Post your best (or worst) Ebay "Surprise"

[BrockJacob]

Most of my bad ebay surprises have been items arriving smashed to hell. I bought one of big Blatz bar display statues and it arrived with the arm broken off the bottle figure and it looked like the seller had taken some sand paper to the paint before he packaged it because it looked much better in the photo. The most dissapointed I've ever been about an item is when this Red Sox figural ashtray showed up broken into about a dozen pieces. I didn't pay a bunch for it but its the kind of oddball thing I love and its the only one I've ever seen. I was really bummed.

[perezfan]

Wow Brock... that was a really rare and possibly unique piece. What a freakin shame... I'd be crying loke a baby! It's amazing to me how these things can survive for 70 years (unscathed), and then get demolished the minute you are about to get your hands on it.

I say punishment by lethal injection, to all of the ebay sellers who put no effort into packaging these fragile and irreplaceable items! Or perhaps that was too "Dorskindy" (to quote another recent thread on the card side).

[vintagesportflips]

My best surprise came in a huge group of more modern football and baseball programs (a couple of box loads), mainly Eagles stuff from the 70s and 80s. As I was sorting through it, at the bottom of one of the boxes, was an Eagles player contract from the 40s, a 1960 Eagles yearbook (which aren't that easy to come by), and a folder of a bunch of team used letterhead, etc.
As an Eagles collector, I was ecstatic with that surprise.

Worst surprise. Several years ago, when I was more into nodders, and trying to complete the relatively inexpensive merger series set, I came across a Baltimore Colts merger series nodder, that had a very odd base. The base was more of a wedge shaped base, with script Baltimore, exactly like you would see on the base of a Baltimore Orioles nodder. I emailed the seller, and he assured me that it was all original, and I specifially asked about how the ankle area looked. It looked perfect in the photos, and I thought it was some very rare prototype or something, so I won it. Upon receiving it, although it was not evident in the photos, the ankles had been obviously broken off, and for some reason attached to the feet and base of a Baltimore Orioles nodder. My prototype was too good to be true. I recall an incredible hassle to get a refund too.

[thekingofclout]

the good ebay surprises that are still in my collection.

About five years ago, I came across this familiar image of Matty. I had bought many times from the seller and I had no reason to think it was anything but a TYPE I image of Matty and a stellar one at that even though there wasn't a scan of the back provided.

So, I won the auction for just over five hundred and was very pleased to get such a terrific deal. About a week later, it arrived safe and sound...

1098.jpg

and when I flipped it over I bout shit myself!

1099.jpg

There was Matty's name written in pencil while in the hand of a certain Charles M. Conlon almost a hundred years ago. Since then, I was able to acquire a companion piece that further supports my claim...

mattypremium.jpg

look at the bottom right corner of the image and you'll see that Conlon was given credit I've researched it ever since and at this time it is evident that this is the only known TYPE I of this image in private hands. I do miss the good old days of Baseball Photography

[Kawika]

Awesome with flames coming out the top. That's one for the Net54 Hall of Fame, Jimmy.

[Oldtix]

Ditto to that, David...fantastic stroke of luck, Jimmy!

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Oldtix

Ditto to that, David...fantastic stroke of luck, Jimmy!

Agreed Rick. I'd rather be lucky than good, any ole day!