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Welcome to Auction Talk Radio
Auction Talk Radio is intended to be America's first radio show dedicated to auctions, collectibles and eBay. If you are an eBay enthusiast, a garage sale junkie, an antique lover, or just simply want to know what your old stuff is worth, you won't want to miss this show. We were recently guests on KNX Radio here in L.A. and may soon hit the airwaves where you live. Welcome to our website!
Sales at second-hand shops in Britain have been hit "sharply hard" as the credit crunch has families choosing to make money out of their worn clothes and toys rather than donate them, according to a report in the Telegraph.
ATR has heard this same story form shops here in the U.S., as what used to be the fodder for charitable giving has become the kind of extra cash families need in the tough economic climate.
Citing figures from the long-running Ethical Consumerism Report, the Telegraph reports that charity shop giving fell by 18% in 2007 from 224 million pounds ($345 million) to 184 million pounds ($283 million), "and turnover is now nearly a third down over the last two years.'
"The eBay factor is really coming into play. Dropping off your stuff at a charity shop used to be the most efficient way of recycling, but now you can do it just as easily on eBay," said Barry Clavin of the Co-Operative Bank that published the findings.
The green aspect to this should not be overlooked. The report finds that most consumers are spending just as much money on "ethical" or "green" goods and services, "with Fairtrade food, energy-efficient boilers, and ethical investments all doing well."
The Co-op figures come on the same day that data from Hitwise, which monitors internet traffic, shows that U.K. searches for second hand goods have increased by 22 % between September 2007 and 2008.
Charity shops now face severe competition from the Internet, not only from eBay but also from websites such as freecyle.org, which allows people with local areas to swap goods, by passing them on to others.
The Association of Charity Shops dismissed the findings, insisting that sales and profits at charity shops were holding up very well.
Lekha Klouda, the Association's director, said: "The current economic situation is definitely a worry, with fewer people on the high street, but donations to shops have done well over the last year."
Italian truffle flies to auction with its own chef!
ROME (Reuters) - Defying the economic downturn, an Italian white truffle weighing just over one kg (2.2 lb) sold at an international auction Saturday for $200,000.
The prized tuber went for the second year running to Hong Kong-born casino mogul Stanley Ho after an auction held simultaneously in Rome, London, Abu Dhabi and Macau, auction organizers said.
Last December, Ho bought a 1.5-kg specimen - one of the biggest truffles unearthed in half a century - for a record $330,000.
The 1.08-kg truffle - the biggest found in Italy this year - was flown first class to Macau, with an Italian chef accompanying it, for Saturday's auction after it was picked on November 21 in the central Molise region.
Truffles can vary considerably in size and are prized in Italian cooking for their flavor and aroma.
Output of white truffles -- which are not cultivated and only grow naturally in forests -- has fallen in Italy over the past few years, largely because climate change has brought a damaging mix of drought and torrential rains.
Scarce supply has pushed prices for normal-sized truffles above 4,000 euros ($5,176) for one kg and Italian restaurants have kept purchases to a minimum, although demand from foreign restaurants has remained stable, truffle associations say.
A 1911 British payroll document that is believed by some to have inspired the Beatles hit "Eleanor Rigby," sold for $177,000 at auction on Thursday. The document, obscure until recently, features the name "E. Rigby," a scullery maid who had signed the item, essentially a time sheet, to receive her wages.
As we reported earlier in the week, the director of the company auctioning the document believes the woman who signed the payroll sheet is the same Eleanor Rigby buried in 1939 in a Liverpool graveyard next to the church where Paul McCartney met the young John Lennon.
Annie Mawson, the woman who sold the document, is the founder of Sunbeams Music Trust, a charity that provides music for therapeutic purposes. She told Reuters that the document was sent to her by Paul McCartney in 1990 in response to a request for money for the trust. The name Eleanor Rigby was also discovered on a grave at St. Peter's Church in Woolton, Liverpool, near McCartney's birthplace.
(Photo: Annie Mawson, founder and chief executive of Sunbeams Music Trust charity, poses with a page from a 1911 Corporation of Liverpool accounts book with an entry for E. Rigby, which just netted big money at auction. AP Photo/Sang Tan)
Apple's i Phone and Nintendo's Wii among the most sought-after items
From Reuters: Online sales jumped on Black Friday as consumers searched for electronics such as the Wii video game console and Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, according to eBay Inc and Amazon.com Inc.
Amazon.com and eBay had both forecast a weaker holiday this year as consumers cut back on discretionary purchases. But U.S. shoppers are scouring the Internet and stores for the best prices this season as they grapple with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
PayPal saw almost 34% more transactions this Black Friday than a year earlier, eBay said today. The eBay unit's sales rose 26% yesterday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday that traditionally kicks off the U.S. holiday shopping season. PayPal said its sales numbers reflected 12% of all U.S. e-commerce.
Black Friday is best known as the day consumers crowd shopping malls, while greater online traffic is expected three days later on "Cyber Monday," when consumers use faster Internet connections at the office to make purchases.
Overall Web sales during the U.S. holiday season are expected to be flat at about $29 billion this year, according to tracking firm comScore.
Amazon.com said Apple Inc's iPod touch was the top-selling electronics item on Friday morning, followed by a Canon Inc PowerShot camera. Wii Fit and the Wii console were the top-selling items in the video game category, while the LeapFrog Tag Reading System was the best-selling toy.
The most searched-for product on eBay was Nintendo's Wii console and 3,171 of them were sold on the site.
On Shopping.com, another site owned by eBay, the most popular searches were Nintendo Wii Fit and Nintendo Wii. Other electronics were also popular, with a GPS navigation system selling every nine minutes on the site and an MP3 player selling every 11 minutes, eBay said.
Laid-off exec. to sell door that saved dogs from shelter
You might remember this story from a few years ago. Roger Bowmen of Beaumont, CA was all set to put his two unruly dogs, Hercules (a pure-bred black Labrador retriever) and Max (a lab-shepherd mix), into a shelter when he noticed what appeared to him to be an image of the face of Jesus on their doggie door. Taking it as a sign, he spared the dogs and turned to a pet training service to get the pair to behave. If you missed it, you can get some original video here.
Fast forward to now:
Bowmen, 43, has just been laid off and wants to auction off the miracle door to pay his mortgage. He posted his own press release to outline the whole story.
According to Bowman, the "image is superior to most naturally-occurring Jesus likenesses, known as pareidolia, because the face is more distinct than past images such as those found on toast, tortillas and x-rays, and because of its appearance on an item of relevance to a pending decision regarding compassion for animals."
Uh, right. Anyway...
The image is formed from a combination of the manufacturer's logo, scratches, wear abrasions, and hardened dirt. The patterns that contribute to the image occur on both sides of the door. Because of the dark nature of the material, the image forms only when backlit which then allows both sides to be viewed simultaneously.
Bowman's release did not indicate when he will be auctioning the door nor what vehicle he might use. We'll try to keep you posted.
We do have to wonder about any sense of divine intervention here, however. If the Almighty did, indeed, want the image of Jesus on a doggie door, wouldn't He have put it on a door used by, say, a pair of Saint Bernards?
One of Ewan McGregor's motorcycles is being auctioned for UNICEF
Remember the scene in "Star Wars IV: A New Hope" (the first of the original three) in which Obi-Wan exhorts Luke Skywalker to sell his speeder so they can pay for the passage to Alderan? Well now, in an odd way that life is mimicking art, the actor who played Master Kenobi in the trio of "prequels" is selling one of his own speeders. And just as in the movies, it's for a good cause.
