Stereoscopic photos from Charles Weitfle
From: "James Hanna" mogochagee@sbcglobal.net
I have the following stereoscopic photos from Charles Weitfle:
No. 945 Denver from East to West
No. 141. The Dome, Boulder Canon
No.501-2-Mount of the Holy Cross
120-View in Williams Canon
No. 28 James Peak
No. 152. Long's Peak front Mount Olympus
No. 212- View in Platte Canon
No. 129- Twin Lakes. Distant View
I believe these are from the 1800's On the back of each are two seals, one from the Colorado Industrial Association and the other from an award dated 1878 to Charles Weitfle. Some have descriptions of the view and the others don't.
I was wondering if they have any value and who would I contact.
—Jim Hanna
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 1:30 PM
8 Comments:
The best way to get an idea of stereoview prices is to search completed auctions on eBay about once a month to see what has sold recently, the condition of each item, and for how much it actually sold (the prices shown in green).
From: PWeitfle@aol.com
Charles Weitfle was my Great-grandfather, and I am an avid collector of his stereoviews, cabinet cards, and CDVs. My comments:
No. 945 Denver from East to West. Charles Weitfle's numbering system did not go this high. I'm guessing you might have his view #245, titled "Denver from Tower (looking) North West." Most of his views in this numerical vicinity are of the Victorian houses, as seen from his high vantage point.
No. 141. The Dome, Boulder Canon Also published by Charles as his #342 The Dome, Boulder Canon.
No.501-2-Mount of the Holy Cross. Actually it's #50 1/2, a very common view.
120-View in Williams Canon. Also published by Charles as his #138, same title.
No. 28 James Peak. There are 3 versions of this number/title.
No. 152. Long's Peak front Mount Olympus.
No. 212- View in Platte Canon. There are two known versions, one with a train, and one (practice?) shot with no train.
No. 129- Twin Lakes. Distant View. Big uprooted fallen tree in foreground?
These are from about 1878 to early 1880's. By mid to late 1880's, he was up in Cheyenne, and was publishing many photos along the UPRR route from there to Salt Lake City. "On the back of each are 2 seals, one from the Colorado Industrial Association and the other from an award dated 1878 to Charles Weitfle." That's two sides of the same award, given to him in both 1878 and 1879.
They have value, depending on who you sell them to, and what condition they are in. Condition is very important, because after some 125 years, some of his stereoviews look like they spend considerable time stored out in some barn, with the rats chewing on them, while others look almost as new as the day they were published. If you have a good scanner or digital camera, I would love to see scans/pictures of each of these 8 individual views.
—Paul L. Weitfle, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio
Ebay is not the best way to get prices. Sometimes it can give you a ballpark idea though.
Doc Boehme's book about prices realized illustrates this. It has some very common views noted as selling for prices above $50 that are a hard sell at $10. Often, on ebay lower priced views sell for more than they are worth because two people just fight it out. Very often high value rare views sell at somewhat lower prices.
Assuming that people know what they are bidding on can be a big mistake. Just this morning I was marveling at a practically valueless lot that had a number of bids on it while nearby better views had none. I once sold a book shaped Keystone box for $220. They normally bring $10.
A depressed economy can influence the prices too. Things are depressed all around on ebay. This will likely not last.
David Spahr
stereoviews.com
The insightful comments of David Spahr are greatly appreciated. He is one of the very select few superb dealers who specialize in 19th century stereoviews. His stereoviews.com website is also terrific and a great source for information and pricing.
I see that David mentioned my out-of-date book. If someone needs a list of stereoviews and descriptions I can provide such information. Version two of the book will have 10,000 entries.
Doc Boehme
info@iamdoc.com
See related discussion.
From: "Doc Boehme" info@iamdoc.com
Monthly, we're updating the Stereoview Price Guide. If the listings of Charles Weitfle can help you in any way I can forward them.
Doc Boehme
Bottom Line of MN Inc
www.iamdoc.com
From: "Doc Boehme" info@iamdoc.com
Looking back on 2012 very few Weitfle stereoviews were sold. There are a few older listings that we don't have the title for. If you help fill in the blanks much will be appreciated.
This excerpt is from Stereoviews, Their Realized Prices PDF Version. The current list has over 12800+ views listed and is updated monthly.
—Doc Boehme
Post a Comment
<< Recent Messages