• 23Jul

  Sell your Roseville Pottery at Auction Bay! McCoy and Hull and Van Briggle, too!

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  This is one of many Roseville pottery pieces sold recently at Auction Bay!

  So much has been going on at Auction Bay, we’ve hardly had time to post an update! To make up for it, how about we share a big success?

  A brand new consignor entered our store not long ago to sell a collection of Pottery. Not just any pottery, mind you… there are tons of pottery items on eBay, but this consignor’s pieces all boasted sought-after names and hard-to-find patterns, and some even had rare coloration! When it comes to pottery, we look for names like Roseville, and Hall and Hull and even McCoy. Other names like Van Briggle can bring sales, but an unmarked piece can be a very tough item to sell amidst a sea of similar pieces on eBay. Even small studio pottery pieces, which might have some local appeal, might not bring large sales on the worldwide marketplace from simple obscurity! So a sought-after name on a piece could make or break its sale. Sometimes, an Art Deco or Art Nouveau style to a piece of pottery

  We offer cheers to this consignor, not only for the high range of sale, but for the fact that she took the effort before even coming into the store to research her items, and find out their pattern names, what the markings meant, and even brought in examples of similar pieces currently on eBay for reference! This lady now knows the fun we have each day, where we get to learn about items we might never have suspected we’d know about. She took an active role in her listings, and got to enjoy watching them get bid up all the higher because of it! Cheers and congratulations… and all the best of luck on the next batch of treasures!

  

  This Roseville vase in the Wisteria pattern brought a huge sale!

  This Green Roseville Freesia Pitcher Flower Vase No. 20-10″ sold for $154.15!
  This Brown Roseville Water Lily Large Flower Vase No. 83-15 sold for $82.99!
  This Brown Roseville Pinecone Flower Vase No. 838-6 sold for $140.27!
  This Roseville WISTERIA pattern Teardrop Flower Bud Vase No. 631-6″ sold for $311.01!

  While the economy may still be getting back on its feet, there are still plenty of collectors out there, each watching for their favorite type of item to go up for auction.  It’s well worth a try to sell an item or even a whole collection, so don’t hesitate to bring your item into Auction Bay for a free consultation!

  Tags: hall, hull, mccoy, pottery, roseville, van briggle, vase

• 26Jun

  Fine Musical Instruments and Parts for your Flute, Saxophone, and more!

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  We’ve got some fantastic deals for musicians here at Auction Bay!  We’re currently listing a whole lot of exceptional parts for Flutes, Saxophones, and more!

  A few weeks ago, we sold a lot of similar items, and they did so well, the consignor decided to bring in a bunch more.  We’ve got Headjoints for Flutes, including Solid Silver and Gold-Lipped models!  We’ve got Saxophone Necks for Alto and Tenor Sax players!  We’ve got high-quality mouthpieces for saxophones, including metal ones!  We’ve even got a mute for a trumpet and a drumstick bag for all the marching band enthusiasts out there!  It’s a great bundle, and they will make some musicians very happy.

  Just check out this link to see all the fantastic instruments and components we have for sale!  It takes you straight to our Musical Instruments category!

  Tags: clarinet, flute, headjoint, instrument, music, Musical Instruments, neck, sax, saxophone

• 15Jun

  Color does matter! Bikes sell on eBay, but rare colors drive prices sky high!

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  This Schwinn Sting-Ray Bike sold for twice what we expected!

  Schwinn bikes sell really well on ebay.  Even parts to Schwinn bikes can bring in big bucks.  There are many collectors and restoration enthusiasts out there, and each are looking for that next big project or the bike they can ride to and from work, or the bike they remember from their childhood.  Certain models sell better than others, but a bike can be a real winner if it is of a rare color…

  Just check out this Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle we recently had up for auction!  It was in excellent shape, having been well-kept by the consignor, even as a child.  We researched the Sting-Ray type from similar years, and found a history of sales which gave us confidence that this bike would sell up to $600 in such great condition.  Well, we were surprised and very happy to see this bike bid up over twice that amount! It sold for $1,390.00!

  As it turns out, the frame boasted a rare original paint job.  Lime Green is a sought-after color, prompting this sale to reach far higher than we expected.  We hadn’t seen any green Sting-Ray bikes in our search, only yellow and blue and such, but in any case, the rarity of the color is what made the sale huge.  So, if your bike has a desirable name and is of a good model, its sale will be impressive.  But if it’s also got a rare coloration to the frame, or a rare accent (like a bulb housing for a light or a reflector mount), then its price may astound you!

