Re: India, teak HMV 101 ?
Posted: Sun May 14, 2023 12:04 pm
It's interesting what you're saying here because rather like the eco system we have in our gardens I'm beginning to think the marketplace is very similar!Dulcetto wrote: Sun May 14, 2023 10:21 am Yes, well you say that and I agree with what you say but even in auction rooms with online bidding it is possible to get lucky on occasions . Around five years ago I bought a teak 101 in auction that was open to the world through online bidding etc -- ok the gram did look in a sorry state and needed a fair bit of cleaning up , but it was obvious from the online pictures to anyone who knew what it was that it was an Indian teak model . It was in Didcot , not near to me, but only a couple of hours drive away which was of course ok . I didn't view it beforehand , just left a cheeky commission bid and was surprised when I too won it for £20 hammer . Why no-one else wanted to have a go at it , no idea! I don't still have that one now as a better example turned up five miles away last year -- that one cost a little more , but still a good price . The auctioneers as often is the case were clueless , couldn't even be bothered to lift the lid for the online catalogue picture. Can't remember what the pre-sale estimate was , but something like the usual 30 - 40 .There was an HMV radio included in the lot which I subsequently sold for a reasonable sum , so that helped with the purchase price ! Then there was another time , also around five or six years ago , at Cheffins , well known auction sales near Cambridge. One lot included THREE phonographs , two Dictaphones and two boxes of cylinder records . Again, there were hundreds of people attending in person , also online bidding was available. Similarly , the auctioneer was clueless -- probably used to selling vintage tractors and vehicles which sales Cheffins are particularly known for -- auctioneer started the bidding at £20 !!! 20 POUNDS !!!! My hand went up , someone in the room ( also clueless ! ) bid £30 and the lot was knocked down to me for £40. I had a four figure sum in mind -- one of the phonographs was a good'un Cheffins buyer's premium only 11% too. SO , Lady Luck does smile sometimes , even at auctions open to the world !!
The guy I bought the teak 101 from has clearly seen others as he goes to "real auctions" where a lot of local wheeler dealer types regularly just buy whatever turns up on their particular patch, with a view to selling. As I am of working age I couldn't get to any of these auctions even if I knew where they were, without paying a penalty by having time off work. Consequently I'm stuck with the option of online buying (about 95% of my purchases) where there is a slight protection afforded the buyer ie. Ebay OR taking risks via The Saleroom. The weekends offer up incredibly rare opportunities to buy face to face as most antique shops in my area have disappeared or been replaced with modern tat shops.
There aren't many fairs on weekends which are easy for me to get to either. Even car boots have largely disappeared since Covid. Clearly there are people who do not have day jobs who can attend auctions and where the sale is not online, possibly pick up a bargain or two. I wonder how many they have to go to before they find that elusive bargain though? It is these people who either sell up to more specialist wheeler dealers who in turn know the "real" value and put stuff on Ebay. By the time us armchair Ebay buyers spot anything it's already passed through a couple of hands and got more expensive. There is a whole other level or two that exists before the average buyer gets to see what they want to buy. It is another kind of food chain!