An Internet search for area news turned up something completely unrelated from what I was searching for. But it got me thinking about what else might be out there in the ethersphere of commerce, what other items of local interest (historical and otherwise) might be up for sale – and how much people are willing to pay for them. A little digging turned up quite a few things, from matchbooks to yearbooks and vintage clothing to long-gone restaurants. I also found items that would appeal to everyone from dog lovers to philatelists. But the question I needed answered was: Does a former Playboy model and MTV veejay command a higher price on memorabilia than, for instance, a historical document that effectively tells the story of the city’s entire far Southwest Side? Even a whiskey crock with supposed ties to Al Capone is likely to sell for less than Jenny McCarthy’s junior-year yearbook. Ahh, but one man’s trash…