Give Me Sotheby’s Phone Number?

Today I, like every other parent, worry about my children’s and grandchildren’s economic future. Job security is a thing of the past. Education is becoming the pursuit only of the rich. Then I read about the $34 million auction of the estate of Jackie Kennedy Onassis and noted the prices that people paid for a well-used rocking chair, golf clubs, even costume jewelry.

In the 1960s, Chicanos followed Jack Kennedy because he gave them and a nation hope. Now the Kennedys have again shown us the way. I looked around my house and realized that I’m sitting on a gold mine. Every family has historical pieces. Once the public learns their rich history, a fortune awaits.

Take my big galvanized tub, la tina. Our family has used it for more than 30 years. We bathed our five children in it when they were tots. It has been at every party at our house, filled with ice, cooling beer, wine and soda pop. We couldn’t have a party without it. Upon their arrival all of our guests immediately head for la tina. All of those folks would bid for it.

And when I recount how our family uses la tina to make tamales every Christmas, its value could skyrocket. I mix 20 pounds of masa dough for the tamales in it. It’s a chore, but it’s part of the Sillas legacy. We have made more than 10,800 tamales (an average of 30 dozen each Yule) in that tina. Talk about value! That tub still has probably another 10,800 tamales left in it.

You want history? There was the year the weight of our tina broke our dinner table in half. I had just placed the masa-filled tub in the middle of the table. Table and masa crashed to the floor as my wife Cora cried out, “I told you it would break!” I was too busy trying to save the masa to respond. She had told me, but when you are beating masa, who listens? The old table is gone but the tina is still intact. It ought to bring a fancy price, once its history is known.

Another item that should push the bidding skyward is our tamale cooker. My father bought a big stainless steel pot and shaped special pieces to fit inside of it that allows the steam to flow and cooks the tamales evenly (he was a sheet metal mechanic). Everyone marvels at its design and utility. It can also be used to cook menudo, fish soup and a lot of beans. Top-level state officials ate some when we lived in Sacramento. It is a bipartisan-pot.

Anyway, I feel a lot better now knowing that, after my departure, my children will be well taken care of by the proceeds of our estate auction. Right now I’m doing the inventory and detailing the history of each item on a card. After that’s done, I’ll contact Sotheby’s and find out what their cut will be.