  Tags: 1966, 66, banana, bicycle, bike, green, lime, rare, Schwinn, seat, sting-ray, stingray, vintage

• 05Jun

  Japanese Sword Books and other great references Bring Big Bucks!

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  This set of Sword Reference books sold for $650.00 on eBay!

  There are plenty of sword collectors and enthusiasts in the world, as proven by our recent sword sales!  But how do those experts find the value of an antique?  Certainly, they can tell by the mei or signature on the tang, but to confirm a sword maker’s identity, they look at books with pages upon pages of signatures.  Just like these which we just sold. 

  Nihon To Koza or Japanese Sword Lectures combines a valuable reference with the rarity of its low production from the first printing, and this set even boasted the signature of the author.  That’s three elements which are just what you want when selling a book. 

  Here’s an eBay Hint for all you home eBayers out there: 

  A rule of thumb regarding general reference books:  The key is to find books which contain what we call ‘timeless information’.  Anything with patterns or schematics which can be used to make or repair items has a good chance to sell.  Instructional books or ones which can be used to identify artworks or collectibles can sometimes sell, depending on the subject matter.  You can sell sets of encyclopedias dating to within the last 3 or 4 years, but beyond this point the material is so outdated that it loses its value as a citable reference.  A set of World Book Encyclopedias from the year 2005 can fetch $150-300 (a fraction of their original price), but a set from 2003 will only garner $70-120.  Beyond this point, it’s a crap shoot, but decades-old sets will hardly sell at all.  It’s timeless data which can bring greater values.  Informative books about collectible items or works of art like this set, wherein the information won’t change (the great swordsmiths’ names are forever). 
  Books which provide valuable information about items, especially hard-to-find ones, can reach great prices like this.

  Tags: books, japanese, katana, mei, reference, sword

• 01Jun

  A Zippo Lighter marking the Moon Landing gets an astronomical sale!

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  This Zippo marks the Moon Landing 40 years ago, and sold for $203.50!

  So everyone knows the Zippo brand lighter.  They’ve been around for decades, boasting reliability and function even in adverse environments, and they’ve got that satisfying *ca-chink* sound when you flip them open and closed!  Zippo is legendary, but the market is a glut with them!  Everyone has one, and most have extras to sell.  Still, there are a few individual pieces which can bring some BIG sales.  Here’s one…

  We recently sold this Zippo Lighter, which is a special commemorative piece.  It is emblazoned with the image of a Lunar Lander, marked with the date July 20, 1969.  This collectible lighter is like new in its original box, and brought a great sale of $203.50!

  Here’s another eBay Hint for you home ebayers: This is a great item, but its timing is even greater.  Just take a look at the date… July 1969, and it’s now June of 2009!  Very soon the 40 year anniversary of the Moon Landing will start getting attention, and so for a piece like this, it can bring in LOTS of interest.  Any time a movie comes out or an event or historical date relevant to an item occurs, it drives up the interest for items related to it.  So if you’ve got an item dating to the moon landing, then it may be time to put it up for auction!

  Tags: 1969, july 20, lander, lighter, lunar, moon landing, nasa, rare, space, zippo

• 27May

  Toys sell great on eBay, but LEGO sales can go through the roof!

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  This 20-in LEGO Man sold for $265.00 on ebay!

  Classic toys and collectible items can sell really well, but we always find great sales when it comes to LEGO.  Lego sets and collections and gigantic lots always bring good bids, but special items do very well.  Take for instance this LEGO store display we recently sold.

  This is a 20″ tall lego man.  He holds a paintbrush, fastened to his hand, and is designed to advertise LEGO toys inside a store, like a shelf display or an aisle marker.  But to a LEGO collector, he’s as good as gold!  Imagine this guy in a collection or curio cabinet… or even better – stomping through a LEGO town like a huge movie monster!  Well, it was enough of an enticing thought to bring $265.00 on eBay!

  If your collection of LEGO is gathering dust, awaiting its next building project, you might be able to bring in a good amount of money for some!

  Tags: blocks, bricks, building, display, LEGO, man, store, Toy, toys

• 19May

  Walthers, Tower 55, Athearn, and more HO Scale Trains fetch big sales!

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  This Model Locomotive by Tower55 sold for $275.70!

  At Auction Bay, one of the most common items we see brought in for consignment are model trains.  Sometimes they are classic Lionel trains, which have great chance of sale.  Other vintage brands like Marx and some of the older Walthers kits can sell well, too.   Rivarossi is another great name which can bring impressive prices.  But some of the biggest sellers are contemporary models, especially the high-quality trains made by Athearn and its competitors!

