On The DL

Tales from the Tables of the Presidents

by Mickey Jou

Sat., April 21, 2-3 p.m., free, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St., 215-925-2800, www.libertymuseum.org

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

One man's trash is not necessarily another man's treasure — unless, of course, the trash's owner was once president of the United States.

Since the 1950s, local antiques collector Set Charles Momjian (pictured) has been hunting down presidential memorabilia by placing ads and combing tables at flea markets. Initially, he looked only for letters and documents from the White House. But because dealers often sold letters and china in the same lot, presidential dishes started piling up in the Momjian household. The eagle-eyed antiquer saw that he had "the beginning of a great collection."

Now the owner of the largest collection of presidential china outside of the White House, Momjian constantly loans his goods to museums and movies, including 1995's The American President. "I enjoy loaning things for other people to see," says Momjian. "I like other people to see [history]." The retired Ford Motors president and former U.S. representative to the United Nations has seen a bit of history himself, having been friends with the last six commanders in chief (from Carter to George W.).

Attendees at Saturday's lecture can expect plenty of dish on the presidential dishes. "When a president leaves the White House," says Momjian, "everything leaves with him, except for one thing — the china. The china gives you the taste of the family [and] the period."