Flasks?

[Kathi Groh]

Jim G, I have a great story!!!! I just called Jeff Noordsy! When I spoke above about how my father used to go on digs with an expert, the expert was my Uncle Nick DiRienzo. Jeff knew my Uncle Nick well!!! Small world!! Anyways, he did give me a price on the flask, and is having someone locally, that knew my Uncle Nick well and is a collector, come to my house and help me!! (that won't stop me from continuing to post on here though!) Thank you so much for telling me about Jeff!!

 

[Robby Raccoon]

I'm not sure if it will be of much use to you, but I'll paste something I've written and kept that shows you how to look for national average value in the last month:

For re-evaluating current value, not using perpetually incorrect book-value:
The best way to find a general American value of such a collectible is, look at e-Bay's Sold Listings, which shows a realised price in green (and unsold in black if you've clicked Completed Listings to see what they're not selling for). Then add to the sold, green price the cost of shipping if it stayed in the same country (America, specifically the lower 48 states). If it went out of or is coming from outside of the continental U.S.A., the sold listing cannot be used for it has its own separate variables (everyone remember the Sheikh, who would buy bottles from several countries at very high prices?).
Influencing variables to look for in the continental U.S. sold auction for determining value: Exact same item (shade of colour, applied v. tooled top, same size, etc.), in exact same condition (staining from being dug? Dirty? Cracked or chipped, a gouge, etc.), coming from a seller with at least 95% positive feedback with over 10 sales (a seller with too few sales, or not as good feedback, will not get as many people bidding as they do not trust his reputation or lack thereof).
So, to re-evaluate current value using an everyday auction site (e-Bay), there is what we'd need to look at.
But, e-Bay is not the same as a bottle auction-house. Auction-houses see higher realised prices, because people seem to believe they're getting better merchandise? Also, the values on e-Bay often deviate from those in fleas and antique-stores, albeit they often end up with unsold merchandise, or lose it to thieves/damage. But that is a whole different animal.
Lengthy, and a bit off-topic, but I think it gives a good overview of finding a value through recent sold listings (I consider 'current value' to be monthly, rather than by year. You cannot trust the value of an item 5 years ago, as being the value today. Examples of things that continue to decline dramatically in value: Porcelain and furniture).


Don't trust the value people give you when they desire to buy from you. Don't trust book value, either. Always research.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Kathi Groh]

Thank you very much for your post! I am trying so hard to use different resources to research my collection, but I have quite a few I just can't find anything on! I have turned to this forum to ask for any help anyone can give me with those particular ones! I am very grateful for all input!! I am going to try what you said on ebay. I joined Worthpoint.com, which tells me what bottles have sold for, but I find it very inconsistent! (even within the same month, the same bottles have sold and very different prices) It's all very confusing to me! lol And, I love that verse at the bottom of your message!

 

[Robby Raccoon]

Worthpoint draws from all sorts of formats-- i.e. actual online and maybe even now real-life auctions, e-bay-type auctions, etsy, etc. With estate sales, it's really quite odd how 'value goes'. Yardsales are even worse. It's usually best to go onto sites like e-Bay. Consignment is to be avoided. And even worse is, avoid people who say, "Yeah' it's worth this. So I'll give you this price." LOL.

e-Bay is usually more reflective, as it reaches all of America and has lower fees. Sometimes, people greatly desire an item and will pay much more than it's typical value for it. Other-times, a 'Buy-it-now' is priced to sell (and often too low) and artificially deflates the value as much as a great desire artificially increases it. Small markets (in my case, labeled bottles) will be affected as people come and go. I've joined into the labeled pontil bottle market, so I can expect to see prices fluctuate accordingly.

And, of course, it has to be the same item in the same condition with all the same features. Look to see if their purchase platforms have any fees associated. For example, I'd pay more for a bottle that doesn't have a buyer's fee (though it may have a seller's fee, which the seller may factor into the price), than I would in a real auction where they charge me 10% more than what I paid (in any event, the amount I'd give would still be the same, but the sellers in each would receive a different amount because one has been charged more of a fee than the other).

The Scripture quoted below is my favourite verse.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Kathi Groh]

Thank you!!! I had no idea about a sellers fee. So, let me understand this. When bottles sell on ebay, there is an additional fee, a sellers fee? Or are you talking about online auctions, where there would be a sellers fee?

 

[Robby Raccoon]

I believe e-Bay takes a portion of your realised (sold) price. It's smaller than in big-name auctions, though. If you join e-Bay and look at their rules, you'll find out.
What I found interesting, though, is I went back to see what I paid for a bottle. My account said it was in the 50-dollar range, but upon looking at sold-auctions it said it was a flat 60! Yet I didn't pay that much, so where did the extra $3 or so come in?

 

[Kathi Groh]

Yea, that's what I would question. Hidden fees?? I plan on selling on ebay/online whatever I don't sell at my sale. I better make sure I know what I am doing before I start that whole process! lol

 

[Robby Raccoon]

Googling it, I find:
Insertion Fees:
The funds will be released 3 days after your tracking shows delivery. PayPal takes a fee of 30 cents plus 2.9% of the transaction (including shipping and handling). eBay takes a fee of 10% of the transaction (including shipping and handling).

 

[Kathi Groh]

Thank you for looking that up! Well geez, that explains it!!! I will refer back to this when I go to post some of the bottles!!

 

[hemihampton]

Hopefully you get some good advise on those Flask. If you feel like you don't get good advice or uncomfortable with the advise maybe sell on ebay. It's to bad you can't trust anybody to help you out. Good Luck. LEON.