AuctionTalk Radio - What's the story of your stuff?

Profiles in History Auction Finds Big Bids for Batman

Monday, March 31, 2008

Buyers took home Hollywood icons & favorite characters

A Batman costume worn by Michael Keaton sold for $103,500 during a two-day auction of movie memorabilia hosted this past weekend by Profiles in History.

In total more than $4.1 million worth of cinematic treasures were sold during the event. The top-selling item at the auction was a rare "King Kong" six-sheet movie poster, which went for $345,000, according to a wire story we found via the UPI.

A Pteranodon display with a full set of Pteranodon babies from "Jurassic Park III" sold for $97,750.

John Wayne's costume from "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" lassoed $60,000 while another bidder forked over $51,750 for Julie Andrews' signature coat from "Mary Poppins."

A companion piece to the Batman garb, which was worn in 1992's "Batman Returns," might have been the battle suit worn by Halle Berry in "X-Men," which sold for $43,125. For anyone into the whole fetishistic leather-latex look that was taken to its zenith in the "Matrix" movies, the two costumes were made for each other. As companion pieces go, however, (and in all deference to Michelle Pheiffer) the ideal match for a Batman costume (though not a part of this auction) would have to be the suit worn by Ms. Berry in "Catwoman."

Yeah, we know, the picture used for this post has nothing materially to do with the actual story. We COULD have shown Halle in her "X-Men" gear, but owing to those darned day jobs of ours, we've not posted as much the past week as we'd have liked and our hits have taken a hit. As a remedy for that, we're sure this is Puurrrfect, no?

Is Changing of the Guard eBay's "Durability Bid?"

USA Today story highlights daunting tasks
for new eBay chief

Slowing market growth, disappointed investors and disgruntled sellers are among the challenges Tom Donohoe faces today as he takes over as CEO of eBay. The company is at a "digital crossroads" declared USA Today this weekend.

"As eBay readies for the post-Meg-Whitman era, and new CEO John Donahoe takes over Monday, it faces fierce challenges in a Web 2.0 era defined by armies of agile competitors," the story declared

Prominant is the piece is the disaffection of long-time eBayers, many of whom will join in a boycott of the company that starts May 1st.

One such eBayer is Lynette Setzkorn, who told the paper she reluctantly hopes to be "eBay-free" by June:

The 50-year-old Tulsa resident sold $30,000 worth of antique furniture in January, but the latest increase was the "final straw," she says. Setzkorn is shifting sales to antiques dealer Ruby Lane and Amazon.

Donohoe discussed his plans for a growing emphasis on fixed-price listings and his vision for some sort of combined fixed-price listing and auction mechanism.

"My commitment is to build from (eBay's) strengths and make the changes necessary in this competitive environment," Donahoe, a former Bain & Co. consultant, said in a conference call in January.

The paper got the feedback of Wall Street-types and everyday eBayers, one of whom told the paper that "fees are killing me."

More USA Today:

- And Donahoe has assiduously picked the brain of customers to see what they want. Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor,a maker of automation software for eBay sellers, recounts how Donahoe sought him out at a Starbucks in Boston last year and peppered him with questions on how eBay could improve the user experience. Wingo suggested lower listing fees, better search and a crackdown on fraud. "So far, they've done a good job," he says. -

(Tom Donahoe pictured in photo by EBay via AP)

School Fundraisers Turn into Auction Obsessions

Once mundane events have become "fertile hunting ground for bargains"

New York giants tickets, David Yurman aquamarine earrings and a Weber grill are some of the treasures a pair of New Jersey sisters have scored at church, school and civic auctions in their neck of the Garden State.

They are part of a growing fraternity of the auction-addicted who view these once-obligatory fund-raisers not as a dreaded social obligation but as a fertile hunting ground for bargains, reported the New York Times yesterday.

As we have noted here in recent weeks, many schools, police departments and government agencies have found auctions (live and online) to be ideal mechanisms for liquidating unclaimed property, lost items and left-behind storage. Now the Times piece illuminates the other side of this equation: the buyers.

The story tells the tale of sisters Patti Fuhner and Robin Kirchner, who've "crisscrossed northern New Jersey patronizing auctions for schools, churches, animal shelters and civic clubs with the single-mindedness others have for golfing, bowling or shopping."

The sisters hit three or four such auctions a month in the spring, which they says is the peak season. As any good estate saler know in peak season in the spring, and have scored goodies like Giants tickets, and gift certificates for restaurants and stores, all at a small fraction of their retail cost.

"It's an addiction," Fuhner said. "It's the excitement of trying to win that prize you want." Sounds like they enjoy "shopping voctoriously."

The NYT piece discussed how such events are auctions only nominally, "operating more like glorified raffles." It also offers the insights of some who simply don't understand the allure of such sales. For anyone who's ever had to explain bargain-hunting urge, the entire piece is worth the read.

EBay Auction Benefits Journalist Frank Washington

Saturday, March 29, 2008

We heard about this from are friends at the Car Connection

Frank Washington is a journalist at The Car Connection so will understand that we were outraged when we heard that he was attacked on the streets of his hometown, Detroit, and left severely injured.

Like many journalists, Washington is a freelancer. And since he is unable to work while he recovers from his injuries — his attackers broke nearly every bone in his face, requiring extensive surgery. Spy photographer Brenda Priddy and other autojournalists have gotten together to auction some cool auto-related stuff to benefit Washingtons recovery.

