As an offer to help those of you here on Garden Web that don't have a Hancock and Moore dealer nearby, I thought I would try out something new to see if anyone is interested in having the *FULL* set of leather swatches to borrow in their home for a week.

I have a brand new, complete, full set of H&M master samples that is an extra set. It has probably close to 500 leathers on the two handles, and I would send it out with the master dealer catalog, the Town and Country catalog, and the wood finish selector. In effect, you would have everything there is to make a buying decision and can purchase from whomever you would like to buy from - no strings attached.

This set is heavy. I would have to charge you for two-way shipping and request that you keep the set no longer than one week. I would only have the one set, so getting it back so another Garden Web member might check it is part of the deal. As soon as the set came back in, whoever was next on the check out list would have it UPS'ed to them.

I would ask that you do NOT remove any swatches from the set so it stays complete, and do not cut the samples or put them out of their alphabetical order. If you need a few small samples, I'd be glad to order them for you at no charge, but its important to not compromise the master set.

Here's how this would work. I would need a fax (sent to 703-360-8835) or email from you with your name, address and phone number along with a $ 200 'hold' deposit on a Mastercard/Visa/Discover card and expiration date, etc. I would UPS ground the box to you, and then send a call tag for it one week later (so you do not have to take the samples to a UPS store, etc.). Upon the return of the set, wood samples and master catalog, you would pay only for the 2-way shipping and call tag services. I'd estimate this would be about $ 40 to $ 45 round trip for most US addresses, maybe a bit more for West Coasters and Canadians. This would not be a free service, but you would pay only for shipping and no additional fees.

If someone were to not return the set or otherwise damage it, then it would no longer be available. Its very expensive to have this made up, and took me two years and a lot of H&M orders to get the spare set.

There are a lot of hides to choose from with Hancock and Moore, and I realize how frustrating it might be to only get six to nine samples sent to you. Having the whole handle and master catalog may be just the ticket to help you out with your buying decision.

Let me know if this is a good idea - or not!

Duane Collie