skatingforums
On the Ice => The Pro Shop => Topic started by: Jon-Ohio on December 18, 2011, 07:29:39 PM
-
Saw these SP-Teri skates on eBay - $6500 - WOW !!!!
Any buyers ?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SP-Teri-Custom-Skates-World-Champion-Tai-Babilonia-Authentic-/160699458408?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256a6f2368
-
Pre-owned by Tai Babilonia. Hmmm, I think they won't get the price. They are pretty skates though.
-
Interesting that they don't list the size - of if they do I didn't notice!
They are very pretty.
I have a jacket once owned by Lauren Bacall. Any takers?
-
I also notice that they have MK Professional Blades - really, Tai wore these???
Hmmm....
looks like a promo gone awry...
-
Interesting that they don't list the size - of if they do I didn't notice!
They are very pretty.
I have a jacket once owned by Lauren Bacall. Any takers?
I have a coat worn by Evelyn Kramer.... ;D
-
Interesting that they don't list the size - of if they do I didn't notice!
They are very pretty.
I have a jacket once owned by Lauren Bacall. Any takers?
At that price they are probably looking to sell them as valuable memorabilia - not to be worn, so the size matters not. They are pretty, but honestly I can't see anything special about them other than they belonged to TB. They look almost brand new. I have to agree with AgnesNitt - don't think they'll get anywhere near that much for them.
-
Yeah, I don't understand this one at all... I could see the skates that won a major award as being very valuable to a collector, but a pair of pink SP Teri's when you could get your own made for 10% of the selling price? Not really sure I see the value in that even as a collector's item... not when it's the book that will be signed as part of the auction?
-
A few issues with the listing info:
1) it says "Custom Skates designed for Tai Babilonia" and never claims "worn by ..."
2) Tai is going to autograph? These things are usually done for charities. I question the seller's connection to Tai Babilonia. In fact, does she even know about this auction? It could be legit, I'm just skeptical.
I think the seller does not understand this particular market.
-
I think the seller does not understand this particular market.
And is 30 years too late.
-
A few issues with the listing info:
1) it says "Custom Skates designed for Tai Babilonia" and never claims "worn by ..."
2) Tai is going to autograph? These things are usually done for charities. I question the seller's connection to Tai Babilonia. In fact, does she even know about this auction? It could be legit, I'm just skeptical.
I think the seller does not understand this particular market.
"Tai Babilonia will personally autograph any personalized message for the winner of the auction on both the skates and the book,...."
-
"Tai Babilonia will personally autograph any personalized message for the winner of the auction on both the skates and the book,...."
I had to read the ebay description to work out what her claim to fame was. Winning Worlds once hardly qualifies for selling a pair of boots for that much money, especially when she's never skated in the boots.
-
Wow, the listing also says "Suggested Retail $10000"!
I don't think so...
-
Wow, the listing also says "Suggested Retail $10000"!
I don't think so...
do you think they misread the suggested retail and added a zero?
-
do you think they misread the suggested retail and added a zero?
That's quite possible, it would certainly be a much more realistic price!
-
do you think they misread the suggested retail and added a zero?
I think that's likely... custom SP teri's can easily run $750-800 depending on the options chosen, and the blades are $200.
-
Interesting that it is a "Buy It Now" option - obviously no one is biting!
-
"Tai Babilonia will personally autograph any personalized message for the winner of the auction on both the skates and the book,...."
Yes, that is what the description says. So what?
-
No bids.
-
No surprise there. :D
-
And I notice it's a pawn shop offering them for sale. That's sad.
-
I think a lot of pawn shops are starting to do online consignment work, like the eBay shops that list your items for a fee. Maybe it's owned by someone close to her and this is their business, so she's willing to help them out.
There's a chain of pawn shops in our area. Last Fall, the owner donated the pawned musical instruments that weren't selling. He gave them to the public schools for music programs. Nice bit of publicity for the business. I can't imagine there's much demand for pawned musical instruments these days - just the thought of a used trumpet makes me go "yuck."
-
I can't imagine there's much demand for pawned musical instruments these days - just the thought of a used trumpet makes me go "yuck."
Don't most kids start out on rental instruments? That's basically the same as buying used...
-
Don't most kids start out on rental instruments? That's basically the same as buying used...
Yeah, mine did...and my flutes were bought used as well. I didn't worry about the yuk factor too much-wiped them down with alcohol & dilute bleach and that was it.
-
I don't think it's not the same thing. When you go to a pawn shop, you have to know exactly what you're looking for and be able to recognize good/bad condition. The rental store keeps track of the brands and models so they can find/recommend the correct instrument for beginners. (We actually went in and said "Our DD is going to be learning the clarinet for beginning band at () school." - they knew immediately what we needed, from instrument to instruction book. Really great shop.) The pawn shop crew wouldn't know a soprano sax from an alto sax.