The eBay auctions include items like 5 Dodge Challenger prototype pistol grip shifters; 2 original framed mid-engine Corvette sketches from the Corvette design studio, circa 1973; a rare BMW sculpture donated by spy photographer Jim Dunne; a $1200 Michelin gift certificate, and a five-hour Bob Bondurant driving class.

All proceeds from this auction will go directly to the Frank Washington Fund at Charter One Bank. Bid often at EBay Auction

Frank best wishes to you and get well soon!

Your friends at AuctionTalkRadio

Belle River, Ontario Dubbed "eBaying-est" Canadian Town

Thursday, March 27, 2008

eBay's Canadian unit ranked five thousand hot spots & top products

Canadians spent $45,000 a day on eBay buying outerwear such as coats and jackets last year. Considering that some here in the States call our neighbor "The Great White North," that little tidbit of data makes sense. But how about $28,000 on navel rings? That doesn't sound as particularly Canadian as $7 million dollars worth of NHL rookie cards, but it is yet another fascinating factoid about the buying habits of Canadians as revealed by the first-ever eBay "census" of the country.

According to a press release, the Community Counts survey by eBay Canada ranked Canadian online trading activity for an entire year. One conclusion may well be that a city's consumer "footprint" is not necessarily a function "shoe size."

"It's clear that smaller communities count big time when it comes to eBay economics," the release stated.

The "census" revealed that Belle River, Ontario, with 1,294 registered eBayers, is the "eBaying-est" community in Canada's $2 billion eBay-conomy.

Just what are the citizens of Belle River buying and selling? The top buying category for Belle River was identified as "car and truck parts," with the aforementioned NHL hockey cards named the community's top selling category.

"We typically think of big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as being the e-commerce hubs of Canada," says Andrew Sloss, country manager, eBay Canada. "In fact, small towns and communities like Belle River are doing big business on eBay, proving that you don't have to live in a major urban centre to be a significant part of Canada's e-commerce engine."

Reading the results of this survey can seem a bit deceiving. Unless read carefully, you can get your apples confused with your oranges. The winter outwear figure was last year's average daily spending nationwide on the category, while the $600,000 Canadians spent on Barbie Dolls represents a total annual sum. And the $28K on navel rings? That's an annual total for Quebec. Though some of this is stated or implied, you need to read the report and the press release with an eye on what's what. Just the same, it is an interesting glimpse into what Canadians purchase when they shop victoriously.

Pink Neon Sign of the Times: Going Out of Business, Must Sell

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Palm Desert Lodge & Motel lists iconic pink sign on eBay

As the strains of Don McClean's "American Pie" play somewhere in the distance:

The vacuum discharge tubes of a surviving example of kitchy post-War Americana will flicker with life one last time this Monday. The next day, the famous Palm Desert Lodge & Motel will pull the plug on its iconic neon sign, and itself.

To make way for a Long's drug store, the roadside inn at 74-527 Highway 111 will close forever on April 1st and consign its sign to the care of a winning eBay bidder.

Michael Noto, whose family has operated the Southern California motel since 1974, told the Desert Sun that the closing is all about modern economic realities.

"The land had become more valuable than the business," he said.

So the famous pink sign is now up on eBay, with an auction set to close the day the motel does. The starting bid is $2500 and DO NOT even THINK about inquiring about shipping!

How About a Flattened Tuba?

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Online auctions help BYU move unusual surplus

Every day it seems some new public or private entity discovers the value of online auctions as a way to liquidate surplus. In recent weeks we've brought you stories about storage facilities, police agencies and government entities using online selling to get rid of everything from abandoned personal property and art to guns and alcohol. Even academic institutions are seeing the value of online liquidation.

Brigham Young University is among the country's major colleges utilizing online auctions for surplus clearance. Though we're certain that firearms and booze are not among BYU's offerings, the university does sell industrial fryers, snowmobiles and tractors as well as more mundane items via online auctions, reported the BYU NewsNet site today.

The story "Online Auctions Becoming a County Trend, Convenience for Residents," details how BYU is among a number of entities in and around Utah County, Utah that have jumped on the online auction bandwagon.

"Items frequently listed (by BYU) for public bid online include everything from mini refrigerators and cameras to cars and pianos. However, there's always the occasional surprise, such as a flatulence machine or an Xbox," reported NewsNet.

As any seasoned eBayer knows, there's a buyer for just about anything. How about a flattened tuba?

The story reports on Eric Heaps, vice president of the local online auction service Public Surplus, who said the Alpine School District once sold a flattened tuba through the service. "And someone paid good money for it, too."

To see for yourself some of the stuff governmental and private organizations have for sale, the NewsNet story suggested visiting PublicSurplus, BYU's auctions or by searching for items listed by the BYU agent on eBay.

ATR's Got a New York State of Mind

Monday, March 24, 2008

NYC emerges as new #1 ATR town

It had to happen sooner or later. As inexorable as a Yankees October, it was just a matter of time. Whether it marks a shift in our center of gravity is yet to to be known but, in very convincing fashion, New York City emerged as the new top ATR town last week.

Maybe it was our jabs at Elliot Spitzer, or that shot of our sexy interns, but New York City was in the hizzie last week. With 16% of our total visits for the week ending Saturday (3/22), the Big Apple doubled the visits of the #2 ATR town, former topper San Francisco, which is actually in third place; S.F.'s 8.8% falls just behind the 10-spot posted by Sunnyvale.