Actor Ewan McGregor has announced that he is auctioning off one of his best-loved motorbikes to raise money for needy children. According to the BBC, he "will say goodbye to the Moto Guzzi California Vintage bike to bring in funds for the charity UNICEF," for which he is an ambassador.
Bidding on eBay U.K. for the unique bike began 99 pounds this evening. At the time of this posting, the price had reached 20,000 pounds from 31 bids.
"I'm donating my Moto Guzzi California motorcycle. It was the first and original white one, the only one of its kind, and one of my favourite bikes," McGregor explains in his listing.
"I collected this bike from the Moto Guzzi factory in Italy and rode it back to London and I've loved riding it ever since.
"Whoever wins this bike will not be disappointed."
According to McGregor's listing: The Moto Guzzi California Vintage motorbike was originally designed in 1971 and has been used by police forces in several U.S. states, including the LAPD. It has an air cooled V-twin engine with a capacity of 1064cc. As comfortable as an armchair, the seat enables you to enjoy the landscape in the shelter of a large windshield. This is a true traveller's vehicle and a once in a lifetime opportunity to bid for this unique item.
Bidding for the motorbike will end on December 7th.
A few weeks ago we recorded the latest Podcast we'd hoped to present using the Garage Band suite available via Franks's Mac. This was a departure for us, since we have, in the past, recorded our 'casts using Adobe Audition in a professional studio set-up. Though we are quite happy with the general content and overall production values of our latest audio chronicle, we've had a hard time with what might be called post-production matters.
Now that three weeks have past, we are left to ponder whether we ought to post the episode or just wait a few weeks when we will again be able to record a new Podcast. We are confident that you'll find what we present entertaining enough, but it is getting to be a bit stale.
Our hope is to have this episode posted before the weekend is out, just as we also hope you'll overlook the dated nature of some of what is presented there. If the weekend expires and we've not yet posted the Podcast, we'll scrap it, chalk it all up to experience, and prepare our next episode, which we hope to have for you sometime between now and Christmas.
Online Auction Fundraiser Offers Holiday Gift Guide
cMarket, which bills itself as the leader in online auction fundraising, recently topped $50 million raised for nonprofits through over 5,000 online fundraising auctions to over 250,000 consumers. A spokesperson told AuctionBytes that the model has gotten increasingly sophisticated, bringing nonprofits, consumers and product/service marketers together in a self-propelling network. "The company and the CEO have received numerous awards and now offer a Holiday Gift Guide of thousands of items in 200 + charity auctions." Also of note, CEO Jon Carson recently blogged about the impact the economy is having on fundraising.
So what's the secret to a successful charity auction?
"A number of folks continue to post great results. We've seen a bunch of folks raising $40k, $30k, $50k," Carson notes on his blog. "The trick is to offer up a compelling merchandising mix and promote the heck out of your auction."
An 18-carat gold bookmark said to have belonged to Adolf Hitler was recovered earlier this week as part of a federal undercover operation in Washington State.
The Associated Press reported today that "Christian Popescu, a Romanian national, was arrested Tuesday outside a Starbucks in Bellevue, Wash., after trying to sell the bookmark to an undercover agent for $100,000, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court."
The bookmark was purportedly given to Hitler by Eva Braun, the longtime girlfriend who became his wife shortly before they would both perish in a suicide pact on April 30th, 1945, just days before the end of World War II in Europe.
The bookmark is engraved with a portrait of Hitler as well as an imperial eagle and a swastika, and its inscription indicates that Braun gave it to Hitler to console him after German forces surrendered at Stalingrad.
Federal prosecutors said the bookmark was among several items taken in an auction-house heist six years ago in Madrid. At the time, some antiquities experts questioned its authenticity. Just the same, notwithstanding the provenance of the item, authorities said the heist was still a crime.
"Artifacts of historical significance are not souvenirs for illegal sale to the highest bidder," Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in Seattle, said in a statement.
The operation began when ICE learned that a man was trying to sell the bookmark in the Seattle area. An informant contacted Popescu, who confirmed he had the bookmark and provided pictures. Popescu told the informant he wanted $150,000 for it.
Spanish authorities estimated the bookmark was valued at between $13,000 and $17,000, according to court documents.
"My Adolf, don't worry," reads the inscription, adding that the loss to the Soviets was "only an inconvenience that will not break your certainty of victory." It continues: "My love for you will be eternal, as our Reich will be eternal. Always yours, Eva. 3-2-43."
(Photo from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)
Qianlong period piece goes for 20-times starting price for Auktionsverk
A Chinese 18th-century vase fetched 2.15 million kronor ($269,000), more than 20 times its starting price at Stockholm's Auktionsverk, the world's oldest auction house, according to Bloomberg.
The vase, dated 1784 from the Qianlong period, sold at the Fine Arts & Antiques auction that began yesterday, Stockholms Auktionsverk said today. The vase, displaying mountains and pavilions, had a starting price of 80,000 kronor to 100,000 kronor and was picked up by a Chinese collector.
The auction house sold art and antiques for 11.1 million kronor yesterday, below the total starting price of 13 million kronor. Some 23 percent of the items failed to reach their starting prices and went unsold. The Fine Arts & Antiques auction continues through Friday.
With France providing our largest international audience, we just couldn't resists this:
A private U.S. buyer has paid $1 million (553,000 euros) for an original staircase span from the Eiffel Tower, according to Australia's ABCNews.
The 2.7 meter-high chunk is the third of its kind sold in a year and it went for 10 times its estimated price, according to Sotheby's.
The spiral section was part of the flight leading from the second to the third levels of the tower. It was scaled by Gustav Eiffel himself at the inauguration in 1889, when the elevator was not yet in service.
Some descendents of Eiffel were present at last night's auction.
"What we are selling is a symbol," said Cecile Verdier of Sotheby's Paris.
"It's more than an object. It's a piece of Paris, of the Eiffel Tower and that's the stuff of dreams."
Paper says it's time to focus on the future - PayPal
With a disaffected consumer base and a falling stock price, eBay is in the midst of some tough times. It's all still relative compared to, say, the fortunes of Chrysler, but with its share price down 65%, one newspaper is calling for the break-up of eBay.
For a piece titled "Sell It Now" in Tuesday's edition of the U.K.'s The Guardian, Tanya Cordrey opined that with the horizontal integration of disparate enterprises like Skype, Half.com and Stumbleupon, eBay has simply become too unwieldy to return real value to investors.
"Little binds these diverse business interests together. Once, eBay framed its vision in terms of communities, built on trust. But many commentators and users feel that current management do not value - or even understand - the power of online communities. They shake their head and say those days have gone," she wrote.
Cordrey suggests that the sum of all of these parts may be greater than the whole. She goes on to assert that eBay may be prime for a takeover, with any new owner likely to spin-off some of the holdings. Rather than waiting for that inevitability, she recommends that current eBay management act proactively and beat potential suitors to the punch.
"Skype, acquired in late 2005 for $2.6bn, has always felt like a distant cousin in the eBay family. Ebay negotiated down the huge earn-out due to Skype stockholders last year because of disappointing financial performance and took a $1.4bn one-time write-down around the transaction. A potential suitor - probably the most discussed - is Google, which has been moving steadily in the voice space and recently added voice and video chat to Gmail.
"The core eBay marketplace, meanwhile, appears to be focusing on a 'me too' strategy, where eBay tries to become Amazon. It is unlikely that eBay can 'out-Amazon' Amazon. If this is the right strategy, then surely the best folks to do this are the executives at Amazon.
"Without the eBay marketplace and Skype, PayPal would remain the only sizable interest. For years it has struggled to escape the shadow of eBay. Indeed, its initial fantastic growth was due to its adoption by the eBay community. But last quarter, PayPal payment volumes at just under $15bn were larger than those from eBay's marketplace for the very first time."