  We recently sold this model locomotive made by Tower 55, which pulled in the bids and sold for $275.70!  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to train models.  Some of the best-sellers are weathered trains, which have been customized with airbrushing and other paint methods, to look more realistic.  The only ones which don’t seem to have luck are the ones from the late 70’s and 80’s from TYCO or Mantua (which had lower production quality).  If you have some rolling stock gathering dust or some reference books on trains and railroads, or even some old toy trains in a box from years back, bring them in to Auction Bay, and we’ll help you sell them on eBay!

  Tags: athearn, car, genesis, ho, ho scale, intermountain, lionel, locomotive, marx, model train, railroad, railroading, rivarossi, scale, tower 55, train, walthers

• 13Apr

  Leinie Bar Decor sells! A Leinenkugel’s Beer Mirror Sign brings bucks!

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  After a great weekend, Auction Bay is back in action and ready to sell your stuff on eBay!  But first, we’d like to share another success story!

  

  This Leinenkugel

  We’ve had some good history with Bar Decor and Beer Advertisements.  We recently sold this Leinenkugel’s Beer Mirror Sign on eBay for $154.50!  It’s easy to see what makes this piece desirable!  The Leinenkugel name and Indian Maiden logo feature prominently, big and bold at center!  The mirror itself looks sharp enough that it could have served as a set dressing for Cheers, or any tavern setting on stage or screen!  It was also fairly clean, as opposed to some items pulled from bars, which can be coated in grime and dust.

  Small promotional items like can coolers and pins and buttons and the like don’t tend to bring much interest online (unless they are quite old or advertising a no-longer-made beer or consumable), but the bar-grade decorations, especially ones made with lights or movement… those can bring in big bucks!

  Tags: bar, Bar Decor, beer, Beer Sign, leinenkugel, leinie, mirror, sign

• 25Mar

  Goebel Figurines by Hummel sell well!

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  Figurines by Hummel / Goebel can sell well on eBay!

  At Auction Bay, we often have little decorative figurines brought in by consignors for consideration.  If those figurines are made by the Goebel company of Germany, then they almost always sell!  Goebel figurines, most commonly created by the artist M.J. Hummel, or others of that family, are collectible and fairly well sought-after.  Their collectors often buy up and swap out these figures in large numbers… but we’ve got at least one consignor selling them one by one.  For instance, check out these figures we’ve recently sold:

  Grandpa’s Boy & Grandma’s Girl Figurines – $122.50

  The Artist Figurine Hummel # 304 – 1955 – $78.05
  

  The older the Hummel figure, the better the sale!  But watch out for all the imitations out there.   

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  Here’s an eBay hint for all you home eBay enthusiasts!  When selling a Hummel figurine, make sure to get a good photo of the underside of the base of the figure, which is where you can find information about its date of manufacture or production run.  Make sure to put these numbers in the title, too!  After all, some collectors might search by the figure name, while others will be searching for its catalog number!  If you’re not sure of its name or number, having one will help you find the other.  And check out similar figures on eBay – you can accurately identify yours by another seller’s item!

  Tags: Figurines, Goebel, Hummel

• 18Mar

  A big win for an old Schwinn! Classic Bikes sell!

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  This Schwinn Fiesta bike brought $135.99 on eBay!

  Once again, an old Schwinn bicycle brings in the bucks!  This Schwinn Fiesta bike has a Blue Girl’s Frame and 26″ tires.  In great shape, it brought $135.99 on eBay.

  Our rule of thumb is that nearly anything with the Schwinn logo will sell on eBay, thanks to the numerous collectors and bike restoration enthusiasts out there.  Sometimes, a buyer simply remembers a grand old bike from their childhood and wants to ride that beauty again!  Other times, people see a great opportunity to bring a bike from disrepair into great working condition and offer it for sale again.  And even still, there are many who desire an affordable method of transportation to cope with difficult economic times, and what better way than with a great bike?  Whatever the case, these classic bicycles bring interest and a pretty high yield to an auction.

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  Here’s another eBay hint for you home eBay enthusiasts out there!  As with most things, when selling a bicycle, the more pictures, the better.  Make sure to grab photos of the gears, but also focus on any extra parts, like chain guard and pedals, and especially lamps and accessories that might be marked with the maker’s logo.  These parts may be rare and sought-after.

  Tags: bicycle, bike, Schwinn

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