At #4, Sunnyvale's Silicon Valley de facto sister city, Mountain View, was just behind another former ATR top town, San Diego. L.A., Kansas City and Houston were among the major metropoli showing their love to us.

One town that remains puzzling to us is Columbia, Alaska. As we note in our new podcast, this city shows up BIG in each week's analytics but we can't find it anywhere. Our hunch is that it may be one of those hubs that serves to route Internet traffic coming to North America, but that's just a guess. (Tell us more about you, Columbia.)

Once again our friends in Sweden land on top, with that country our #1 foreign visitor and its capital city, Stockholm, our top international city. Solna in Sweden, Edinborough, Scotland (see what happens when you mention Balmoral?) and Taipei, Taiwan were new additions to our top overseas cities list.

Following Sweden as biggest foreign countries visiting us are Canada, the United Kingdom, Philippines, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia.

Among a list of countries just making our radar screen is Nigeria. With the dollar in a free fall, we thought that, for a change, maybe we could ask someone over there to help us with a small loan so we can send some money to a banker friend, who will pay us back in a week when...(never mind.)

(Photo found on Flickr. The fine print on the back of this card has been updated since it was first issued in the 1960s. Today, it reads: "Please take Isiah Thomas with you when you leave. Thanks.")

Employees of Bear Stearns Cash-out on eBay

Tchotchkes from investment firm hitting auction site

As the stakes in the rescue plan for Bear Stearns were raised today, employees of the troubled bank have begun a rescue plan of their own, "liquidating their positions" in small but valuable assests: company collectibles. Staff at the now hard-up Wall Street firm have resorted to auctioning off Bear Stearns-branded memorabilia to raise funds, reported AFP on Friday.

Bear Stearns agreed to sell itself last Sunday to J.P. Morgan Chase for a mere $236 million dollars, after rival banks stopped trading with it. The deal shocked many of the wing-tipped shoe class. The takeover deal included Bear Stearns' corporate headquarters, which analysts believe is worth about $1 billion.

If the current bailout effort fails, many of the bank's 14,000 employees will lose their jobs. In a scenario remeniscent of the last days of Enron, many of those workers have put a range of mementos up for sale on eBay and other online auction and sales sites.

On Friday, a Bear Stearns' cafeteria card (pictured) was offered for sale on eBay at a mere 11 cents. Today, that auction is up to $1.25. The lucky winning bidder gets free shipping. Now THAT'S shopping victoriously!

We applaud the savvy market trend awareness of the stalwart employees at Bear Stearns. Perhaps they read our post last week detailing how many investors are turning to collectibles as an asset class. Replace some of the dolts in the corner offices with a few of these smart staffers and who knows? Maybe they'll actually produce a prospectus that reads: "Investing in a (Steiff) Bear Market."

AIDS Hospice and Treatment to Benefit from Eclectics Auction

Over 300 unique pieces of timeless art & estate antiques to be gaveled

From our Pro Bono file:

The AIDS HealthCare Foundation-Magic Johnson Clinic will be the beneficiery when Eclectics, a specialty estate art, antique and furniture retailer based in Sherman Oaks, California, hosts a series of limited auctions offering unique and one-of-a-kind items. Eclectics will donate a percentage of the auction's proceeds to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation-Magic Johnson Clinic. Celebrity auctioneer/actress, Tere Morris, will host the inaugural auction.

"The auctions will provide an unprecedented opportunity to acquire fabulous art and furniture pieces while supporting such a fantastic organization as Aids HealthCare Foundation-Magic Johnson Clinic," Melissa Taraneh, co-owner of Eclectics, said in a press release. A champagne reception will be held immediately prior to the first auction on Friday evening, March 28.

(This is the kind of event that makes us proud to be Angelinos! Now if we could just do something about the pavement on the Harbor Freeway.)

125 Get Pink Slips as eBay Restructures

Company says cuts will facilitate operational streamlining

While we were away enjoying some Easter fun, a number of stories broke in and around the auction world, none bigger than the announcement by eBay that it is cutting 125 jobs in Europe and North America. The move is part of a restructuring that will allow the auctioneer to streamline operations, according to a widely circulated story by the Associated Press.

The job cuts are needed to free up finances so the company can make a number of consumer-friendly improvements to its website, Jose Mallabo, an eBay spokesman, told the AP. Some of the employees worked for PayPal, eBay's online payment service.

"It's more of a streamlining, particularly on the customer service front," Mallabo said.

"A story about layoffs at eBay should have made clear that the company took the step as part of a reorganization, not as a cost-cutting measure." That was the kicker to a headline of the story as it was reported Friday in The Mercury News, the newspaper of record for eBay's San Jose, California hometown.

The cuts represent less than 1% of eBay's 15,000 worldwide employees. They come as John Donahoe prepares to take the helm from outgoing Chief Executive Meg Whitman, who will retire Monday.

Other eBay news:

The company announced today a new policy regarding digital downloadable wares. "All goods that can be digitally downloaded or transferred electronically must be listed using the Classified Ads format," Brian Burke, Director Global Feedback Policy, posted in the company's announcements page.