The goal, in her view, is "growing a world-class financial company that goes beyond online auctions..."
We won't present her entire thesis here but it is worth a read. If you are an investor, you'll want to consider what Cordrey presents. Yet those who have invested in eBay by becoming members of its original community will also find much that rings true. It seems evident that by courting Wall Street eBay has, over time (and certainly in this past year) estranged itself from Main Street and mom-and-pop consumers, especially sellers.
A Sioux Falls, SD man has been sentenced to six months home confinement for selling knock-off purses and clothing through eBay.
As reported in the Argus Leader, James VanAmpting also must pay $22,440 restitution and a $1,000 fine, records show. He will be on probation for five years.
VanAmpting pleaded guilty in August to a federal charge of trafficking in stolen goods. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol sentenced him last week.
Lambretta used in iconic '70s film goes for more than expected
The Lambretta scooter ridden by actor James "Jimmy" Cooper in the iconic 1970s rock-themed film "Quadrophenia" has sold today for the impressive sum of 36,000 pounds ($55,200) at auction, according to the BBC. The selling price had been listed at between 20,000 to 25,000 pounds.
The scooter was discovered rusting in a garden in Southsea, Portsmouth, by Paul Marsh. He realized that it was the bike from the movie because of its distinctive number plate.
"We have a few items from 'Quadrophenia' come through the auction house but a scooter is very rare, said Stephanie Connell, of Bonhams, which held the auction.
"It has been fully restored and is in great condition. We are expecting a lot of interest."
The Lambretta become an integral part of British youth culture in the 1960s as a favourite mode of transport of the fashion-conscious Modernists. With their stylish attire and spiffy scooters, the Mods were, according to the movie, locked in a kind of war with the leather-clad Rockers, for whom motorcycles were the only way to travel. The rock band The Who and its central creative force, Pete Townsend, played an integral role in "Quadrophenia," which helped launch the acting careers of a number of superstars, including Sting.
Remember Frizzies? Smith Bros. Cough Drops? Crystal Pepsi?
We saw this piece this morning on ABC's "Good Morning, America" and had to pass it along. If you're wondering about a favorite product from days gone by, it might still be available, according to this report. You'll also see how a family of store owners specializes in discontinued brands and products. If you want to hoard or buy for auction, this is worth a watch. Check it out HERE.
The Beatles are everywhere at the moment. On the same week that commemorates the 40th anniversary of the release of the Fab Four's "White" album (the fifth copy of which was a big hit at auction), a document is being readied for auction that may provide some closure to one of the longest unsolved mysteries in music.
Was there really an Eleanor Rigby?
According to the Associated Press, "that question, which has bedeviled Beatles' fans for decades, may be answered in part by a 1911 hospital payroll sheet to be auctioned in London on Thursday."
More from the AP:
The document, sent by Paul McCartney in 1990 to the director of a music charity who had asked for funding, contains the signature of a scullery maid named "E. Rigby" who worked in a Liverpool hospital.
The director of the company auctioning the document believes the woman who signed the payroll is the same Eleanor Rigby buried in 1939 in a Liverpool graveyard next to the church where McCartney met the young John Lennon.
"I've spoken to the person who lived in the house where she used to live, and they've confirmed that the signature is the same signature of the person in the graveyard," said Tom Owen of the Fame Bureau auction house, adding that the finding may contradict McCartney's longtime assertion that the song was based on a made-up character.
"It's intriguing that McCartney owned it because he says he created the song around a fictitious figure," said Owen. "And yet, how did he have this document and why did he have it? When he was asked to donate money, he sent this."
Interest is so high it's estimated the document may fetch $750,000.
McCartney has said the song was not based on a real person but concedes he may have been subconsciously influenced by seeing the tombstone. When the auction was announced earlier this month, he released a statement reiterating that the character was not real. "If someone wants to spend money buying a document to prove that a fictitious character exists, that's fine with me," McCartney said.
The payroll sheet was signed by "E. Rigby" after she collected her pay at Liverpool's City Hospital. McCartney has not revealed how he got the document, or why he sent it to the charity 18 years ago.
According to the tombstone, Eleanor Rigby was born in 1895. If she is the woman who signed the hospital payroll, she would have been about 16 at the time. She worked as a maid washing pots and pans in the hospital kitchen, the document says.
The song "Eleanor Rigby," released in 1966 as a single and on the Beatles' "Revolver" album, represented a sharp break for the band, which until then had largely relied on cheerful tunes for their international hits.
With its haunting refrain, "Ah, look at all the lonely people," it is a devastating portrayal of an isolated woman whose death draws so little notice that no one attends her funeral. There are no rock 'n' roll guitars or drums on the somber track — McCartney's lead vocal is backed by violins, violas and cellos arranged by Beatles producer George Martin.
"It's a Beatles song with no Beatles instruments," said Glenn Gass, a rock historian who teaches a course on the Beatles at Indiana University.
"It's just so bleak and so sad: she picks up the rice at someone else's wedding, the whole image of her wearing a face that she keeps in a jar by the door. There are things happening emotionally that you just can't see. It's not a pop song in any traditional sense, but it's one of their great songs."
McCartney has said he considered naming the woman in the song "Daisy Hawkins." He also mulled naming the unsympathetic priest "Father McCartney" but decided on "Father McKenzie" so his own father wouldn't be burdened.
The song has had so much impact that a statue honoring Eleanor Rigby - be she real or imagined - has been built in downtown Liverpool. Passers-by often place flowers there.
Owen said "every penny" from the auction will go to Sunbeams Music Trust, a charity that provides music instruction to people with special needs.
The charity's founder, Annie Mawson, received the document from McCartney after writing him an 11-page letter seeking help for her foundation, which uses Beatles songs, among others, to teach music to people with physical and mental disabilities. She has found, for example, that autistic children respond well to Beatles music.
"I told Paul McCartney how his music had helped so many vulnerable children," she said.
She hand-delivered the letter to McCartney's London office in 1989 and received the hospital payroll document in the mail the following year. It was in an envelope carrying the logo of McCartney's world tour, but did not contain any note.
"I think my letter moved him, so he sent me this beautiful parchment document, a ledger, from 1911, showing E. Rigby," Mawson said. "My head was whirling when I saw the significance."
Her plan is to use the proceeds from the auction to finally build a music instruction center in Cumbria, England, where the charity is based.
"This is what I dreamt about in the '90s," she said, explaining that she held the document for years as the value of Beatles memorabilia soared.
"It's taken this long to develop the charity and get a good team behind it and now we really need a proper center."
(Pictured: Annie Mawson, Founder/Chief Executive of Sunbeams Music Trust charity, poses with a page from a 1911 Corporation of Liverpool accounts book with an entry for Eleanor Rigby, a scullery maid, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008. AP Photo/Sang Tan)
Fans and collectors of autographs and signed memorabilia are invited to partake in a special offer from the AutographStore.com. The site, which specializes in authenticated celebrity-signed memorabilia and photos, has just rolled out its Weekly Specials auction, wherein all minimum bids start at $6.99. "Cost-conscious bidders and bargain hunters can find amazing deals on signed celebrity memorabilia now at AutographStore.com, including authentic TV, movie, model and musician signed collectibles," the company claims in an official release.
"We invite collectors and fans to take advantage of these great $6.99 minimum bid Weekly Special auctions," stated Matthew Raines, executive vice president of AutographStore.com. "AutographStore.com offers so many popular signed photos, albums, instruments and more, all guaranteed authentic, for every taste and every budget."
