Wow, some nice results for Haertel round 3

The details will need to wait for my newsletter, but the quick news is we had a great results on several items in the third round of the Haertel postal history estate sale. Two items topped $1,000, one topped $3000. A good dozen items in the 200 +/- range.

My favorite fancy cancel was not the top bid getter among the Fancy Cancel group, although it did bring in excess of $150.

Colonial material is hot!
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Also the fourth and final week is off to a great start with over $3,000 in bids on the books already and many items on the move. The Lincoln Campaign letter has climbed steadily from 9.99 to $360 last time I looked. I suspect its got a ways to go yet. The Steamboats appear to have caught peoples eyes. Many others are getting hits and watchers, but no bids yet.
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Last Sunday most of the high bids on the top $ getters were made in the final 5 minutes, probably with sniper programs. That's fine with me, just bid what your willing to pay and make sure you don't wait too close to the end. I'm aware of bids not getting processed properly in the final minute or two. (It's happened to me.) Word to the wise, use a sniper if you wish, just make sure the bid gets in on time, give yourself at least a 5 minute buffer. If someone's going to over bid you, they are going to do it anyway, you at least will be making sure they pay full fare. Sounds like a good plan to me.

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Don't forget most of the unsolds will be re-listed March 6th for 10 days ending the day before St Patrick's Day. The minimum bids on most items have been halved. Should lead to plenty to brisk action. A few lots may get combined. I am particularly thinking of putting some groups of Fancy Cancels together. We'll see if I find time to actually do it.

Final session of the Haertel Estate is now LIVE

The fourth and final section of the Haertel Estates Postal History Collection is now live. It over laps the third section which has been live all the past week and ends this Sunday.

Both session contain outstanding postal history. Material that does not often find its way to eBay.

Ending Sunday are the fascinating array of fancy cancels and a nice selection of stamp less folded letters to and from foreign destination in the colonial to civil war era. Some exceptional items in both groups.

Newly listed are the Lincoln Campaign Letter, About a dozen confederate and or Civil war realted covers, not the least of which is a Free Frank from A H Stephens as Vice President of the Confederacy. Steam Boats, Domestic Ship Mail, Stamped covers from Scott #1 in 1847 through 1900 with domestic and international rates represented with some better stamps as well as better covers. Also a valuable little group of Local Posts on the East Coast and better Express Covers from out west. Also a few 20th century items, including Siberia AEF, Crosby Atom Bomb, US Possessions covers including Guam #12 on cover, Porto Rico Mil Stat, and a few stray items that should have launched in earlier sessions., etc.

Postal History

My Project X Speech First Draft

Below is the draft of my project X speech I gave at toastmasters this week. I didn't give the speech as it was written, and will be making significant changes as I prepare this theme for our annual international Serious Speech Contest. I mentioned this in my newsletter and said I would post it here. So here it is>

Mr. Toastmaster, fellow Toastmasters, welcome guests, At the end of my talk today I will ask each of you a question regarding your “Project X.” Specifically, I will ask you to name your “Project X.”

But first, I want you to think back to about 1 hour ago. Remember what it was like to drive to Toastmasters this morning? Can you see yourself behind the wheel? Now to shift gears a little, may I ask you to see yourself just driving down the free way on a long drive.

Do you ever get to the point while driving where you just zone out? Have you ever arrived at a destination and not actually remember the drive getting there? Or is this just my own personal dementia?

Now, if you will, can you imagine standing on the shoulder of that same freeway, moderately busy with traffic and intent on crossing it on foot.

Quite a contrast of mental attitude, don’t you think?

In the routine of driving the freeway we tend to drift off and operate on auto pilot. And yet in that very same place, in a very different way we are far more engaged when doing that which is out of the ordinary.

In the first case we are in the flow, in the second, we’re not.

Instead, we are acting purposefully. We are particularly paying attention to our personal preservation as we prepare to pedestrian our way across the pavement. We are in full control of our actions. We are alive, if only in a mundane matter.