Check Out Our Egg-cellent New Podcast!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Whew...we finally have our new podcast up. Since re-launching our site last month, and owing to our ultimate goal (an on-air radio show), getting our first post-return podcast "in the can" has been a key objective. However, alligning the needed components, including studio time (being a radio pro, Chris is a stickler for the nit-picky details and production values) has been an unexpected challenge. We also made a major revision at the last minute. Though long, we think you'll enjoy this latest audio offering as the first installment in a series we'll call ATR Podcast 2-point-Oh! (Or maybe not.) Thanks!

Happy Easter

(We found this whimsical Easter image at the Dover Cards website.)

Get a Little Bit of Britney and Save the Planet

Auction of wardrobe from upcoming TV cameo to benefit environmental fund.

The Associated Press reported today that the wardrobe Britney Spears wore for her upcoming guest-starring stint on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" will be sold at an online auction to benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization.

The week-long auction begins Monday night, just after the episode featuring the pop star is set to air. Spears plays a flirty receptionist who falls for show's main character. A half-dozen Spears-worn items will be available, including a navy print Juicy Couture dress, a yellow Nannette Lepore dress and a cream Nannette Lepore cardigan with blue flower details.

CBS and 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the show, are sponsoring the auction, which is being held at the SeenOn website.

(Meanwhile, we had to add this note from the OMG! Blog on Yahoo concerning the tawdry cash machine of dirty money that is the business of reporting the foibles of Britney Spears. It seems that with the troubled pop star now getting help from those who love her, a recession of sorts has impacted the $120-million industry of covering "news" about Ms. Spears. Now that we all know how sick this young woman has been, here's hoping the once profitable tabloid coverage of her gets weaker and weaker for every day she gets "Stronger.")

$1M of Hollywoodiana Offered by Profiles in History

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

31st Hollywood memorabilia auction
set for end of month

Profiles in History, the California auction house that specializes in what it claims are "guaranteed-authentic" original historical autographs and vintage Hollywood memorabilia, is presenting its latest major sale of star stuff.

A Triceratops screen-used head from "The Lost World: Jurassic Park II"; Michael Keaton's complete "Batman" costume from "Batman Returns"; a "working" Cardassian computer from "Star Trek: TNG"; John Wayne's costume from "Fort Apache"; and Bob Keeshan jacket and pants worn as "Captain Kangaroo" are among the many items that will be on the block March 27 & 28.

For collectors looking for something a bit more transcendent, a Greta Garbo portrait by Edward Steichen from "A Woman of Affairs" is among the many rarities art and photo collectors will enjoy.

Worldwide bidding begins at 11:00am both days. Bids can be placed either in person, via mail, phone, fax or live on the Onternet via eBay Live Auctions.

(One of Hollywood's first iconic stars, Greta Garbo can be yours at last.)

Join the Conversation

Some rather heated venting has been taking place in the comments section to our story "May Day Revolt! Sellers Plan New Strike vs. eBay."

Since we ran it a week ago, pointed and emotional comments have come our way in response, which we posted. Via moderation, we disallowed a few others for language that was (how shall we say this?) salty. The din in some chat rooms and assorted forums could best be characterized as damnation of eBay. Seven days later, are cooler heads prevailing?

Adding to the talking points is the commencement of registration for eBay Live! If the boycott is still ongoing when the conference opens June 19th, do you foresee any on-site demonstrations? Will you attend? Post your thoughts there or start a new dialog here.

C'mon, share with the group.

EquipNet Rolls Our EquipNet Auctions

Live, webcast, sealed bid and eBay 'clearance channels' offered

EquipNet, Inc., which bills itself as "leading provider of proactive surplus asset management solutions" announced today the official launch of EquipNet Auctions. A multidimensional business unit within EquipNet, EquipNet Auctions offers live auctions, webcast events, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, as well as what the company says is "the leading store on eBay for surplus laboratory equipment and an ever expanding array of manufacturing assets."

In a press release, the company claims the roll out is part of its solidification of its "Cascading LiquidationTM Model for surplus laboratory, manufacturing, and IT assets."

"EquipNet Auctions is a natural expansion of our existing auction capabilities," Roger Gallo, president & CEO for EquipNet, explained. "Our clients can take advantage of our traditional Marketplacetm, but now also have rich options for more time-sensitive, quicker clearance needs."

$14m Bid Wins Wooden Buddha, Sets Record

Price sets new bar for Japanese art

A wooden Buddha sculpture set a new world auction record for Japanese art when it was sold at Christie's on Tuesday to Mitsukoshi Co. Ltd. The newly discovered wooden depicition of a Buddha, which had religious objects sealed in its torso for 800 years, sold for $14.3 million, setting a world record for any Japanese work of art, reported Reuters.

"History was made today," Katsura Yamaguchi, Christie's International Director of Japanese and Korean Art, said. "We witnessed enormous interest from clients worldwide who traveled from near and far to...participate in this landmark sale," he added.

The previous record for Asian art at auction was $12.6 million. Tuesday's price, which included Christie's commission, also established a new record for Asian art sold at auction in New York.

(AP Photo/Christie's Images Ltd. 2008)

DGSE to Launch Services to Sell Your Bling

Testing done, company plans nat'l roll out

With the markets in turmoil, investors of all stripes are turning to old stand-bys: precious metals. Gold and silver prices are soaring and many people are rummaging through drawers and safe deposit boxes, looking for vintage jewelry, diamond rings and old coins so they can cash in while the cashing's good.

