I dropped a hint about this last week but had to wait for the package to arrive in my mailbox before I could tell you the whole story.
It still gives me a thrill.
A few weeks back I wrote a series of posts about my egg cup collection. And in one of the posts, I mentioned that my Doc egg cup, part of a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs series of egg cups that were made in 1937, has the most monetary value of any of the egg cups. Several years ago, the entire set (a rare find) could go for anywhere from $1000 – $2000. Nowadays, the individual egg cups routinely go for about $80 – $100, with $80 being closer to the norm.
Doc, the one I own, was an eBay win several years ago. I got him from someone in Australia. I’m not sure what I paid, but it was a flukey win. Maybe because the cup lived in Australia, maybe because of the timing, but I think I got him for around $40, which was a steal.
In the years since, I check out the Disney listings on eBay about once or twice a year. Very rarely is a dwarf egg cup available. Even more rarely (I can think of only once) is Snow White available. This year I took a gander when I was doing all the egg cup posts and there was a listing for the entire set – $699.
No can do.
There was also a listing for a Dopey egg cup. It was listed as Buy Now and the price was $95.00. I briefly fantasized about having enough cash to buy it, but I don’t. I also thought it was priced a bit high. There was an option to make an offer, and again, I thought about…maybe $80? But something made me hold off, most likely the reality of our budget, and I clicked on Watch Item instead. Eventually, the auction/buy now closed.
A few days later I received an email saying that the item had been re-listed. I clicked on over and the owner had decided to go the auction route and the starting bid was $19.50, which seemed surprisingly low.
Hmmmm.
What the heck, I said to myself, why not place a bid? So I did. My bid was for somewhere in the $30 range. For a couple of days I was the only bidder, which in and of itself I found shocking. Then one day I checked in and found another bidder had entered the auction. The initial bid of $19.50 had been changed to $24.50. I was still the winning bidder. I clicked over to the other bidder’s history and saw that he dealt in a lot of memorabilia, so I was immediately concerned that he would eventually outbid me.
A couple of more days went by. No more bids.
Now, I haven’t bid on anything on eBay in a long time, but in the days when I routinely bid there, there was a practice called Sniping, a paid-for, automated form of bidding that would put in a very, very last minute bid. If you were bidding by hand on your computer, watching for the auction to end, it was almost impossible to get another bid in after a sniping bid had been entered. It was just too close to the end of the auction. I lost out on many items that way and it always infuriated me because it seemed like cheating. It also took a lot of the fun out of it for me. Sniping still happens. So I was wary of a last minute sniping bid on the egg cup.
The final day of the auction came – last Friday. It was to close at 6:10 pm. I had a work commitment in the middle of the day which kept me busy. What I was hoping for was this scenario: I could quietly sit with my laptop around 6:00 – undisturbed by dog or man – and be ready to up my bid if necessary. However, I set a limit which was not much more than my original bid.
Don had no idea any of this was going on, of course. What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him, right?
6:00. I click over to the auction. The clock is live, counting down the minutes. No new bid. At this point, I am sure that the other bidder is going to come through with a last minute bid. He’s just biding his time.
6:05. The clock continues to tick. No new bids.
Surely he’s going to snipe at the last minute.
My body starts to tense. I open up new tabs on my browser and look at other sites/blogs to keep me from completely obsessing. I click back to the site about every 30 seconds.
6:07. I up my bid – just to give me an edge if someone comes in at the last minute.
6:09. I consider raising the bid even more but I stop myself. It’s all too easy to go crazy in an auction and I’m not going to do it.
The seconds tick down. The muscles in my body are tense. Adrenalin is shooting through my body. Don is in the kitchen starting dinner and has no idea what’s going on. I’m praying he doesn’t want to start some sort of conversation because I’m afraid I’ll have to cut him off with a terse “I can’t talk right now.” Five words eat up seconds on the clock.
10 seconds left. No bid.
5 seconds left. No bid.
I just know I’m going to see a new bid in the last 5 seconds.
The clock stops.
No other bid.
