Somewhere, someone has decided that a drawer containing 171 eyeballs is worth $2,640. Presumably, they’ve also decided where to put it.
The early 20th-century German prosthetic glass eyes sold at Potter & Potter’s Oct. 1 auction after 11 bids, according to the auction house’s listing. The reported price includes the buyer’s premium. Arranged in a wooden grid drawer, the brown eyes came with a condition report noting light dust and occasionally sharp glass ends. Even the strangest purchase deserves a product description.
Welcome to the weird world of online auctions, where the internet’s ability to connect people extends to those seeking antique eyeballs. The larger commerce story is how digital marketplaces help highly unusual merchandise find an audience, a price and eventually a shipping address.
Potter & Potter’s “Weird Tales! UFOs, Curiosities and Tattoos” sale offered 569 lots. Its catalog brought together outsider art, tattoo memorabilia and medical curiosities. Online access gave shoppers an opportunity to browse a collection that would make an ordinary estate sale look positively restrained.
Among the offerings was Hairy Creature in Shower, an oil painting by David Huggins, a New Jersey artist who depicts what he describes as encounters with otherworldly beings. The work carried a presale estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. That figure was an estimate, rather than a confirmed sale price. Bathroom art has certainly expanded its range.
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The sale also included original tattoo designs. Bidsquare’s preview highlighted a 1980 hand-colored sheet by Don Nolan and a circa-1920s blueprint sheet by Percy Waters, each estimated at $1,000 to $2,000. For collectors, these objects preserve artistic techniques and cultural history. What looks peculiar to a casual browser may fill a very specific gap in someone else’s collection.
That helps explain the appeal of putting such sales online. A local shop depends on someone walking through the door who happens to want its merchandise. A searchable auction catalog can reach people who already know exactly what they’re looking for, along with those discovering an interest they may later struggle to explain to their spouse.
Think of it as a dating service for objects. Somewhere out there is the right person for a drawer full of glass eyes. The marketplace helps arrange the introduction.
Auctions also provide a way to establish prices for things that rarely appear on a conventional shopping list. There’s no obvious retail benchmark for 171 antique prosthetic eyes. Competing bids turn individual judgments about age, craftsmanship and desirability into an actual transaction.
For payments and commerce businesses, the familiar work begins beneath the unusual merchandise. Buyers need clear descriptions and understandable charges. Sellers need payment. Fragile purchases need packing and delivery. A fascinating backstory may attract attention, but somebody still has to settle the invoice.
Potter & Potter’s conditions of sale spell out obligations covering the purchase price, buyer’s premium, applicable taxes and other charges. The eyeball listing also explains that shipping expenses include labor, materials, insurance and transportation. Apparently, buying a roomful of stares involves the same logistical considerations as buying a lamp.
The opportunity for online auction platforms lies in making those transactions manageable while preserving the thrill of discovery. The merchandise supplies the personality; the platform supplies the route from curiosity to ownership.
And if your latest purchase makes visitors uncomfortable, you can always tell them you’re supporting the digital economy. All 171 eyes will back you up.
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