AuctionBytes-Update Number 54 - November 11, 2001 - ISSN 1528-6703

Please recommend this newsletter: <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/Recommend/recommend.ht ml >

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IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Collectify MyStuff: A Program to Help You Organize Your Stuff
2) IS THAT PHOTOGRAPH OLD? Part 2
3) This & That
4) Collector's Corner
5) Top 10 Searches - Antiques & Collectibles
6) AUCTIONBYTES FEATURES
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FROM THE EDITOR
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The only thing constant in the auction world is change! Yahoo Auctions introduced a brand-new pricing model, there's a new online-payment service, and UPS is raising rates. For details and more news, subscribe to the AuctionBytes NewsFlash newsletter; current issues can be found online at
< http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/newsflash/newsflash.html>.

David and I attended the Boston Antiquarian Bookfair yesterday - what a show! I drooled over first edition Agatha Christie novels in the $17,000 price range while David spotted Beatle Paul McCartney's handwritten lyrics for "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" for $145,000. The show featured a pleasing range of books from the 1400s to today, and there was something for everyone. The show continues today at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.

After the show, we went to dinner in Chinatown with AuctionBytes writer Edith Reynolds and her husband, Donato, who were exhibiting wares from their bookstore, The John Bale Book Company. Conversation, of course, centered on the online auction industry - how it's faring and in which direction it's headed. We got our answers sooner than expected when, at the end of the meal, our waiter brought us fortune cookies. Printed on the back of each of our fortunes was an ad for Half.com, "an eBay company". However, none of our fortunes indicated if we would have a good week selling online.

David and I often get notes from readers who thank us for publishing AuctionBytes. We know first-hand how difficult it is to keep up with the constantly changing landscape in this industry. There are many intelligent, hard-working people in the auction community, and we appreciate the time you take to keep us informed and stay in touch with us.

I also want to say a word about our sponsors. David and I began publishing AuctionBytes in 1999. We have been able to make our content free thanks to advertising revenue. I'd like to thank all the companies who have advertised with us over the past two years.

Extra-special thanks go to our long-term supporters: Craters & Freighters, Auction Seller's Resource and TIAS. Craters & Freighters picks up your item at your house or office, packs it, ships it, and delivers it - no matter how large or awkward the item. The Auction Seller's Resource has all kinds of resources for sellers, including a free newsletter. And TIAS is an online "antiques mall" allowing antiques and collectibles dealers to set up shop in cyberspace.

Thank you for supporting our sponsors. Links to all current advertisers are always found at the end of each newsletter. And I hope you can use them to help you in your auction and collecting activities.

Happy Veteran's Day, Happy Remembrance Day!

Ina Steiner, Editor
Email: ina@auctionbytes.com

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1) Collectify MyStuff: A Program to Help You Organize Your Stuff
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by Ina Steiner

If you are a collector, you like to play with your "stuff," show off your "stuff" and go hunting for more "stuff." If you have a lot of "stuff," a new software program can help you organize it and may even open your eyes to how impressive your collection really is.

Collectify MyStuff is a powerful software program for the serious collector. The program was designed to suit the high-end collector, but is also useful to the casual collector. MyStuff organizes entire collections, keeps records for insurance and tax purposes, and even has a "reminder" feature so you remember when to re-lacquer a piece of furniture or renew an insurance policy.

When you open the trial version of Collectify MyStuff, it is filled in with a sample collection containing items from a wide variety of collectibles, including cars, carpets, wine, comics, dolls and jewelry. To get familiar with the program, I found it helpful to click on some of these items and see how they are set up.

You'll find photographs and detailed descriptions of each piece in the collection, along with neat features such as scanned images of invoices from the place of purchase. Don't be afraid to explore the sample collection. Click on everything - it is the best way to get familiar with the all the features.

The first step in using the program is to create a collection. The next step is to "catalog" the items that comprise the collection.

Cataloging an object begins with recording basic descriptive information about it, like, what it is, who made it, where it was made, and so on. You can enter information in fields like: accounting, beneficiary, condition, measurements, permanent location, provenance & expertise, signature & marks, visuals, insurance polices, valuations, etc.

There are lots of fields and lots of features, which makes this a powerful program. I haven't touched on a fraction of what this program can do. (You can create slideshows and email them to friends or put them on your Web site!) But you don't have to fill out every field. You can use the software anyway you like. Setting up the basics is fine, and it's nice to know you can easily expand in the future. You can make this as simple or as sophisticated as you want. Wizards guide you along the way, and drop-down menus make your options clear. If you use other Windows programs, you should have no problem navigating MyStuff.

