CORNISH, N.H. (AP) – A Florida memorabilia trader is offering cash for just about anything that has reclusive author J.D. Salinger’s name attached to it – even his hair clippings.

“I’ll pay at least $1,000 for a J.D. Salinger autograph,” said Rick Kohl from his Gainesville, Fla., home. “Or I’ll pay $2,000 for a signed copy of The Catcher in the Rye. “And I’ll buy 100 checks signed by J.D. Salinger for $20,000.”

Kohl put the word out to folks living near Salinger last week, when he paid nearly $370 for a quarter-page ad in the Valley News trumpeting his desire for anything Salinger.

Salinger has lived in Cornish for the past 51 years.

“I called (Salinger) about four years ago,” Kohl told the Valley News. “I won’t tell you where I got the number from, but as soon as he knew what I wanted – I think I got about three words out – he hung up on me. He probably changed his phone number right after that.”

Kohl said he has a six-person staff in his Strike Zone office in Alachua, Fla., doing research on high-profile celebrities. The research leads to either direct phone numbers of the rich and famous or phone numbers of those close to them. Kohl uses the numbers to make his pitch to purchase the personal items he knows are attractive to his buyers.

“I look for the players behind the famous people,” he said. “They’re the ones who are sitting on the personal stuff I want.”

But sometimes, Kohl, 56, broadens his search.

“I do a lot of business in small towns with famous people living there,” he said. “The ads are cheap and hopefully they will flesh out somebody with a signature.

“A Salinger autograph would be worth a couple of thousand. I’ve got to believe there are people who would sell him out for that kind of money.”

His ad said he is paying top dollar for Salinger any personal items.

“Is there a barbershop in his town?” said Kohl. “Where does he get his hair cut? I’ll pay for his clippings.”

A phone call to the 85-year-old Salinger’s wife, Colleen O’Neill, for a comment on Kohl’s local advertisement and propositions was not returned.

Kohl claims to be one of the top 10 collectors in the country of high-end autographs.

He said he spends between $30,000 and $50,000 a week buying up rarities. His sales may bring in between $2 million and $3 million a year.

He said he has called the family of western legend Annie Oakley for personal items, the families of depression-era comedians Laurel and Hardy, as well as relatives of Vermont hero Ethan Allen.

“I offered Willie Mays $30,000 for one of his gold gloves recently, but he turned me down,” said Kohl.

Kohl said he started with sports memorabilia and has branched into entertainment.

Kohl’s biggest prize, however, may be the one that got away. He said he found the only known Dracula movie poster from the 1930s. He sold it for $65,000. Only later did he find out it was worth close to half a million dollars.

“I didn’t know a lot about movie posters then,” he said.

He said he’s already gotten two calls responding to his ad.

“If I get one autograph out of that town, I’ll be happy,” he said.

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Information from: Lebanon Valley News, http://www.vnews.com

AP-ES-07-11-04 1445EDT