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  Aurora Dec. 2007 space auction (Page 1)

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Author Topic:   Aurora Dec. 2007 space auction
VCampbell
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From: Bell Canyon CA USA
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posted 10-24-2007 02:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for VCampbell   Click Here to Email VCampbell     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fellow collectors:

We would like to extend our appreciation to all who have called to inquire during the recent wildfires. While our offices were never threatened, the homes of our staff were seriously threatened (and they were evacuated) and operations of vendors/suppliers have been disrupted. As such, we are changing the date for our Space & Aviation auction to December 1 & 2, 2007.

Best regards,
Victoria Campbell

Bill Hunt
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From: Irvine, CA
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posted 11-09-2007 05:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bill Hunt   Click Here to Email Bill Hunt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks Victoria. When will the catalog be available online?

------------------
Bill Hunt

gliderpilotuk
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From: London, UK
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posted 11-18-2007 01:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for gliderpilotuk   Click Here to Email gliderpilotuk     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
2 weeks to go - any catalogue available?

Paul

capoetc
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From: McKinney TX (USA)
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posted 11-18-2007 05:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From past experience, it usually shows up on their web site first. Just keep checking there, I suppose.

------------------
John Capobianco
Camden DE

gliderpilotuk
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posted 11-21-2007 03:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for gliderpilotuk   Click Here to Email gliderpilotuk     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
T minus 10 days and counting....

capoetc
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posted 11-21-2007 07:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Catalogs are overrated. Just bid $2,000 on "Lot 87", and find out what you got after the fact ...

------------------
John Capobianco
Camden DE

Leon Ford
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Posts: 309
From: Shreveport, LA, United States
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-21-2007 08:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Leon Ford   Click Here to Email Leon Ford     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It must be that "Aurora" time of year. You can always tell by the posts. Victoria Campell making a post that the auction will be held. Great, one of a kind items will be offered! Great autographs!! People start asking where the catalogs are. Aurora doesn't say a word.

Then, there are the posts about autopens being up for auction as real. How does this happen? Aurora doesn't say a word.

Then, there is the auction and people start posting, asking if anyone has heard anything about the lots they won or the money they are owed by Aurora. Aurora doesn't say a word.

Just look back at past posts about Aurora and you will see all the same questions and no answers from Aurora.

Why do folks keep using Aurora?

Good luck in the auction!

Leon

NightHawk117
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From: USA
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posted 11-21-2007 10:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NightHawk117   Click Here to Email NightHawk117     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Do you think the delayed catalog is to keep people from having time to question some of the items up for auction?

capoetc
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From: McKinney TX (USA)
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posted 11-21-2007 04:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by NightHawk117:
Do you think the delayed catalog is to keep people from having time to question some of the items up for auction?

No, I don't think so. I don't want to be an Aurora apologist, but with the Dave Scott signing stuff having to be mailed out and the California fires raging so close, the catalog is probably behind schedule.

Unfortunately for Aurora, the ultimate outcome of a late catalog can only be that fewer people have the time to see and review it, so fewer people are likely to bid.

I think close scrutiny of auction house offerings are a good thing for the auction house. The items that are verified by the experienced collectors as being authentic should then attract higher bids from a greater number of bidders.

I don't believe it is Aurora's intent to intentionally sell autopens as genuine autographs ... others may differ from my opinion.

I have done some business with Aurora in the past, but I usually end up not bidding in their auctions because I usually need time to review the catalog -- and the catalogs often come out within 10 days or so of the auction.

------------------
John Capobianco
Camden DE

mjanovec
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From: Midwest, USA
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posted 11-21-2007 04:48 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by capoetc:
Unfortunately for Aurora, the ultimate outcome of a late catalog can only be that fewer people have the time to see and review it, so fewer people are likely to bid.

...which is a bad scenario if you are a consigner, hoping that your item fetches a premium price.

clifford
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From: Maplewood, nj, 07040
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posted 11-22-2007 01:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for clifford   Click Here to Email clifford     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
As posted by Leon 'Why do folks keep using Aurora?"

I, for one, do not anymore. I had a very frustrating time with them in the spring and am done. (I was a consigner)

Communication is just one of the big issues with them. I also did not get paid until the end of August. More than 5 months is just too long.

Clifford.

Outerspace
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posted 11-24-2007 01:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Outerspace   Click Here to Email Outerspace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The auction is one week from today. Has anyone spoken to Aurora lately to confirm that the sale is proceeding? Anyone have any information at all? There is no new information on their website.

mjanovec
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From: Midwest, USA
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posted 11-24-2007 01:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, if nobody in the US has received a catalog yet, one can be pretty sure that most (if not all) people overseas won't receive one before the auction.

Assuming, of course, there will even be an auction.

