Are You Going to Silver Dollar City?

If you are planning a family getaway, a trip to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri promises a grand time of thrills, excitement, and fun. Open from the middle of March to the end of December, Silver Dollar City is a 61-acre family theme park set in the style of 1880s Ozarks culture. 

Known as the Home of American Craftsmanship, Silver Dollar City features more than 100 craftsmen and craftswomen who showcase their disciplines in the Culinary & Craft School. If you are interested in silversmithing, meet Don Bair and he will be happy to show you the finer aspects of making silver jewelry or even smith a unique piece for your special someone. Want to know more about glass blowing? Go to Hazel’s Blown & Cut Glass Factory to see how Todd Nelson creates his masterpieces with a blow of his breath. Curious about how candy was made back in those days? Visit Brown’s Candy Factory and June Ward will teach you the secrets of traditional candy making.

Silver Dollar City has some of the most famous rides in America. Take your seat on the GIANT Swing and get ready to be swung up to 7 stories high on a giant pendulum at 45 mph. If that’s not fast enough for you, try the WildFire for a truly hair raising experience. There are also the Powderkeg, the Grand Exposition, Fire-In-The-Hole, and others. After you have tried all the thrilling rides, take the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train into the Ozark countryside for a change of pace. Then, make sure you don’t miss Marvel Cave. This was where it all began. A living wet limestone cave, Marvel Cave is a National Natural Landmark of Missouri. In the tour, you will see the awesome Cathedral Room which is one of the largest cave entrance rooms in North America and some famous limestone formations. At the end of the tour, you will the special cable train up to the surface, which is quite a journey in itself.

To bring more cheer, Silver Dollar City also hosts some of the most anticipated festivals in the region. Some of these festivals are the World-Fest, the Bluegrass & BBQ Festival, the National KidsFest, the National Harvest Festival, and An Old Time Christmas. Truly, Silver Dollar City has something for everyone. Just don’t go looking for silver dollars there. If you are looking for a good silver buyer who offers the best rates for silver, now is the best time for you to sell silver. Get instant cash for silver today!

Appreciating the Sevso Silver Treasure

While there are some scandals surrounding the Sevso Treasure, there’s no detraction from the fact that it may well be the most astounding collection of Roman silver ever discovered. In numbers, the 14 pieces in Lord Northampton’s possession represent the largest Roman silver find of its kind, weighing close to 70kg in all. In terms of craftsmanship, Dr. Richard Hobbs of the British Museum said, “The objects are just spectacular. They are beautiful examples of a craftsman plying his art at the highest level.”

The Sevso hoard is composed of the Hunting Plate, the Meleager Plate, the Achilles Plate, the Geometric Plate, the Amphora, the Dionysiac Ewer, the Animal Ewer, the Hippolytus Situlas A and B, the Hippolytus Ewer, Geometric Ewers A and B, Basin, and Casket, plus the copper cauldron in which they were kept.

The Hunting Plate is the most famous piece. Measuring 70cm in diameter and weighing close to 9kg, it is a stunning dish of silver. In the center, there is a medallion measuring 17cm in diameter with lively scenes of hunting and outdoor banquet. Looking at the images, you can almost get a sense of Sevso’s lifestyle. In those days, silverware was a symbol of social status while hunting and dining epitomized the opulence of the Roman elites. The chi-rho sign used to signify the beginning and the end of the Sevso inscriptions hinted at the growth or popularity of Christianity in 4th or 5th century Rome.

Depicting the legend of Achilles, the Achilles Plate, measuring 72cm in diameter, is the largest object in the Sevso hoard. The Meleager Plate, measuring 69cm in diameter, is one spectacular dish. The central medallion shows a triumphant Meleager resting on the carcass of the boar sent by Artemis, spear on his left shoulder, surrounded by the Calydonian Hunters. On the outer frieze, there is a series of characters, punctuated by head busts, with a thousand stories to be told.  Decorated with Dionysiac characters in the central panel, the Amphora is a remarkably beautiful silver vessel. It has two leopards for handles. The two bottom panels show the intricate relationship between flora and fauna.

