Holy Grail Impossible to Find Collectibles

I'm a quest: I'm looking for people in the midst of a passionate search for an item thought impossible to find.

I know that there are famous examples of such quests in the rare book business. For instance, there are books that are known to have been printed, but no copies are thought to exist--there are plenty of book scouts scouring attics, library sales, and thrift stores with the hope one copy might yet turn up.

I'm interested in that types of story--only I'm interested in stories about other objects of desire, such as documents, autographs, posters, baseball cards, stamps, artwork, or anything else made of paper.

Are you on such a quest? I'd like to hear your story, especially if you have been searching a long time for a single item--an item that is known to exist, thought to exist, or once existed but is now lost to history. It doesn't matter why you are looking for the item, it only matters that you've been actively seeking it out.

Comments

[Swanky]

My "Holy Grail" actually is a drinking vessel!

In 1956, the Mai Kai opened in Fort Lauderdale and in 1962, they created the "Mystery Drink." The Mystery Bowl is a very rare item and highly sought after. The original bowl they used in the early 60s is very rare. I only know of one in existence. It came up for auction a couple of years ago and I was ready to sell my 1961 Corvair Monza 900 to try to win it. A friend of mine who has very deep pockets was on it and I knew I could not outbid him. That bowl is Grail worthy.

However, the Mai Kai drink inspired the Kahiki in Columbus, OH to also have a Mystery Drink and when they started, they used a bowl that is somewhat similar tot he Mai Kai bowl. They switched to a new design shortly and that design was used for decades. That new bowl goes for $1000+ when it comes up on Ebay. But that original design is the "Holy Grail."

I have never seen one and no one I know has either. A friend of mine says he saw one come up on Ebay a few years ago that was damaged. It is pictured in their ads and other materials, so there were a few around. It is obviously rumored to have survived.

I would trade my whole collection for that early Mai Kai Mystery Bowl or the Kahiki Bowl.

[Pete]

I had never really considered this before, so it might not meet your standard of "actively seeking it out", but I would absolutely love to find advertising trade cards from either the Porter or Sehring breweries of Joliet, Illinois. Joliet (where I live) was a big brewing town in the early 20th Century but both of these breweries were effectively killed off by Prohibition. In fact, our 1927 house was built by the son of the founder of Porter brewery, so I have a personal connection there as well.

[Bookride]

Great idea..in 1639 the earliest settlers in America - the Massachusetts Bay colony- printed a document the Freeman’s Oath and after that an Almanac. Neither have yet been found and I would love to stumble upon them. The next year they printed a psalm book (aka Bay Psalm Book) -that has been found and a dozen copies are known, but anyway it's a book and we don't want them in our grail quest-- another thing I would love to find is a theatre programme-- about 1900 at a staged performance of Dracula the programme had little black paper vampires that flew out when you opened it--wouldnt mind an intact one of them... Nigel

[Norma Chandler]

I am seeking very old material regarding the Cardigan Welsh Corgi dog. I am especially looking for Our Dogs, (UK) July and August, 1933 and The American Kennel Club Purebred Dogs Gazette, October and November 1935, January 1968, and any other Cardigan-related articles or brochures. I have shown/bred cardis since 1962 and wish to add as many old items as possible.