The company claims that every celebrity collectible sold on is signed in person and witnessed, hologram certified and comes with a letter of authenticity. "New items are added to the celebrity signed memorabilia auctions daily and AutographStore.com encourages bidders to check the site often for the latest hot celebrity memorabilia."
Before we go and add this company to our resource list, we'd love to get your feedback. If you have transacted any business with this company, drop us a comment and tell us about the experience.
In the past few weeks we've brought you stories of collectible and/or high-end autos making news in the auction world. The automobile segment of the omnibus collectible market has been strong in recent years and the prospects for these stylish whips when they go under the gavel are promising...or are they?
It seems the global economic downturn (okay, it's worse than that) has trickled up to the glittery world of collectible cars. The WSJ story cites the tale of a certain early-'70s Ferrari Daytona Spyder:
When one of these rare early-1970s Ferrari sports cars turns up at an auction, high-end collectors typically bid aggressively, even fiercely, to acquire it. But at a recent sale in California, one Spyder failed to fetch the minimum bid.
In recent years, the vintage car market has soared, led by the priciest European models. But now, as the economy worsens to the point where even the wealthiest collectors feel pinched, demand for million-dollar sports cars is starting to skid.
Though we'll refrain from shedding crocodile tears for the luxo-car set, it does fascinate us to see how those into collectible cars stratify the haves and the have-mores. The WSJ piece notes that cars costing up to $100,000 comprise the low-end of the spectrum. That makes sense, when one considers cars selling in the millions of dollars, but a car that costs as much as a small Midwest home hardly seems "low-end" to us, but we digress. A look at the graph we borrowed from the WSJ paints a vivid picture.
More from the WSJ:
Market watchers are bracing themselves for the next big round of high-end auto auctions in Scottsdale, Ariz., in January - long a collective barometer of the market's condition. Some fear that these auctions may disappoint, much like this month's New York contemporary-art sales by the Sotheby's and Christie's auction houses. The Sotheby's sale totaled $125 million, well below the low estimate. The Christie's sale brought in $113.6 million, or about half the low estimate. At both auctions, about a third of the lots failed to sell.
For some collectors, the downturn could be a good time to amass a long-coveted vehicle or two -- not just because prices are often lower, but because cars that weren't for sale before are suddenly available. John McCue of Half Moon Bay, Calif., bought a 1958 Mercury Park Lane last summer for $39,000. The 61-year-old retired software executive says it probably cost him about 5% less than the car's value a year earlier. But since he has pursued the car for years, he knows the former owner wouldn't have sold it then.
"There are those cars that you think will never be for sale, the ones the owners will take to their graves," he says. "Well, now a lot of those cars are changing hands."
So, some owners are being forced to sell. Other aspects of their investment portfolios have been hit hard, or they've lost a job, so "liquidating their position" the '65 Plymouth Hemi Coupe is now a must.
We don't know how many collector car buffs we have among our growing audience but we'd love to hear from you, especially if you're an owner.
Popular and Big-Ticket Items Offered Thru Dec. 8th
Every day for the next two weeks eBay will be offering a special on popular and big-ticket items for one dollar. During the promotion, which runs through Dec. 8th, eBay is offering two popular holiday gift items such as digital cameras and GPS devices, available in quantities of 50 each. The promotion also includes big-ticket items such as cars and plasma televisions for a buck.
Items will be posted on eBay at random, at undisclosed times during the day, and will remain available until they sell out. The items will be available with free shipping.
"eBay has redefined value for the holidays," Stephanie Tilenius, general manager of eBay North America, told the site.
Among the items that will be offered are a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Coupe, Kawasaki Jet Ski, Panasonic 1080p 65" plasma TV, 2.25 carat Asscher cut diamond engagement ring, Green Life Electric Scooter, and (our favorite) a previously owned Supoman intelligent robot automatic lawn mower.
Shoppers will also find other deals online, many with free shipping. Millions of coupons are being distributed to those with a "My eBay" account, according to ABC15.com.
A numbered copy of The Beatles self-titled (so-called "White") album has sold for 24,550 euros (31,365 dollars), on eBay, according to French news service AFP. An unknown seller out of Linz, Austria sold the album. It is numbered 0000005.
The originals 1-4 were given to the individual Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - when the album was released. Each of the bandmates signed the album (pictured) that sold at auction.
It is known that this particular album was in a private stash held by John Lennon and it is known that John gave it to a friend who was visiting his house. The friend was a musician, but he remains unnamed.
The sale marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the album. It came out on November 22, 1968. The album will change owners on Sunday.
SIDEBAR: We got a kick out of some of the reportage of this story. The web site Moldova.org reported that this exceptionally rare album had sold for a mere $28. Let this be a lesson about the current age. At a time when everyone is publishing, not all self-styled journals are proof-read or fact checked very well.
Late baseball great anything but splendid under the gavel
Ted Williams, the late professional baseball hall-of-famer, came to be known early in his career as the Splendid Splinter, a moniker derived from the way his then lithe frame seemed to wrap around the bat and ball when he was hitting, which he did well and often. He would go on to become iconic not merely for his play and icey relationship with the press but also for his patriotism and heroism. The keen eye-sight which helped him hit .400 in the magical autumn of '41 would also help him as a fighter pilot in World War II and in Korea.
Some have said that John Wayne, who did not serve in either war, spent his career acting out what the Red Sox great did in real life.
With all of that mojo going for him, you'd think an auction of the late slugger's possessions would be a home run. Well, think again. It was more like a bloop single.
The Boston Herald reported today that an auction "which hawked a bizarre array of items from the slugger's former home with ex-wife Dolores Wettach Williams" may well have been a strike-out. Many of the items sold for pretty much what they might otherwise have without the Ted Williams connection.
"More than 200 antique and sports memorabilia collectors swarmed rural West Swanzey, N.H., to bid on furniture and mementos from the living estate of Wettach Williams, the baseball giant's third wife. The couple spent their brief marriage from 1967 to 1973 in Putney, Vt., while he managed the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers," reported the paper.
Perhaps what accounts for the dismal showing is the fact that most of what was on the block was not career related. A pair of African cape buffalo hoof ashtrays, souvenirs from a 1972 safari, fetched a mere $120 - which auctioneers Knotty Pine Antiques projected as their market value, according to the paper. A cape buffalo's mounted head, an item otherwise valued at $600-$800, went for $550. An equally valued sable antelope sold for $500.
"Frankly, I expected these to go for much more," Brad Seidel, a Waltham sports memorabilia dealer, told the paper as he was "hovering over the buffalo after the auction."
"You would have figured there would have been two rabid Ted Williams fans who would have bid through the roof."
One of the auctioneers, John Pappas, may have figured out why the hunting trophies didn't bring in the big bucks, however.
"We had hoped Ted's name would have brought some higher values. But a lot of these guys like to shoot and mount their own stuff."
That's something about which Williams, an avid outdoorsman, might have approved.
If you like to browse, bid and buy on eBay but hate to spell, a handful of new web sites are coming to your rescue. And they promise not only to help bad spellers find what they want but can also help anyone find a bargain by looking for a misspelled listing.
According to the Sunday New York Times, sites with names like Typo Bay and Typo Buddy "are out to help shoppers save money by searching eBay for misspelled brand names."
As the story points out, looking for bargains by hunting for brand names that have been spelled wrong is a well-known online auction strategy.
"Looking to save money on a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes this holiday season? Try searching for Manolo Blahnicks," the story urges.
We did just that and found no listings. However, when we spelled "Manolo" with three O's, we found a some swanky heels going for deep discounts.
