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WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay
WHAT’S SELLING ON eBay

by Deborah Abernethy and Mike McLeod

In all of the items shown in this month’s column, each object sold at the highest $14,877 (24 bids, 14 bidders): Antique
end of the market for that type of object. While each is an unusual object ca. 1900 Coin-Op 25 Cent “20th Century”
individually, none seem to be outstanding from the body of similar objects that Mills Upright Slot Machine, Works. These
are sold on the regular auction market. I would say that eBay has reached its were not made in great numbers, and this one
potential for selling to a worldwide market. is in nice working condition. It plays reliably
with every pull. It is an oak wood cabinet and
$4,550 (34 bids, 6 bidders): Authentic Antique Native American is either very dark from age or was originally
Sioux Twisted Wood Stem and Catlinite Pipe Bowl; ca. 1880. Very this dark. Original Mills and coin decals still
well preserved and in perfect antique condition, the stem alone in place. The castings are a flat silver, and it
measures approximately 33” long by 2” wide. The hand- appears possible that where the big casting
carved Native American red catlinite pipe bowl is inlaid in text, “The Mills 20th Century,” is written has
circular and stripped pewter and hand-carved black steatite been re-plated as it has a shinier finish. The
in geometric-designed patterns. The pipe bowl game wheel and glass with reverse graphics
alone measures approximately 11” long by 5” high are in very good condition. The mechanism
by 2” wide. This oversized, rare, and unusual pipe looks complete and in good condition. Has
bowl weights more than 2 pounds. The overall the number 2620 label in several places on
length of this piece, including the pipe stem and the inside. Some nicks and scrapes, of course,
bowl, is a whopping 41”! There is an old worn as it looks to be an unrestored, 120-year-old
snakeskin gasket between the pipe’s bowl and the slot machine but overall still a terrific antique
stem. Guaranteed authentic. (Photos courtesy of example. It measures 64” x 28” x 22”. I have keys for the backdoor locks. A
David Howard Tribal Art: tribalartasia.com.) terrific opportunity to add a rare coin-op to your collection. (Photos courtesy
of eBay seller gypsiegirlz.)

DBA: This pipe sold at the high end. While this is an object that is DBA: This slot machine sold for a lot of money. I feel that the seller got
increasingly harder to find, the seller got a good deal, as these at auction the deal. Laws concerning the ownership of slot machines vary state to state.
usually sell for much less. Seven states prohibit the ownership of slot machines. Some states have laws
regarding the slot machines being antique or vintage. Antique in this area of
collecting means 25 years or older. All states have rules about operating a
$4,202: (bids 19, bidders 10): Antique 1887 Baseball World’s gambling business. Mills is a respected manufacturer of slot machines. This
Championship Series Score Card, St. Louis-Detroit. What a find! I got this one is unusual in that 25 cents was a lot more money then than it is now.
with some other things that I bought, and all of the letters contained in the
box are dated from the 1880s. Amazingly, the whole box lot survived a fire in
the house. There is some black on the back top of the card. There are also $5,777 (55 bids, 19 bidders): Large 23-inch Antique 17th Century Blue
some small tears and such. Illustrations and the scoring area are good. Some & White Faience Pottery Urn Pot Storage Jar. Measuring 22 7/8” tall by
great names. I believe this would be from 1887. I could be wrong. Numerous 14” wide at the handles, this very large storage jar is decorated with a dark,
names on the scorecard. (Photos courtesy of eBay seller edisonchris83.) cobalt blue design. I am not expert enough to state exactly which country this
17th century faience pot is from, but it could be Dutch or French or even
DBA: This scorecard is from the 1887 World Series between the National Italian. What do you think?
League’s Detroit Wolverines and the American Association’s St. Louis I did some searching, and it is difficult to find
Browns. Detroit won 10 games to 5, played over 17 days in various cities. such large examples of early faience from any of
It seems that even in 1887 baseball teams bought top players, and that’s those countries. We have listed close-up photo-
how Detroit won the World Series that year. Unfortunately, the Wolverines’ graphs so you can see each feature of this early pot
league, the International Association (a combination of Canadian and and every problem as well. Over the years, there
American teams), folded just after the start of the 1890 season. have been several repairs to the top rim, and there
All of this history would contribute to the price received for this are some very fine glaze hairlines in several places.
memorabilia. This is Remarkably, both handles are still attached.
a high price for such (Photos courtesy of eBay seller wwolst12.)
an item.
DBA: A few notes about pottery: the larger the
vessel, the more difficult it is to fire, and the more
likely that it will have defects. The blue color
comes from cobalt, which was expensive to use. This is not in the French
style. This is an old urn, but nothing in the photos or the description verifies
that this urn is 17th century.

Deborah Abernethy is a certified appraiser with the International
Association of Appraisers. She can be contacted at 404-262-2131 or
Deborah@expert-appraisers.com. Her website is www.expert-appraisers.com.

8 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles