Unpublished Custer image - eBay

[markj]

Good news: this image is clearly that of Geo. A. Custer.

Bad news: the dealer's asking price leads me to question his sanity.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GENERAL-CUSTER-unpublished-1861-FIRST-photo-unique_W0QQitemZ220095077445QQcategoryZ36039QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Yours, &c.,

Mark Jaeger

[FootsoreFederal]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Wow, that's a great photo! But way too high, and that's a fact.

[Rob Murray]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Great image. Thanks for sharing. There is a great market for Custeriana out there, I bet the dealer gets his price.

[1stMaine]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Mark,

Although the seller may reach his asking price, I suspect that this listing was not so much an actual offer to sell, but simply an anouncement that this image was located, and is in his possesion.

Many times an antiques dealer will list an item in a catalogue with an astronomical price, knowing that it most likely won'y sell, but that's not the point. he wants to generate a notice of his obtaining said item, and see what sorts of offers will circulate through the collector's community.

Respects,

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Hallo!

Bidding has ended with no bids...??

Interesting study of the red-headed Custer's problem with balding with the receeding temple hair-line at a somewhat early age. (A problem having far worsened by the time of his cropping in prepqration for the Little Big Horn campaign in 1876...)

Curt

(And sometimes EBAD sellers just "fish" for the chance of a buyer at any price... ;) An EBAD listing charge can be well worth the cost of "bait" if successful.)

[billyreb61]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Great image and great find. Thanks for sharing it.

[markj]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

Mark,

Although the seller may reach his asking price, I suspect that this listing was not so much an actual offer to sell, but simply an anouncement that this image was located, and is in his possesion.

Many times an antiques dealer will list an item in a catalogue with an astronomical price, knowing that it most likely won'y sell, but that's not the point. he wants to generate a notice of his obtaining said item, and see what sorts of offers will circulate through the collector's community.

Respects,

Indeed. Ebay is full of dealers who "test the waters" by placing high reserve prices on items to determine their actual market value. I ran into this myself a few years ago when I bid for an ID'd image of a Federal officer who hailed from the town I live in. Turns out the dealer had placed a $5,000 reserve on the photo, even though he would have been lucky to get 1/10th that much.

Having said this, judging from from his other items on the block right now, the dealer definitely offers choice, high-end merchandise. Incidentally, here's a recent message board discussion regarding other alleged "unpublished" Custer images:

http://lbha.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=Queries&action=print&thread=1139852502

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Drygoods]

Re: Unpublished Custer image - eBay

I'm rather amazed that it hasn't sold. These sorts of things often sell with discrete phone calls done with 'pickers'. It could be that the vendor simply wanted the public "the pickers" to know that this lovely little gem existed so that he could wait for the messages to pour in with willing buyers.