Our lives are like that freeway trip. To stretch the metaphor, the journey out of the neighborhood starts at 16 with the first car and first accidents. Life is sometimes messy getting out of our childhood family neighborhood. It may take any number of years before a person settles into gear and enjoys cruise control on the family life freeway with all its rewards and merits.

But along the way, our roles in life, as varied and noble or base as they may be, become just a freeway trip.

I suggest we all need to grab a “Project X.” Something outside us, something short, specific, and extraordinary. Something like standing on the shoulder of the freeway, with risk and perhaps no lasting importance.

Something that takes your life off auto pilot and puts you back in charge. Crossing the freeway, but NOT like the chicken with an unknown mission.

Rather, your Project X is something definite. It’s a project that not only can, but will be done. Because, you said so.

And so fellow Toastmasters, the time has come. For me to ask, What will you call your Project X? Select a project outside of everything you are now doing. Give it a name. Make it real to yourself, and then do it.

If your project hasn’t already sprung to mind, name it Project X. Your first project is to find a worthy Project X.

Fellow Toastmasters, while it’s wise to look both ways when crossing the street, it’s imperative that you take the steps required to make it happen.

So, when you settle in behind the wheel of your car later today, start thinking about your Project X.

Let your cockpit be your incubator. (Repeat)

Presidential Free Franks Last Minute Report

With less than 24 hours left five of the presidential free franks have at least minimum bids. Three remain without a bid yet. My minimum on these is 249.99 each, which would be a real steal if anyone actually got one that cheap. Yet stranger things have happened so I'm a little nervous. My expectations are that these should bring 1000+. Lots of lookers, lots of people "Watching" the auctions.

John Q Adams Minimum bid entered at 249.99, 104 people have visited this auction.
James Madison Minimum bid entered at 249.99, 91 people have looked.
Martin Van Buren dual autographs on letter and as free frank. 249.99 bid, 73 looked.
Millard Fillmore no bid, min 249.99, 72 have looked
John Tyler, $260.00 bid, 69 have looked
James Buchanan, no bid, min 249.99, 55 have looked
Martin Van Burn on piece, 249.99 bid, 53 looked
James Garfield, no bid 249.99, 44 looked.

I am surprised by the lower interest in the Garfield item. According to my sources, there are no
known presidential free franks from Garfield, who was assassinated early in his term. As such this Senatorial free frank from him should be a hot item.

I fully expect the bidding to be concentrated in the last couple of hours with a hot and furious final hour and a half starting just before 9:30 PM EST. Less than a third of the items offered have bids, all have moderate to high viewers, and the majority have between 2-10 watchers according to my ebay data.

Its going to be fun to watch. Be sure to get you bids in. Expect a little competition, but last batch almost 30% did not hit their minimums, so expect some bargains as well. Happy hunting!

Postal History

Fancy Cancels up Maritime Stampless Up

Haertel Estate Postal History Auction Update

On Thursday January 31st we launched 50 Folded Letters from
Colonial to 1809 time period. These closed on February 10th. 70 %
of the lots sold. Many at high multiples of their minimum bids. The
unsold will be repriced and auctioned on March 6th.

On February 7th we launched another 120 stampless covers and FLS
from 1810 to 1855, with a number of restored rate covers and other
very desirable rated covers. Also launched February 7th were the
Free Franks, including the presidential free franks from James
Madison, John Quincy Adams & others as well as over 50 other free
franks of all descriptions, many exceptional items. Added to the
mix is a nice collection of better Wisconsin Territorial and DPO
Covers.

All of these will Close this Sunday evening, February 17th.

Yesterday, on Valentines Day we launched a sweetheart of a
collection of over 120 Better Fancy Cancels on cover. This
exceptional selection has some real winners.

