>>> April 25, 2002

Whose turn to deal?

The phrase “I’ll trade you three firemen for an investment broker” may become a common utterance if a Delray Beach, Florida, man sees his latest idea take off. Kingsley Barham, a former stockbroker, is banking on his line of trading cards featuring victims of the September 11 World Trade Center attacks being the next big thing. Bearing victim images and profiles, along with information on such topics as where the rubble went, the idea is hardly impressing said victims’ relatives.

Though he’s claimed eight per cent of gross revenues will go to victims’ families, the proposal he sent out to them shows some different figures—more like $1 out of every $8,640.

Admittedly in it for the money, Barham had previously marketed a series of marijuana trading cards, but after the attacks he felt sales for that series would die down because, he says, “The nation was swimming to the right real fast.” :

—Scott Saxon