More from The Times:
Typo Buddy started about six months ago and already has up to 80,000 visitors on a good day, said its president, Jonathan Lieberman, an Internet entrepreneur in San Diego. "I expect in this market, where people are ever more vigilant for deals, that we'll do really well this holiday season," he predicted.
Joseph Mantha, the 19-year-old co-creator of Typo Bay, which started in 2007, said October was the site's busiest month yet. (A big month for Typo Bay means about 4,000 visitors - and about $500.) He also expects traffic to grow in the weeks before the holidays.
As far as the Manolos go, the story reports on Heather Guinther, a customer service representative from Newport Beach, Calif., who recently used Typo Buddy to find an $850 pair of "Manolo Blahnick" shoes for about $350.
"I knew I could find some Manolos on there because it's not an easy name to spell," she said.
Visitors to these sites enter the correct spelling of the item they are looking for, and the sites automatically search eBay for common misspellings. eBay then pays the sites a small commission for each search that results in a sale.
For bargain hunters, such syntactic sloppiness is a boon. But it also means a lot of sellers are missing getting the best price for their items. Yet, as it turns out, some sellers make sure their listings are misspelled - all in the name of sales strategy.
"Some sellers intentionally misspell their items in order to stand out," said Jeff King, eBay's senior director of search.
(Photo: An "O" where there ought to be an "A" has these sandals headed for a deep discount.)
We'd like to invite you to look around our site a bit. After a review of our web analytics, we'd discovered that you stop by, poke around, then leave. Though we have much to do to make this site a vibrant as can be - our calling card to, we hope, radio syndication - there is much more here than you may have yet discovered.
Did you know that all of our current stories may not be displayed on the splash page at any given time? They are archived as any given month goes along. By now, some of our stories for the month of November are already archived off of the main page. Yet if you click on the link for this month on the index at the left, you'll be able to access all of the stories we've so far posted for November. Likewise, you can click on any other month from our past and access stories from the archive.
Sure, some of the news is dated, but you might find a resource, link or piece of information you otherwise missed.
Once we have Chris relocated back to the L.A. area we'll have Podcasts for you on a very regular basis. We'll also have some exciting details about our future.
Antiques, artwork, furniture and movie memorabilia from Pickfair, the mansion of silent screen legends Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, attracted furious bidding Sunday at auction in Beverly Hills.
Among the items on the block this weekend were Pickford's cigarette case and lighter, which brought over $11,000, and a pair of oil paintings by French artist Paul De Longpre, which fetched over $46,000.
Darren Julien, whose company, Julien's Auctions, organized the auction, says the sale to get the most attention was a pair of leather-bound guestbooks that feature inscriptions from Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Thomas Edison and Amelia Earhart.
A pair of stories this past week caught our eye. Each reports on one aspect of eBay's business that has seen a recent decline. Together they paint a portrait of a company in trouble.
The first story was titled "eBay Absorbs the Bidder Truth" from TheStreet.com. It details how purchase amounts are down 30% this year vs. last and are declining through the year. The report notes that customers spent "an average of $163.56 during October compared to $232.50 in January, according to the new Main Street Spending Index (MSSI) compiled by Geezeo, a personal finance Web site that helps consumers track their spending."
Though the story notes that eBay's competitors, citing Yahoo!, Amazon and Google among them, are also feeling the pain of a sagging economy, it paints a distinct difference between purchases of new goods and used items.
"But while eBay is seeing customers scale back purchases, the overall market for secondhand goods has grown as consumers tighten their belts," states the story.
That point cannot be underscored more boldly. It jibes with other recent news on the defections of individual sellers, especially those auctioning used items and collectibles, to other sites. One long-held benefit to eBay has been that is was the place bargain hunters went to save on collectibles and still-useful used items. If the market for secondhand goods is, in fact, growing, but eBay sales are off, one inference is that the bloom is off eBay's rose. Non-institutional customers are going elsewhere to transact business.
The next bit of bad eBay news came to our attention from Auction Bytes. Citing data from Nielsen Online, Ina Steiner writes that "eBay has seen a steady decline in page views throughout 2008, and in October suffered a precipitous drop of over 30% compared to the same period last year."
Steiner goes into some detail about the factors that seem to be at work here, including the fee hikes and feedback changes implemented early in the year. But we can't help notice the common figure, 30%. Both stories use the exact figure to describe the declines about which they report. Purchasing AND page views (one very important metric of web traffic) are BOTH off 30%
Earlier this week we asked if eBay's Allure had Abated with Bargain Hunters. Though we have no doubt that the San Jose-based company will weather this apparent storm, it is with much interest that we will be watching for the company's holiday sales tally and its year-end figures. Moreover we are again left to consider just who the winners are here. If customers have migrated elsewhere, who is going to emerge a stronger, better outfit for it?
We'd love to know where you are doing your buying and selling and would appreciate your thoughts on the state of eBay as reported by these stories.
We especially agree with what Conway has to say about the false assumptions often made about sellers with high feedback ratings. He points out that great customer service (getting purchased items shipped promptly; making the transaction easy, etc.) is often what goes into how buyers rate sellers:
"Many online forgers have 100% positive feedback. Why? These sellers give great customer service. They're essentially criminals selling fake items like forged autographs. However, this type of seller sends items promptly, answer questions, and refund if the buyer discovers it is not authentic. Yet, these guys know a very small fraction of buyers will ever get their autographs or art oil paintings authenticated as these forgers prey on the inexperience of their victims. These inexperienced buyers do not know what they are buying, never mind knowing where to go to have it authenticated," he writes.
We also whole-heartedly agree with Conway when it comes to the illusions cast by so-called "certificates of authenticity." You'll see many a collectible sold with a COA but what does having such a document actually mean? Conway notes that the answer may be nothing. Who and what are behind the COA - who made it and what their relationship is to the seller - means everything. ANYONE can make a COA attesting to the value of his wares but unless that certification is something from the original manufacturer or an expert third party, what's the point?
"A seller of suspicious material will issue a COA made out by him (or her). Also, does the COA provide all contact information? Again, what is behind the COA, i.e. years in business, a location or permanent web site (not the anonymous Ebay Store), is the guarantee without time limit, professional associations he/she is affiliated with?" writes Conway.
His release contains a great deal of information we'd classify as "right on." Most of it is, alas, common sense, which is the one trait we will always espouse when it comes to buying and selling on eBay or any other online auctioneer.
ClutterMe.com, a build-yourself-a-web-site web site, is now up for sale on eBay. The site is essentially Geocities 2.0 and founder Mark Molckovsky tells U.K.'s The Register that company is pulling in about $4,000 a month selling dedicated domain names to on-the-fly web designers.
ClutterMe's system and method allows html-challenged people to build web pages simply by typing letters straight into a wide open browser window. Molckovsky thinks the enterprise, which will include a provisional patent and all source codes, will sell for about $60,000 U.S. For a look a the listings, click here. Try out the system here. Hmmmm
A Romanian national, described by authorities as the leader of a major fraud scheme, was sentenced Wednesday to 27 years in federal prison, according to the Associated Press.
Adrian Florin Fechet, 39, received one of the longest sentences in memory for a white-collar offense, prosecutors said. The scheme swindled thousands of eBay customers out of an estimated $5 million. Interestingly, not taking responsibility for his part in the caper, which included identity theft, played a role in the harshness of Fechet's sentence.
More from the AP:
Prosecutors said many victims made unsuccessful bids for items on eBay and were then told in Internet messages from the "seller' that they had a second chance to buy. Such messages, however, did not come from eBay but from other members of the fraud ring based in Romania, according to evidence at trial.