Included are a few early precancels including a Glen Allen,
Va red Precancel Star with Cert. Also listed on Valentine's
day was a selection of international stampless covers to and from
the US from colonial times to 1860s with sea postage rates. These will close on February 24th.

The Balance of the Collection will be coming up on the 21st if
I can get it all done on time. That will Include the Lincoln
campaign cover, Confederate covers, stamped postal history to
1900, Express, and some other goodies.

Go now to: Haertel Estate Postal History Auction

Best wishes, etn

Last Sunday evening 77 lots closed with a little over 70% selling for a gross sales amount of $5,482.37.

The remaining lots will be rerun March 6th with any additional unsold lots that occur between now and then. The biggest total for a single cover was $275 for a stampless letter from Hudson NY to Clermont NY rated 6 cents. I have no idea why this cover brought more than some of the others that I would have valued higher.

The next best price went for one of the Civil War patriotic covers showing Uncle Sam Spinning Rope to Hang the Traitors which got $270. In contrast, the unused civil war patriotics brought prices between $10-20 each grouped in lots of 3-5.

I am happy with the results, and confident most of the unsold items will eventually sell. I'll bet several will sell at more than the minimum set the first time around. Time will tell.

Currently, I have the balance of the domestic stampless covers, the Free Franks including the presidential and the Wisconsin Postal History live on eBay. That's a total of 230 lots. I have adjusted my listing policy for this auction having lots close 1 minute apart instead of them all closing at the same time. Several bidders suggested this, and I think it will result in higher bids. With any luck it will help stir up some last minute bidding ferocity.

Later this week, the Fancy cancel collection will be offered. They are all queued and ready to go. I may add additional material, or hold everything else for the 21st. At that point everything from the Haertel estate should be up. Each auction is 10 days so I will probably rerun all the unsolds on March 6th.

I will eventually prepare a prices realized report, but may require people to join my newsletter to access it. Why not just join now, and enjoy my reports from the tundra. That way you can get the prices realized when it's published.

Send a blank email to stepsnewletter@aweber.com to join the weekly newsletter. You can quit at any time. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

120 More Lots now Live on eBay Haertel Estate

The free franks, Wisconsin Territorial and DPO's, and the continuation of the stampless era from 1810-1850's are now live on eBAy. They will close on Sunday February 17th around 10ish EST.

Several potential bidders prevailed upon me to list items sequentially to permit them to bid on alternate items easier. I have listened and as a result listed items in each category at 1 minute apart. I move the initial starting time for the largest category, the stampless covers, up to 9:30 instead of my previously announced 10PM.

Easiest way to access the collecting is through my eBay store. Just look for the Haertel Auction Category to the bottom of my category list on the left of the page.

Don't forget the items launched last Thursday will close this Sunday. In this case they will all close at 10:00. Lots of lookers, few bids so far. I suspect a lot of sniper bids have been set. Thats fine with me, just be sure to have them launch early enough so an not to get frozen out.

I've had that trouble before with snipe I had placed to end only a few seconds before the auction ended. In more than one case, eBay would accept them because they came to close after another sniper bid or some such. Any way I've been told you need to set you snipe for 30 seconds to minutes before the auction ends or you may get frozen out. Just word to the wise, as there will be some heavy bidding on many of the offerings.

First Postal History Lens Done

I have finished adding covers to the Domestic Stampless FLS and Cover collection from the Haertel Estate. It is on a Squidoo lens. http://www.squidoo.com/etnpresentsPostalHistory

I think it can stand on its own as a basic primer in Domestic Postal History rates in the United States. I welcome your comments, and may at some point invite your submissions to flesh out any weak spots and build a true virtual reference collection online.

I also finished listing the fancy cancels, which will launch on Valentines day night at 10PM.

I hope to build a Fancy Cancel Lens soon. In the meanwhile, I've attached one to help you remember that Fancy Cancels launch on Valentines day. It's got a heart in a bold White Hall, NY star fancy cancel from 1867.