“Cash for Rares”: Old advertising boards trigger crazy bidding wars

“Cash for rares”
Everyone wants the “stupid man”: old billboards trigger crazy bidding wars

Two 100-year-old advertising signs were for sale at “Bares für Rares”. Walter “Waldi” Lehnertz got nostalgic feelings – and really heated up the auction.

Gerald Feddeck comes from the beautiful town of Himmelsthür. That’s where “the Christmas post office is,” says the 71-year-old, much to the astonishment of the moderator: Horst Lichter hasn’t heard of that before. At “The pensioner would like to sell two old advertising signs that his wife found in Berlin.

As expert Detlev Kümmel explains, the material is embossed tinplate. One panel was made between 1907 and 1917, the other in the 1920s. The seller didn’t expect that – he was flabbergasted. Lichter also seems surprised: “That’s old,” says the moderator. Despite the poor state of preservation, Kümmel raves about the “historic character”. Blendax is advertised “with the scrubber” and Persil.

“Cash for Rares”: Waldi gets nostalgic

Feddeck would like 80 euros for the two signs. But the expert gives hope for much more: he estimates the value at 150 to 220 euros. “I’m happy for you,” says Lichter.

In the dealer’s room, Walter “Waldi” Lehnertz becomes very nostalgic when he sees the scrubber: “Those were the days when I still ran around like that.” He also starts the auction with his obligatory 80 euros. With the exception of Elke Velten-Tönnies, everyone present bids, and so the price quickly drops to the estimated 220 euros.

But that’s far from the end. The bids rise higher and higher – the estimated value quickly doubles. And even then it’s not over. The hammer only falls at 500 euros. For this sum, “Waldi” buys the “stupid man,” as Wolfgang Pauritsch jokes.

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