This is one instance where silence isn't golden.

biker123
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From: Palm Coast Fl. USA
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posted 11-25-2007 11:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for biker123   Click Here to Email biker123     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I talked to a member of the Aurora staff last Monday 11/19 and was told that the live auction catalog would be uploaded to eBay that evening and would be on the Aurora website the next day. Called the office again the day after Thanksgiving to find out why that never happened and the answering service said the office was closed till Monday.

Michael
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From: Brooklyn New York
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posted 11-26-2007 06:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Michael   Click Here to Email Michael     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think the catalog is going to come out after the auction.......is that possible??? Just Joking

spaceflori
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From: Germany
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posted 11-27-2007 02:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceflori   Click Here to Email spaceflori     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Must be a top secret auction !

Still no catalog online...also nothing on ebay.

Florian

art540
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From: Orange, California USA
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posted 11-27-2007 10:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for art540   Click Here to Email art540     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
By Invitation Only...very exclusive

SRB
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posted 11-27-2007 01:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SRB   Click Here to Email SRB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Vapor auction?

Rick Mulheirn
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posted 11-27-2007 04:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Aurora catalogue is finally on-line.........

Regards,

Rick

LCDR Scott Schneeweis
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posted 11-27-2007 04:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LCDR Scott Schneeweis   Click Here to Email LCDR Scott Schneeweis     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by NightHawk117:
Do you think the delayed catalog is to keep people from having time to question some of the items up for auction?

I think your premise may not be to far off-base..it appears items are being uploaded to Ebay now...

------------------
Scott Schneeweis

URL http://www.SPACEAHOLIC.com/

SRB
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posted 11-27-2007 06:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SRB   Click Here to Email SRB     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A quick look at the 1200+ lots makes me long for the great Aurora auctions of a few years back. Most of the lots in this sale remind me of what you find most nights on ebay, a wide variety of stuff that sells for $25-30 or less. There are very few high end lots, and some of these items didn't sell at prior Aurora auctions. Maybe there are bargains hidden in all this stuff, but in three days it will be hard to evaluate everything.

art540
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From: Orange, California USA
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posted 11-27-2007 06:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for art540   Click Here to Email art540     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I only bid on unmanned lots - there are errors in the descriptions and when there is a lot of 5-27 photos only one or two is shown. Hard to judge value. Years ago at Superior I could go in early on Saturday and view lots in person.

mjanovec
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From: Midwest, USA
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posted 11-27-2007 06:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mjanovec   Click Here to Email mjanovec     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by SRB:
A quick look at the 1200+ lots makes me long for the great Aurora auctions of a few years back. Most of the lots in this sale remind me of what you find most nights on ebay, a wide variety of stuff that sells for $25-30 or less.

I had the same thought.

Plus, I think the consigners would have had better luck just listing their items on Ebay on their own and not going through Aurora. What does their 20% commission buy them? Three days advance listings? No print catalog? The odds are that many items won't even be listed long enough in order to find interested buyers...or, more importantly, enough interested buyers in order to competitively bid the prices up. At least a standard Ebay listing is 7 days, twice as long as Aurora is giving their consigners/buyers.

I think I'll sit this one out and wait for the upcoming Novaspace and Heritage Auctions instead.

Bill Hunt
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From: Irvine, CA
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posted 11-27-2007 07:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bill Hunt   Click Here to Email Bill Hunt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ugh... a quick glance of the patch offerings in the Aurora auction reveal dozens upon dozens of replica and reproduction patches, none marked as such. Buyer beware.

------------------
Bill Hunt

Outerspace
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posted 11-27-2007 07:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Outerspace   Click Here to Email Outerspace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Has anyone been told that there will not be a printed catalog for this auction?

Ken Havekotte
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From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
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posted 11-27-2007 07:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ken Havekotte   Click Here to Email Ken Havekotte     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Bill Hunt:
Ugh... a quick glance of the patch offerings in the Aurora auction reveal dozens upon dozens of replica and reproduction patches, none marked as such.
I did notice a few of my original company patches that appear to be unauthorized reproductions in at least 2-3 of the different lot offerings.

How did Aurora describe the "replica" assortment of patches?

Bill Hunt
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From: Irvine, CA
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posted 11-27-2007 07:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bill Hunt   Click Here to Email Bill Hunt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm looking at the Live Auctioneers listing pages online, not the actual printed catalog, but mostly they're just described as "rare". There appear to be literally dozens of such patch lots spread over the two sessions, and there are very few vintage originals among them.

------------------
Bill Hunt

daveblog
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posted 11-28-2007 12:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for daveblog   Click Here to Email daveblog     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I think there is a problem with this one

lot 908:Gagarin Autograph

"on the photo page of his 1973 book "My Blue Planet" (239pp., hard with dust jacket (faults), in Russian) An attractive book and one that is seldom available, especially with a dust jacket. Don't miss getting this lot."

