Have you been watching the bids for old (pre-1930) boxed sets of Christmas lights on eBay over the past few months?
I figured that the activity would taper off but prices would fall after the Christmas holidays. Well, I was half right at best. There are indeed fewer Christmas light sets being offered (although still a fair #), but there's plenty of hefty bidding going on for older vintage sets. Several great items have popped up. Some of the winning bids for boxed sets with exhaust-tip lamps and screw plugs have exceeded $300 recently.
Check out current and past auctions by riverock, for instance. He's been breaking up his collection. Just reading his careful descriptions and viewing the photos has been a great education for me. Unfortunately, eBayers with deeper pockets that mine have left my supposedly reasonable bids in the dust! I won't name names, but I'm hoping that certain high rollers will soon run out of money, take long vacations, listen to their upset spouses, or have their passions satisfied.
I guess all the interest speaks well for our hobby. eBay certainly brings stuff out of the closets!
Happy collecting,
Woody Bousquet