Online Chess Auction
by GM Alex Baburin
The latest GM Square online chess auction took place in mid February 2009. You can see its results posted at our website in word and pdf formats. For the next few days you can also see how bidding went for individual lots at the auction’s main list.
There were 106 lots at the auction, which attracted a total of 412 bids. 75 lots were sold immediately. Of the remaining 31 lots, several were sold after the auction.
The highest number of bids (24) was registered for lot No 93 (The Good Companion Chess Problem Club. Philadelphia, USA.L/N 6412. Volumes II (1914-1915) and III (1915-1916). Its price went from 50 euro (initial bid) to 960.80 euro (final bid). It was also the highest price fetched by any lost at that auction.
Rare chess books and magazines went really well, while tournament books probably under-performed. There was considerable interest in books on chess composition, for example Caissana Brasileira, by Arthur Napoleao (Rio de Janeiro, 1898) went for over 200 euro, despite several defects in its condition.
Our next auction will take place between the 14th and 16th of May. There will be many interesting lots, including several early BCM volumes, a complete run of The Westminster Papers (1868-1879) and several rare books, including one book printed in 1584! Stay tuned and keep an eye on our online auction.
I wish I would have known about it.