Hamlet fails to sell at auction
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts |
Auctioneers had estimated the edition to sell for $2m
"A rare copy of William Shakespeare's Hamlet has failed to sell at an auction in New York.
The edition, printed in 1611, had been expected to fetch up to $2m (1.09m pounds)."
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Fraser's Autographs - 100 Index:
"Fraser's has analysed the top 100 most sought-after autographs and have compared their retail price in 1997 to today's market value. The resultant investment index gives an average of the percentage growth in value over the period, it also shows the range of themes which are popular collecting fields such as royalty, art, pop, sport, historic figures, film and space"

Google Answers has some interesting stuff on it:
Google Answers: sport and e-commerce:
"Incidentally, baseball is tops in the billion dollar Sports Memorabilia business, followed by basketball and hockey. Football is further down the list. Wrestling is small time compared to the major league sports."
Read 'Trading In Sosas And Alis,' by Missy Sullivan, Forbes.com, (12.26.01)

Sports Memorabilia Hobby...
Showing Steady Increase In Activity:
"The sports memorabilia hobby has had its share of ups and downs since the boom years of the 1980s. But recent indicators show a steady increase in hobby activity. Sixty percent of the sports hobby retailers recently surveyed by the trade journal Card Trade said their gross sales and net profits increased last year."
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From Beckett.com:
Sports Collecting Habits
"Sports collectibles other than cards
Other than sports cards, members of Beckett's total audience (print and online) are most likely to collect sports autographs (78%) and sports memorabilia (61%). "

A "stock exchange" for sports trading cards, with market stats and reports:
thePit.com - Market Snapshot:
Graded Card Exchange
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Trade over 250 of the hottest stars in sports today. All cards are graded by the top authenticaters in the industry.

Uncirculated Exchange
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Trade the hottest prospects and rookies. All cards are encased and sealed directly from the manufacturer.

Old Model Airplane Kits and the eBay Market
by David Hewett
Maine Antique Digest, April 2004
"If you're one of those gray-templed would-be aviators who remembers finding a model airplane kit under the tree on Christmas morning when you were a kid and wonder what's happened to it, just check out eBay some night. Be ready for a surprise.
They're back, and their prices are soaring."
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Timing is everything with collectibles
Bob Young
The Heat Index
Apr. 16, 2004 12:00 AM
"Well, we didn't actually visit the land of fire and brimstone, but we got to thinking about Barry Bonds and his assault on the home run record book and how much those baseballs he's hitting into McCovey Cove are worth.

Who better to talk about such things than Todd McFarlane?"
Read the Full Story >>:

The Official Marx Toys site:
Marx Toys:
"And so the story of 'Marx Toys' continues....
What began as a fledgling enterprise in 1919 and grew to
become the world's largest manufacturer of toys in the
middle of the century, has since evolved into a 'classic'
toy staple of the 1990's."

Recent Prices - More Marx: Johnny West:
Marx Johnny West Sam Cobra NM Complete - 2004-03-06 - Bids: 11 - Price: $520.00
Marx Johnny West Fighting Eagle NM Complete - 2004-03-06 - Bids: 19 - Price: $418.99
Johnny West Buckboard with Thunderbolt MIB - 2004-03-13 - Bids: 12 - Price: $405.00
Marx Johnny West Collection 10 figures plus - 2004-03-09 - Bids: 27 - Price: $305.00
Marx Johnny West Figurine with Beard - 2004-03-17 - 2004-03-24 - Bids: 14 - Price: $302.07
1960's Marx Johnny West Ranch House & Corral playset, MIB - 2004-03-17 - Bids: 23 - Price: $280.00