Am I seeing things? I refresh the page.
I got it for $24.50. That’s $70 less than the original asking price.
Oh my heavens.
As I try to control the out-of-control adrenalin surge, I refresh the page and see the magic words, “You won.”
I still don’t trust it and wait for an email. It comes a few seconds later.
Then I tell Don.
Oh man, that was fun! And rare. And I know how lucky I was.
Meet Dopey. He’s pretty adorable, isn’t he?
You know my dream is to collect them all. That may be impossible as I see them all too rarely and often they are sold as a set which is way too much money for me to spend.
But you never know.
This makes me smile.
Welcome, little Dopey. You are so stinking cute.
Happy Thursday.
You had me on the edge of my seat!
He IS so stinking cute ,too. What a great deal. I thought you were going to tell me you bought them all. Would you bid on a full set? Or one at a time … Like you’ve done so far? I think part of the passion and joy is the hunt for each individual piece!
I agree, Pat. The whole set seems too easy…I like the thrill of the hunt!
Oh Claudia, that was a nail biter! I have never been on ebay. I think I have to check it out now. It sounds like it can be very exciting.
It was, Marilyn! It can be very exciting and also disappointing, if things don’t go your way!
So awesome, Claudia! You are right…Dopey IS stinkin’ cute!
That face!
Yay!! Dopey!
Yay, indeed, Shanna!
How exciting!! It can be very intense. I use to bid on Beanie Babies. Congrats, so cute!
Hugs
Very intense…which is why I do it very rarely!
That last minute sniping is awful and drives me crazy but it’s part of the bidding on Ebay. I love your story and I relate as that’s how I felt about my last Ebay purchase of the McCoy dish. I must admit your egg cup is way better and much cuter! I’m so happy for you!!! Doc and Dopey, priceless!
hugs,
Linda
That McCoy dish is pretty beautiful, Linda. I just looked at that color combination in my reference book. I really love it!
It is gorgeous and I love it. Not as rare as your egg cup. Still I’m super pleased with my Ebay win! I’m still waiting for my Etsy buys to arrive. Baby girl better arrive soon as I’m spending money trying to keep busy so I’m not so anxious…LOL!! I keep telling myself to stay off Ebay (I just saw an egg cup handpainted with a Paris scene, oh my).
Uh oh. I saw one on Etsy with groundhogs/woodchucks painted on it. You know I love my groundhogs (I saw one of ours last night.) I have it bookmarked but have refrained from buying it so far.
I’m going to go to a favorite Antique Mall today…wish me luck!
Doc needed his friend Dopey and they are just so cute! Glad you won! Happy Spring!
You’re absolutely right – they needed to be with each other.
Claudia, I love how you posed the two little friends, glancing at one another, and in front of that pretty floral pottery. It looks like a little scene from Snow White. I’m guessing that was your intention.
Sort of…I also like posing certain items in front of that piece of Roseville Pottery – something about it works for certain photos!
Am I actually about to type that I was on the edge-of-my-seat over an eBay auction? Yes I am! Great story, Claudia. No kidding, you should think about writing a thriller of your own. Glad Doc has some company now – they are both really adorable. Congrats on your win – and enjoy your day.
My sense memory of the whole thing is so strong that I get tense just thinking about it!
He is adorable….what a great story! The two of them look so happy to be together…now they need another friend! So stinkin’ cute! ;)
Old friends reunited, Donnamae!
Hooray for you! So lovely to get something you really wanted. I’m too emotionally overwrought at that last few seconds bidding on stuff so actually have never done it alone, and the three times I did bid was with Robert by my side. Otherwise I have to “make” him do it for me…lol. But I guess I bid on non interesting or collectible things. Got some figure skates in England , (because I’m an ex competitive figure skater and love to skate) for something terribly ridiculous like $10, got a huge box of oils and brushes, canvases and other supplies, also in E, from a woman whose boyfriend left her and moved back to America, and left his art supplies!, and got some wood chisels to start my foray into wood carving. So that’s my whole lot! Not a lot, but enough to completely understand and sympathise with the butterflies and then repetitive checking of the bidding! Oh, have to go have a bit of a lie down now…lol.
