Old Yankee Antique Collector has Big Plans for Museum One Day

John G. Talcott Jr., whose ancestor settled in Hartford not long after Thomas Hooker founded the town in 1636 -- which itself was only 24 years or so after Adriaen Block became the first white man to sail up the Connecticut River -- recently bought an old church cup (circa 1675) that was owned by Hooker's daughter. Talcott paid $168,000 for the vessel.

Talcott has a collection of antiques and memorabilia, and he told the Hartford Courant that he plans to open a museum one day.

Until he gets around to carrying out those plans, he'll loan the cup to the Wadsworth Athenaeum for six months of the year. He hopes the Athenaeum will display it and another cup it bought as part of the same auction.

The purchase seems like a nice gesture. Talcott said he did not want to see the cup bought and removed from its home state. It's also nice to see someone looking for ways to keep busy in his retirement -- Talcott is 96. Let's hope his museum planning is well underway.