The Auction Database: Contents and Coverage

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The Auction Database: Contents and Coverage

Every year, approximately 2,000 pre-prohibition glasses list on internet auction sites such as eBay, Yahoo, and Glassworks Auctions. This database contains a compilation of images captured from those sites, together with a complete record of sales data.

The database was initiated in August, 2001.
Since that time, virtually every online auction sale has been logged into the database: coverage is estimated to be 95% or better.

Several pieces of information are captured at the time of sale and are available for analysis.
- A photograph of the glass.
  Quality ranges from outstanding to atrocious, but most allow the text of the label to be discerned and catalogued. The database is fully searchable so it is also an invaluable research tool. The database has already helped identify unsuspected and rare (a.k.a. valuable) variants of common glasses.
- A hammer price.
  This provides a real-time estimate of value, together with a historical record that shows how values of some glasses have increased exponentially with time, while others have fallen to near junk-bond levels.
- The winners.
  If you're curious about who's consistently taking home the rare glasses, this is a way to find out. It will also tell you who the bargain-hunters are, who's driving up prices, which among your competitors are the old-timers who have been there since the beginning.
- The sellers.
  This allows you to identify eBay sellers that you should bookmark in your "favorites" category and also provides a way to identify which of your colleagues are turning around glass to make a profit.
The Stats.
Online auctions are notoriously seasonal and volatile. Glasses can be snapped up at bargain rates during the summer when collectors are out enjoying the weather and hunting glasses "in the wild", but competition can become fierce and values soar during the winter months. Ephemeral collectors can temporarily drive the sales price on even common glasses up to stratospheric levels, making it difficult to accurately gauge the true value of pre-pro glasses without a knowledge of past sales histories.

The Auction database provides you with the historical perspective that you need to determine real market value and buying trends. Each glass listing in the database comes with statistical analyses (see demo) showing averaged sales data from the past year (high, low, and average prices, plus number sold) and over the life of the database.

Approximately 50 records are added to the database each week, so the accuracy and scope of this information is improving constantly.

Take a look at the demonstration pages - you very quickly get an idea of how useful this service might be!

If you're a serious collector and think you might be interested in this service, please review membership levels, read the disclaimers and then register. We can set up an account for you and have you logged in a few minutes later!

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