In light of all the scandals, perhaps, the biggest scandal is that such a dazzling collection of artistic and historical importance such as the Sevso Silver Treasure is not being exhibited to the public. Now, it’s sitting in a secret vault, waiting to be released. Do you have some silver sitting in a vault? Sell silver and get top dollar for silver now. Send your silver to a silver buyer today and get instant cash for silver.

Cash for Gold USA Joins the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Cash for Gold USA, the nation’s top online gold buyer, has agreed to donate $1.00 for every Goldpak™ they receive from gold sellers to the National Breast Cancer Foundation this year, generating a potential contribution of nearly $200,000.

         
            

Considering a majority of our clientele are women, we thought this would be an appropriate way for our customers to feel like they’re part of something positive — something greater than a mere business transaction

Sharon, Mass. (PRWEB) February 24, 2009 — Cash for Gold USA announced today their new alliance with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, culminating the company’s recent search for an appropriate philanthropic program. According to Norm Schneider, President of Cash for Gold USA, the company has agreed to donate $1.00 for every Goldpak™ they receive from gold sellers during the course of this year, generating a potential contribution to the NBCF of nearly $200,000.

“Considering a majority of our clientele are women, we thought this would be an appropriate way for our customers to feel like they’re part of something positive — something greater than a mere business transaction,” explained Schneider.

As the industry’s top buyer of broken and unwanted gold jewelry, Cash for Gold USA often makes it possible for customers to make critical on-time payments on their mortgages, car loans and credit cards when extra cash is needed. The rising market price for gold is rapidly approaching $1,000/oz as the global financial crisis continues to deepen. Cash for Gold USA’s steady growth pattern has spurred the company to take “Corporate Responsibility,” by not only investing in the future of the company but in the future of their customers as well.

“Many of us have lost family and close personal friends to Breast Cancer over the years,” Schneider added, “This program aims to help the NBCF take preventative measures while serving as a memorial to those we’ve lost.”

Cash for Gold USA is a safe, reliable and trusted site for sellers who need fast cash turnaround for their unwanted gold or silver items. Cash for Gold USA now serves more than 15,000 customers each month and makes payouts in the millions of dollars, enabling the company to continue offering unique incentive programs that are unmatched in their field. The company has served both the public and private sectors since 1975 and prides itself for their honesty, reliability and professionalism. They are members of the Better Business Bureau, TrustE and the MJSA and advertise extensively on TV, the Internet, and many other well-known publications. Cash for Gold USA is both honored and proud to be part of the important work the National Breast Cancer Foundation is doing.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mr. Sam Errama, Director of Public Relations
Cash for Gold USA
http://cashforgoldusa.com
101 Hampton Road
Sharon, MA 02067
Tel: 1-888-GOLD-808
E-Mail: info (at) cashforgoldusa (dot) com

Mystery of Sevso Silver Treasure II

Last week, we saw how the Sevso silver treasure came to be categorized as “illicit antiquities”. Now, we enter deeper into the shady world of the black market for art objects. It’s worthwhile to note that the truth about the Sevso treasure may only be known to a few people and most likely, they will be carrying the secret to their graves. One of these people was Jozsef Sumegh.

Jozsef Sumegh was a 22 year old laborer working at the Polgardi quarry, northeast of Lake Balaton, in western Hungary. Excavating limestones, Sumegh was somewhat surprised when his shovel struck metal. It was the huge copper cauldron which contained the silver vessels of the Sveso treasure. Though he didn’t really know the real value of the items, he knew they were special. This was in 1974 when Hungary was still under Communist rule. If he surrendered the treasure to the state, he would only be given a small reward for his discovery. Thus, he concealed the treasure, waiting for an opportunity to sell the silver in the black market.

