19Oct
Auction Bay can sell your old radios, just like this Zenith Trans-Oceanic Z7000, which brought $237.93 at auction!
Auction Bay Online is where you can find all the Vintage Vacuum Tube Radio Sets you could want! Thanks to a couple consignors bringing in their collection of Radios, we’ve had the chance to test out some real classics! These radios are far older than we can remember, but our research has taught us lots about these old machines.
Whether they work or not, these old radio sets can sell! Some will sell for parts, using hard-to-find tubes in their operation. Others use wood or bakelite in their construction, which can be a real source of an item’s value! In any case, we’ve seen some impressive sales lately, and here’s one example!
This radio is from the Trans-Oceanic line by Zenith. This model R7000 was in good physical condition, and tuned in to stations, albeit with some additional noise. To a radio enthusiast, this is an easy fix, so the set brought a great sale at $237.93!
What’s even better? We’re still listing even more radios from this lot, including top-selling names like RCA, Grundig, Zenith, Motorola, Realtone, Detrola, Crosley, Truetone, Bosch, Philco, GE, Pilot, Coronado, and many more! Check out our Vintage Electronics category to see them all!
Tags: antique, Bosch, Coronado, Crosley, Detrola, GE, Grundig, Motorola, Philco, Pilot, r7000, radio, rare, RCA, Realtone, trans-oceanic, Truetone, tube, vacuum, vintage, zenith
17Sep
These Hanna-Barbera Tinykins figures sold for $179.50!
A lot has gone on at Auction Bay Online since our last post! Let’s share some success stories and get you caught up!
Here’s an auction lot which brought a pleasant surprise! Here we have a lot of TinyKins figures made by Marx Toys, each depicting a classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character! These plastic figurines range in height up to 2″ tall, and were sold as a set of 34! All your favorite characters are here, including cartoon cast members from The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Top Cat, Quick-Draw McGraw, and Huckleberry Hound!
We started this lot out at our standard start price of $24.99, and it brought 11 bids to a handsome closing price of $179.50! Pretty impressive for a bunch of tiny toys from decades past!
Tags: barbera, barney, bear, betty, boo-boo, cartoon, character, draw, figures, flinstones, flintstones, fred, hanna, hanna-barbera, hound, huckleberry, marx, mcgraw, quick, ranger, rare, rubble, tinykins, top cat, toys, wilma, yogi
13Jul
This Omnibot 2000 sold for $295.00 at Auction Bay!
Here’s another great old toy robot sold at Auction Bay! This one brought quite a bidding war!
This Omnibot 2000 was one of the best robotic toys of the 1980s, made by TOMY. Still in its original box, this piece had been well kept by our consignor for over 20 years, and just sold on eBay for an impressive $295.00!
There are many toy robots out there, and you never know which one might be a great collectible like this one. Bring yours into Auction Bay and get your free item assessment, and you might be pleasantly surprised!
Tags: 1980s, 2000, bot, omni, omnibot, rare, robot, TOMY, Toy
06Jun
This rare saxophone mouthpiece sold for over $1,300 at Auction Bay!
We have a story to share that illustrates what makes selling through Auction Bay worth your while. This particular item would have been missed, or lost in the shuffle, but for the diligence of our staff.
Our consignor brought in an old Saxophone to sell, suspecting it might be a valuable model. It was not easy to identify, as the usual identifying marks on the bell were hard to read, having been re-finished at some point in the instrument’s long lifespan. Our staff is up for a good challenge, and with some painstaking research and scrutiny, we identified the saxophone… and sure enough it was a hot model: an old CONN Tenor from 1928 . But the $710.00 sale of that old Sax isn’t the story! The mouthpiece was the real surprise.
Three mouthpieces were held in a compartment in that saxophone’s case, and our lister pursued a hunch and gave them all some research. The first two were nothing special, but the final one was positively identified as the rare Super TONE MASTER Saxophone Mouthpiece, made by Otto Link. The resource we used to identify it described this “Double-Ring” model as “The Holy Grail of large chamber mouthpieces”, and further aided in determining its approximate age range and gave Florida as its point of origin (made after the Otto Link company moved from New York). Needless to say, we separated the mouthpiece for an individual sale, gave it a full set of high-quality photographs, and then listed it and watched with baited breath. It accumulated over 80 watchers during its week run, and we were delighted to watch the bidding skyrocket, well past our expected sale price, and all the way up to $1,325.00!
Our consignor was thrilled, and thanked us for finding the hidden treasure in his item. It’s sales like this that show you the real value of an Auction Bay professional eBay listing over a private listing. We have research tools at our disposal that others don’t, and we have a dedicated and passionate staff who relish the hunt for items like this. We care about your items, and we take the extra time to make sure they sell for the highest prices the market will bear. We only make money if you make money, so we make sure each item has the chance to make your fortune. Want to know more? Stop into our store, or give us a call at (219) 926-6416, and we’ll help you sell your items on eBay’s worldwide marketplace!
Tags: 1928, brass, chamber, conn, double, double-ring, florida, large, link, master, mouthpiece, Musical Instruments, otto, otto link, rare, ring, sax, saxophone, super, tenor, tone, tone master
01Jun
This Coalby the Cat cookie jar from McCoy brought $180.00 at auction!
Art pottery can bring great sales on eBay! Collectors browse the listings for those rare pieces or odd color variations, and will bid against one another with brutal competition to complete their collections. Here we have a recent example of a good art pottery sale from Auction Bay.