Riding the wave is DGSE Companies, Inc. (AMEX:DGC), which announced today the completion of all market testing for its new AmericanGoldandSilverExchange.com, Superior Estate Buyers and Superior Precious Metals activities and that plans are in place to roll them out nationwide.

The Dallas, Texas-based company wholesales, retails and auctions fine watches, jewelry, diamonds, precious metal and rare coin products via traditional and Internet channels.

"DGSE has invested heavily in new activities in fiscal 2007 and into early 2008 and these investments are already paying dividends," company president William Oyster noted in a press release today.

"With gold now around $1000 per ounce and consumers increasingly looking for efficient ways to turn unwanted valuables into cash, demand for our services has been robust and welcomed as we enter new markets," he said.

(Unil we're able to line our pockets with a bit more gold, we'll continue our passionate tryst with free clip art.)

New Podcast Update

That new podcast is coming - we promise. We wrote it, recorded it and had the final production just about ready to go and, wham, we got hit with one of those brainstorms that feels almost like an ice cream headache - ya know, where one of your temples is ready to explode and then it subsides...until you take another bite of your triple-fudge-swirl cone. We had a little inspiration that we are sure will make our new effort - our first podcast since we re-launched this site last month - more enjoyable and informative to you. Look for it to be posted before the end of the week.

Keeping us on our toes, the ATR interns get acclimated to some of our new state-of-the-art production equipment. Now you know why we take our time getting our podcasts produced - 'cause only the best will do.

$120K is No Small Token for Tolkein 1st Edition

Bonhams gavels rare 1937 copy of "The Hobbit"
signed by the author

Calling the sum "staggering," Bonhams U.K. announced Tuesday that an extremely rare 1937 first edition of J. R. R. Tolkien's much-loved classic "The Hobbit" was sold for 60,000 pounds ($120,800) - an amount the auctioneer reported was "twice its pre-sale estimate and a new world record price at auction for an inscribed copy of the book."

The copy sold at auction was a first issue of the first edition of "The Hobbit" that was signed by Tolkein and dedicated to his close friend Elaine Griffiths. The buyer was a telephone bidder who wished to remain anonymous.

From the moment of its publication, "The Hobbit" was an instant success. Bonhams' press release noted that "the mere 1,500 copies of the first edition" sold out within a couple of months. It has since sold over 100 million copies and has been voted the most significant children's book of the century by the Library Association. There are also reports that a film of The Hobbit will be released in 2010.

Investing in a (Steiff) Bear Market

Monday, March 17, 2008

'Collectibles as an asset class are growing'

With the line graph of the global economic forecast taking on the look of Elliot Spitzer's career trajectory, some investors are turning away from the markets, looking instead to collectibles as an alternate investment opportunity. Instead of hot deals, how about Hot Wheels? Say "bye" to Bear Stearns and "hi" to Steiff Bears.

As reported in the Tuesday edition of Glasgow, Scotland's The Herald, Stanley Gibbons is realizing an increase in sales as investors look to divest and diversify.

The United Kingdom's largest collectibles retailer, Stanley Gibbon's (best known to many as "the most famous name in philately") sales rose 21% last year, to 20.2 million pounds (40,416,166 as calculated on Xrates.com)

"Collectibles as an asset class are growing, and tighter economic conditions are resulting in an increasing number of investors turning to our products as a means of protecting their wealth by diversifying their asset holdings," Gibbons chief executive Mike Hall told the paper.

Hall noted that his company's stamp and autograph indices are available on Bloomberg information terminals for institutional investors.

So, break out the Dinky Toys, the vintage Pez dispensers and pre-War Cracker Jack prizes - and bring on the bears!

(Too-cute Steiff bears pictured from the Etalents website. We got this same look from our broker when we asked him about the Dow today.)

Europe Invaded by Partworks!

"This isn't a newsstand anymore; it has become a store."

The U.S. has always seemed to have a fascination with collecting popular ephemera. Relatively young in its life in comparison to other nations, our lack of deep history - the ancient narrative currents found in countries such as Great Britain, Sweden, Italy and China - has bestowed us with a connection largely to the things created in the shallower waters of our own time. Scotland has Balmoral, America's got the Disneyland Castle.

However, anyone tempted into the belief that the accumulation of "stuff" is a peculiarly American phenomenon is wrong. eBay was founded by a Frenchman, although his formative years were spent in the States. (That both refutes our point and makes it at the same time.) A story in today's edition of the International Herald Tribune sheds light on the growing invasion of "stuff" in Europe.

"Collectibles Overtake European Newstands" reports on the transformation of kiosks from newstands into "gaudy bazaars" in places like Italy. Particularly noteworthy to Yanks might be the rise of so called "partworks."

Partworks are "serialized publications sold on a weekly or biweekly basis that hold out the promise of making a specialized collector out of anyone with enough patience to see a series through to the end," the story noted.

Now that's an American idea if we've ever heard one, except for the part about patience. Like, uh, if they'd publish a new partwork every day, we'd have our collection in no time.

SIDEBAR:

To underscore the American fascination with pop ephemera, here's word on the 17th annual Village Gate spring Toy and Collectibles Show in Rochester, New York, from today's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

Here's hoping you find a pot o' gold today - we'll be green with envy!

