Charity boxes on ebay

[bryans fan]

A somewhat optimistic price I feel? !

Buy it now: £2,100

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-A-Go ... Sws0JabQ6C

[treefrog]

A common trait for us where people google something they have and find a single ludicrous result from an auction in the distant past and feel their item is worth that or more, even though it is missing its most important parts.....

Even if you took a zero off it would be way too much money....

I often buy collectables outside the slotty market and research values, e.g. two weeks ago I bought a large vase which I found had sold in 5 auctions from £200 to £400, except for one in the states where one sold for $2500???? I bought mine for £80, but would be happy to sell for £200 as I am realistic.

[pennymachines]

A similar machine like this, but complete, was sold at auction in United States for $2500 excluding auction fees, that means $3000+. This was 2 years ago.

Whereas... this one, lotted together with another charity box (see below), sold for £120 the pair at W&H Peacock auctions on the 6th.

The same vendor has put the other one up for a much more reasonable £1750! If he gets anything out of this it should be a prize for the most ambitious markup!

The previous sale refered to is presumably this one: $2,440 at Morphys January 30, 2016, for the example below:

[bryans fan]

I didn't mention the other listing for fear of being branded uncharitable!
The machine I posted is rare because it's missing the pointer figure, the glass dome and it doesn't work.

[pennymachines]

At £120 the pair he should be able to make something on them, even taking into account buyer's premium and costs of collection, readvertising and inland shipping (which he includes).

To sell for anything like he's asking, I suspect he'd have to go the extra mile - i.e. source new glass dome, remake (er... fake) the tin lithograph figure, clean up and get it working, then ship it to Morphy's next slot machine auction (with glass intact).

Additional to the aforementioned, a search of the Arena brings up the following complete examples:

Christies, 19/01/06, Lot 115, Estimate £200 - £300, Hammer: £450

Cheffins, 20/04/16, Lot 345, Estimate £40 - £80, Hammer: £200

Criterion, 23/05/16, Lot 229, Estimate £400 - £600, Hammer: N/S

Ivoire Chartres, 04/12/16, Lot 151, Estimate: €600 - €800, Hammer: N/S

[pennymachines]

These boxes specify, "Pennies Only". Why deter higher value donations? I guess a sixpence wouldn't have the weight to spin the pointer.