I wish there was a "Quick List" of what I need to get started in using the program, so that I could print it out and follow it step by step. The company says that it plans to create a getting started guide soon. The only problem I had was the Home page. When I created a new "object," I wasn't sure if it meant class of objects (i.e., McCoy planters), or if it was a specific object - the new McCoy planter I just bought. It also took me awhile to figure out how to switch between collections. But with time, I figured it out.

An important feature lacking is the ability to print. Collectify told me that a new feature called Report will be released soon, very likely in December, that will allow printing.

Considering this is the first version of a brand new program, it is well thought out, easy to navigate, and powerful. I especially love the "back" "forward" and "home" buttons that are set up like Internet browser buttons! Note that you need to run Windows 95 or higher on a Pentium166 Mhz (or higher) processor. See full system requirements on the Web site.

Franklin Silverstone is the man behind the MyStuff program. He has been professionally involved with antiques, art, and collectibles for 35 years. He was a fine-arts expert for the international auction house, Phillips Son & Neale Auctioneers, and is a private curator, consultant, and appraiser. Mr. Silverstone realized the need for this software in the mid-1990s after he helped Charles Bronfman, the Co-Chairman of Seagram's and MCA Universal, and his wife, Andrea, assemble a great collection of Canadian Decorative Arts. Clearly, this program has a good pedigree.

Collectify's MyStuff costs $99.95. After writing this review, I discovered we have an affiliate relationship with the company. Here's the link: < http://www.collectify.com/?AID=5540265&PID=942557>

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2) IS THAT PHOTOGRAPH OLD?
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A Three-part Series on Judging the Age of Photographs
Part 2: Photographs from the Early 20th century
By David Rudd

In the first part of this series, we looked how to identify the most common photographs from the 1800s. In this part, we look at photographs from the early 20th century, in particular, photographs made before 1920.

It is more difficult to judge the age of 20th century photographs. While most 19th century photographs are as out of date as horse-drawn carriages, the 20th century's most popular photographic process was used throughout the entire century. The average 1960 and 1910 photographs were made using the same process. Luckily, there are things the collector can look for that will identify photographs made before 1920.

As with the 1800s, there were a wide variety of photographic processes in the 1900s, but one dominant form. The vast majority of photographs made from 1900-60 are gelatin-silver prints. Gelatin-silver prints have a variety of tones, including a sepia color, but most are cold and steely black and white. Until about 1920, gelatin-silver prints were pasted to sheets of cardboard (mounts) in similar styles as the 1800s. Most, however, are unmounted.

Gelatin-silver prints could be made on many different papers. Most early photographic paper was of paper fiber and 'single weight.' Single weight was a thin paper. Today's heavier 'double weight' wasn't introduced until about 1940. This paper will usually now have toning and aging noticeable on the back. While single-weight, paper-fiber photographic paper is still available today, it doesn't have quite the same 'feel.' Most of today's photographic paper is coated in a glossy substance and has a distinct plastic feel.

The key to determining that a gelatin-silver photograph was made before 1920 is looking for 'silvering.' These early prints had a tendency to silver, especially at the edges. Silvering is when it appears as if the silver has come to surface. It is often more noticeable when viewed at a specific angle to the light. While not all early gelatin-silver photographs will have silver, if one does have authentic silvering it is almost certainly old.

The earliest photos of the 20th century are full-bleed, meaning that they do not have a white border surrounding the image as is popular today. The white border appearing on later images was a result of the photographic paper being held in a special holder during enlargement, and this technology was not commonly used until about the mid 1910s.

While judging the age of pre-1920 gelatin-silver prints is relatively straightforward, judging the age of later examples, especially from after World Ward II, is much more difficult. Realize that the most commonly reprinted and counterfeited photographs will depict famous people and events, such as Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe and U.S. presidents. Extra care should be taken when buying these kinds of photograph, in particular dealing with knowledgeable and honest sellers. As will be discussed in the third part of this series, a black light is useful when examining these types of photographs.

As with all art and collectibles, personal experience is important. By looking, handling and enjoying photographs, the collector gains an eye to quality and age.
NOTE: Part 1 of this series can be found online at <http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/53/53.html#photos>.
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David Rudd is Director of Art & Collectable Examination at Cycleback <http://www.cycleback.com> in Seattle and is author of the books 'Authentication and Forgery Detection of Prints and Antique Photographs' and 'Guide to Identifying Early Photographs: a Pocket Manual.' He is a member of the
International Directory of Photography Historians, Association of Art Historians and the International Association of Paper Historians.

