Official book collectors thread

‘Thanks , I am always wary when a book is written by the owner attempting to fill in gaps or prove a cars history, generally if claims made in these books are correct, they are well known and easily proved thru provenance.

quote for the publishers website sets alarms bells.


Today, a car is reborn, bringing to light a chapter of history that lasted perhaps a few days or perhaps a few years when an S10 SS engine with a three-litre displacement is installed on an 8C 2900 chassis modified with the collaboration of Porsche. All this was "dressed" in an elegant aluminium alloy bodywork that Alfa Romeo created with a nod to the shape of the "Alfetta", which had already begun to show the potential that would turn it into a legend after the war.

A "photograph" with blurred contours - due to time and events - that portrays the moment when the chassis, engine and bodywork came together to create a 12C prototype. Since it was not coded, produced and sold, it cannot be recorded in a production register or perfectly portrayed in a technical drawing, but a series of information, research and characteristics that emerged during the restoration make the whole thing plausible. The Missing Link?

I like my books to be a source of information and correct history, it won’t be making my shelves. Thanks for the review on the way it poorly designed and produced. I could live with that if it covered a true missing link.

I call these books justification books.

 

See my summary of the review including pictures on Instagram (@Buchpilot) now.

 

The Octane article is all I needed to read about what appears to be essentially a cobbled 'bitsa' Alfa. I love Alfa Romeos, but book price is ridiculous.

 

+1

 

Yesterday (Aug. 7) marked one month from the date I started shipping copies of THE FERRARI PLACE, and over one-half the 330 books are already accounted for! Everyone's enthusiasm and support for this endeavor has been phenomenal. THANK YOU!
More pizza boxes await their beckon call . . . LOL
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Where can I find old books?

 

Did you want to be a bit more specific please.

 

On my bookshelf.

 

Interesting new "brand extension" from Horton's Books here:

https://collectingautomobilia.com/

 

Yes, this has been in the works for awhile with some soft testing, and now officially launched. I wish them the very best with this. There is a REAL need for a specialist auction house like this who understands and respects the needs of consignors, which is more than I can say for any of the big car houses.

 

I couldn't agree more. Presently, on one hand, the major car auction houses treat automobilia like the poor relation of the car hobby. On the other hand, eBay is filled with 99 cent junk and a not inconsiderable degree of fraud, theft, scammers, etc.

 

"We are the premier portal..." bla bla bla....

Sorry but for me (and for most people in the EU, I suppose) the premier portal for automobilia auctions is and will be Ni-Cola Classics.

And come on: 21% buyers premium + 20% VAT + plus shipping fees???

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Automobilia Ladenburg and Ni-Cola too. But, they are more traditional auction houses, in that their big sales are only twice a year. The quality of their smaller online sales is not the same.

It seems like Horton's is trying to do something more in line with ongoing platforms like Catawiki or eBay, yet specifically focused on automobilia. Based on the overall look of the website, I suspect they would very much like to become the Bring a Trailer of automobilia. Perhaps, they should consider enabling comments to facilitate this?

 

Before bidding, check out the shipping information, these costs can be substantial

 

I like Ni-Cola and Tobias is a friend but to be straight, one to max. two pics per auction lot isn‘t premium
and often the lack in detail shots and information reduce the price, good for buyer, bad for seller.
So collectingautomobilia at first sight doing one point very right, lot of pics and details.

 

I have found that old people usually have a few old books.

 

I am not 'old', I am just not that young anymore....

 

I've been buying and selling all types of automobilia with auction houses around the world for over 30 years, and my magazine also deals with a lot of of this. There is so very much more to this, and by the way, a number of the big auction houses charge the buyer a 30% premium (or a little more). And note that the current standard buyers premiums for most automobilia generally range from 20% to 27%. So 21% is reasonable, and after all... who wants to work for free?? They are running a business and need to make it worthwhile/viable. You also need to consider how a company operates, what their specialty is, etc. Ni-Cola is certainly very good for many types of automobilia, but they are not so good for everything. There are many variables, and many reasons, which would take up far too much time and space here to write and explain.

 

The shipping though...yikes. The Le Mans board game, 160 GBP to the US. The turbine Indy 500 racer model is $80 USD within the US. I get shipping's high, but those seem excessive.

 

Yes, agreed... I looked at that and some others. Most of the quoted shipping charges seem to be way above what they should be, but I guess some of that depends on how an item is packed, size, and method of shipping service, i.e. FedEx, Royal Mail, etc. That said, Bonhams UK is no bargain either, and they only use outside services who charge eye some eye watering fees, and don't always pack as well as they should...

I must also say, from the standpoint of a primarily mail order business (mine), the costs of international shipping by all services have gone up substantially in the past couple of years.

 

Well put. As you mentioned, fees can get to be pretty complicated, especially since the South Dakota v. Wayfair decision on online sales tax. For a US buyer, a 21% buyers premium is not bad, especially if it gets you out of paying sales taxes (over 10% in, say, California) by virtue of shipping from the UK. In my mind, this has become one of the big pluses also associated with buying from Automobilia Ladenburg or Ni-Cola in recent years. Any considerations of VAT do not apply to US buyers.

The shipping quotes do seem expensive, but assuming they are using FedEx Express, UPS Express, or DHL, they are not that far out of line. If it's Royal Mail/USPS, then they are excessive.

 

Respectfully disagree. Ladenburg has a Ferrari Only week-long auction that starts near the end of this month. There are some incredible lots on offer.

Every auction company involved with collectible cars/automobilia wants to become Bring a Trailer. Look at the cars BaT has on offer as we approach Monterey? It will be interesting to compare BaT results with those of the majors next week.

 

Is there a link to the Ladenburg Ferrari auction? I couldn't find it mentioned on their web site.
Thanks.

 

Due to my experience, they will publish any information the week before the auction, if it is an auction held at the Ladenburg site. If it is just an online auction, they publish the lots the day the auction starts. To my knowledge, the auction is scheduled for September.

 

Thanks. If I understand, then, one would have to check the web site daily, even for a presumably special event such as a single marque auction.