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What’s Selling on eBay: December 2019

What’s Selling on eBay: December 2019

by Deborah Abernethy and Mike McLeod
$4,548 (27 bids, 6 bidders): Antique German Clockwork Christmas Store Display Windup 23-inch fur Reindeer.
Reindeer is 23 inches long x 18 inches tall x 6 inches wide (approx.). Needs work. No key, so let’s say it is not working. Has age/wear /small tears/missing horns and leather pieces in spots. One leg is cracked but is still stable. A hoof has some heavy wear on the bottom. It is in need of TLC, but it is such a rare item to find! Awesome reindeer! Glass eyes! It would be great restored. It came out of an old attic in Tennessee.
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller bukhtr1.)
DBA: As a child, I remember seeing moving reindeer in the line to see Santa! These had to be mechanical. Another way of looking at this is that a similar size mechanical reindeer would cost more than the selling price for this one.

$3,650 (36 bids, 11 bidders) Antique 1930s Art Deco Pre-Prohibition PHILCO Radiobar.
This auction is for an authentic, unrestored, 1936 Philco Radio Bar which was made by the Radiobar Co. of America. It was originally designed during the Prohibition Era but was not released until 1936. The walnut veneer cabinet measures 47 inches tall by 29 inches wide and 15 inches deep and is in very good, unrestored condition. We have posted several photographs so you can see there are some surface rubs and scuffs to the original finish, as well as two very light areas across the front of the door from when it must have been taped shut at some point.
We do not have the key to the side panel; however, it is unlocked. The front cloth covering over the speaker is torn, and two knobs are missing from the radio. When you open the top of this cabinet, you reveal a fully stocked liquor cabinet. There are 4 decanters, 1 cocktail shaker, 1 pourer/drizzle bottle, 6 scotch glasses, 6 stepped tumblers, 6 liqueur glasses, and 4 shot glasses; we are missing two. There are also 2 aluminum ice buckets with tongs and 8 stemless glasses. We suspect that these last glasses may be an addition to this Radiobar because they do not match exactly, and they also do not have a set spot to be in. When we removed the Philco Radio works (which are unable to be tested because the wiring is in very poor condition), we did find one small piece which is marked “Philco” that was lost. We are unsure if it is original, or added, but the remainder of the radio’s works seem to be in original condition. Overall, this authentic 1936 Philco Radiobar is in very good, complete and unrestored condition.
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller wwolst12.)
DBA: Re-purposing cabinets has become very trendy right now. The seller got quite a deal as this one has not been re-outfitted but is 1936. New ones cost more.
$6,858 (15 bids, 8 bidders): Huge Antique Holmes, Booth, & Haydens Camera Lens No. 2354 Daguerreotype Lens.
Up for auction is this big brass lens from a good estate. We don’t know anything about it – if it’s complete or in need of restoration. Selling as found and fresh to the market. It measures approximately 17 5/8 inches high, 11 inches in diameter at the base and 6.5 inches at the top.
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller amf47.)
DBA: The Holmes Booth and Haydens Co. was formed in 1853 and made many types of metalwork items. They were the first to make the metal plates for daguerreotypes. While the camera and lens can be found selling for almost any amount, this is the typical selling amount.
$13,000 (20 bids, 10 bidders): 1909 Ford Model T Roadster Runabout.
This is an early right-hand-drive Ford Model T Runabout, which appears to be an older restoration with parts from 1909 to 1911. It is in running and driving condition. The current owner located this car in its present condition as a barn find in Stettler, Alberta, in recent years, but little is known of its history or restoration.
The right-hand-drive configuration could indicate it came from British Columbia, as the rest of Canada was left-hand drive at that time, save for perhaps Nova Scotia. Drive train: The 4-cylinder engine block is stamped with the number 9110 at the front right side and has an open valve train with visible lifters, indicative of 1909-10 models. The left side of the block has only the Ford script cast into it. The long oil filler neck is also an early production item. The oil pan is identified as 1914 or later. Chassis: These T’s had a 100-inch wheelbase, and a chassis length of 10 feet 8 inches. The black-painted frame appears very solid and straight with no signs of rust issues or collision damage.
(Photos courtesy of eBay seller carsgoneby.)
DBA: This is a very low price for such a car, the lowest that I have found. The model T was made from 1908 to 1927. It was regarded as the car made for Middle America because it was the first made on the assembly line. One might say that this one has been rebuilt from parts, but what car from this period isn’t? The buyer seems to have gotten a deal.
What’s Selling on eBay: December 2019