Kind of hard for him to sign a book from 1973 considering he died in 1968

cosmos-walter
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posted 11-28-2007 04:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cosmos-walter   Click Here to Email cosmos-walter     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It is even worse: On Aurora home page still nothing is mentioned about this weekend's auction. On eBay live auctioneers only less than 675 lots have a picture. Since in past autopens or even faked autographs were described as genuine or unflown items as being flown, even experts are not able to find out the handful interesting items.

spaced out
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From: Paris, France
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posted 11-28-2007 07:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaced out   Click Here to Email spaced out     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I can't help feeling that in a Regency/Superior auction 90% of these lots would be turned into a single lot at the end of the auction in the form of a big cardboard box with the description 'An interesting lot of assorted space ephemera. Nothing very valuable but worth a quick look. Est. $10-15'

Scott
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From: Houston, TX
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posted 11-28-2007 08:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scott   Click Here to Email Scott     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by daveblog:
Kind of hard for him to sign a book from 1973 considering he died in 1968
I just think it's sad that the man can't rest in peace and is still being asked to sign things.

yeknom-ecaps
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From: Northville MI USA
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posted 11-28-2007 09:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Walter - if you go to the 'catalog' page of the Aurora site the online catalog is available.

biker123
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From: Palm Coast Fl. USA
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posted 11-28-2007 03:59 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for biker123   Click Here to Email biker123     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Aurora website has posted a link to download a color pdf file of the printed catalog. Click the catalog button to find the link.

gliderpilotuk
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posted 11-28-2007 04:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for gliderpilotuk   Click Here to Email gliderpilotuk     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Come on guys, don't talk it down when you could get your hands on:

682: A Rock Run Over by the Crawler

or

1154: Planet of the Apes Mask

Paul

Rick Mulheirn
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posted 11-28-2007 06:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick Mulheirn   Click Here to Email Rick Mulheirn     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I remember when Superior pulled out of space and Aurora took up the mantle I, and I suspect many fellow Cs members were delighted to see them take it on.

I have no idea of the complexities of organising such an auction. I hope this time round is an exception but I have to agree with others that this auction is pretty poor.

That said, Lot # 207, the Apollo A7L suit is stunning and IMHO the best piece in the auction.

Long may Aurora continue to auction items like this....

Regards,

Rick

PS. As tempting as the Planet of The Apes mask may be I doubt my wife could tell when I was wearing the mask..... and when I wasn't.

MelvinSchuetz
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From: Waco, TX
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posted 11-28-2007 08:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MelvinSchuetz   Click Here to Email MelvinSchuetz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by daveblog:
"on the photo page of his 1973 book "My Blue Planet" (239pp., hard with dust jacket (faults), in Russian)
Actually, this book isn't even by Gagarin! So there is another Aurora error. The English transliteration is Golubaya Moya Planeta, and it is Gherman Titov's memoirs.

hoorenz
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From: The Netherlands
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posted 11-29-2007 03:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hoorenz   Click Here to Email hoorenz     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Looks like the patches in this auction are from the estate of Randy Hunt. I have seen no single original patch in these listings.

ArtandAstro
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posted 11-29-2007 04:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ArtandAstro   Click Here to Email ArtandAstro     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another funny space auction.

Lot 207 A7L suit: Great item, but I doubt that the consignor has the right to own and sell it.

Lot 463 PLSS cable: Another attempt to offer an LM-CM umbilical cable as a PLSS cable (and it will be sold with a Scott COA). That's a scandal.

Lot 464 Utility light. The caption says it was part of an Apollo 15 flown Utility light from Scott's collection sold in a previous auction. In the Spring 2001 Superior Auction the light was sold (lot 1013), but complete with the cord.

In the Spring 2005 Aurora Auction another Apollo 15 flown LM utility light cord was offered(lot 632) with a Whipkey COA.

There were only 2 LM utility lights onboard Apollo 15. So the authenticity of lot 464 is also questionable.

Considering der poor provenance of lot 463 and 464 it is of doubt that both cable are flown on Apollo 15. May be they were flown on Apollo 9.

Len.

Bill Hunt
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posted 11-29-2007 01:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bill Hunt   Click Here to Email Bill Hunt     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by hoorenz:
Looks like the patches in this auction are from the estate of Randy Hunt. I have seen no single original patch in these listings.

It's too bad they aren't listed that way and priced accordingly, because if they were, I think there would be some interest from collectors who don't mind non-vintage patches. As it is, some of those patch lots are priced at many hundreds of dollars, and they're all replicas.

As far as vintage patches, I think lot 440 is the most interesting. It's an original Apollo 12 crew patch, with the star pattern that matches the patches worn on the recovery/isolation suits.

p.kentzinger
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Posts: 95
From: Kienheim, France
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posted 11-30-2007 05:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for p.kentzinger   Click Here to Email p.kentzinger     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Any opinion about this one?

362: Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong Autograph

Thankx

------------------
Pascal.
pascal.kentzinger@wanadoo.fr


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