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    Shot of the Week  Item number: 6168833962    
  
Hello, pre-pro_surfer! (Not pre-pro_surferClick here.) Watch this item (track it in My pre-pro)
  

This latest edition of SOTW is overdue and I apologise.  I've been working on getting the new database up and running.  It's still not ready for an official launch but you can get a sneak preview if you're interested.  I have yet to tweak a couple of features so it may disappear briefly on occasion, but it's basically functional.  More on this later on the "What's New" page.

I'm actually relieved at having a distraction from what's going on on eBay at the moment.  I'm sitting here looking at the carnage of the last few days, weeping tears of -- well I'm not sure if it's frustration or mirth.  ARE YOU GUYS *BAD WORD*  *VERY BAD WORD* NUTS?????

What am I talking about?  Well, we'll get to that, but I hereby announce an official http://www.pre-pro.com/ (sound trumpets please) "More Money Than Sense" award. 

Looks like I'll have to put in a JUMBO order for plaques because there are so many contenders, but what else can one do when presented with the following evidence??

For example - here's a nice-looking glass from Schweyer of  Chicago.  It's actually quite a common one that a year ago, almost to a day, wouldn't have been able to get any bids at $9.99.  Just ask lad121 or dlaumbach.  We had one on the site 6 months or so ago and I was feeling guilty about having to ask $20 for it.  Yet a scuffed version of this same glass precipitated an all-out fight between thekralikkid and lincolnmt.  And the MMTS award goes to... (drum roll) ..  lincolnmt for paying $62.22!!  Congratulations to the winner!
Then there was this "King of the Valley".  Not such a common glass but there's nothing as ugly as a scuffed-up reverse etched glass.  Two years ago in mint condition, maybe $20.  Yesterday,  lincolnmt pummeled boobeez all the way up to $50.10 for the chance to stick it in their display cabinet!  And the award goes to (drum roll) ..  lincolnmt!! Congratulations to the winner!

Are we having fun yet?  :-) 
snapsnert is - he's laughing all the way to the bank.....

Now this IS a nice glass.  We see it show maybe once a year and I was thinking (silly me) maybe $60 would take it.  So did several others - the pack took it to around $67, but the two contenders for the MMTS award (laderdude33 and thekralikkid) stood there throwing wads of bills at each other until their noses were green and bloody.  And the MMTS award goes to... (drum roll) ..  thekralikkid for paying $102.50!! Congratulations to the winner!

Among other notable auctions  was a 1905 Souvenir glass from Victor Liver Syrup.  The 1905 is the most common of this Truog series and hence can typically be picked up for $40 - $50.  The example below fetched $89 (aquabluecreations chased by glasshopper8).  Yet within a couple of days, the much rarer 1897 example from Frederick at right  went for only $60.99 (glenn40292 chased by lakerdude33).   

OK, enough of the insanity already, what about the SOTW?

There were several potential contenders.  

My favorite was probably this railway souvenir that showed up with a grossly bloated reserve that xxxtruk tried to find -- and failed -- at $67.00.

(Kurt tells me $67 was enough to return it to the yard via a back-door deal: Ed)  

"IN 1828, THE SWITCHBACK GRAVITY RAILROAD WAS BUILT, AND IS REPORTED TO BE THE SECOND RAILROAD IN THE UNITED STATES. ORIGINALLY OPERATED BY GRAVITY AND MULEPOWER, AND LATER CONVERTED TO STEAM. IT BROUGHT COAL MINED IN NEARBY SUMMIT HILL TO THE LEHIGH CANAL IN MAUCH CHUNK. AS THE NEED FOR COAL WANED, THE SWITCHBACK RAILROAD WAS ABANDONED AS A COAL MOVING RAILROAD. AROUND 1870 IT WAS CONVERTED INTO A RIDE FOR SIGHTSEERS. THE OLD COAL CARS WERE CHANGED TO RESEMBLE OLD TROLLEY CARS AND TRAVELED AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 65 MPH. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE SWITCHBACK RAILROAD WAS THE FIRST ROLLER COASTER IN THE UNITED STATES. THEN SADLY, DURING THE DEPRESSION THE SWITCHBACK RIDE DECLINED. IN SELTEMBER 1937, THE SWITCHBACK RAILROAD WAS SOLD AT AUCTION FOR $18,100.00, OR APPROXIMATELY $1.00 PER RAIL. ONE YEAR LATER IT WAS SOLD TO JAPAN, WHICH WAS BUYING SCRAP FOR ITS WAR EFFORTS" (seller's notes)

But any time an enamel in good condition shows up it has to be a serious contender.  This one was a "Gold Seal", shown below.

Several companies were recorded using a "Gold Seal" brand but this glass was probably from A.M.Hellman & Co. of St. Louis MO.  It attracted surprisingly little attention.  Serious contenders included aquabluecreations and nuffbarn, but it was junkmoney (another SOTW Hall-of-Famer, not to mention MMTS Hall-of-Famer!) who basically stole it for a measly  $134.50.  

Congratulations Bill!

"Ok, first I really dont know how old this is but was in the box with all the pre pro glasses I have and was seperated in this collection as such. If its not that old and someone knows for sure, let me know and I will post that information.

This is a real sharp looking glass, thin wall and has the name Gold Seal in raised white letters. it reminds me of when you used to make a line of glue and let it dry. Above, below and on left of the letters are some gold designs really making this a sharp looking glass.

This one measures 2 1/4" tall and 2" across the top with no rim chips, is in excellent condition as you can see by the picture".

 

 

Note that some previous picks for "Shot of the Week" can be found in The Archives.

last updated: May 08, 2005                  

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