Soon, Sumegh stopped working in the Polgardi quarry and moved to a hostel in Budapest. Returning home once in a while, Sumegh was often seen in fashionable clothes which were considered lavish in those days, unquestionably beyond a man of his means. It was believed that he had sold at least three items from the Sevso treasure in the flea market located near the Budapest airport. Somehow, one item landed in the hands of Peter Wilson, the former chairman of Sotheby’s. After consulting the British Museum, he advised Lord Northampton to purchase the Sevso treasure as it is known now.

In early 1979, Sumegh was required to fulfill his national service. Before he reported for duty, he buried the treasure in a wine cellar near the Polgardi quarry. One night in late 1980, near the term of his national service, Sumegh was contacted by two men in a bar in Polgardi. They were talking and drinking a great deal. Two days later, Jozsef Sumegh was found dead in the wine cellar. Supposedly, he had committed suicide by hanging himself. However, evidence suggested he was murdered. When he was found, his knees were on the ground, and there appeared to be a filled-in hole about three feet wide, beneath him. The treasure was gone.

Based on the case of Jozsef Sumegh and some other findings, Hungary is making a serious claim on the Sevso Silver Treasure. Lord Northampton is willing to sell his silver. Is Hungary willing to buy? If you wish to sell silver, you can find a good silver buyer here. Why hide your silver? Get instant cash for silver, instantly!

Mystery of Sevso Silver Treasure I

Is there such a thing as cursed silver? According to Spencer Compton, the 7th Marquess of Northampton, the Sevso Silver Treasure is certainly cursed. Over some years in the 1980s, Lord Northampton had purchased 14 exquisitely crafted late Roman silver vessels for about 10 million pounds. He had intended to sell the entire Sevso hoard together with the large copper cauldron in which they were found for a hefty profit. Scholars have estimated that the Sevso hoard is probably from 350AD to 450AD. Reportedly worth more than 100 million pounds in 2006, the Sevso treasure is now sitting in a secret vault in England, unexhibited, and unsold.

The items in Northampton’s Sevso solid silver collection include splendid plates, basins, ewers, and caskets. On one of the hunting plates measuring close to 28 inches in diameter and weighing 22 pounds, there is an inscription in Latin which says: “May these O Sevso, yours for many ages be, Small vessels fit to serve your offspring worthily.” Thus, the treasure came to be known as the Sevso treasure. Most likely, the items were gifts to Sevso who was believed to be a Roman of some importance although no concrete records were found about him. In the context of our world, these “vessels” are definitely not “small” and ironically, they are supposed to bring good tidings instead of ill fortune. Perhaps, the curse of the Sevso silver lies in the words “yours for many ages be” as all the vessels were meant to be in Sevso’s possession, forever.

In 1983, a consortium representing Lord Northampton tried to sell 10 items of the treasure to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for USD 10 million. Before the transaction could be realized, the export licenses from Lebanon (where the Sevso treasure was said to come from) were found to be fake. When the treasure was exhibited by Sotheby’s in 1990 in New York for an proposed auction in Switzerland later, the governments of Lebanon, Croatia, and Hungary made legal ownership claims of the treasure. Lebanon dropped out after it was revealed that the export documents were falsified. In 1993, the New York Supreme Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to show that the treasure belonged to Hungary or Croatia. Thus, it remained in Northhampton’s possession. Thereafter, the Sevso treasure has been categorized as “unprovenanced antiquities” or “illicit antiquities” since the location of its discovery could not be validated.

Certainly, there are many more questions. Why did Lord Northampton attempt to sell 10 pieces of Sevso silver pieces to the Getty Museum for only USD 10 million when he paid 10 million pounds for all 14 pieces when he was told he could reap a threefold windfall? Are there more pieces? Why were there false Lebanese export documents? Who is Jozsef Sumegh? In the next installment, we will take a deeper look into the mystery of the Sevso treasure. Now, if you want to sell silver, here’s a good silver buyer who will pay the best rates for silver.

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