Hello all:
Our museum is in Alaska and far away from most antique dealers and art
galleries. Ebay has greatly increased our access to the market. Many
important Alaskan artifacts were removed from Alaska itself long ago and are
in the hands of private citizens, and now we have better access such items.
We have purchased several dozen very significant Alaskan objects--including
a rare arts and crafts movement bowl by a Juneau artisan from a former wife
of Art Garfunkel! We've also acquired over a hundred items of ephemera that
are not critical but are nice to have for museum displays and the research
files. Some of the items have been sold for top dollar, and others less.
Making contact with owners and dealers has sometimes led to other
acquisitions and even donations.
We make an effort to not compete with other institutions when we know others
are bidding. We're careful not to get caught up in the bidding--we have to
be frugal with our funds anyway. Like Ellen, we try to coordinate with the
collectors whenever possible, as we hope to one day turn our "competitors"
into "donors." But sometimes we will compete if we believe something is a
key object for the museum. For mass-produced items, if you stay with it long
enough you'll probably see multiple examples of the same thing come up for
sale again, and sometimes they sell for less the next time.
Ebay is like a vast encyclopedia of "stuff." It is useful just to survey the
range of items that has been produced in various collecting categories. I've
discovered a whole world of things that existed that we never even imagined.
Armed with that information, I have a better idea of what I'm seeking for
the museum out in the universe of material culture. Ebay can provide
information useful to research on art and artifacts. Also have collected
information on selling prices that is useful in setting insurance values.
We're a state museum and some vendors refuse to comply with our procurement
procedure, which is set by state law. Whenever we bid, I email the owner in
advance, tell them our procedure, and ask them if they'll "play ball." If
they say no, we can't bid.
Ebay is a fascinating phenomenon of our materialistic culture. I wonder if
"Ebay Studies" is being taught yet at the university level....?
Steve Henrikson
Alaska State Museum, Juneau
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Matt Mayberry
Sent: Friday, March 19, 2004 2:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: True eBay Confessions
I'm writing an article for History News about museums and eBay (and other
online auction sites). Anyone care to share your experiences with me? I'm
looking for good and bad, acquisition and deaccession, policies that you
may have been adopted, and other ways in which museums and their staff have
responded to this cultural phenomenon. Many thanks!
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