Posted by JOHN on March 28, 2002 at 12:32:34:
In Reply to: Tampered with Berliner cuffs on Ebay posted by Steve Santini on March 28, 2002 at 00:16:43:
: Hi all,
: Just thought I would bring up the damaged Berliner cuffs that were just listed on ebay. As a service to those who may not know, I should state that these cuffs have been taken apart and very poorly put back together. Also, the hinge rivet has been punched out at one point and has been replaced by a bolt. There are other non regulation additions as well such as "teeth" which have been filed into the radius of one cuff. The reason I am mentioning this is that there may be some collectors who have not been fortunate enough to hold, examine, or own a non tampered with Berliner. To the uninitiated, these changes or tampering to the cuff may not be noted with any degree of concern, but they should be. In short, this is a far less than perfect example and the damage to the cuff should no doubt be reflected in it's final price. I myself was interested in this cuff and I had e mail contact with the seller. I mentioned a figure I may be bidding and asked him if I would fall under his reserve. He said yes and then went and ended the auction! Then, he goes and relists the cuff. I put my bid in and did not meet his reserve! (suprise, suprise!) This is not the first time this sort of c--p has happened concerning a collectible restraint on ebay and it probably won't be the last. Obviously, so many collectors e mailed this guy that it "suddenly" occurred to him he was sitting on a gold mine. That is probably why he ended the 1st auction and relisted with a much higher reserve. The same thing happened a short time back regarding a pair of Horst Stein leg irons on ebay (THAT auction was restarted three times). Perhaps so all collectors could have a fair chance to own a rare or collectible item, maybe it would be best that people who post cuffs for sale should probably not be given the notion they have something worth the bank at Fort Knox! I for one would like to see a paid appraisal service for those who wish to know the value of vintage restraints (where one would be charged an appraisal fee only if one is a dealer, NOT for true collectors). It seems more and more that dealers come to Joe's site or e mail with collectors via ebay and attempt to find out values which are later reflected in reserve prices on ebay. Sometimes, this information, ( or, even the PERCEPTION that a particular restraint has great value, right or wrong), can put a particular restraint beyond the financial means of many collectors. Anyway, I have withdrawn my bid on the damaged Berliner currently on ebay because I do not appreciate the fact the seller lied to me about the reserve. Good luck and caution to anyone else who may see fit to try and win these cuffs. Kind regards, Steve Santini.