Colchester Rotary Club hosts Saturday auction

Here's your chance to bid on Yankees tickets or a vacation in to Aruba or Acapulco!

The Rotary Club of Colchester is holding a goods and services auction Saturday evening at 8 p.m. It will be held at Saturday at St. Andrew's Church.

Preview begins at 7 p.m. and the live auction starts at 8 p.m. A silent auction will also run most of the night.

There is a $10 ticket price for admission. Appetizers will be served. Beer and wine are available for a donation.

Items to be auctioned include two tickets to a Yankees game, a page in the Norwich Bulletin, a room air conditioner and vacations to Aruba and Acapulco.

This event enables the Rotary Club to give back to the town.

For a complete list of where to purchase tickets, visit www.colchesterrotary.org.

For more information, call Fred Brown at (860) 608-6223.

More often than flea markets and pawn shops, stolen goods show up on eBay

Recently in the news, there have been a few cases where victims of theft have discovered their own missing belongings up for auction on eBay. That's a lucky find for them, because it's a lot more probable that those listings would have gone on undetected.

Criminals turn to Internet marketplaces as a venue to sell goods due to the anonymity of buyers and sellers online. Compared to a face-to-face transaction attempting to sell merchandise from the back of a truck or to a pawn shop, it's less risky for a thief to go online. Also, it's difficult to determine if items being sold online are stolen.

To counter this growing problem, there is proposed legislation in the works known as the E-fencing Enforcement Act of 2008 which would require an operator of an online marketplace (such as eBay or Amazon.com) to retain and provide, upon request, contact information for high-volume sellers and remove listings whenever it has a "good reason to believe the goods or items were unlawfully acquired". The bill defines a high-volume seller as someone who offers a single batch of merchandise worth more than $5,000, or more than $12,000 in products over a year.

EBay officials say they already have policies aimed at verifying the legitimacy and safety of items sold on the site. The company readily provides seller information to law enforcement officials when requested, making the legislation unnecessary.

Another common scheme involves "returning" stolen goods to retail stores.

As part of the scam, merchandise is shoplifted/stolen and another identical item is purchased from a retail store. They scan the receipt into a computer to print counterfeits and later return to stores for credit in the form of gift cards. Those gift cards are then sold online.

A few warning signs for stolen goods on eBay:

• Merchandise listed as NWT or "new with tags"
• Priced below wholesale
• Multiple items offered by one seller
• Goods from a company's newest product line
• Items that are not yet available in stores
• Products matching descriptions of goods recently stolen in quantity
• Sellers with zip codes in the same vicinity as recent thefts
• Gift cards -- especially in large amounts -- from various retailers
• Short auction durations
• Sellers requesting money orders for payment (soon to be dis-allowed on eBay)
  

(Note that these conditions, when seen in combination, may be reason for caution -- not necessarily so when observed as a single condition alone.)

Further reading:

Technology opens new outlet for stolen goods

Thieves turn to online auction sites to move stolen goods

Forcing eBay buyers through Paypal just might backfire

What about eBay buyers who won't use paypal?
Where will they turn?

Although it's evident we're evolving into a paperless society, eBay's announcement last week that sellers will no longer be permitted to offer payment by checks or money orders as an option on their listings still took some by surprise.

EBay sellers are reporting that up to 20% of their transactions these days are completed using these methods. This is especially true with older folks who may enjoy the convenience of online shopping but hesitate to rely on electronic payment options.

Will the paper-lovers conform or flee?

Shoppers will be left with few options but to utilize eBay-owned Paypal (in most cases) to send and receive payments online. It looks as though eBay is counting on that, as they stand to benefit from the extra income in Paypal fees.

But what if most of those who currently take the time and extra effort required to purchase a money or write out a check, find an envelope and address it, apply postage and get it out to the post office actually don't want to do things an easier way?

Assuming they'll conform is certainly a risk. I'm guessing there’s a high probability many will simply shop elsewhere. There are some people who feel uneasy about putting their credit card or bank information on the Internet. If they should decide to abandon the eBay shopping cart, who stands to benefit?

