Absentee bids let you place your maximum bid on an item before the live auction begins. During the live show, we’ll continue bidding on your behalf up to your max bid — just like leaving a bid with a traditional auctioneer.
When you place an absentee bid, you’ll choose a bid strategy. Your chosen strategy determines how the current bid will be set at the time your bid is placed. Your maximum bid always remains confidential.
The available strategies are:
🐢 Slow & Steady — starts your bid low and lets others chase you.
⚡💥 Power Bid — starts at about half your max to show intent without revealing your top number.
♥️♠️ All In ♦️♣️ — sets the current bid to your full bid amount right away.
The current bid shown on each lot reflects all confirmed absentee bids and updates automatically as new bids come in.
When the live auction starts, bidding will begin at the current bid. The auctioneer will continue bidding on behalf of absentee bidders up to their max bids.
Because absentee bids can arrive seconds apart, the current bid you see may not always include bids still being processed. Refresh the page for the most up-to-date information.
For our full absentee bid policy, please click here.
Bidding Quick Facts
How bidding works
All items have a minimum bid of $1.00.
When "No Bids" is displayed, it means no absentee bids have been placed on this item yet.
Once bids are placed, the current bid will be displayed instead.
For more information on the bidding process, please click here.
Bid Successfully Submitted!
Your absentee bid for Lot 224 - Antique Real Photo Postcard Of Mummified Remains “Esther,” Basketmaker Maiden, Mesa Verde Museum, Undivided Back was successfully submitted—thank you for bidding with us!
The current bid displayed will not update immediately. You will receive a confirmation email shortly.
You may continue to place additional bids.
For our full absentee bid policy, please review the Auction Rules.
Confirm Bid
Lot 224 - Antique Real Photo Postcard Of Mummified Remains “Esther,” Basketmaker Maiden, Mesa Verde Museum, Undivided Back
Antique real photo postcard (RPPC) depicting the mummified remains identified as “Esther,” described on the card as a Basketmaker maiden dating to circa 200 A.D., associated with the Ancestral Pueblo (Basketmaker) culture of the American Southwest. The image shows the naturally preserved body with visible facial features, torso, and limbs, photographed in a documentary museum context.
The caption at the lower margin reads: “ESTHER — BASKETMAKER MAIDEN OF 200 A.D. — MESA VERDE MUSEUM.” Mesa Verde National Park and associated collections were central to early 20th-century archaeological study and public exhibition of Ancestral Pueblo material culture, and postcards such as this were commonly sold through museum outlets as educational souvenirs.
This example features an undivided back, consistent with early real photo postcard formats, generally dating it to the early 1900s. Condition shows light handling wear and age toning, with clear photographic detail and legible caption.