About the 2009 Sale
Early this year, Bob lost 2 months of restoration time to a total hip replacement but is now back restoring old puzzles. By “dipping” into our core collection, we are still able to offer a wide range of fully restored puzzles (with a couple of exceptions) from the inexpensive (cardboard, Straus, post 1950 wood) to the relatively “dear” (Pastime, 1909 era) to the very expensive (Par). We scanned in all puzzle images (or box image) and posted them on our sale list, so you can view and study them as you wish. If you cannot view the images on site, we can email them to you.
Please note: we plan to keep up to date as best we can the sale list posted on our website with respect to the latest bidding for each puzzle so you can check the bid status for the puzzles you are interested in before submitting bids. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, or have questions, we welcome your phone calls and emails. And you will have to call or email us anyways with respect to your bids as there is no on-line bidding like Ebay.
Restoration
As in the past, nearly all puzzles needing work have been fully restored by Bob as his principal avocation in retirement. Restoration includes making replacement pieces, which meet the test of “you have to hunt to find them”. Bob also repairs all the broken/split knobs, missing/damaged paper and delaminated wood he can spot so that the puzzle “looks really good” and is in good or better condition. On average, this activity actually takes longer than replacing missing pieces. Any unfixable problems are noted in the “Comments” section and the puzzle priced accordingly. If you should not be satisfied, call us and we will work it out, including refund. Also, wherever possible, Bob repairs boxes using archival materials and techniques so they can safely store the puzzles but still show their age (Bob demonstrated these techniques at our last Puzzle Parley). And if he feels the box acidity might affect the pieces, Bob has been lining them with archival tissue paper, particularly the Pastime boxes.
Bid Rules
In order to be as fair as possible, we have set 10 p.m. East Coast Standard Time, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 as the deadline for requests. Please note change to Tuesday and not Thursday as in the past. All requests received by mail, e-mail and telephone up to that date will be handled on an equal basis. When more than one request is received for a puzzle during that period, we will conduct a draw for the winner. You may request at list price as many puzzles as you wish (no limit here). However, since 1998 we have also allowed each buyer to make (and revise) overbids on up to 3 puzzles , if you are willing to go above the list price. Obviously, the highest overbid received by us by 10 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 10, 2009 will claim that puzzle. You may check with us on the status of bidding for any puzzles and drop, add, revise or switch your bids as often as you wish right up to the last moment so long as you are the leading over-bidder on no more than three puzzles at any one moment. We do ask that you not withdraw or reduce an overbid while you are still in the lead as others may have relied on it in making their bidding decisions (you can add to it, though). We also ask that when overbidding you do so by at least the following minimum increments: on prices up to $100: $2; from $100 to $300: $5; over $300: $10, and that you not overbid by simply stating in an email: “Overbid the current bid by the minimum amount”. You must state a figure for your overbid. Also note: we treat your overbid as the actual bid regardless of the amount being overbid, and not an “up to” or proxy bid as does the Ebay computer. This is an important distinction from Ebay and can be both a positive and a negative (call Bob and he will explain).
Sale Results
In our last sale, every puzzle listed was sold with about 80% going via overbids, many, however, by only a few dollars over list price. On average, buyers received about a fifth of the puzzles they requested. We were pleased that 65 bidders received puzzles. It is best to request more puzzles than you actually need, maybe setting a maximum dollar limit in case you are “too lucky”. Remember: there is no limit to the number of puzzles you can put your name in for at list price. Best of all, however, near the end check on the status of the bidding by visiting our website and email or call us to add to your list puzzles not in hot demand, maybe even placing your overbids on some of them. Please note: we usually are overwhelmed with calls and emails in the last 20 minutes of the sale despite bringing in our webmaster to handle emails and post bidding on line. We give priority to answering the phone and try to respond quickly to each caller’s questions (you must be brief, as well). This means the emails pile up and we are unable to open them until after 10 p.m. It is possible that you could appear to be the high bidder for a puzzle at 10 p.m. but an email with a higher bid has come in a few minutes before and is sitting there unopened. The higher email bid would prevail. We also recheck all the bidding the next morning before announcing final results on our website. Yes, the Ebay computer has us beat here, but we like to think we are a lot friendlier!
Shipping
Everyone making requests/bids will receive a summary of the sale listing the puzzles they are receiving, a “second chance” list of puzzles not requested by anyone in the first round (if any), and instructions on payment and shipment. For shipping within US, we normally charge $4 for the first puzzle ($5 west of the Mississippi), $1 for each additional puzzle, $2 for the first $100 of insurance, and $1 for each $100 of insurance thereafter, with shipment by Parcel Post. However, large heavy puzzles and boxes, shipment abroad and special arrangements including Priority Mail are at extra cost. For puzzles purchased by Massachusetts residents, we must add 6.25% sales tax unless you send us your tax-exempt number.
Contact Us
We hope to hear from you and welcome your calls! We will be around to respond promptly to your emails and phone calls and post the latest bidding on our website. Note: if you are not bidding but would like to continue receiving future lists, send us a short note. We do stop mailing people after two mailings without receiving a response of any kind. And if just receiving an email notice of the sale and relying on our website listing is sufficient, please notify us so we can save postal mailing you next time.
Notes on particular puzzles
(see enlarged image on website for more information)
- Par 7 is an early example of a puzzle’s title cut into the puzzle as drop out figures. It required very extensive restoration and is priced accordingly.
- 5-5176 and 5-5168 came to us guaranteed complete but we did not have time to assemble them. We are still guaranteeing them, but if there should be a problem after assembly, we will make any necessary fixes or refund the purchase price.
