http://blogs.usatoday.com/sky/
Miniature ceramic houses handed out by KLM still popular
"The miniature ceramic houses that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has been handing
out for 56 years remain popular among collectors, says the Wall Street
Journal.
The free souvenirs are three-inch-tall ceramic replicas of historically
significant houses filled with Dutch gin. The airline hands them out to
business class customers on intercontinental flights. The rarest houses -
given only to honeymooners - can fetch more than $1,000, it says.
Among the houses depicted: Rembrandt's home, the Anne Frank Museum and a
brothel in Amsterdam's red-light district.
The next model, the 89th house in the series, will debut on Oct. 7, the
airline's 89th birthday, according to the report.
When Princess Christina of the Netherlands sold her 210-house collection in
1996, it went for more than $10,000 at Sotheby's in Amsterdam. Gabriel
García Márquez, the Nobel Prize novelist from Colombia, is also a fan, once
requesting a full set as partial payment for writing a piece for KLM's
in-flight magazine. KLM refused.
When Air France bought KLM in 2004, some suggested eliminating the souvenir
to save cost. But the idea was never seriously considered, the report says,
citing Air France executives.
Trading activities for the houses thrive online. Theo Kiewiet, an Amsterdam
resident, runs a website where collectors can buy them. He also has a photo
gallery of all 88 models.
KLM also runs an online market in its corporate website for collectors
wishing to haggle for the houses..."
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