Expensive Swiss Holster...
 

...I thought this nice M1906 Swiss holster would be a great catch at around $ 250 or so...but some folks wanted in badly...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEDW:IT

I stopped bidding when a bidder with a "zero" rating (but during the auction they ended up with 2 ratings...) jumped in...thought some funny bidding might be in the works...

$ 455.00 plus shipping seems to be over the top...

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

I have one I'm about to sell but wanted to wait until after Independence Day. Does anyone have any idea of what drove this auction?

I would imagine "perceived" condition. Looks really nice, guy has excellent feedback...

You never know on e-bay. This guy always has good clear pictures, reasonable description and customers must be happy with him, as his feedback is 100%, which is a hard thing to do on e-bay, always some stupid idiot in the crowd you can't make happy! :D

The same seller had an equally nice M1929 holster on auction a bit in the past...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEDW:IT

The same buyer won the item...

Regards,

Pete... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Pete, FYI, (and the info of the whole forum) I know the seller of these items to be a very serious leather collector. His photographs of holsters are some of the best I have ever seen as photography is his OTHER hobby... He sells holsters only when he can upgrade what he is getting rid of. I would be happy to be the recipient of his "cast-offs"...

As I recall, More than one Member Gallery Album contains photographs of pieces of his collection that he has sold... and I received permission to permanently post the auction photographs... He was out of town when I made the request via email, and his wife was kind enough to phone me and grant permission.

Here is the Member Gallery Album URL of one of his previous holsters sold:

Simply superb: http://gallery.rennlist.com/lugergal...ese1943Holster

I have never seen his holsters go for "cheap"...

Okay, anybody know how he is able to achieve the 'floating in the air' quality of the photo - with the complete black background? :confused:

Very nice holster and photography.
Always trying to learn something.

Fritz.

Fritz,
I would guess! That you are very near to having the answer pegged!
It is probably accomplished with a clear glass plane above a black velvet background that is behind and out of the focal plane.
The lighting is accomplished with multiple diffused light sources or circular diffused lighting around the camera lens. These casts little or no shadows and give a soft non-glaring light.
This accounts for the lack of overpowering highlights and adds the soft tone to the photograph.
When I was in my late teens my mother was a commercial artist and photographer.
I've seen her work for hours to get the light positioning and diffusion just exactly right to produce flawless photographs and paintings.
Sometimes waiting for hours to get the sunlight shining at just the proper angle for the best effect, I have a fair eye but lack the patience.
One must have an eye for art and lighting in order to produce that class of work consistently.
That’s what separates "The Artist" from the "Shutterbugs", like Me.
ViggoG