Now Formed!!! A New Club

Royal China Collectors Club

Our members collect all patterns and items made by the

Royal China Company of Sebring, Ohio.

New 2007 Cape Girardeau Convention Images Posted!

Click on the above link or scroll down to the bottom of this page for all meeting images, including:

C&I Club Annual meeting and show 2007

Don't forget to check past year's conventions also! Some very RARE items can be seen.

Thank you to all that have contributed images and if you have some of yours that you would like to share please contact the Webmaster.

Please be patient as I am rebuilding the entire website, Thanks, ED

This website is no longer directly affiliated with the "Currier & Ives Collectors Club"

The Royal China Collectors Club has officially been organized and full benefits and features are scheduled to be operational  on September 15 of 2007.  Any membership paid prior to that date will have extended membership until the July 31 of 2008 and membership numbers are assigned based on date of receipt of payment.

Royal China Club Mission Statement

1) The Club's primary focus will be providing a monthly online newsletter.  This will reduced the high cost of mailing a paper copy.  Paper copies of the newsletter would be available at additional expense to any member wishing one at a cost that would cover the processing and mailing.  Also with online publishing,  the number of pages and space would not be an issue allowing more content per issue.  I intend that only paid members be allowed to login to access the newsletter with the exception of a representative copy that would be available online for all potential new members to see and contemplate the club’s value to them.

2) Expand the website accordingly and make payment of dues possible through PayPal and checks now and in the future other methods such as direct bank account withdrawal and direct credit cards in the future.

3) All club dealings will made public and remain public.  Club member’s personal information would only be shared with their confirmed consent.

4) Provide a virtual repository for all Royal China related documentation.

5) Have an online chat room and host member blogs.

6) Have an online “Questions for Other Members” section, where a question regarding Royal can be posted and any member respond to it.

7) Have an annual convention.  This will take place when the number of members increases to a sufficient amount to support such an undertaking.

8) Have an online gallery for interesting items and collections.

9) Provide a reasonably limited venue for Royal China items to be posted for sale by members without commission.

10) Provide a biography page for all members willing to submit their biography.

11) Yearly dues are $15.00 and will run yearly from one yearly quarter to the next.

Sign Up Now!

Pay by check to:

Royal China Club
Edward Michniewicz, treasurer
7022 Shaker Rd
Loudon NH 03307-1130
603-783-4023

or by $15.00 by PayPal by clicking the button below:

An explanation of the website disassociation:

     I have enjoyed being a member of the Currier & Ives Dinnerware Collectors Club for many years.  My wife Doris and I attended our first convention in 2001 in Kalamazoo, then Freeport but missed Festus due to a heart problem, but have made all the others since, Paducah, Sebring, and now Neenah. Virtually all of our contacts with fellow club members have been very courteous, friendly and informative.

     I volunteered to take over the club website upon the passing of the then Webmaster Mr. Lauder.  During that period the original club website domain was not renewed.  The club’s domain was then usurped by a porn related entity.  I then took it upon myself to use one my personal domains to host a website for information on the club.  Only about 5% of that my new website material was used from the original club’s site.  Virtually everything was of my own intellectual content and creative design and was copyrighted as such.  I have maintained this domain and hosting fees personally over the years.  At one point the club wanted to pay my expenses and own the site, to which I initially agreed.  Afterwards, there was then debate about the costs and fees.  I then decided that I would simply keep paying for all expenses and donating my time and effort maintaining the site to the club,  which to me been a labor of love.  For all my effort over the years of adding content and pleading with other club members to offer their suggestions, recommendations criticisms and/or compliments, I have received virtually nothing in outside input and no official thanks or commendations.  The only exception was one club member who gave me his biography to post on the site.  I had asked all board members to send me a profile and not one had responded.

     In May, the President told me that the board said I must remove all links on the site to other sites that were directly related to Royal China and which I had thought would be useful to members and increase the sites ranking by search engines, and told to remove all biographies with the exception of “Uncle” Bud.  This was unacceptable to me as the only outside content given to me by a member was one of the biographies and that the links are a necessary part of getting and maintaining a high search engine placement.  I explained this to the President in a 1-hour telephone call.  She said I would receive a copy of this decree by certified mail (which I never did receive).  She said she believed the club owned the site instead of me and that I would have to comply with the board’s wishes.  I then explained that I owned the sight outright in my own name and that this domain was always mine and that it was up to me to decide on the content but that I was willing to listen to any suggestions and would consider them.  I further explained that if the board was adamant in their wishes either that I would offer to help create and a new domain name for the club that would be 100% theirs at no expense at all or that if the board was willing to repay me for my out of pocket expenses I would “sell” them the current address. That is where I left it with the President.

    Later “Uncle Bud” contacted me by telephone on this matter and after my explanation of the facts he agreed that indeed the site was mine.  I was later informed that the club decided to create a new website all of their own and that no assistance from me would be needed.  I then called the newsletter editor and told him he should remove the reference to my URL from the club newsletter.  I then updated my site with the phrase “This website is no longer directly affiliated with the ‘Currier & Ives Collectors Club’” and removed all content that came from the club’s original site from my site. I then added a link on my site to the newly created one of the club so there would be no confusion or unintended misdirection.

     Although this matter personally hurts me, I want to do what is overall in the best interest of the Currier & Ives Dinnerware Collectors Club and continue to maintain this position and offer my services to the club in whatever way I can.

Edward Michniewicz

bigeds@bigedsnh.com

C&I DCC Member #377 Life Member #

AKA Big Ed

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