Buyers eager to take advantage of their supposed second chance sent money by wire to members of the ring in the United States, who then passed much of it on to confederates in Romania. But the would-be buyers got nothing in return.
Fechet was one of 21 individuals charged in the case. Three are fugitives and all but two of the others have received sentences ranging from two to eight years.
Federal prosecutors said there were more than 2,000 victims of the scam.
Very first Ford T-Bird headed for the auction block
The lucky guys at Barrett-Jackson allows seem to have their hands involved with cars we just love. Their latest is no exception. The auctioneer announced today that the first production Ford Thunderbird will be sold during its 38th Annual Collector Car Event in January.
With a reputation among those who had the privilege to actually drive it as one of the finest U.S.-made sports cars ever produced, the '55 T-Bird is truly an American automotive icon and the one up for auction is a real head-turner. The Raven Black model that will go under the gavel sometime during the gala event Jan. 11-18 in Scottsdale, rolled off the Ford Motor Co. assembly line on Sept. 9, 1954, marking the birth of Ford's sports car program.
"We're extremely proud to offer this incredible vehicle that I've followed closely over the years," said Steve Davis, president of Barrett-Jackson, as reported in the Phoenix Business Journal today. "For Thunderbird enthusiasts and general collectors alike, this is a rare chance to own the first production Ford T-Bird - an American icon. It's been meticulously restored to original specifications and comes with plenty of documentation to tell its amazing story."
The T-Bird will be sold at no reserve - meaning no minimum bid is set - during the event that features collector cars across a range of eras, styles and models.
Held at WestWorld, the event will feature an auction to be broadcast on the Speed Channel. The week-long event will feature a gala dinner, a luxury lifestyle area with a range of collector items, apparel as well as recreational vehicles and boats.
Bargain hunters will want to put some eye time on EBid.net, which announced today that it is increasing the allotted number of listings in its popular "Happy Hour" offerings where bidding starts at $10 with no reserve.
From November 24 until December 31, Happy Hour auctions will be held daily between 6pm - 10pm EST, featuring more of the best deals prominently placed on the homepage, the company announced today.
"We are pleased to offer this promotion as we know from our ever increasing user base, closing sales and general chatter among the Internet communities, that shoppers are now looking for holiday bargains as they continue to tighten their purse strings and look for heavily discounted or second hand items," said company co-founder Mark Wilkinson in an official release.
We've not yet purchased anything from this company, though they have certainly made a creditable name for themselves. If you've done business with them and can share thoughts on the quality of your experience, please do.
It is among the last of its make and model to be offered to the U.S. market and Thursday is the day some deep-pocketed enthusiast could be driving it home. It is a McLaren SLR Roadster, one of the centerpieces of the Saks Fifth Avenue 2008 Holiday catalog and the star of its very own auction, courtesy of its manufacturer, Mercedes- Benz, and LiveAuctioneers.com.
The uber-hot whip will be offered via an exclusive online auction on November 20, 2008, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST. Interested parties are invited to place their bid at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/17643.
With special features such as carbon-fiber bodywork finished in bespoke SLR Sienna Pearl metallic paint, and a signature light brown leather interior, this is the only SLR in this combination destined for the U.S., according to ACN:
"The Mercedes McLaren SLR Roadster completes its limited production run with this unique SLR Roadster. Featuring a hand-built supercharged V-8 engine with 617 horsepower, retractable roof and top speed of 206 miles per hour, the SLR Roadster moves from 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds."
(Photo supplied to ACN by Mercedes-Benz and used here without permission. But PLEASE don't make us take it down.)
Promotion allows sellers to add extra pix for 10-cents
From now through December 18th, eBay sellers can add additional pictures to their listings for just 10-cents a piece. Declaring that the Holiday shopping season "is a great time to add additional pictures" to their listings, eBay's announcement of the promotion stated that "listings that were created prior to the promotion and are scheduled to start during the promotional period (Nov 18 - Dec 18, 2008) will also be eligible for the discounted rate. This promotion will not apply to the following types of listings: all eBay Motors listings (including Parts & Accessories, Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Power Sports, and Other Vehicles), as well as International, Live Auction, Professional Services, Real Estate and Ad Format."
Get more details here and get those shutters clicking!
With the holidays now upon us, and the world economic crisis diluting the buying power of most consumers, online auctions are being suggested in some circles as a way to get the most bang for the beleaguered buck. And when you talk about online auctions you have to talk eBay. Yet eBay's growth from folksy, egalitarian trading post to global mega-marketplace has come with a steep price, one many of its critics have carped on for years.
Gone are the days when a spirited mom-and-pop seller could stake a nice claim to the eBay buyer. Institutional sellers, big retailers and established power sellers are the bread and butter of the San Jose-based auctioneer - meaning "the little guy" is at an acute disadvantage; so much so that many of them defected to other sites back in February in response to new fees and feedback changes they claimed favored big sellers.
In an article called "eBay's Allure is Going, Going, Gone" for Smart Money, Stacy L. Bradford today notes that everyday consumer items, like DVDs, are readily available on eBay and, of course, can be supplied by wholesalers and distributors who can use volume discounting to squeeze out smaller sellers.
"But experts and veteran eBay shoppers say that when it comes to items like collectibles typically offered by smaller merchants, the deals often aren't there," Bradford writes. She points out that many buyers feel the "need to go elsewhere to find the best deals, namely other marketplace sites like eCrater, which is free, and Bonanzle which charges lower fees."
The entire piece is worth a read and your consideration, but we couldn't help noticing Bradford's mention of eCrater. In one of our podcasts this winter - right about the time of the fee and feedback changes at eBay - we strongly recommended eCrater as an alternate site for disgruntled eBayers.
If you are looking for online auction vehicles as an alternate to eBay, please click on our Resources Page for a bunch of them. And, if you know of a great site you've used - one that helped you net a few bucks as a seller or saved you a few as a buyer - pass it along to us and we'll spread the word.
Canadians who earn more than a $1,000 a month on eBay will have their data reported to the Canadian Revenue Agency, that country's equivalent of America's IRS. This comes despite eBay's strenuous objection to a recent ruling by the Federal Court of appeal, reports CBC News today.
Power sellers, as defined by this specific story, are those earning gross sales figures of more than a grand a month for three consecutive months. They will be subject to increased scrutiny by the CRA.
In 2006, Revenue Canada started looking into whether power sellers had reported all their eBay earnings on their 2004 and 2005 income taxes.
It's estimated about 32,000 Canadians make all or part of their income selling on eBay.
Meantime, the CBC story reports that many more Canadians are shopping online, with 2007 sales rising to $12.8 billion, according to Statistics Canada.
Like their Canadian counterparts, U.S. tax authorities at the state, local and federal level, are looking to close what has been called a reporting gap - the difference between what is earned via online enterprise and what is reported to tax agences. We'll keep it between us, but we've got to ask: Do you report all of your online earnings to the tax authorities that apply to you? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Anonymous buyer pays record sum for Babe's Dodger coaching uniform
Though his name is synonymous with the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth played for several other teams in his fabled baseball career, most notably the Boston Red Sox. Before his retirement the Babe coached some. And the uniform he wore while serving as first-base coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers just proved to be a smash hit at auction. One might even say it was a Ruthian home run.
An anonymous bidder paid $270,000 for the Spalding jersey and pants that were the road uniform Babe wore in 1938 for Brooklyn. The uniform was one of 900 items of sports memorabilia up for auction Saturday at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Kentucky, according to the Courier-Journal.
More from the paper:
Hunt Auctions, a Pennsylvania-based company that handled the auction, said the price paid for the famous slugger's Spalding jersey and pants was a record for a coach's uniform.
