Whiskey Bottles Go to Pay Back Taxes
The Internal Revenue Service will seize almost anything to pay off back taxes--even a collection of whiskey bottles.
John Simpson, an IRS revenue officer in Riverside, called us with such a tale. He said two owners of a San Bernardino bar, behind in their taxes, recently saw their establishment padlocked by revenue agents. Included in the inventory were 89 collectible decanters, Simpson said, of which 87 were produced by Lionstone Distilleries and two by Jim Beam Distilling Co.
“I thought to myself, ‘These are going to be worth something,’ ” Simpson said. “But I have to watch out so I’m getting a fair price. If I don’t get a fair price, then the taxpayer has a complaint against the U.S. Treasury (of which the IRS is a unit) for not protecting his interest.”
Among the bottles displayed behind glass cases near the bar, he said, were a Jim Beam edition called “ ’64 New York World’s Fair” and a 1969 production called “Ponderosa Ranch.” Lionstone productions included sought-after figurine sets entitled “Shootout at OK Corral” and “Custer’s Last Stand.” A call to this column put Simpson in touch with some California bottle collectors, such as Tom Dvojack, immediate past president of the Queen Mary Jim Beam Bottle & Specialty Club. The two Jim Beam bottles, Dvojack said, were of limited value--”Ponderosa” worth about $6 and “World’s Fair” selling for about $16--because they were produced in great numbers.
“But Lionstones have held their value over the years,” Dvojack said.
Quoting from “Montague’s Modern Bottle Identification & Price Guide” (H. F. Montague, P.O. Box 4059, Overland Park, Kan. 66204), he said the four-bottle “Custer’s” set was priced at about $300 and that the three-bottle “OK Corral” set carried a $275 price tag.
(However, prices can vary widely depending on what price guide one reads. For example, we saw a $320-to-$375 range on “OK Corral” in the Official Price Guide to Bottles Old & New, the House of Collectibles, Orlando, Fla. 32809.)
As a footnote, Dvojack added that it makes no difference whether the bottles still contain whiskey. “If they’re old, we just tell people to pour it out anyway,” he said.
As bottle collectors know, Lionstone decanters have a fine collectible reputation and cover a wide variety of subjects. But the Western series appears to be among their most popular products as reflected by estimated prices.
Meanwhile, IRS agent Simpson said he will personally auction off the 89 seized liquor decanters (IRS agents are granted authority by the federal government to sell property) May 19, at 10 a.m. at the closed-down bar, Tuts, 1177 North E St., San Bernardino. Those interested can view the collection on the previous Friday.
The IRS, he added, requires cash, a cashier’s check or a money order on any sales. For further information, Simpson can be contacted at his IRS office, (714) 351-6433.
We visited Carmel a few days before the “Great Election” and were struck by the number of people wildly scooping up “Clint for Mayor” buttons, T-shirts, bumper stickers and the like. So it was with some interest that we called political-button expert Ted Hake of York, Pa., who recently helped write a sports collectibles book.
Hake said he hadn’t yet had a chance to evaluate Mayor Eastwood’s campaign buttons. But based on past experience involving other notables who ran for public office, he said they probably would receive initial marketplace evaluation in the $3-to-$5 range.
