Author
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Topic: Aurora Dec. 2007 space auction
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VCampbell Member Posts: 83 From: Bell Canyon CA USA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 10-24-2007 02:23 PM
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 Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 11-09-2007 05:38 PM
Thanks Victoria. When will the catalog be available online?------------------ Bill Hunt |
gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-18-2007 01:50 PM
2 weeks to go - any catalogue available?Paul |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 11-18-2007 05:17 PM
From past experience, it usually shows up on their web site first. Just keep checking there, I suppose.------------------ John Capobianco Camden DE |
gliderpilotuk Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-21-2007 03:27 AM
T minus 10 days and counting.... |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 11-21-2007 07:21 AM
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 Member Posts: 309 From: Shreveport, LA, United States Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 11-21-2007 08:37 AM
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 Member Posts: 325 From: USA Registered: Oct 2006
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posted 11-21-2007 10:28 AM
Do you think the delayed catalog is to keep people from having time to question some of the items up for auction? |
capoetc Member Posts: 2169 From: McKinney TX (USA) Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 11-21-2007 04:20 PM
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 Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-21-2007 04:48 PM
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 Member Posts: 233 From: Maplewood, nj, 07040 Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 11-22-2007 01:26 PM
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 New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 11-24-2007 01:17 PM
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 Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-24-2007 01:28 PM
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 Member Posts: 48 From: Palm Coast Fl. USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 11-25-2007 11:12 AM
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 Member Posts: 309 From: Brooklyn New York Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 11-26-2007 06:07 PM
I think the catalog is going to come out after the auction.......is that possible??? Just Joking |
spaceflori Member Posts: 1499 From: Germany Registered: May 2000
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posted 11-27-2007 02:55 AM
Must be a top secret auction ! Still no catalog online...also nothing on ebay. Florian |
art540 Member Posts: 432 From: Orange, California USA Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 11-27-2007 10:56 AM
By Invitation Only...very exclusive |
SRB Member Posts: 258 From: Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-27-2007 01:04 PM
Vapor auction? |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-27-2007 04:14 PM
Aurora catalogue is finally on-line.........Regards, Rick |
LCDR Scott Schneeweis New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 11-27-2007 04:15 PM
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 Member Posts: 258 From: Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-27-2007 06:03 PM
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 Member Posts: 432 From: Orange, California USA Registered: Sep 2006
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posted 11-27-2007 06:21 PM
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 Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 11-27-2007 06:24 PM
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 Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 11-27-2007 07:10 PM
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 New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 11-27-2007 07:10 PM
Has anyone been told that there will not be a printed catalog for this auction? |
Ken Havekotte Member Posts: 2915 From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 11-27-2007 07:26 PM
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 Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 11-27-2007 07:44 PM
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 Member Posts: 135 From: Bergenfield, NJ USA Registered: May 2004
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posted 11-28-2007 12:33 AM
I think there is a problem with this onelot 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 Member Posts: 691 From: Salzburg, Austria Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 11-28-2007 04:54 AM
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 Member Posts: 3110 From: Paris, France Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 11-28-2007 07:06 AM
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 Member Posts: 3307 From: Houston, TX Registered: May 2001
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posted 11-28-2007 08:24 AM
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 Member Posts: 660 From: Northville MI USA Registered: Aug 2005
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posted 11-28-2007 09:13 AM
Walter - if you go to the 'catalog' page of the Aurora site the online catalog is available. |
biker123 Member Posts: 48 From: Palm Coast Fl. USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 11-28-2007 03:59 PM
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 Member Posts: 3398 From: London, UK Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 11-28-2007 04:37 PM
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 Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 11-28-2007 06:45 PM
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 Member Posts: 35 From: Waco, TX Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 11-28-2007 08:54 PM
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 Member Posts: 1031 From: The Netherlands Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 11-29-2007 03:49 AM
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 New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 11-29-2007 04:30 AM
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 Member Posts: 399 From: Irvine, CA Registered: Oct 2002
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posted 11-29-2007 01:23 PM
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.
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p.kentzinger Member Posts: 95 From: Kienheim, France Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 11-30-2007 05:15 AM
Any opinion about this one? 362: Apollo 11 Neil Armstrong Autograph Thankx ------------------ Pascal. pascal.kentzinger@wanadoo.fr |