"Babe Ruth proved once again he is larger then life," said David Hunt, president of Hunt Auctions. "The prices realized today for the Ruth uniform among others are an excellent indication of the resilience of the sports memorabilia market in the face of a difficult economy."
Ruth wore the uniform during one season as a first-base coach with the Dodgers. The jersey has Ruth's name stitched inside near the manufacturer's tag and shows very little wear. A 1939 World's Fair patch also is sewn on the left sleeve.
The anonymous buyer, who bid by telephone, will pay $310,500 when auction fees are included.
Other items offered at the auction included boxing memorabilia from the likes of Rocky Graziano and Louisville's most famous son, Muhammad Ali.
In a piece that was posted online, today's edition of the Tacoma News-Tribune explains real estate foreclosure auctions and so-called "crying sales." If you're considering a move into distressed properties, this piece outlines a few rules you'll want to know so you're not the one left crying.
How much will fans "Cowboy up" for piece of NFL history?
While most fans of the Dallas Cowboys are likely focused on the return on the team's starting quarterback for tomorrow's crucial game against Washington, some devoted fans and collectors are looking less to how well Tony Romo's pinky grips the ball and more to what they can get their fingers on when memorabilia from Texas Stadium goes up for auction Monday.
According to the team's website and the Associated Press, fans will be able to log on and bid on everything from the lockers of team players and coaches, turnstiles with the Cowboys logo on them, directional signs and myriad artifacts that date back to the stadium's opening in 1971. In all, 500 lots will go under the gavel.
The Cowboys, who will move into a new stadium next year, play their last game at Texas Stadium Dec. 20th. The last date to bid on auction items is Dec. 6th.
Nous avons examine juste notre statistique pour la semaine et France a emerge comme notre #1 pays etranger. Presque 15% de nos visiteurs d'hors des Etats-Unis est venu de votre pays. Avec une traduction fournie par le freetranslation.com, nous vous remercions sincerement.
France has emerged as the #1 source of our international audience this week and we just had to say thanks!
100 "noteworthy" domain names soon to be up for grabs
One hundred Internet adresses, said to be "high-quality domains with substantial monetization potential" will go up for auction next week in Los Angeles. The URLs are being auctioned by L.A.-based Thought Convergence, according to a press release.
Among the domains that will go under the gavel are dentalpolicy.com, saws.com, businessfirms.com and broadcasting.com.au, among others.
The names will go under the gavel taking place at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Down Under, Nov. 20, 2008 at 8:30 AM AEST UTC/GMT +10 hours (Nov. 19, 2008, 2:30 PM PST). A complete list of the URLs up for grabs can be found at the DomainTools blog at blog.domaintools.com. The simultaneous in-person and online auction promotes significant movement, with up to 50% of the inventory at no or low reserve, according to the official release.
If you're looking for a spiffy name for your online auction biz, you might want to see if it's up for grabs here.
Heeding the call to take the profit motive out of the January presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, eBay today halted sales of tickets to the event on its web sites after meeting with the congressional committee responsible for doling out the passes, according to Bloomberg.
Earlier in the week, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had called for a ban on all sales of inaugural tickets (which, by tradition, are free to the public), even criminalizing their sale.
"This inauguration will be the major civic event of our time, and these tickets are supposed to be free for the people," Feinstein said in a statement on Tuesday. "Nobody should have to pay for their tickets," she said.
"We met with the committee yesterday, and decided we won't allow tickets to sell on any of our related platforms," eBay spokesperson Nichola Sharpe said in a telephone interview today. The San Jose, California-based company is the world's biggest Internet auctioneer.
What remains in front of eBay is what to do about all the tickets that have thus far sold on its site. A pair sold for $21,716 on EBay's StubHub.com, spokeswoman Vanessa Daniele told Bloomberg in an interview earlier this week.
FEEDBACK LOOP: So, what do you think? Would you pay for a pair of tickets to attend this historic inauguration? Would you scalp yours if a pair found their way into your possession? Click on the word "comments" below this story and share your thoughts, please.
When it comes to popularity, it's all about Boardwalk & Park Place. When eBay surveyed consumers earlier this Fall on their favorite holiday toys, the classic real estate board game topped the list.
A national sample of 3,272 adults 18 years of age and older ranked a great many toys in various categories, from action figures (where G.I. Joe is still "the man") and classic toys (Etch-a-Sketch rules) to video games (it is all about Nintendo's Wii) and fictional characters (Pooh Bear is king).
A quarter of all respondents claimed that Barbie is their favorite doll while the LeapFrog Tag Reading System ranked at the top of the educational toys category.
UPDATE: Since posting this story, we have become aware that film-maker Ridley Scott has just signed on to direct the movie version of Monopoly. According to the web site Killer Movies, the movie "Monopoly" is being made by Universal Pictures, which has a first-look deal with game-maker Hasbro to make movies based on its line of toys. The site claims "Ouija" is already in production and Battleship is next.
ATR hears that the plot to "Monopoly" revolves around citizens lending the big bank roughly $700 million, which goes into the community chest, so the banks have enough cash on hand to float real estate loans, so.....(sigh)
Perhaps, if this is board game-to-big screen collaboration works out, they can flip it around and turn some of Scott's films into games. Imagine the "Gladiator" game? How about the "American Gangster" game?
We are getting back in the swing of things, though we still don't have anywhere near the amount of content we hope to present to you, nor is what we have as comprehensive as we'd like. This will change as we move forward yet again.
Using a different studio set-up than we'd had in the past we just recorded a new podcast that we hope to have mixed down and posted by the end of the week. In the meantime, why not check out our Resources Page? It is chock full of links to sites dealing with everything from drop-off stores to antiques, appraisers, price guides and more. Also, if you know of a great site, resource or link, let us know about it.
Bottle found behind trap-door may have been stashed away during U.S. Prohibition Era
A bottle of whiskey that was found hidden behind a trap-door sold for a hefty sum at auction today, according to the BBC. The bottle was for a brand called Viking Scotch Whisky (as the word is spelled across the pond) that was distilled by the Glencamden Company. It was discovered behind a trap-door inside a home in Washington State in the 1950s and is believed to have been stashed there in the 1920s during America's Prohibition Era, when the sale of alcohol was banned throughout the country.
An anonymous buyer paid 3,240 pounds (approx. $6,475 U.S.) for the bottle, which the U.K.'s The Courier reports to be single malt from the turn of the last century. The seller found it over 50 years ago while renovating a home. Since being discovered, the bottle was stored in Sweden where the seller now resides.
More from The Courier:
Whisky consultant for Bonhams auction house Martin Green described the bottle of Old Pot Still Scotch Viking (Glencadam) as "one of the rarest early 20th century malt whiskies to appear at auction in recent years."
He said, "It's an amazing story.
"While it is impossible to establish how it got to the United States, it may have been an export brand at that time.
"It's a very desirable product and one that any whisky producer would be glad to own…It is possible the bottle is the only one of its kind in existence."
The condition of the labelling is very good considering its age and the whisky level was on the shoulder which means a little evaporation had taken place, quite common for bottles with a driven cork and of that age.
The new owner is highly unlikely to want to drink the contents.
The Glencadam Distillery is near Brechin, Angus in Scotland.
Radios, helmets and night-vision googles sold at auction
A veteran of the United States Navy has been indicted on charges that she stole military hardware and sold it on eBay. According to Wednesday's The Virginian-Pilot in Hampton Roads, Virginia, a federal magistrate issued an arrest warrant for Jessica N. Jacob of Norfolk after a U.S. District Court grand jury indicted her Friday on one count of theft of government property and 11 counts of wire fraud.
