Hair Extensions? And they're paying how much?

Back when I was in high school and had just started tying flies, I could never afford the highest quality materials.  Struggling to make marginal feathers work, my dry flies inevitably sank and my wet flies too often rode on the surface.  To cap it all off, by the time I finally got my hands on a nice high-end grizzly neck, my sixteen-year-old self left it out where the family dog turned it into a nice morsel.  I still have the sad ziploc bag full of half-chewed feathers.  

And now, as if fly fishing and tying wasn't expensive enough, there's a fashion-fueled run on saddle hackle jacking prices up even higher. 

Most fly tiers know this trend has been slowly growing for a while.  However, fueled by a recent post on The Rusty Spinner highlighting just how exorbitant prices have become, I have joined the fray and listed all my old unused saddle hackles on eBay.  I bought the whole lot for just over $60 back in the day and will update things as the auctions progress.  If things go according to plan, I'll sell these items now for a tidy profit while the prices are high and repurchase new capes in a few years after the fad plays out.

Since I've had these for years on end without using a single feather, I obviously wasn't needing them anyway.  After all, every Alaska fly is big and wildly colored, right?  I just wish I had a few full grizzly saddles laying around . . .

* * *

And a quick update: Just hours into the auction two of the capes have bidders and will put at least $250 in my pocket.  Ridiculous.

Update #2: Well, the auctions have run their course and I have $593.00 in my pocket to show for it.  The cream full saddle and grizzly 1/4 saddle were the big winners, with the other two 1/4 saddles also doing well.

For the curious, this would have been a 16% annual rate of return on my investment over the roughly 15 years I owned the saddles.  Of course, the true test will come when I have to purchase replacements...

You know you want one

If you've ever wanted to own a caboose, here's your opportunity.
The Alaska Railroad is auctioning off four of these puppies, with a minimum bid of $8,000. Despite my best efforts, The Wife isn't buying into the idea that one of these would look sweet parked next to our new home. I know, she's crazy. Maybe a caboose is just what you're looking for?

A Smoking Deal

The Wife and I had been in the market for a wood stove for quite some time. We almost pulled the trigger last fall when the cold weather was approaching, but the 2G price tag was a bit much. Fortunately, The Wife is a rummage sale addict--er, I mean connoisseur.

With a small chunk of change in my pocket, and with Jan and Ash in tow, The Wife talked me into a morning of garage sale torture--er, I mean bliss. After checking out a couple dumps, we stumbled upon a gold mine. In the corner of an otherwise unsuspecting rummage sale, I saw a lowly sign advertising two used wood stoves. Not expecting much, I inquired.

After minimal haggling over price, I ended up with this...
...a $178 plant stand.