Mondo Lizzie Borden

While we all wait for the Maplecroft books to sell, I thought I would share with you an eBay gem.

In 2003, on eBay of course, someone sold a mantle clock that they said was from the Borden house. It was supposedly still spattered with the blood of Andrew’s murder. Here is the description, typos and all:

I bought this clock at auction over 25 years ago. There is an old label attached inside the clock written in old penmanship stating “Clock from the famous Lizzie Borden Estate after the trial in 1892. The blood spots never left.”. That’s true, as you can see from the photos’s. Their is, now pink colored, blood splatters across the face and over the top. This was the mantel clock in the living room where Lizzie killed her father with an axe. The spots will not come off and are consistent with what one can only imagine blood spewing across a room and landing on a painted china clock would look like after a hundred and eleven years. The clock itself seems to be made around the 1880`s and is 14 inches tall by 11 inches wide. There is no maker’s name and it does not work. It is in perfect shape, no damage whatsoever. I have always believed in the origin of this clock and the authenticity of the attached note but I would hesitate to say I am absolutely certain as I am no expert in this historical field. Therefore, please, if you have any questions contact me. This clock is a pretty important part to the Borden puzzle and is after all one of a kind. Thank you for viewing.

Some photos to refresh your memories:

The clock sold for $999. An interesting discussion of the item took place on the Lizzie Borden Society Forum.

Wanna earn a degree in ghosthunting while staying at the Borden house? Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Ghost Hunting University.

Welcome to the auction for Haunted Times Magazine! The winner will have one night at Lizzie Borden’s Bed & Breakfast on September 30th, 2006 along with 2 tickets for world renowned Christopher Moon Ghost Hunting University class. Christopher moon will teach all the basics on how to ghost hunt, EVP, Orbs & more. If you have a camera or recorder you can bring it with you. At the end of the Ghost Hunt University you will get a certificate for Ghost Hunting 101 graduate.

You will have full access to the Lizzie borden house during your stay. The room will be on the third floor donated to us by Le-ann Wilbur. The auction is for the accommodations for 2 & event only & you will have to provide your own transportation. At the end of auction & upon payment you will be given a certificate to be used for the event.

Notes Lizzie Borden Society Forum member, book collector, and author Michael Brimbau, on the six Maplecroft estate books up for sale on eBay this week: “Too bad the Lizzie books up for bid are not books of value in their own right or an author of interest or desirability such as Poe, Twain or even one of the great poets. Without the Lizzie connections they would be almost valueless and if seen in a used book store would sell for no more than 5 to 15 dollars. A first edition of Kipling’s Captains Courageous with Lizzie’s initials and name plate: now would that not be a treat, huh?”

Indeed, Michael, indeed.

Young Vintage B&W Elizabeth Montgomery photo.

Check out this Vintage B&W photo of the late great actress Elizabeth Montgomery, probably taken in the late 50’s, pre-”Bewitched”. Her radiant beauty and screen magnetism catapulted her to international fame in the 1960’s as the beautiful suburban housewife Samantha Stevens, a smart and funny witch, married to a bumbling mortal husband, who constantly tried to live her life as a “normal” mortal wife. After the TV series ran it’s course, Elizabeth sucessfully pursued many ground-breaking roles in TV movies, ranging from the legendary Lizzie Borden to modern heroines. A great pic for the many baby boomer guys who grew up with a mad crush on her, of which I proudly count myself as one.

I see this Lizzie related item on eBay all the time, but you can’t beat the price here of one dollar. Captain Spalding souvenir Trading Cards Devils Rejects.

These are a gimmick for the film House of 1,000 Corpses, trading cards from Captain Spalding’s Museum of Monsters and Madmen. The deck includes: S. Quentin Quail (Dr. Satan)
Albert Fish
Eddie Gein
Jack the Ripper
Lizzie Borden
The Texas Chainsaw Murders
The backs have trivia and an add for hot, spicy, tasty, fried chicken. The art is by celebrated illustrator Strephon Taylor.

I am drawn to it, yet I am repulsed by it. Inappropriate kitsch, yes. Will sell for more than the starting bid, probably. But oh my gosh, look at the shipping fee! Lizzie Borden Police Photo dead father Paper Weight.

Oh my, there are two of them for sale!. But the second one is half the price, half the shipping, and the same seller. I am so confused!

This is a neat find. 1961 Lizzie Borden photo book release print ad. I have never seen one like it before on eBay. But then I have only been a member since 1998.

This is an original 1961 print ad for Simon and Schuster publishers, promoting the new Edward D. Radin book, “Lizzie Borden: The Untold Story”- a very unusual ad! It measures approximately 12.5″ x 4″ overall, and is in great shape: no stains or tears, graded “Fine”.

This vintage ad is not a later reprint, photocopy or any kind of reproduction (most print ads were published at one time only, and were likely never commercially reproduced). A scarce and distinctive piece for your frame!

William Schley-Ulrich tells me that the inscription pasted above the Maplecroft seal in this eBay sale Nancy Stair- Elinor M Laine Owned by Lizzie Borden 1905 is from Emily Dickinson. It is a lovely poem, don’t you think? And if you know anything about the life of Dickinson (1830-1866), it has a bittersweet connotation.

THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll,
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

Emily Dickinson

I have one of these and it is my favorite coffee mug. As a matter of fact, I am using mine right now! I like that it is light in weight yet sturdy. I hate really heavy coffee mugs.

