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Archiver > PA-PHILA-MOUNT-MORIAH-CEMETERY > 2005-11 > 1132633088


From: "Eugene Stackhouse" <>
Subject: GAR Marker on eBay
Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2005 23:18:08 -0500


This is the message on eBay from the seller of the GAR marker. The marker was sold and is no longer up for bid.
He seems upset. I suspect that he will leave the GAR and DAR alone from now on.

This auction is for a SOLID BRONZE "GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC" GRAVE MARKER. Before you go nuts, and send me nasty emails about grave desecration, let me tell you the story of how I got this item. I got this bronze marker, and another one marked DAR at an estate sale buried (no pun intended!) in a dirt floor garage. I bought them, thinking they were bumper plaques, as did the person running the estate sale. I put the DAR one up last week, and, boy, did I get an earful! The DAR now has the grave marker back, and I'm out $15! When I researched the GAR marker, I found out that the GAR was a Civil War veterans organization of staunch Republicans (according to the web) whose last surviving member died in 1955, so I don't expect to hear from them. There are no serial numbers or names on the back of the marker, so ownership could not be traced if there WERE records existing. It's quite possible that the estate sale where I bought these items had family who were members of these or!
ganizations or maybe they or a relative worked at the foundry where these were cast, and they may not have been absconded. Either way, if I hadn't discovered and bought it, it might have never come to light, or been sold as scrap. I'm offering it to collectors who can appreciate it for it's historical value or as a replacement for a broken or destroyed marker. If you think it's ghoulish or sacreligious or something, tell it to your Congressman or something, because I don't care to hear it! The bronze marker is about 6" in diameter, has mounting tabs on the reverse, and features crossed swords, crossed rifles, crossed cannon, a bugle and an anchor in the points of the star. It's weight is approx 2 1/2 lbs. UPDATE: I PURCHASED this item in good faith, not knowing it was a grave marker. If you "holier than thou" types feel so strongly about posessing this item, or "seeing it returned", I suggest you put your money where your mouth is. Between this item, the DAR plaque, and eBa!
y fees, I'm out about $40, so that is the Buy It Now price. Buy it, an
d YOU can do whatever you want with it! DO NOT BOTHER EMAILING ME, AS I AM DELETING ALL EMAIL PERTAINING TO THIS ITEM!

Gene Stackhouse
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
Henny Youngman

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