Daniel,
Very interesting but I have to disagree on a couple of points. I don't think that the weekend has any impact, whatsoever, on the auction. Where one has to remember to access EBAY in order to see the auction, mine are done by email so every day everyone gets an update delivered directly to his/her inbox. I get reports on how many people open my newsletters and other special mailings (such as this auction), and regularly there are more opens on weekends than during the regular work week. As such, anyone even remotely interested in this auction is eagerly anticipating my daily updates and open it as soon as it is sent,
Also, I respect your opinion very much on where you feel the price of this one is, but I have to disagree with that. Though $680 is a bit on the low side, (and yes, the Christmas season definitely had an impact on that), I would personally place this piece somewhere in the $800-$1,000 range. I personally have a problem with pricing items that I feel are beyond the marketable price. Lighthouse collecting is at an all-time low right now, and for the most part, collectors just aren't willing to spend those huge amounts for pieces any longer. Many of the collectors who have been looking for this lens contacted me and said that the price was too rich for their blood, no matter what time of year, when I opened the bidding up at $500. Because we hadn't seen one of these available for years, I had no idea where the market would be for this one. This auction gave me a sense of where collectors are and what they are willing to pay for this piece.