 million contract extension from the Minnesota Timberwolves saying, "I've got my family to feed." At that time he was making $14.6 million a year. The yacht, which Sprewell bought for around $1.5 million was sold at auction for $856,000 to help pay off the $1.3 million he owes on the boat.
Sprewell is in some good company. Check out our gallery of other celebrity foreclosures below.
UPDATE: This article says that 60% of NBA players go broke after only five years of retirement. An interesting read for those of you in the comments who were wondering how this could have happened to Latrell Sprewell.
Gallery: Celebrity Foreclosures
Adams Golf Digital Training Putter
If you believe in the old golf saying that you "drive for show and putt for dough" then you might consider the DiXX Digital Training Putter from Adams Golf an investment. The putter is a computerized training system that can track swing path, face angle, speed, tempo and impact position and display the information on an LCD screen on the club. The data can them be analyzed. The club also comes with a practice weight for recreational use. As you might suspect, it's not USGA approved. It sells for around $400.[via Uncrate]
The World of Rare Baseball Cards: Honus Wagner Still Highest Priced
Wikipedia still reports it as one of the seminal moments in the trading card collecting field: In February, 2007, a 'near mint-mint' Honus Wagner sold for $2.3 million. At that point it was probably the highest sale a baseball card in history. Then, in September last year, the same card was sold again. This time it went for $2.8 million to a private collector.
The card in question, a T206 Honus Wagner, was made by the American Tobacco Company in 1909. There are estimated to be fewer than 100 in existence. This card was once owned by hockey great Wayne Gretzky and has been called the 'Mona Lisa of Baseball cards.' It may be so rare because Honus Wagner himself didn't want his image to be used to sell tobacco and stopped production of the his card, or at least that's part of the mythology surrounding the famous card.
Honus Wagner was a shortstop who played in the major leagues from 1897 to 1917. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, receiving more votes than Babe Ruth. He is considered by many baseball historians to be the greatest shortstop of all time.
