Sittin’ on the dock of the bayโฆ
โ Otis Redding / Stephen Lee Cropper
Time to wonder over another runaway auction of another vintage photo postcard depicting Rosslynโs circa 1915 waterfront, boathouse, and piers as well as the steamship, Kestrel. Once again I tried to augment our Rosslyn artifact collection only to get caught up in an aggressive bidding war. Winning auctions for Historic Essex images has grown noticeably pricier in recent years. More than $2k for this postcard?!?!
Yes, I should have exited bidding earlier, but Iโve been curious to see where these overheated auctions will max out. And, fortunately, I have another copy of this vintage postcard. Sometimes, even when you lose, you winโฆ
There are many intriguing elements captured in this sepia snapshot, not the least of which are the old piers that once defined this Lake Champlain waterfront adjacent to Merchant Row. And look how low the lake level was!
Iโve highlighted some additional details in the short Instagram video that Iโm including below. (If it doesnโt embed properly on your browser, you should be able to click the link and see it on Instagram.)
I posted about a bidding war that drove another stratospheric auction for an Essex Inn postcard a while back, and quite a few similar scenarios continue to provoke my curiosity. Why the run-up? Whoโs competing with my collection?!
Iโm thinking that it might be time to invest in a better solution for organizing my postcard collection so that I donโt accidentally overpay for a duplicate. And itโd help organize all of my Rosslyn and Essex fascinating archival material for others to access and enjoy. I will add it to the bucket list! ๏ฟผ
What do you think?