9 February, 1964
Dear Mama and Daddy:
Enclosed is what I know about the merc. I think that the total investment in it is $2000.00 plus or minus $100 ten years ago.
With respect to things about the house, it is a little hard to say. My emotional involvement is really with the place as home, as a whole, and it is difficult to make any concrete decisions regarding isolated bits and pieces. I think that there are a few things that were mine as a child, and that you said some time ago I could claim if we so desired.
Items that I think that I have some claim to, and that we would like to have, are:
- The maple bed.
- The maple dresser, with two top drawers.
- The blackboard.
- The desk (Ill faut faire ce qu' on fait) and chair.
- The red chest. (I am not sure of the ownership of that, but it is a nice box, as a recall).
- The mirror, with red frame.
- Toys, such as the rest of the ten pin set that Mr. Crellin gave me.
I think that that is roughly all that was mine. However, Lucy and I have a bit of stuff in the basement, such as the electric train, and some cartons of stuff. There is also probably some junk in the garage that I, the junk collector, might appreciate that no one else would appreciate. The next time I am there we can go through things. There are also a few books that are mine, such as L'Histoire de Locomotion Terrestre.
If you have no further use for the coffee table that Jack Behnke and I made, we would like it. However, we made it for you, so by all means keep it if you want it.
With respect to other things, it is really a little hard for me to say, as I have said. If you do any winnowing of the library, I might not mind going through the discards to collect the things that I am interested in. For instance, the Norman Lindsay books. One thing that I should like very much to have sometime is that lovely print of Picasso's The Lovers. Peter, Jack Behnke and I fixed up a couple of maple doors as tables, with "Portable" legs. We might like one of those, to use as a dining room table. Any of the Oriental rugs, although as I recall I have always been especially fond of the one in the hall by the dining room. Lucy mentions two pieces of furniture that she likes: the long thin table at the end of the living room that the telephone sits on and the little green leather bench. Any of the copper pans or kettles. It is hard for me to know what to say, since I don't know how many and what sort of things you may not want or be able to keep yourself. The couch in the living room is very nice, with its nice high ends. Couches with high ends are few and far between. Most of these are probably things that you will want to seep yourselves, but perhaps they might give you an idea of the kinds of things that we like that is there.
What about that big mahogany desk, that came, I think, from Anita, that is in the library? I'm not sure that it can be gotten out of that room, but if it could, I would like it very much. Right now I suffer for lack of a desk at home (to say nothing of a study).
In the last analysis, I find it difficult to indicate particular things. Perhaps I should come down, or when I come down for a job interview, we could go over things together.
I remember that in my room when I was little was a reproduction of Albrecht Durer's The Hare. That would be nice, too.
Much love from
Crellin
I do not think that it is necessary to demonstrate to prospective purchasers that the Merc. will run. Tell them to take it from me. It is too big a job to get it started. If I come down for some reason I will be happy to start it then. I think that it ought to bring $3500 with no trouble; classic cars are the rage now, and that one is in very good shape, I think.
I want to buy that Porsche from you. I think that somewhere around $1000 or $800 is a reasonable order of magnitude.