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3) THIS & THAT
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AuctionBytes Interviewed for TV Program
ABC WCVB-Channel 5 in Boston is running an episode about yard-saling on Wednesday. Chronicle is a daily newsmagazine, and Wednesday's program follows the "Garage Sale Guru" around to yard sales:

"Every Saturday morning, rain or shine, Carl Abrams rises at 5 to hit the road. His mission: hit 30 to 50 yard sales by the time the weekend is over. Why does he do it? Well, the $15,000 Rolex he bought for five bucks proved to be powerful motivation.

"And now, as "The Garage Sale Guru" of WSRO radio, he's sharing what he's learned with all comers. Tonight, Peter Mehegan gets Carl's best tips, meets plenty of other buyers and sellers, and runs an experiment to test the old saying: Is trash really someone else's treasure?"

The show promises to be interesting, and David and I make a brief appearance! They interviewed us about selling yard-sale items on auction sites. The show airs Wednesday (November 14th) at 7:30.
<http://www.thebostonchannel.com/chronicle>

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TagNotes Newsletter
TagNotes newsletter broke a story this week that eBay was putting limits on its email system. eBay had modified its policy without notifying users (see Friday's Newsflash for details).

TagNotes is a free ezine published by The Auction Guild and is particularly useful as an industry watchdog and for its documentation of vendor problems. The TagNotes team keeps eBay and other vendors on their toes. To learn more, visit <http://www.auctionguild.com>.

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The Collectors Newsletter Goes Bi-Weekly
The Collectors Newsletter is now being distributed twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. The newsletter is published by TIAS.com and features stories from readers about antiques and collectible, vintage recipes and tips for online collectors. In order to accommodate the stories that have been coming in from readers, circulation has been expanded to twice a week. The publication is free. For more information, write to info@tias.com.

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QXL Ricardo for Sale?
A U.K. reader informed us that European auction site QXL Ricardo is "open to takeover offers." We will research this and report it in Newsflash. Thanks for the hot tip, U.K. Dave!

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Boston-Area Toy Auction
Tonight's WexRex auction promises to be a winner! We'll be at tonight's auction scooping up great collectibles and vintage toys.
<http://www.allcollectors.com>

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Tech Problems: Life on the Internet
In the early days of AuctionBytes, we were using a service that gave us continual problems, and it always seemed to happen at the worst possible time. So I can relate to the letter I got from the owner of Tools4Auctions about a story we wrote in the November 6th issue of Newsflash:

"Thanks for mentioning us in your newsletter. Unfortunately, the Internet in the Washington to California area had severe bandwidth problems that afternoon and evening. Our host was very slow and, of course, so was our server. I'm sure that many of your readers wouldn't have had a very good first impression. But those are the breaks."

So, if you tried to get through to this site and had problems, why not try it again. <http://tools4auctions.com>

I also am aware of chronic email problems that some people are having. Try to remember that the Internet is not a perfect system and that sometimes, when trading partners write that they are having email problems, it might actually be true.

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AUCTION CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Want to take a break from listing auctions? Grab a cup of coffee and relax with an online crossword puzzle!

We have another challenging crossword puzzle for you this week! Barbara Acchino has devised a devilishly clever crossword of Thimble terms. Barbara has been collecting thimbles and antique sewing tools for almost 20 years.

Her fraternal grandmother was a seamstress and her maternal grandmother was a milliner (hat maker) and seamstress, so the allure of the thimble must have been in her genes! Her collection began when her mother gave he an advertising thimble. Thinking they were a small, unique collectible, she started searching for them. Now, 2,000+ thimbles later, she has not only thimbles but many other sewing tools as well. She is the "List Mom" of CYBERTHIMBLE - an electronic round robin for over 125 sewing tool enthusiasts from all over the globe. <http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/cyberthimble>

This puzzle is challenging! You can find the puzzle at
<http://www.auctionbytes.com/crossword/cwthimble.html>

You can find all the previous puzzles we've published at:
< http://www.auctionbytes.com/crossword/crossword.html>

If you'd like to submit a crossword puzzle, email dsteiner@auctionbytes.com for details. If we use your puzzle, we'll send you $20 for the first one published.

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4) Collector's Corner
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Harry Potter vs. The Lord of the Rings
By Michele Alice

Harry Potter fans are checking their official Harry Potter Wallets, mopping their perspiring brows with official Harry Potter Towels, and are repeatedly glance at their official Harry Potter Golden Snitch Watches as they anxiously await the cinematic release of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Warner Bros., November 16th).

