Sometimes It Pays To Know Semi-Obscure German Philosophers

This post's story begins in July, when on one of my frequent trips to Goodwill I happened across a book entitled "Unterwegs Zur Sprache" by Martin Heidegger. It struck me as odd that a book in German was on sale at a Goodwill in Honolulu, so I picked it up and opened it for further examination. Much to my surprise, I found a dedication in German on the inside title page. Scanning down, a signature that looked a lot like 'Martin Heidegger' was at the bottom. It looked authentic, but could I really have just stumbled across a signed copy of Martin Heidegger's final book for 99 cents at Goodwill?



In short, the answer to that question was yes. I gladly invested 99 cents, snapped a few pictures of it, and then sent it off to every appropriate auction site or autograph collector (including many Danish and German ones overseas) I could find online. One site, rrauction.com, offered to consign the book for me, and I sent it off.

Several months later it sold for $220 in their October auction, and I made $198. By far the best 99 cent investment that I've ever made. On the off chance that anyone out there has autographs they'd like to sell, I fully endorse rrauction. Friendly people, fast responses via e-mail, and very professional.