My kids do rent their instruments. The music store brought them out to us, pre-cleaned, and taught the kids how to keep them clean. We were lucky enough to get a brand-new instrument that they were just putting into circulation for one of the girls. That won't happen at a pawn shop.
That's different than buying someone's cast-off that's been lying around and tested by who-knows-how-many-people, but you're right: they both require a good initial cleaning regardless of where it came from.
Regardless, it's possible the pawn shop selling these skates is just doing consignment internet business for someone, not necessarily Tai hocking her old skates, lol.
-
There's a chain of pawn shops in our area. Last Fall, the owner donated the pawned musical instruments that weren't selling. He gave them to the public schools for music programs. Nice bit of publicity for the business. I can't imagine there's much demand for pawned musical instruments these days - just the thought of a used trumpet makes me go "yuck."
A lot of pawn shops do have expertise with what they sell, or, they bring in an outside expert. They are there to make money ... so they have to be sure that they are "pawning" or purchasing for the right value, and selling for the right value. Musicians are known to troll pawn shops (or have standing "CALL ME" instructions) for specific instruments. It's not hard to clean a used instrument, and, lots of people who buy used buy a new mouthpiece (they recommend this or require this for school music programs anyways, as it cuts down on germ transmission). The bigger issue is the quality of the overhaul, i.e. keys, pads, levers, etc. My son is quite an accomplished musician, and we have purchased his clarinet (and recently a tenor sax) used. The music store did the setup ... which required new pads, adjustments to the key levers, minor repairs ... and cleaning. We could never afford to buy this quality new; and the sax is actually one made in the 1960s!
-
Exactly - some do appraisals, others guesstimate. You have to know what you want/need when you buy from a pawn shop; even if they do have expertise, they're there to sell what they either have in stock or might be able to acquire for a customer.
I think the misplaced decimal is a likely explanation for these skates' prices.
-
I think the misplaced decimal is a likely explanation for these skates' prices.
I disagree. I poked around the ebay posting and there was an estimated value of $10,000. Nobody would pay that for Brian Boitano's olympic gold winning boots.
If they were my size and about 300 I'd buy them.
-
Nobody would pay that for Brian Boitano's olympic gold winning boots.
Just as an aside I held Brian Boitano's Olympic gold winning boots in my hands once...
(and no I did not pay for that privelege!)
!)
-
Just as an aside I held Brian Boitano's Olympic gold winning boots in my hands once...
(and no I did not pay for that privelege!)
!)
Details Details!
-
If they were my size and about 300 I'd buy them.
Wouldn't the leather be too old and lose proper support?
-
This whole thread reminds me of an episode I watched of an American TV series about a pawn shop.
This guy came in with an "authentic Indiana Jones whip!" that he bought off ebay. (He didn't mention how much he paid for it.) He said he knew it was authentic because the seller had worked on the movie set and the guy had gone and found the seller's name in the credits.
The guy wanted about $12,000 for this whip!
They brought in a movie set expert, who verified that it was indeed a whip in the style used by the Indiana Jones movies. He asked if there was any documentation with the whip.
The guy said no.
The expert said, well here's the thing. We don't know what this whip has done.
If it was just a prop that never got used, we'd give you maybe $50 for it.
If it was used by an extra, maybe $700 max.
If it was used by Indiana Jones himself, $10,000.
But you can't prove it. So we can't buy it.
The guy was steaming. It was really very funny. Bigger fool you, mate!
-
Not that I'm in the market, but how do eBay buyers confirm prior ownership?
Would it matter if Tai tried on the skates, hated them, and never used them again? E.g., would having such a story make them even more valuable? :)
the sax is actually one made in the 1960s!
If it's a Selmer Mark VI, especially if it has the original finish, you might want to insure it. Will hold its value better if your son doesn't play it. But it probably isn't - would be worth more than a new sax.
I've got a Mark VI alto, one of the last made. (My music teacher pushed my parents to buy me one, cuz he hated the Mark VII's.) Not nearly as valuable as the older ones. Last I checked, Selmer's current records say they had stopped making Mark VI's, so a collector would say mine was a fake, but my parents bought it new from a reputable store, at the overlap time that Selmer sold both. Don't play it much. For starters, that original lacquer has started to wear off when I do play it. BTW, the newer models have easier to play mechanisms; the value lies purely in the fact they stopped making it, the pretty engraving, and a slightly idiosyncratic sound. The old mouthpieces and had a different sound too. When I chipped my mouthpiece, they didn't fit my old reeds, and so I paid extra to find another old one.