ValueCheck Gets 86'd by eBay

Misleading ads cost company $2.8 million in FTC fines

eBay is dropping ValueClick's Commission Junction as the manager of the affiliate programs for eBay's auctions and Half.com sites. As reported today in The Register, the announcement came as the Federal Trade Commission announced ValueClick would pay a record $2.9m to settle charges it engaged deceptive advertising and failed to secure sensitive customer data.

More from The Register:

- Starting next month, eBay will launch an in-house program dubbed the eBay Partner Network. The online auction house made no reference to the FTC action in a press release announcing the change. Instead, it said the new program would "allow eBay to more closely align the program with the needs of of its publishers and the eBay community, and will eventually engage all of eBay's assets to create one of the most robust affiliate networks in existence." -

Posted underneath this story is a report from last week titled "Skype blames eBay for killing 'our innovation buzz'" which is worth a read.

The Top ATR Places: How Swede It Is!

Country and capital are our #1 foreign visitors

We hope all will pardon the horrible pun in our headline. Our facility with the language of this beautiful land is non-existent and we didn't want to try to get too fancy with humor and (as is often the case when meaning doesn't quite translate accurately) risk offense. However, from the web site InterTran, we got this rough translation of an expression of gratitude (and, gosh, we hope that's how it reads):

Tack själv och välkomnande, Sverige.

Sweden was again our top overseas visitor last week - just edging out the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. France, the Philippines, Japan, the Netherlands and Italy were also near the top of the list of countries visiting ATR last week.

Though San Francisco just got past San Diego as the top Auction Talk Radio town (and we love having the support of both cities), our visits from New York and our town, L.A., have grown steadily in the past few weeks.

We remain intrigued by our growing audience in smaller municipalities. Tech towns love us. Besides Sunnyvale and Mountain View, Calif., our presence in Silicon Valley has grown to encompass Redwood City, the home to such technology giants as Oracle, Electronic Arts (E.A.) and the venerable Ampex. Meanwhile, Herndon, Virginia and Plano, Texas, have emerged as hot spots for ATR.

In 2006, CNN Money named Plano as one of the best places to live in the U.S. It's qualitative demographics are amazing (affluent, educated) and this suburb of Dallas is home to such companies as Perot Systems, Electronic Data Systems and UGS.

Herndon is known as the Netplex because of the presence of the headquarters of such companies as AOL, Verizon Business (formerly MCI, formerly WorldCom, originally UUNET), and Network Solutions, which began as the INTERNIC - the registry where every domain name was once administered.

With our little bit of quid for their pro quo, we hope to continue our budding relationship with each these fine cities, though we're pretty sure their respective chambers of commerce will quickly move to disavow such an endorsement from the likes of us. That kind of smart public relations management is, we have no doubt, one of the reasons these cities are so successful.

California Family has a Dyno-mite Auction Item

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Ice Age skeleton now on eBay

We've all got of a few skeletons in our closets. One California family's got one so big it's actually in their garage. And its old, too. 15-million-years-old, give or take. Now, the skeleton of an Ice Age mastodon needs to make way for the kind of thing a garage is supposed to house - a hot rod. So, the bones are now up for bidding on eBay, reported Reuters on Friday.

The minimum bid is $115,000 for the intact remains of the dinosaur Nancy Fiddler and her family found on their Sebastapol, California ranch in 1997. She told Reuters her family needs the money an online auction could bring, and her son would prefer to build hot rod cars in the space the creature now occupies.

Excavation revealed that the elephant's bones, found by a ranch hand, are a nearly complete mastodon skeleton that included everything but the tusks. Though one paleontologist expressed scepticism that the family will get anything like its asking price, it will be an interesting auction to watch. However, as of this posting we were unable to find the auction on eBay. We'll keep you posted.

Pictured: Nancy Fiddler and her dinosaur. (REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)

Gisele & Kate to Be Auctioned in the Nude

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Rare & risque art shots could fetch $4.5 mil. at Christie's sale

A planned New York City auction will feature nude photos of supermodels Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss. The prints are a part of a 135-piece collection belonging to a German collector and is expected to bring in more than $4.5 million when it is auctioned off at Christie's April 10th.

"...Gisele Bundchen's stunning naked form is one of a large collection of pricey prints up for auction at Christie's next month," wrote Eloise Parker in the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

The photo of Moss was taken back in 1996, during the period of her stormy romance with Johnny Depp.

Snapped by Irving Penn, the photographs come from the collection of Gert Elfering, who spent 20 years accumulating the rare prints by the likes of Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Diane Arbus and Man Ray.

Other photos in the lot include shots of Lauren Hutton, Brigitte Bardot, Christie Turlington, Miles Daves, The Beatles and Picasso.

The blog KlioReport opined: "The tastefully shot nudes show a young, unspoilt Kate Moss, and an Amazonian looking Gisele Bundchen..."

The collection will be on display at 20 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan from Friday, April 4th to Tuesday, April 8th, leading up to the auction.

Some gallery highlights from this auction can be found at the website for Christie's New York.

Editor's note: Given that this is the third story we've run in recent weeks involving a Victoria's Secret babe, we felt it best, in the interest of presenting balanced visual content, not to post a picture of either of the two supermodels featured in this story. Instead, we thought we'd feature a photo of a certain Tom Brady - the one guy who can, at present, confirm the authenticity of what is represented in the photo of Ms. Bundchen.

