[TheForge] Help Save part of the Sorber Collection

[magichammer]

*Help Save Part of the Sorber Collection*

As many of you already know, the Sorber Collection of Early American 
Ironwork is going to be auctioned off on May 13, 2005. Pieces from this 
collection can be seen in the book, "Colonial Wrought Iron" by Don 
Plummer, and even in the classic "Early American Wrought Iron," by 
Albert H.Sonn. For blacksmiths, this is bad news.

When the Sorber auction was first announced, Dave Mudge, Don Plummer, 
LeeAnn Mitchell, Jim Wallace, Brian Gilbert, Clare Yellin and others 
started passing around emails trying to figure out some way for 
blacksmiths to pool their resources to buy at least some of this 
collection. There is no way that we would be able to come up with the 
money to buy even a single lot,since this collection has been valued at 
over a million dollars. And since the auction house is going to try to 
do it all in a single day, they are probably going to have to put 
anything remotely affordable into large lots,like fifty Pennsylvania 
thumb latches.

So what has happened is that Jim Wallace, Director of the Metal
Museum in Memphis, Tennessee has agreed to help out by setting up a 
special donation page and account to buy, hopefully, at least some of 
the Sorber Collection. If we are unsuccessful, then the money will go to 
the Metal Museum, so no matter what happens, donations will be used to 
preserve ironwork.

It is our personal hope that we can raise enough money to create a 
travelling exhibition, but that's a pretty tall order. Those of you who 
remember the Sorber exhibitions at the ABANA Conferences in La Crosse, 
Wisconsin and Asheville, North Carolina might understand the value of an 
exhibit.

If you are interested in donating to this project click   
http://www.metalmuseum.org/donations.htm

Act now... we've only got until May 13th to keep some prime source 
material available to blacksmiths around the country. Thanks in advance 
for your help!


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