This sale, LIZZIE BORDEN Mug from actual home Fall River Mass is nice and inexpensive at a starting bid of $1.29.

The Lizzie Borden B&B sells it for $5.00 plus S/H.

I don’t know if you have seen this, but eBay has yet another way to find and buy interesting items. They call it eBay Express | An exciting new way to shop. They have a few Borden items listed, but I am sure as the traffic increases so will the items for sale.

This sale on eBay, RARE Vintage Panarizon Life in American History Cards, includes the hard to find Lizzie Borden card, sometimes seen on eBay by itself. The Lizzie card alone sells for $4 - $6. This set has a starting bid of $9.99 with lots of choices for mailing.

I bought one of these Lizzie Borden Took An Ax Scary Victorian Poster and I love mine. The quality is superb (heavy stock paper) and the artwork is magnificent. The starting price is only $6.99, but the BuyItNow price of $14.99 is a deal.

Also check out this seller’s (Madame Talbot) eBay store for more gothic delights. I also own the Jack the Ripper and the Tennessee Bell Witch posters. And I have my eye on the HRH Royal Highness Pug Dog Pugsley Victorian Poster. These items also make excellent gifts.

No, I don’t get a cut.

Two more books that were supposedly owned by Lizzie are on sale on eBay. Same seller. Right off the Chest- Revell Owned by Lizzie Borden 1923 and Nancy Stair- Elinor M Laine Owned by Lizzie Borden 1905.

These two bear the Maplecroft seal, which, according to my sources, is a good indicator of ownership by Lizzie. I like these two very much as they do not bear her signature or initials. They are more easily proven to be authentic without that problematic marking. Good luck to those bidding.

Says the auction title: Lizzy Borden Mansion. Orig. Blueprints. One of a Kind. Only $3000! Not an auspicious start to a very expensive offering when they get the spelling of the main character’s name wrong! Lots of errors in the listing too. See if you can spot them.

Up for auction is a piece of American History and perhaps the end to a 100 year old mystery?

The images in this auction are photos of a one of a kind set of blueprints that Lizzy Borden requested of a prominent architectual firm for the design of a victorian mansion that she wanted to have built for her and her sister. There are eight blueprints to this set. They were designed by the very fashionable architectual firm of ANGELL and SWIFT Architects of Providence, Rhode Island. The design depicts a very elaborate (even for victorian times) mansion that Lizzy Borden wanted built with her fathers money. These are authentic documents and gauranteed to be the only set in existence. The title block says: “Plans for the Residence of Misses Borden Fall River, Mass. Angell and Swift Architects, Providence, R.I..”

The real intrigue here is that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents. Had they been available for admission as evidence in her court trial, she might not have been acquitted. How do I know this? These blueprints were given to me by a friend of my mother. His Grandfather was a contracter in Fall River, Mass.. and was asked to quote on this design. The story that goes with these documents is that when Lizzy Borden approached her father with the plans he absolutely refused her the money. He had a reputation as playing his bank account very close to his vest.

We cannot specifically identify the exact date that these documents were drawn up (as they are not dated), but the contractor who originally handled them for quote claims they were before the parents were murdered. According to the many books written about this sensational trial, when it was over Lizzy had paid off so many Lawyers and judges (and jury members) that she had little money left to build such a grand home. She settled for something much more modest in the area.

These documents have been examined by Sotheby’s and the Lizzy Borden Museum in Fall River, Mass.. They are claimed to be authentic. Sotheby’s quoted a verbal auction estimate of $5-6,000 dollars. ANGELL and SWIFT Architects designed some of the most prominent homes on the East Side of Providence and can be gooogled on the internet.

There are eight 19″ x 26″ blueprints in this set. I only photographed seven. The missing one is the Second Story Plan. This is a tremendous collectors opportunity. Think about it; had these documents been admitted as evidence for motive would you acquit her?

Final note: On the tombstone of the Borden family housekeeper it reads: “Secrets Never Known”.

Balderdash. Lizzie never paid off jurors or judges. Lizzie’s housekeeper (unnamed here) did not have this written on her tombstone.

And since there is NO DATE on these drawings, how are we to know “that this design was contracted before the murder of her parents”? Plus, if the seller had these appraised through Sotheby’s, then why are they not handling this auction? And last, but not least, Borden was a common name in the Fall River area. Don’t you think that these might have been made up for someone else?

No true provenance, no true date, no true connection, facts wrong in the auction listing, incorrect understanding of the case. All this adds up to trouble. Stay away!

Bud- Neil Munro Owned & Initialed by Lizzie Borden 1st.

A note on provenance from our client: “I recently purchased 6 books that had belonged to Lizzie Borden from a local woman who is personally known to me. She is the daughter of a man who was Ms. Borden’s chauffeur in her later years. As the books were given to the chauffeur by Ms. Borden during her lifetime, they are not technically part of her estate. My acquaintance knew Ms. Borden as a child. The inscribed book is self-explanatory as to provenance, and the ones initialed ‘L.A.B.’ were done in Ms. Borden’s hand, according to my acquaintance. The books with the “Maplecroft” sticker on the endpaper also speak for themselves, as Maplecroft is known to be Ms. Borden’s estate as a matter of public record.”

According to Len Rebello’s Lizzie Borden Past and Present, this would have to be referring to Grace L. Terry, Ernest Alden Terry’s daughter, who was a minor at the time of Lizzie’s death in 1927. Ernest Terry was Lizzie’s chauffeur, and he died in 1955 in Fall River at the age of 70.