Low balled

[Lordbud]

Check out the winning bids on these two San Francisco hutches, ridiculously low.
The New Century Steam Soda Works was in business for one year only...

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CENTURY-STEAM-SODA-WORKS-BOTTLE-S-F-CAL-HUTCHINSON_W0QQitemZ190303963796QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f000a94&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A200

Nice strike on the Somps..."soda warter", eh what?[8D]

http://cgi.ebay.com/P-SOMPS-SODA-WARTER-WORKS-BOTTLE-S-F-CAL-HUTCHINSON_W0QQitemZ190303962261QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c4f000495&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A4|65%3A13|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A200

 

[jays emporium]

I frequently look at Texas hutchinsons on ebay and they never go cheap, even the common ones in not great shape. What's wrong with the California collectors, the economy?

 

[georgeoj]

Take a look at the payment method. The seller says discover card only. Good way to limit the number of people who will even consider bidding. George[8|]

 

[onekick1]

There's nothing wrong with the western collectors. Its the"hutch" bottles - Just look at them.

 

[appliedlips]

I agree, they have the character of a modern Coke bottle.

 

[Wilkie]

Those did go cheap and I missed 'em. I haven't been doing ebay much lately and as a collector of this catergory I would have snatched them both up. They did go for a very good price.

 

[Lordbud]

ORIGINAL: lobeycat

And what do you attribute the lowness of the bids to? There's not much missed by hutch collectors on ebay.

Interesting question. We've all seen two (or three or four...) same-condition examples of a given bottle go for quite different winning bids on ebay.
The Somps with a good "strike" and a couple small chips perhaps closer to double the $10.49 winning bid.
The New Century Steam is scarce to rare; I've seen maybe 5 - 10 examples over the years including my own and I would have figured at least $50 for a winning bid. I would attribute the lowness of the bids to the fact that most (not all) Western soda collectors prefer the 1850 - 1870 Western sodas with iron pontil, color or early Western-blown glass.

 

[Lordbud]

ORIGINAL: appliedlips


I agree, they have the character of a modern Coke bottle.

Snooty back-Easty collectors ...hutches not antique enough for you?[]

 

[Lordbud]

ORIGINAL: georgeoj

Take a look at the payment method. The seller says discover card only. Good way to limit the number of people who will even consider bidding. George[8|]

The seller does mention in his description that he takes other forms of payment, but I bet people didn't notice, and figured "I ain't payin' with no Discover card!" These auctions both ended while I was at work, and I figured they'd have gone for a good deal more change anyhow, so I didn't put in a bid. If I'd known I could have won either with a $20 bid ahead of time... Well okay, not the Somps -- I've got two of those, but the New Century Steam definitely. The Steam hutch at the recent Vallejo show was over $100 asking price.

 

[CALDIGR2]

I packed one of those New Century Steam Soda Works hutches around to several shows and finally got tired of doing so and stuck in in a "crappers" box. Nice and clean, but no buyers at 60 bucks. No "reasonable" offers, either. Dug it here in Sac-town, of all things.