Tennessee Could Raise Million$ with Gov's Bid-for-Booze Plan

Value of confiscated liquor based on more than just the contents of bottles

Governor Phil Bredesen's proposal to allow the sale of confiscated items like booze and cars in online auctions has begun advancing in the Tennessee legislature. If passed, the measure could eventually include hundreds of bottles of Jack Daniel's whiskey seized last year in raids in Nashville and Lynchburg, the town where the whiskey is distilled, The Tennessean reported Tuesday.

As we noted last week in a short post ("Bones, Thugs & Frequencies: More Interesting Stuff"), sites like PropertyRoom.com are proving to be valuable outlets through which law enforcement agencies are liquidating unclaimed property.

So why shouldn't governments use online auctions to unload seized liquor?

Though the newspaper reported that such sales would be limited to licensed retailers in Tennessee, several online responses to the story pointed to the hypocrasy some saw in such a plan in a state with some very tight liquor-control laws.

"OK, let me get this straight - it's OK for the police to confiscate liquor (no money involved) sell it to dealers, then they can sell it to us. But I can't get a lousy bottle of wine at Kroger?" was one post on the subject.

Of interest to collectors ought to be the fact that the estimated $1-million value of the confiscated booze is based in part on the value of the antique bottles.

Though not associated with this story in any way, the Booze Belt (pictured) is among the reasons we're glad these auctions will be online ONLY.

72.22-carat Diamond Could Fetch $13mil at Sotheby's Auction

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Rare rock 'so big it could fill a tablespoon'

If diamonds are a girl's best friend than a rare gem about to hit the auction block must have a lot of gal pals.

A 72.22-carat diamond, so large it could fill a tablespoon, is expected to bring up to $13 million when Sotheby's puts it up for sale next month, Reuters reported today.

Cut from an original rough diamond, the D-color, flawless gem is prized for its pear shape and GIA-graded excellent polish and symmetry. D-color is actually colorless and considered the most highly valued.

It was previewed in Manhattan on Monday and will be offered on April 10 at Sotheby's Hong Kong galleries, which estimates its value at $10 million to $13 million. The buyer has the privilege of naming the stone.

Pictured: A Sotheby's employee holds the rare rock. (Photo by the Associate Press/Alastair Grant.)

Not to be outdone, next month we're going to sell the 1/2-carat "genuine" diamelle tennis bracelet we picked up on QVC one night. "Swanky" is a word that comes to mind.

May Day Revolt! Sellers Plan New Strike vs. eBay

Organizers gearing up for a May 1st boycott of auctioneer

It appears we have not witnessed the last proactive counter-measures against eBay from disaffected sellers. May 1st has been set as the start date of a new boycott of the online auctioneer.

"We have picked the date of May 1 [because] it gives us time to organize and spread the word, [and] it coincides with the month the new feedback changes go into effect," Mary Killion, a seller who has been organizing boycott efforts through eBay's forums, wrote in a recent post. "And personally, I always think of May as the month when things really begin to grow."

Killon's comments were featured yesterday on PCMag.com.

Announcement of the new strike came just a day after the latest boycott ended. That strike, originally slated to end Feb. 24th, was extended through this past Sunday. Changes to eBay's feedback system and new fees inspired the revolt, which eBay claims had no impact.

"EBay has been relatively nonplussed by the boycotts. Though auction statistic Web sites reported a 13 percent drop in eBay listings during the first week of the boycott, eBay brushed off those stats, and said they failed to take into account a 20-cent listings promotion that caused a spike in pre-boycott listings," reported Chloe Albanesius in her piece, "Another eBay Boycott Planned for May Day."

"I'm afraid that if they do reverse the current changes, they will just find another way to slap us in the face," said Sandra Campbell, a power seller who was with eBay since its inception, but has since defected to other online auction sites, told PCMag.

In her own post on eBay's forums, Lillian Bauer, a seller since 1998 who shut down her eBay store last week, expressed scepticism that a new revolt will make a difference.

"Do I think the situation will change? Honestly I don't, because I think the goal of eBay management this time is to fundamentally change the nature of the site, making it more a retail mall of homogeneous goods than an antique market or (heaven forbid) a flea-market," she wrote, as reported in the story.

Question: Will a new strike by sellers mean much? Will you participate? What platforms might you use to keep your business going if you do boycott eBay? Click on the comments link below and sound off.

You are bidding on: A Very BIG Telescope!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

U.K. radio astronomy telescope for sale on eBay

Budgets are tight everywhere, or maybe our priorities need recalibrating. Here in the U.S., we can't seem to outfit our kids with up-to-date text books. In Britain, they're pulling the plug on the Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The annual up-keep on the radio telescope, pegged at 2.5 million pounds (about $5 million) is simply not to be found. So, the installation has been put up for auction on eBay U.K.

Actually, the auction is really more of a benefit intended to secure sufficient funds to keep the observatory open.

We hope our friends across the Pond summon the resources to keep this great telescope (pictured here from actual eBay listing) open and operating. Just 'cause we're losing our technology edge (we STILL can't seem to figure out how to hold elections in Florida) doesn't mean they have to follow suit.

eBay Says Fighting Foreign Fraud an 'Uphill Battle'

Company decries lack of interest in cybercrime in three key countries

Citing a lack of interest in prosecuting cybercrime, criminals have "no fear of real punishment" in three key countries responsible for the majority of phishing attacks that target eBay users, Mark Lee, trust and safety chief for eBay UK, said last week. As a result, Russia, China and Romania are essentially safe havens for thieves targeting eBay users for personal and account details.