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the first installment of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, set to debut December 19th (The Fellowship of the Ring; New Line Cinema), the folks back in Middle-earth have launched a merchandising blitz of their own. Everything from pewter goblets to chess sets and wall posters to T-shirts have appeared to entice the avid fan. There are even genuine copies of the One Ring of Power in gold and sterling!

Though "Lord of the Rings" was first published in 1954/55, and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 1997, there are a great many more HP items on the online auction block. Whether this reflects a wider audience or greater merchandising, I don't know. I suspect it's both. (As of November 10th, there were 11,478 active and 22,719 completed HP auctions on eBay versus 2,633 active and 3,422 completed for LOTR.)

As expected, the most interest in each case surrounds first edition books (signed and unsigned) and rare ephemera--a Tolkien letter reached $4,550 by end of auction; a Rowling-signed picture, $7,280. The most expensive lot was a 3-volume LOTR set, first edition, rebound in Moroccan leather and with the 3 brass binder's tools used for the cover designs. Auctioned on eBay by Butterfields, the lot garnered a final bid of $8,500 (which was actually lower than the $12,000-$18,000 estimate).

Many of the auctions emphasize first edition identification (for example, the numbers 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on a copyright page usually indicate a First while the same sequence from 10 down to 2 would indicate a Second) and State (a variation within an edition). For a great review on how to identify various book editions, you might want to try Glenn Larsen's Guide to First Edition Identification at <http://www.rarebooks.org/firsted.htm>. For a more in-depth treatment, check out Modern Book Collecting by Robert A. Wilson <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558211799/auctionbytescom >.

But back to all that new merchandise out there. Will it or will it not be worth anything? Who knows! LOTR has proved that it has staying power, but will anyone pay top dollar for a Frodo Lives T-shirt ten years from now? Is Harry Potter a flash in the pan? Will anyone want a Hogwarts book binder in 2005 when there are ten million of them? My advice is: buy what you like; buy two and put one away as a potential investment; and finally, enjoy the films!

May the Force be with you. (Oops! Wrong film!)

There are LOTS of HP and LOTR Web sites out there (just go to Yahoo or Google to see for yourself), but the following are some of the best:
~http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/index.html The Harry Potter Lexicon (The Ultimate Harry Potter Reference)
http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/home.html The Official Harry Potter Web site
http://www.tolkien-movies.com Lord of the Rings Movie News
http://www3.tolkienonline.com Tolkien Online-The One Ring
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Michele Alice is AuctionBytes-Update Contributing Editor. Michele is a freelance writer in the Berkshire mountains of Massachusetts. She collects books, science fiction memorabilia and more! Email her at makalice@adelphia.net eBay ID:Malice9

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5) Top 10 Searches - Antiques & Collectibles
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TIAS.com is the largest fixed-price source of antiques and collectibles on the Internet. Since 1997, it has been publishing a "Hot List" of popular items gathered from statistics on antiques and collectibles.

Top 10 Searches - TIAS.com, October 2001
1. Cookie Jars
2. China
3. Dolls
4. Furniture
5. Plates
6. Lamps
7. Carnival Glass
8. Depression Glass
9. McCoy
10. Books

Top 11 Searches - AntiqueArts.com, October 2001
1. Chairs
2. Beds
3. Tables
4. Furniture
5. Vermont
6. Flow Blue
7. Majolica
8. CDV (photographs)
9. Clocks
10. Transferware
11. Flags

Hot List data compiled by TIAS.com Inc (C) 2001
< http://www.tias.com>

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6) AUCTIONBYTES FEATURES
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GET DAILY NEWS: Read news about the online auction and collectibles world. Send a blank email to: auctionflash-subscribe@topica.com

SHOP FOR AUCTION-RELATED PRODUCTS: Go to the AuctionBytes Yellow Pages where you can find supplies for collectors, auction-management software and more.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/bizdirectory/biz-dir-index.pl

POST A QUESTION: The AuctionBytes Discussion Forums are a great place to post a question and learn about selling online.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/index.php

READ BACK ISSUES: Read 2 years of AuctionBytes newsletters!
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/email_newsletter.html

CHECK THE AUCTION FORECAST: Dave's Interactive Auction Calendar forecasts whether it's a good day to start your online auction.
http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/calendar/calendar.html

Go to http://www.auctionbytes.com and find links to these features and more (look for links in the left-hand column).

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AuctionBytes-Update ISSN 1528-6703
Ina Steiner, Editor, Publisher, Founder: ina@auctionbytes.com
David Steiner, President, Founder: dsteiner@auctionbytes.com
Michele Alice, Contributing Editor
AuctionBytes.com
c/o Steiner Associates
PO Box 668
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-5697
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