Hillary items fetch inflated prices online
Hillary items fetch inflated prices online
Singed $5 notes on sale for $3000
Amy Williams
The death of New Zealand
mountaineering hero Sir Edmund Hillary has spurred
a
spike in prices for books and banknotes carrying his
signature, NBR Online
reports.
While the nation mourns
the man whose profile adorns our five dollar
note,
traders have gauged the market and launched a heavy
trade in goods signed by
Sir Edmund.
And bidders are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the items.
A signed
first edition book, Ascent of Everest by John Hunt and Sir
Edmund,
is listed on TradeMe and bidders have pushed the
price up to $1000.
Another seller has listed five $5
notes, all signed by Sir Edmund, with a
reserve of
$3000.
Mainly Fiction rare book trader Ray Patterson told
NBR Online there was some
emotion fuelling the high
prices.
Mr Patterson said a first edition signed The
Ascent of Everest would have
sold for hundreds, rather
than a thousand dollars, before Sir Edmund's
death.
"He
was such an obliging person that there must be thousands of
books out
there signed by him.
"Some people don't know
that and there will be an initial surge in prices,"
he
said.
TradeMe spokesman Mike O'Donnell told NBR Online
there had been a surge in
the number of Sir Edmund-signed
items selling on the site.
Mr O'Donnell said an average 10
items were posted each week, but that had
increased to
178 items this week.
Full story go to http://www.nbr.co.nz/hillary
ENDS