Jacob, 33, was in the Navy from 2002 through 2006. The indictment alleges that in 2006, while working at the Norfolk Naval Station, she stole night-vision goggles, radios, aviation helmets and other items and sold them on eBay. To prospective buyers, Jacob claimed to have procured the items at surplus auctions.
The newspaper story says that Jacob is accused of obtaining more than $1600 from her part in selling these items, many of which went for deep discounts:
The story reports that the indictment claims that two survival radios that typically sell for $500 on government surplus Web sites were sold for $346 and $341 on eBay. Night-vision goggles that typically sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars new were sold on eBay for $14. And aviation helmets were sold for $222 and $237, flashlights for $119 and a package of survival gear for $71.
This is the second time this year that ATR has had to report the sale of pilfered and, sometimes, sensitive military items on eBay. Back in April we reported on the sale of military materiel, including fighter jet parts, that was eventually uncovered by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
What saddens us most is to have to report this just a day after America saluted its veterans.
County to gavel over 400 trains and tracks sets from estates
Model train buffs will likely be heading south this weekend in hopes of grabbing the next great addition to their collections when they attend an auction being held by the county of San Diego.
On Saturday, the county's Public Administrator/Public Guradian will auction over 400 trains and track sets that ended up in probate. According to the North County Times online, the stash of trains was compiled "from people who die in the area each year without a will or an heir to manage their estate."
The auction is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Saturda, at the county's Operations Annex, 5201 Ruffin Road, Kearny Mesa, just north of San Diego. If you are among our Southern California readership and plan to attend, drop us word on what you found there.
Dianne Feinstein Asks eBay, Craigslist Not to Facilitate Scalping
Just a week after he was elected president, America's president-elect is a popular fellow in the auction culture. All things Barack Obama are finding their way to eBay and other sites as collectors are looking to cash-in on Obama Mania. Amidst the global economic downturn, it ought to be encouraging for world leaders to see consumers willing to engage in free market economic activity. Yet a California lawmaker is seeking to put a halt to some of it.
U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein is crafting legislation that would ban the sale of tickets to Mr. Obama's inauguration in January and is said to be asking eBay and Craigslist for help after seeing bidders offering thousands of dollars for them on the 'net, according to Bloomberg.
Feinstein told Bloomberg that her office had heard reports that tickets were going for more than $40,000 each.
"This is unconscionable and must not be allowed," she said in a statement e-mailed to Bloomberg News.
What so upsets Feinstein is that tickets for the inauguration are free and usually distributed to congressional offices for distribution on a first-come, first-served basis. Her bill would charge those caught selling the tickets with a misdemeanor and a fine. The Senate meets next week for a lame-duck session where the bill could be introduced.
The Bloomberg story reports that someone paid $21,716 for a pair on eBay-owned StubHub.com, although the average price was $1,419. Four tickets are being offered today on the site for $5,350 each.
"This inauguration will be the major civic event of our time, and these tickets are supposed to be free for the people," Feinstein said in a statement. "Nobody should have to pay for their tickets."
She proposes that those given tickets be made to show a photo i.d. when they pick them up so illegal sales could be tracked.
CAVEAT EMPTOR
For now, be wary of anyone claiming to have tickets to the January 20th inauguration. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies issued a statement urging skepticism on the part of those seeking tickets to the event.
"Any Web site or ticket broker claiming that they have inaugural tickets is simply not telling the truth," Howard Gantman, the committee's staff director, said in a statement. "We urge the public to view any offers of tickets for sale with great skepticism."
ATR would like to offer the following advise to anyone looking to profit from the sale of these historic presidential momentos: If you actually do come into possession of some, keep them and DON'T GO TO THE INAUGURATION! Then wait about 25 years. Can you imagine what a serious collector will be willing to pay for, say, a pair of unused, unredeemed, mint condition tickets to the historic inauguration of America's first black president on the silver anniversary of the occasion? Let's just say that it could re-define the notion of economic stimulus.
Auctioneer Closes Deal for Online Payment Processor
The deal is done. On Friday, eBay announced that it had closed its $945 million deal to purchase Bill Me Later, the online payment processor used by many retailers. Ironically, eBay mostly has to pay now for Bill Me Later, coughing up $820 million in cash with the remaining $125 million coming from outstanding options.
The consummation of the deal, which was first announced October 6th, comes just a day after the Federal Trade Commission gave its approval.
The company's service allows online shoppers to make purchases without entering a credit card number. Bill Me Later's technology does an instantaneous credit check to approve or deny a sale, and, if the transaction is OK'd, the company issues the consumer a loan and is paid back with interest, according to BizJournals.com.
A high school senior in Arlington, Washington, hoped to raise funds to build a fresh water well for the inhabitants of a thristy African village and she held and auction yesterday to do it.
According to a story posted yesterday on HeraldNet, an online news source for the state's Snohomish County, Megan Edwards teamed up with Seattle-based World Concern in her effort to fund the digging of a well and its construction as well as the education of the people in the community recieving the well in how to use and maintain it. And she got her community behind her. The story reported that a total of 20 items were donated for the auction, including a patio heater, a massage and a hand-made quilt.
Megan decided to take on the problem of clean water about two years ago, after participating in a movement called "30-hour Famine," reported the site:
"Together with other young people at her church, Megan gave up food for 30 hours. The '30-hour Famine' is a global youth movement where people fast to raise money for fighting hunger worldwide."
"We are incredibly proud and amazed at our daughter," said Derey Edmonds, Megan's mom. "When she takes something on, she goes for it."
With a glass of fresh water, ATR salutes Megan and everyone who followed her lead.
Anonymous L.A.-area listing offers child for adoption
Just a day after Craigslist reached a compact with 40 state attorneys general to crack down on the use of its whitespace for the solicitation of prostitution, Auction Talk Radio has discovered a seemingly more heinous practice advertised on the site: anonymous baby adoptions.
While trolling the Los Angeles-area Craigslist, we came across a posted ad that appeared to be seeking childcare for an infant in the L.A. suburb of Glendale. Yet when the ad was opened, we were met with this terse sentence:
"I have a baby boy for adoption e-mail me if you want him."
We were stunned by the ad and called the Glendale Police Dept., which informed us that the practice of giving away children online was permissible by law. Though it was late, we then called the 24-hour telephone number to the Los Angeles County Dept. of Family Services, a representative of which told us that the agency would only investigate if they had an address. The LADFS spokeperson also confessed to being unsure if the act of giving away an infant was illegal.
Being concerned and curious, we searched the web for other instances of infants being given away via online classified. We found several recent instances involving Craigslist, including one reported by Keith Morrelli from Tampa Bay Online back in August. In this case, a woman who complained to the Florida Dept. of Children & Families was told that "a parent has the right to give their child to anyone they want."
Though we remain big fans of Craigslist, we have to ask if the redoubtable Bay Area company ought to have policies prohibiting what amounts to the anonymous trafficing of human lives on its space. Laudable as is yesterday's agreement to help states crack down on the solicitation of illicit sex, such behavior is, presumably, between consenting adults. Not so when infants are being bartered or given away. Notwithstanding the black-letter statutes (it appears not to be illegal, after all) such practice falls well outside the kinds of moral corporate stewardship we have come to expect from Craig Newmark, Jim Buckmaster & Co.
If events of the past week have reminded ATR of anything, it is that we are all citizens and our participation in our communitiues can have a powerful ameleorative impact on what ails us. It is with this in mind, and with a caring eye on the innocent, that we present this to you for your consideration.
U.K. Charity Shops Hit Hard by Credit Crunch
