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June 26,
2001
Hi Limoges Collectors!
Welcome to the Groundstrike Collectibles newsletter. As always, I
apologize if this newsletter is something you'd prefer not to
receive. I've included a link at the bottom of this note that you
can use to remove yourself from our mailing list.
Since our last newsletter in March, I've received a lot of mail asking
when the next newsletter was coming. Well, I DID promise I would not
fill up your email in-box! The truth is I get so much SPAM from
companies that call what they're sending a "newsletter" that I
haven't wanted to add to this mess. I think a newsletter should contain
some NEWS, not just advertisements and come-ons. Companies I formerly
respected such as eBay and Buy.com are sending out an avalanche of
unsolicited advertisements disguised as "newsletters"!
OK, enough editorializing, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on what a
newsletter should be. Now, on to the NEWS!
CARDINET LIMOGES
We recently added a new line of exquisite Limoges boxes to our web
store: the Cardinet Collection. This high-end line of Limoges boxes is
for the serious collector who wants superb painting and detail as the
hallmarks of their collection. Cardinet boxes are based partly on
designs attributed to the Duchesse de Rohan - known in 17th century
France for her opulent fashions and her magnificent collections of
dinnerware, vases and figural boxes - and partly on important 18th
century porcelain pieces found in Paris’ prestigious Musée Carnavalet.
We are adding new Cardinet boxes regularly. To find them, use our
advanced search tool at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/search.htm
and search for Cardinet. Be sure to click the button to search "All
Descriptions".
We're featuring a wonderful Cardinet box on the home page of our web
store right now. It is the Breast Cancer Heart with Ribbon Pin box, a
tribute to those whose lives have been changed by breast cancer. A
percentage of all sales of this box will be donated for breast cancer
research. See the details at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/limoges/hearts/heartbreastcancer.htm
ROCHARD LIMOGES
The name "Rochard" is to Limoges boxes as "Cadillac"
is to cars. Rochard is one of the best known and respected
companies in the Limoges business. They produce some of the finest
Limoges boxes and present them in outstanding gift boxes. We have
recently added the Rochard line to our web store due to continued
customer demand:
http://www.groundstrike.com/limoges/rochard/1rochard.htm
Our stock is growing, and remember, we can special order ANY Rochard box
that is in current production, so if you don't see the box you want,
email us at order@groundstrike.com
!
LIMOGES LOVERS CHANGES
Our "Limoges Lovers" - our very best customers who have spent
$1000 or more with us - will now be members for life! We've improved our
membership rules to make it better for our customers (and easier for us
to administer!). If the cumulative total of your purchases goes over
$1000, we will make you a "Limoges Lover" for life. Among
other benefits, this entitles you to a 10% discount on every purchase
(except price-matched or specially marked boxes). See our Limoges Lovers
web page at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/limoges_lovers.htm
We are in the process of identifying our Limoges Lover customers that we
haven't yet notified. If you feel we've overlooked you, by all means
email us and we will be happy to total up your past purchases.
TEXAS CUSTOMERS
We're in Austin, Texas, and one of the facts of doing business is that
we have to charge Texas residents 7.25% sales tax. This means our fellow
Texans who suffer the hot Texas summers with us have to pay more than
our customers from any other state! That doesn't seem fair, does it? So
we're going to give them a break for a month... from now through the end
of July, we're going to pay the sales tax on Texas sales! See the
details on our web page:
http://www.groundstrike.com/texas.htm
NEWEST LIMOGES BOXES EXCLUSIVE TO THE NEWSLETTER!
We've got new boxes coming in all the time, so watch our web pages for
new boxes every day. We have a web page reserved exclusively for the
newsletter readers. It changes each month, but it is where we put our
very newest additions to our line. This month's page is:
http://www.groundstrike.com/limoges/artoria/1endangered.htm
The newsletter readers get "first crack" at these boxes, some
of which we have in very limited quantities. After a few days, we will
move these to the regular "new" page, at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/new.htm
where everyone can see them. This month we're featuring the entire line
of Artoria's Endangered Species animals. As of today, we have them all
in stock for immediate shipment. Remember there is a "secret"
link on our web page [location of secret link
deleted; reserved for newsletter subscribers] that you can click
to take you to the "secret" page at any time.
The Artoria Endangered Species Collection is a wonderful set of boxes
including the giant panda, the great blue whale, the jaguar, and even
the dodo bird! As part of their commitment to preservation of endangered
species, Artoria will donate 10% of the sales proceeds of this
collection to three conservation groups: the Rainforest Foundation, the
Wildlife Conservation Society and the Tanzania Wildlife Fund.
DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!
Our customers frequently ask us whether a certain box is numbered as
part of a limited edition. Sounds like a simple question, right? It's
not... and it's something that Limoges collectors should be aware
of. Let me explain...
As you know, Limoges boxes are created by a number of different
factories and artists in Limoges, France. Some importers - Artoria, for
example - can control the distribution of a Limoges box from concept
through production to distribution. If they decide to produce a
numbered, limited edition, you can be sure that their production run is
limited to the number they chose, and the pieces in that run are truly
part of a limited edition. A number like 24/300 (which means the 24th
piece in an edition of 300) is meaningful on such a piece - although not
necessarily valuable.
Unfortunately, due to the popularity of the "limited edition
concept", some importers have created "limited editions"
out of thin air. They simply instruct the factory that they buy from to
number the pieces in their order. Never mind the fact that the same
boxes are sold to other importers, making the total number of boxes
produced far greater than the "limited edition number"
implies.
It is almost impossible for a retailer to say for certain which boxes
are truly limited editions... we pretty much have to trust our
importers. In our descriptions of our boxes, we identify those that are
marked with edition numbers. However, if we discover that we can get the
same box from another importer, we will not call the box a limited
edition even if it is numbered.
Every collector wants the lowest number they can get, but in reality a
low number has very little intrinsic value. There are exceptions, of
course; a box numbered 1 in a true limited edition can be sought after
in the secondary market. In general, however, you should never buy a
piece that you don't particularly like just to get a low number!
THANK YOU, AS ALWAYS
Our newsletter distribution continues to grow. We now have over 2000
subscribers, and we thank you all for referring your Limoges collecting
friends to our web store. Remember, we reward referrals - both the
refer-er and refer-ee (is that a word?)! When your friend signs up at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/mailinglist.htm
we will credit you both $5.00 towards your next purchase. You can see
the full details at:
http://www.groundstrike.com/maillistreferal.htm
YOU MADE IT TO HERE!
Congratulations if you're still reading this! You really deserve a gift.
Let's start the 4th of July celebration a little early by giving
everyone a $10 discount on their first purchase of $100 or more between
now and July 4. [instructions for discount
deleted, reserved for newsletter subscribers] Your discount will
be applied automatically. This discount is good only on orders placed
through the online shopping cart and does not apply to phone orders.
We love to hear from you!
And if you have any news to share with the Limoges world, we'd love to
hear that, too!
That's all for now. Take care, and see you next month. Or sometime in
the coming year ;-)
Sam and Susan Juliano
GroundStrike Collectibles
http://www.groundstrike.com
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