Here is a vintage Cookie Jar made by McCoy. This particular design is called Coalby the Cat, and this piece was in excellent condition, for certain. Bearing an easily identifiable maker’s mark on the underside and an unmistakable design, it was a snap to get this item the attention it deserved. As a standard auction, it started with a $9.99 initial price, and was bid on 18 times for a total sale of $180.00!
The key with pottery and with most items on eBay is identifying the maker and the design of an item. Pieces with maker’s marks on their undersides, or a distinctive pattern or shape can be highly sought-after. Unmarked pieces will be lost in the thousands of eBay listings, but any piece of pottery with the name McCoy, or Hall, or Hull, or Roseville maker’s marks can be big sellers. At Auction Bay, we’ll take the time to research each item you bring in and accurately identify it, thus giving it the greatest chance to garner attention and be bid upon. When we list an item, we make sure that all the bidders can find it, and when they do, our descriptions and photos let them bid with confidence.
Tags: cat, coalby, cookie jar, hall, hull, jar, mccoy, pottery, rare, roseville, rrp, rrpco
24May
We sold this set of US Airmail Graf Zeppelin Stamps for over $1400 on eBay!
At Auction Bay, we occasionally see stamp collections come into the store, but this is the first time we have encountered some truly rare stamps. Our consignor brought in a set of the Graf Zeppelin US Air Mail stamps - some of the most famous stamps in history, worth hundreds apiece.
We took all the necessary steps to help these stamps sell for as high as the market would bear for them. Plenty of stamp collectors peruse eBay to find the pieces they want most in their collection, but when it comes to a set as popular as this one, the bidders really gather around and get competitive! 15 different bidders and dozens of watchers hounded this set of stamps, and in the last few moments of the auction, a $1,486.00 bid took it home! Our consignors said that high bid was twice the value estimated by a stamp specialist over 10 years ago, so they are quite pleased with the sale.
If you’ve got a large lot of stamps or a few valuable ones to sell, Auction Bay can take care of the task, but here are some eBay tips for those listing individual pieces at home. Make sure to use the macro setting on your camera and get up-close photographs of the front as well as the back (collectors are concerned with the condition of the glue as well as the ink). Take a moment to learn some philatelic terms, because if a stamp is Mint-Never-Hinged or MNH, you’ll want your bidders to know. Showing the stamps in comparison with a tape measure can let them judge the edges of the stamp, or you can give your own measurements from the edge of the printing to the perforations (there are grading terms for the centering of the stamp image, and they can make a big difference in your sale). Many collectors search for their stamps by the Scott’s Catalog Number, so if you can identify the stamp with that catalog and include the number in the auction title and description, that is another major key to a strong sale.
Tags: air, airmail, c13, c14, c15, graf, graf zeppelin, mail, mnh, og, philatelic, philately, post, postage, rare, scott, stamps, us, zeppelin
11May
This Fenton bowl brought $207.50 at auction!
At Auction Bay, we see Carnival Glass and antique glass items frequently. While there is no shortage of Carnival Glass on eBay, certain patterns from collectible makers like Fenton, Dugan, Fostoria, Imperial, and more can bring high sales. We always put in the effort to research glass patterns so we know (and our bidders know) what to expect.
One example is this piece: a Ruffled Bowl made in the Plaid pattern by Fenton. It was unlike any other design we’ve encountered, so we knew it would be fun to research. We discovered some information on the Plaid pattern, and also found a good history of sale for similar items. With such a hard-to-find pattern and in such great condition, this bowl had everything it needed to sell well. It brought an impressive sale at $207.50!
The key with selling glass items is to identify the maker and the pattern, so that collectors searching for those key factors can find the item. On pieces that have no maker’s mark, it can be quite difficult and time-consuming. Bring your carnival glass in to Auction Bay, and we’ll assess your items and can get them sold!
Tags: bowl, carnival, carnival glass, Dugan, fenton, Fostoria, glass, Imperial, pattern, plaid, rare
04May
This US Silver Dollar from 1872 brought $255.00 at Auction Bay!
Many of us have some old coins tucked away in a box in a drawer, waiting for the day when we’ll put in the time to research them, or take them to a professional for assessment. At Auction Bay, we can help you turn those old coins into cash, and you can rest assured they’ll sell for as much as the market will bear!
Here, for example, is a handsome coin we recently listed on eBay. This Seated Liberty Silver Dollar from 1872 was one of a lot of coins brought in by our consignor, as we frequently encounter. Our listers check each date in a coin lot in search of key dates and limited minting runs, and this one was singled out from its fellows for an individual listing. Our photos and scans are detailed and crisp, intended to show every angle and every detail, right down to the finest lines. This way, every coin collector who encounters the listing will be able to see just how good a condition your coin can boast. Our efforts give bidders the highest confidence in your item, and it works well enough that this coin sold for $255.00 on eBay (that’s almost $100 higher than it was estimated to bring)!
Whether you have silver dollars like this one or a jar full of wheat pennies, our coin enthusiasts will give your item our best. There are many numismatic collectors on eBay, and they will pay top dollar for a coin they want in their collection, so don’t hesitate to bring in those coins!
Tags: 1872, coin, dollar, liberty, numismatic, rare, seated, silver
15Jun
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
01Jun
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
Recent Comments