Speaking at an e-crime conference in London, Lee highlighted the particular scale of the problem in Romania.

"These attacks are definitely organized," Lee said, according to a report by Nick Heath for Silicon.com.

"There are towns in Romania where the entire focus is on sites like eBay as the main source of income," Lee said.

"As of early 2007, approximately 47 percent of all phishing attacks were being launched at either eBay or PayPal, an eBay-owned company," reports Joel Hruska on ArsTechnica today.

In his piece, "Phishing attacks, fraud continue to hound eBay," Hruska notes that eBay President/CEO Meg Whitman addressed this at the Visa Security conference last week:

"In her keynote...Whitman discussed how eBay is working with Microsoft to develop a blacklist of phishing sites. These sites will be automatically blacklisted by IE7's phishing filter, in a move the company hopes will help prevent users from stumbling into them."

You can find a wealth of information online to aid you in protecting yourself from phishing. One resource we recommend can be found on the website for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Given that the OCC charters, regulates, and supervises all U.S. national banks, we've gotta believe they know something about the issue.

In other eBay news:

Company executive Jim Ambach said eBay will send invitations to eligible PowerSellers to enroll in its new Expanded Seller Protection program. He said the launch of the new program has been delayed until mid-March. Ambach gave the news to attendees of last week's IMA conference, according to Ina Steiner at AuctionBytes today.

Also:

vzaar today announced the launch of its free video service for eBay listings in the United States. Using vzaar, eBay sellers can add video to their listings to showcase their products and gain a competitive edge. The core service is available to all users for no charge. Special features tailored to the needs of PowerSellers are available for a low monthly fee.

So, when you're not tied up with all that buying, selling, accounting, weighing, packing, shipping, moving, mailing, cleaning, feedback, paperwork and other chores...

...take a few moments and make a video! ;-)

Edsel's Ford the Star of RM Auto Auction

Car of Ford scion, whose name is linked to flop, shines at Amelia Island

A Ford Model 40 Special Speedster - custom made for Edsel Ford in 1934 - was the big attention-getter at this past weekend's 10th annual Automobiles of Amelia Island auction, presented by RM Auctions. Edsel Ford's former Ford (pictured) fetched $1.76 million, according to EdmondsInsideLine.

Alongside the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, the auction took place on March 8 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. A 1931 Duesenberg Murphy-bodied convertible was the top-priced sale, going to the high bidder at $2.64 million.

The event also featured a 1931 Bentley 8-Liter Open Tourer, one of only 10 built, which sold for $2.2 million, and a 1931 Cadillac V16 Sport Phaeton, one of only 18 in existence, which sold for $522,500.

A second former Edsel Ford car, the 1934 Brewster Town Car, sold for $198,000.

Edsel Ford's name will be forever linked to the ill-fated automobile that briefly bore his name before the company his father built ended the car's disastrous three-year run in 1960. Today, Edsels remain some of the most sought-after and prized collector cars in the world.

(Photo courtesy of RM Auctions)

48-Hours Makes San Francisco #1!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Late surge in visits makes "Frisco" last week's Top ATR town

Hold it a sec, okay? Before you take us to task for using "Frisco," consider this from The San Francisco Chronicle in 2003:

"Frisco, that once-verboten term for the city by the bay, is making a comeback among the young and hip. Herb Caen is spinning at warp speed."

It appears, however, that the venerable scribe from the City by the Bay would come to approve of the reference, saying in 1995:

"The toughest guys on the old S.F. waterfront, neither rubes nor tourists, called it Frisco, and no effete journalist would have tried to correct them."

So, now that we've got the okay from a Pulitzer Prize winner, we'll continue. Ahem...

Owing to Blogger's server meltdown this weekend, which had us otherwise occupied, we finally had a chance only last night to digest our latest analytics. It was another week of growth for us by most of the standard metrics (unique visitors, page views) and until Thursday, San Diego was in pace to emerge again as the top ATR town. However, a flurry of unique visits from the bay area Friday and Saturday crowned San Francisco as the top Auction Talk Radio town for last week.

We couldn't be happier if we were Jack and Reggie in a ragtop Caddie.

San Diego dropped to #2, just ahead of Silicon Valley villes Mountainview and Sunnyvale, with Columbia, Alaska AGAIN in our top five. The rest of the top 10 are: Plano, TX; New York City; Monterey Park, CA, which is really a 'burb to #10 L.A.

On the international front, Stockholm, Sweden was our top foreign city. And Sweden was again the #1 foreign country visiting ATR last week. We also got a lot of love from Canada, Germany (perhaps because we ran an image of Heidi Klum), Italy, France, Brazil, Turkey, Spain and Portugal. We even had a few honored guests from Japan.

We just mentioned Heidi Klum, who was part of a story we brought you last week about the charity auction involving her hit TV series "Project Runway." The day we ran that post, last Tuesday (3/4) was our most visited day since we re-launched this site a few weeks ago. We note that because another of our most-visited days was the week before that, when we posted a piece accompanied by a photo of Adriana Lima.

Were those posts that intriguing to you or, alas, is it an example of the simple truth that sex sells? Fear not; though our aim here is to be fun and informative, cheesecake is not on the menu.

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