It’s exhausting, isn’t it Veronica? I think that’s why I don’t do it so much anymore. It was hard enough in my younger days!
Congratulations Claudia! Those egg cups are so cute. Will keep my eyes open for you. Lets see, Bashful, Grumpy, Sleepy…….
Keep going, Tana!
You have the yin and yang of those dwarves, now to fill in the middle! Snow White is one of my daughter’s favorite princesses.
Snow White is almost impossible to find, Wendy. Probably loved by too many little girls over the years, maybe damaged?
I figured you had won the auction, in the beginning, but still my heart was just a pumping, and almost jumped out of my body.. Glad to see you got it for $24.50,..$70 less than the previous auction…and so stinking cute!! Isn’t it fun!
Heart racing fun, but fun nonetheless!
A little Dopey in our lives is always a good thing!!
OK, so I thought for SURE you were going to end up telling us that you were bidding against DON!! Just knowing how thoughtful he is and the way your stories are always so different and have some serendipity to them, I figured it would be a perfect outcome.
Maybe I would just exhaust myself reading mysteries!! :-)
GREAT history now to have for Mr. Dopey!!
That would have been very funny! No, Don loves me and he’s thoughtful, but unless it was birthday or Christmas time and I had told him how much I wanted more of the set, I don’t think I would have found him on eBay.
I’m sure happy Dopey is here and living at the cottage.
Wow Claudia..$24.50…I’m am amazed that no one bid higher…But isn’t it so exciting when you win something for much less than it is worth??..Enjoy him..he is adorable..P.S…I will keep a look out for these on my travels too..
I am equally amazed. No one bid higher? It was meant to be, I guess. Very exciting to get a great deal, Nancy!
Oh so CUTE!! It’s so exciting to get a deal on something so wonderful!! Doris
It’s the best! I was on a high for a couple of days after that!
He is adorable! Aren’t you the lucky one.
I am, indeed!
This may be my most favorite post ever from you, but you keep topping yourself. You’re a darn fine writer, Claudia. I was tensed, too. I actually got little chills on my arm. I could NE VER take the pressure of bidding. I’m so, so glad you got a great price and that Dopey and Doc can now keep each other company. That was a lot of fun! Your photos of the pieces are exceptionally clear; I can almost touch that ceramic finish.
OMG, I know what that is with the dear husbands. I will be RIGHT in the middle of a phone transaction and my normally-quiet husband will decide to chat a blue streak…and I just hate having to be abrupt and cut him off at those times but, I swear, the timing always just slays me!
Guess what. I couldn’t stand it. I ordered a paperback copy of Fifteen from Amazon; can’t wait to read it again, all these decades later. It just arrived. I also got Jean and Johnny…remember that one at all?! I’m babybooming, loving the nostalgia…prompted by your recent posts.
Oh lucky you! What a great idea! I wonder if my library has Fifteen? Or is it too old-fashioned to keep on the shelves?
Who knows? Give it a whirl. If it’s a small-town library, probably is, they usually seem to keep books a long, long time.
Don will always pick the moment when I’m on the phone or writing a post, to decide to chat. Thanks so much for your kind words, Vicki.
He was meant to be with you Claudia! Not only did you have the thrill of the hunt of obtaining him, but at such a low price!. Just for the record Dopey was always my favourite of the the seven dwarves. Well done xxx
The price was unbelievable! Thanks, Janine!
Awesome buy! I love when you find something you love at an amazing deal. At least for me that is rare. I can’t tell you how many times I was outbid on something. I never realized sniping existed. I just thought another person was waiting till the last minute to put their bid in like me :)
Well, that could also be the case. But when that last bid comes in at the VERY last minute, it’s probably a snipe.
I’ve lived that scenario MANY times!! So fun, so exhilarating, so much ToRtURe!! Congratulations, what a wonderful win!
Torture, indeed! Exhausting and exhilarating. In this case, well worth it!