Wouldn't it make more sense to allow sellers the flexibility to accept any payment method they're willing to handle? That would give sellers a way to appeal to a wider market and retain buyers who are stuck with old habits.

• PayPal 101: How Paypal Works

Viewpoints:

• Study finds marketing influences consumer adoption of electronic banking
• Is the digital divide between young and elderly people increasing?
• Click! Online banking usage soars

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"What’s It Worth” appraisal event in Pomfret

It was just before 9:00 a.m. on a bright Saturday morning and the cars were already parked beyond the lot of the Strong Field House and all along the side of the road within the property of Pomfret School. People hauled in bags and cardboard boxes stuffed with newspaper to cushion their treasures. A few others balanced oversized picture frames holding fine art carefully wrapped in towels.

Yesterday’s event was the 2nd annual “What’s It Worth” appraisal fair where for $5 per item, people came to find out if their antique, fine art, or collectible might possibly be valuable.


Held coincidentally on the same day Hartford hosted The Antiques Road Show, Pomfret’s event allowed for walk-in traffic.

According to Louisa Jones who helped organize the event, by opening time they already had 40 people assigned numbers. At last year’s event over 300 items were appraised and it ran 2 hours past ending time. This year, to alleviate the waiting, people were allowed to register an hour prior to the actual opening and seating was provided.

With various local businesses showcasing their wares, the event also offered an opportunity to experience the products and services that make Pomfret special.

Food from the local Lions Club was sold as well.

Michael Grogran of Grogan & Company Auctioneers in Dedham, Mass., whose son is a student at Pomfret School, handled the actual appraisals. Three employees of the company lent assistance, each with a specific area of expertise.

Michael Grogan speaks with Susan Parrow of Hampton.
She received an appraisal on some silver coins. Her $1 coins were appraised at $10 each.

Eva Aubert and Dawn Abelin from Chaplin brought in a most unusual item, a Captain’s Whaling Log from New Bedford. Excited to the point of near-tears, the mother and daughter duo were given an approximate value of $5,000 for the book. They hadn’t told the appraiser that it was previously appraised at $35, 000 elsewhere. Still, they were quite excited.

Charlie and Paige Combs of Pomfret brought in a few items, including an antique chair. They were given an approximate value of $300 to $400 given that the legs had been shortened. Otherwise, it could have been much higher. Another item they had appraised was a small blue book — Hanley’s Baseball Rules from 1867.

Not being an expert in sports memorabilia, Bob Carrol of Grogan & Company wasn’t sure of an actual value. However, during the appraisal, he elaborated, saying, “If I were at a yard sale, I wouldn’t hesitate to pay $500 for it.”

The couple was given a wide rage of possible values on the book.

Carrol continued, “At a local auction, it might bring $150 and you’d be happy for that, but given the right situation, perhaps at a sports collector auction, it could realize as much as $7,500”.

The appraisal event benefits The Pomfret Proprietors Scholarship Fund.

Suzanne Ranhoff of Pomfret brought in a Russian icon for which she was given a verbal appraisal of $500.


And...

Failee Latawick and her husband, John Bergeron of East Windsor brought in a mourning portrait of John’s great-great grandmother that had been in their family for generations. Although beautiful, it was valued at just $100.

And...

Bevely Bostwick of Thompson had perhaps the most unusual item
— a crucifix in a bottle — that is approximately 110 years old and valued at $100.



See my article on this event on NorwichBulletin.com.

What's It Worth? Treasured items given their due

There is also an online photo gallery there!

PHOTO GALLERY: Pomfret Proprietor’s 2nd Annual “What’s It Worth?” appraisal event

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Tonight: Doll auction in Jewett City

If you're a doll collector with a free evening today, you're in luck!

Jason's Auction Service in Jewett City is hosting a Doll Auction tonight starting at 6:30 p.m.

What's being sold? Composition dolls, porcelain dolls, bisque dolls, doll clothes, bodies & parts, fashion dolls in cases, teddy bears, wicker baby carriage, and books on dolls. Some of these include: Effanbee, Ideal, Goebel, Arranbee, Jan Goodyear, Simon Halbig, Jean Palmer, Armand Marseille, and more.