-
If it's a Mark VI, especially if it has the original finish, you might want to insure it. Will hold its value better if your son doesn't play it. But it probably isn't - would be worth more than a new sax.
Ummm ... no. Not a Mark IV. There are a lot of tenor saxes from the 1960s that are not Mark IVs. Quality has it's value, and for a sax - it's in the music it produces, of course. Not that I'd ever pay the 14 odd thou for the new Selmer he was eyeing.
-
14K? OMG.
It's just a chunk of brass.
And the skates are likely just a couple chunks of worn out leather.
We don't even having human cloning technology, so you can't grow another Tai from the DNA traces in the boots.
Not yet... Would that be fair?
-
14K? OMG.
It's just a chunk of brass.
Yeah, and the Mona Lisa is just a canvas with some blobs of paint.
Things have ridiculous prices because people think there is some value to it. It isn't just a cost of materials.
-
14K? OMG.
It's just a chunk of brass.
It's actually a work of art aesthetically ... the finishing, detailing, construction, quality of materials are phenomenal. The sound it produces is - exquisite - in the hands of a top notch player. It's beautiful ... and for someone who plays at the highest levels, worth the investment.
But, then again, I can't figure out why people spend $35 thou on a car.
-
The sound it produces is - exquisite - in the hands of a top notch player.
Which pretty much says it all. Our DD's violin teacher (Russian master teacher) played her 1/4 size violin for her during lessons sometimes, and it was astonishing the sounds he could get out of it. Similarly, I've seen gorgeous, huge, axels from elite skaters in rental skates.
-
They've been relisted on Ebay - Big price reduction - Now you can get them for a mere $ 4500 !
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SP-Teri-Custom-Skates-World-Champion-Tai-Babilonia-Authentic-/150735368654?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23188731ce
-
Which pretty much says it all. Our DD's violin teacher (Russian master teacher) played her 1/4 size violin for her during lessons sometimes, and it was astonishing the sounds he could get out of it. Similarly, I've seen gorgeous, huge, axels from elite skaters in rental skates.
I know, it is something to hear what hte teacher can do with the student's violin ... then again, when the teacher let my DD try HER violin and bow (which is worth the National income of a small developing nation) - what my kid could produce was far better than she could on her student level violin ...
-
They've been relisted on Ebay - Big price reduction - Now you can get them for a mere $ 4500 !
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SP-Teri-Custom-Skates-World-Champion-Tai-Babilonia-Authentic-/150735368654?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23188731ce
I guess this settles it - it wasn't a typo, just someone with big delusions.
-
They've been relisted on Ebay - Big price reduction - Now you can get them for a mere $ 4500 !
Yeah, um, I guess "go lower" wasn't working.. now you can have them for the bargain price of $14,500! Oh, and $30 for shipping.. :blush:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Teri-Custom-Ice-Skates-World-Champion-Tai-Babilonia-w-Signed-Book-/150765021315?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231a4ba883#ht_3594wt_965
-
Did it have a book included on the previous auction? That could be driving up the price. *snicker*
-
Yeah, um, I guess "go lower" wasn't working.. now you can have them for the bargain price of $14,500! Oh, and $30 for shipping.. :blush:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Teri-Custom-Ice-Skates-World-Champion-Tai-Babilonia-w-Signed-Book-/150765021315?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231a4ba883#ht_3594wt_965
LOL! That's even more than their listed "Suggested Retail" of $10,000.00! If they couldn't even get $6500 for them, what makes them think they will now get more than double the price? hehe
-
Did it have a book included on the previous auction? That could be driving up the price. *snicker*
Yes, that was always included.... but still not worth anything near what they're asking.
I would think that even at retail price ($900ish?) those boots/blades/book would be a hard sell.
-
I just realised it's a pawn store trying to sell them. I wonder who sold them to the pawn store and how much the manager was conned into paying for them?
-
Most of the pawn shops and thrift stores around here sell many things for more than new price. A lot of people just assume they will sell cheaper.
Whatever the market will bear.
-
States "Tai Babilonia will personally autograph any personalized message for the winner of the auction on both the skates and the book". So the pawn shop owner must know Tai Babilonia if they are to be autographed by her after purchase. ???
-
Similar to the stock market.
The greater fool theory applies.
-
I just realised it's a pawn store trying to sell them. I wonder who sold them to the pawn store and how much the manager was conned into paying for them?
...What, did the person selling them to the store con them into thinking Tai Babilona was like, Dick Button or someone?
Yikes. This is just getting stupid now! :o