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 Online
Auction Sites
By Joya Balfour
This
edition of Cyber*Kool originally was featured in the Fall/Winter 2001
issue of ATOMIC Magazine.
The online auction arena has undergone a transition over the past
two years much like that of most e-commerce sites: a huge push, an
explosion, and finally a recession. In 1999, it seemed as though every
other online store had a bid-to-win component, while today the handful
of worthwhile sites still pale in comparison to the eBay phenomenon.
That said, the Web remains a retro hunter's paradise, and the following
auction sites provide the best of the best in vintage, antiques and
collectibles.
eBay
Still the grandfather of all auction sites. eBay continues to set
the standard for bidding and selling on the Web. With listings that
far outnumber its closest rival, eBay has deepened the breadth of
its offerings be creating specialty page devoted to premier items,
such as Americana collectibles, Butterfield auctions, classic automobiles
and Antiques Roadshow items. New features include favorite
seller lists, regional sites, creation of your own eBay stores, filter
by price range, and the Buy-It Now option that enables you to instantly
purchase an item at the seller's desired price. For collectors of
vintage clothing and decorative items, be sure to visit The Retro
Shop at www.theretroshop.com,
where eBay sellers specializing in retro items have their items listed
on one convenient page.
IBidLive
This site specializes in live interactive television, radio and online
auctions. Recent auctions include AMC Live: The Hollywood auction,
where members could bid on the Cowardly Lions costume worn in The
Wizard of Oz; an original Rudolph Valentino poster; Bob Hope's
military field cap worn on a USO Tour; Treasures of Tek-Sing, a sunken
Chinese military ship dating to 1822; and Hollywood Central Props,
whose doors closed but who made their inventory of movie and television
props available to IBidLive. The company's goal, to "bring entertainment
to auctions, and auctions to entertainment," is reflected in
its attempt to bring the stories behind auction items to life. Partnerships
with several cable networks have produced compelling programs on the
lives of James Cagney and The Beatles, which featured favorite movie
and TV clips and interviews broadcast alongside auction memorabilia.
Popula
For those with a hankering for Hollywood posters, limited edition
movie books or pop culture kitsch artifacts, Popula delivers. A specialized
auction site, it caters to those looking for something unique. Features
include the Hothouse (couture and designer vintage apparel and textiles,
estate jewelry, rare books and collectibles), the Orphanage (clearance
items that didn't receive any bids upon relisting), and the the List-O-Mat
(a free application for preparing auction listings that works well
with Microsoft Access). Current listings include NunZilla the Fire-breathing
Wind-Up Nun, a first edition of the 1957 book Cruising in the Cocktail
Era, and the "appalling" Rotary Club Songbook from
1955.
American
Pastimes
The goal of American Pastimes is to provide a "gallery, showcase,
auction block, and meeting place for collectors and enthusiasts of
antiques, sports memorabilia, Americana, pins, comics, signs, toys,
etc." Their inventory includes early 20th century campaign pins,
old magazines in mint condition, and vintage tin advertising signs,
among other items. American Pastimes' splash page, done in Flash,
leads one to expect a high impact site with real-time bidding, but
unfortunately at press time, their online auctions were still pending.
Bids can still be made on the site, but are not updated online; bidders
are notified through e-mail. Once their bidding system goes online,
however, this site should definitely give other top collectibles sites
a run for their money.
It
Seems Like Yesterday
Brought to you by Canada's History Television Channel, this
site provides a companion overview of the baby boomer era and
atomic age programs that ran in Canada. Although it's not the
best design for navigation, once you make your way to the content
page, a world of history opens up that included feature articles,
crosswords, e-cards, discussion boards and factoids. Pleasant
retro imagery spread across the site adds a nice visual element.
Sotheby's
This austere, pricey auction house is now enabled for online bidding,
both for Web and real-time auctions. Recent offerings include photographs
of Marilyn Monroe and original pop art prints. With Sotheby's immense
in-house collection in galleries around the world, the site offers
a decent selection of fine merchandise available for online bidding,
ranging from $200 for vintage photographs to $100,000 for original
Andy Warhol prints. Sotheby's recent partnering with Amazon.com Auctions
should ensure that their items find a wider audience.
Pacific
Book Auction Galleries
Pacific Book is the largest specialty auction house in the western
United States, featuring rare and antiquated books, manuscripts and
screenplays. A simple navigation and bidding system makes it easy
for users to find items of interest quickly and efficiently. While
the online selection does not compare in scope to Pacific's real-world
offerings, there are still some gems up for grabs, including most
recently a screenplay for L.A. Confidential, a first-edition
of Pearl S. Buck's The Kinfolk from 1949, and a 1954 first-edition
of Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye.
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