AUCTION NEWS

Whiskies find tough love on ebay
Earlier today two very nice western whiskey fifths closed on the ebay auction site.
Fifth number one, a J.H. Cutter Sole Agent, described as “a very crude and whittled 1870s Western whiskey” “The color is light honey amber, and the top is crudely applied. The embossing is very strong, with the jewels on the crown easily seen. There is an "A. No.1" on the reverse shoulder. Condition is about perfect with a few light scratches, but otherwise a sparkler!” finished at a disappointing $156.99
I followed this bottle throughout the run of the auction and still can’t figure out why it went for such a bargain price.

The real shocker for me was the Newmark-Gruenberg Old Judge fifth that closed at just over $650. Described by the seller as “Here is a top specimen of a very tough to find Western whiskey. This crudely applied "glob top" fifth is a light yellow with topaz tone. This is a super color for this San Francisco whiskey! The embossing reads " Newmark Gruenberg & Co, Old Judge Bourbon, S.F." This one does not have the patent date on the base. Condition is gem mint, and it has never been tumbled. A sparkling perfect example of this early San Francisco whiskey!”
As I watched these auctions I kept wondering when the bidding on these two items was going to take off. Unfortunately for the seller it never did and the winning bidders, in my opinion, found a real bargain.

Goes to show you never know
rs

Duoooh

DR HENLEY'S WILD GRAPE ROOT IXL BITTERS BOTTLE-GREEN
Starting bid: US $3,150.00
__________________________

There's an outfit called American Bottle Auctions that had the last green one I heard of for sale a couple of years ago. It was number 14 in the April 2007 auction

"my bottle is from a private collection"

"just as good as the bottle you mentioned - even better. great color and perfect"

Bitters Hall of Shame #12

Right now on ebay is another candidate for the “Bitters Hall of Shame”
Listen to this description:
SCARCE: - GENUINE - DR HENLEY'S WILD GRAPE ROOT IXL BITTER'S BOTTLE.
EXCELLENT CONDITION - NO PROBLEMS OF ANY KIND.
GREEN IN COLOR.
12 INCHS TALLS. - HAS GLOB TOP.
SHIPPING COSTS INCLUDE INSURANCE, PROFESSIONAL PACKING AND FULL POSTAGE.
EMAIL ME WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

Opening price on this beauty is $3,150.00 with a “professional” $45 shipping cost.
Now don’t all of you start bidding at once!

Here’s the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/DR-HENLEYS-WILD-GRAPE-ROOT-IXL-BITTERS-BOTTLE-GREEN-/360275547889?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e21896f1

How bout them banana's!

The Western Bitters News site is still all fouled up so I am encouraging all of you bitters lovers to go ahead a post your bitters related items on this here whiskey/western glass site. Seems the soleagent is off digging so I reckon he won't mind us commandeering his site for awhile!

rs

What went wrong?

Last evening a very scarce and sought after glop top closed on ebay. Listed as "Livingstone's Western Glob Top Whiskey w/whittling Rare" lot number 360214238214, it should have created a veritable feeding frenzy. Opening at a reasonable $1200~, I'd expected it to bring at least $1750~. Instead, only two bidders competed for bragging rights and it closed at a weak $1225~.

So what the heck went wrong? Simple, lousy pictures
and a lousy description.


Initially described as "Livingstone's Whiskey bottle, a western glob top, with whittling" there was no mention of condition. Later, in a belated attempt to more accurately describe condition, the seller added the following " It is free of chips and cracks with the following exceptions: in response to a bidder request, we re-examined this bottle and found three small nicks or "flea-bites" on the bottom, on the rim. We are including a scan we did of the bottom, to better illustrate these small defects. Imagining that the base is a clock dial, the largest nick is at about 9 oclock. There is a tiny flea bite at 11 oclock and there is one other slight nick at 4 oclock. The football shaped object towards the bottom of our clock dial is an embedded bubble. The only other defect in this bottle is on one side, near the seam, about 3/8" from the bottom, a tiny pin-prick which appears to be a tiny bubble that "popped." A poor quality black and white scan of the base was also attached.



Ya just gotta love these technical descriptions... Big flea? Little flea? Happy flea? Flea with a bad attitude? Come On!

In an attempt to nail down the true condition, I emailed "In regards to the Livingston Blackberry Brandy; You state ""flea-bites" on the bottom, on the rim.

Could you please provide dimensions in regards to the described damage? IE: "largest nick is at about 9 oclock, measures 3mm in length, 2mm in width and is 3mm in depth". I've found that detailed, subjective descriptions take all the guess work out of a purchase.

The bottle is fairly scarce but damage to a higher end western whiskey can make or break the desirability.

Thanks~"

I never heard back in regards to this inquiry or a follow up. Was the seller out of town or just trying to let the cards fall as they may? Guess we'll never know. Having been bitten more often than I'd care to admit on ebay, I opted not to place a bid until I heard back.

My guess is that I'm not the only one...

Step right up - A new winner every minute!

Recently a bottle that appeared on Ebay caught my attention. Not because it was rare, but because of the way it was described. The teaser said "GLOPPY TOP old KELLOGG'S NELSON COUNTY whiskey bottle". The "hook" read
"old and authentic amber glass handblown Applied Gloppy Top KELLOGG'S NELSON COUNTY EXTRA KENTUCKY BOURBON WHISKEY W.L. CO SOLE AGENTS whiskey bottle 5th."

Well sir, you've got my attention. I could see it now; pigeon blood red, crude as can be, hammer whittled, with that classic German glop top and a touch of spillover. But wait, the photo shows your basic meat 'n potatoes, straight amber, turn of the century, Kellogg with a sloppy tool job that, I guess if you wished hard enough and you were inexperienced enough, could be passed off as a glop. A quick email to the seller cautioning them on the fact that it was a crude tool top was sent. The text read;

"I'd be very careful about representing this piece as a glop top. Simply, they do not exist in this mold configuration. The only glopped Kellogg's are the red whittled ones that were blown in Germany in the '90s. They are a totally different mold and are blood red; not to be confused with the Riley Patent IT's that were sloppily tooled here in the US and which come in various shades of ambers. I've had several domestics over the years that could be passed off as applied to a novice collector but have always erred on the side of conservatism and described them as "wannabe glops".

This one could come back to haunt you..."

The email was met with a polite thank you And so the auction continues. And true to W.C. Fields observation of a sucker being born every minute, not one but two, suckers continue to slug it out for ownership. So far, the ante is up to $162~ and change for a bottle that might maybe bring $75~ at a show on a stretch, if you could find a buyer. Not bad; if you can get away with it. To the sellers credit, they did add a post script, buried at the end of the listing saying that it may not be a glop after all.

However, this brings me to the point of the article; What, if anything, can be done to hold ebay sellers accountable? Ebay, has been, and continues to be, "The Wild West".

Step right up gentleman, pay your dues and take your chances, a new winner every minute...