New consignees are always welcome, for more information please call 1-860-376-3102 or 1-860-376-9808.

Terms: 10% buyer's premium. MasterCard, Visa, personal checks with proper ID and cash.

Where:
Jason's Auction Service
65 South Main Street
Jewett City, CT

Tel: 860-376-3102

Friday, Aug 22nd at 6:30 pm

http://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/466451.html

Auto auctions attract deal seekers

Want to buy a car? Don't have much cash? No problem. Grab a few hundred dollars and go to an auto auction that is open to the public.

Although based in Alabama, blogger Jody Potter of Birmingham News has posted an insightful view of a public auto auction of U.S. Marshals-seized vehicles that's typical of similar car/truck auctions I've seen locally. If you're new to events like this, it's jammed with great photos and video and may be well worth checking out if you've ever considered purchasing a vehicle this way.

To bid on these vehicles, you are asked to place a deposit of $500 to cover storage fees -- should you win the bid and be unable to pay.

Weil Wrecker auto auction 2

Auto Auction, Part 1

Auto Auction, Part 2

Listing of auto auctions open to dealers and the public. Call for details.

1. Ocean State Auto Auction
2. Danny's Auction Barn in Foster, RI every Wednesday night
   

Reader's find: Any value in a Mersman game table?

Sent to me by Lynn in Rhode Island, this table seemed well suited for her purpose. With little space available in an open corner, she was browsing around to find a small table on which to use her laptop.

She and her husband were looking in a consignment store when they spotted this table lost over in a corner with stuff piled all around and on top of it.

She says, "What caught my eye was the legs are not straight, they curl outwards. I thought the style of the legs was called "lion feet", but the person at the store referred to them as "crow feet". The feet tips are brass, and the top folds in half. The expandable top is great!"

She remembered her grandmother having one like it that was placed against a wall with a lamp set upon it. As a child, she wasn't allowed near it. Her grandmother told her it had belonged to her mother.

After clearing the stuff away from the table at the consignment store, she noticed that the draw pulled out, and the top folded out to be completely open. On the underside, there's a tag which reads, "Mersman 7380" inside a triangle. (The marking pictured to the right is not from Lynn's table, but for those interested, it offers an idea of what it looks like.)

In doing research online later, she found that the maker most likely designed it as a game table. Similar tables were used as decorative accent tables.

In reading further, she learned:

In the 1920's the company was producing an extraordinary line of dining and occasional tables. One of its strongest sellers was the "davenport" table, the company name for what is now known as a sofa table. In 1928 alone it offered 139 varieties of davenport tables ranging in price from $12.00 to $80.00, a princely sum in 1928.

Based in Celina, Ohio, The Mersman Bros. Corporation had warehouses located in major metropolitan areas including New York, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.

The product offerings in the 1920's and 1930's included a number of lines of dining tables and bedroom furnishings, but the concentration was clearly on occasional and special purpose tables. A sample product listing in 1929 includes library tables, davenport tables, davenport extension tables, console tables with or without mirrors, gateleg tables, coffee tables (among the very first) and radio table cabinets. The construction techniques and materials used by Mersman during the 20's, 30's and 40's were typical of the period.

What Lynn is curious about is the value of the table. From what I've found online, although known for excellent construction and innovative styling, Mersman tables may have little collector value today due to their overwhelming availability. She paid $125.00 for hers.

To read more...

MERSMAN TABLES: THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

Visit Fred Taylor's website: www.furnituredetective.com.

Fred's book "HOW TO BE A FURNITURE DETECTIVE" is available for $18.95 plus $2.00 S & H. Send check or money order for $20.95 to Fred Taylor, PO Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423.

Fred and Gail Taylor's video, "IDENTIFICATION OF OLDER & ANTIQUE FURNITURE", ($29.95 includes S & H) is also available at the same address. For more information call (800) 387-6377, fax (352) 563-2916, or e-mail fmtaylor@aol.com.



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