I think you've missed the point, Ron. The analogy is a good one, and very much to the point.

First of all, a lot of people don't know they have a valuable antique. It's old box that their grandmother kept knick-knacks in or a roll-top desk their great-uncle had in his office. They see the show and it occurs to them that this thing might just be an "antique" and really be valuable. "If it is, and I sell it, maybe I can put my kid through college!" So they haul it to the show to find out. Or sometimes it's an item that they find out is worth, maybe, $15,000 at auction. But they say, "Well, it's been in the family for generations, and I don't really want to sell it." So the evaluator tells them what to insure it for.

But the point is that it has a history. As I say, a provenance. You didn't buy it al Wal-Mart. Nor did you buy a kit at Ikea and assemble it yourself. It has a value that goes beyond its value as a utilitarian or decorative item.

And that value lies, not just in the quality, but the history of the item.

You can't make an antique. And nobody can write a folk song.

You can write something that sounds like a traditional folk song, and you might fool a lot of people with it. But—it doesn't have the provenance.

Don Firth

P. S. As I said above, I know I'm wasting my time.