Father's Day Special: Our Editorial Director Goes Back to her Roots, eBay and Otherwise

By Meredith Barnett
June 14, 2011

I come by my eBay obsession honestly. My father, a successful Washington, DC lawyer whose clients include U.S. Presidents, TV news correspondents and CEOs (if I may brag for a moment, he's been listed as one of the "100 Most Influential Lawyers in America" by the National Law Journal) has a nasty auction habit. Under the seller name WaukWar—a shortened version of Waukegan Warrior, a headline a journalist in his beloved hometown of Waukegan, IL once used for an article about his professional accomplishments—he bids with abandon.

Father's Day

The Inside Source Editorial Director with her father, Robert Barnett, and son, Teddy

Indeed, among my most powerful associations with coming "home" to visit my parents is the boxes—sometimes a dozen of them—stacked unopened in our kitchen. Stamped with return addresses from Los Angeles to Louisville, they are my dad's eBay purchases. Whether they remain unopened for so long because there are simply too many for him to keep up with or because he likes to maintain the thrill of the auction win for as long as possible is anyone's guess. Either way, it drives my Mother nuts.

So what's in all those boxes? "I collect antique cufflinks," says my dad, who boasts hundreds (maybe thousands?) of vintage enamel cufflinks. "And, I collect memorabilia—particularly postcards—from my hometown, Waukegan, IL."

A technophobe, my dad was first introduced to the Internet through eBay, shortly after the site launched. I think he was shopping the online marketplace before he even used email. "I am not tech savvy," he admits. "I am not web savvy. I don't know a Tweet from a twit. So, I would never have known about eBay unless I were to have heard people talking about it. And, I kept hearing about it and hearing about it more. So, finally, as someone who loves to shop and is a collector, I decided to take a look."

Before eBay, he would shop "flea markets, antique shows and catalogues," he says, for his cufflink and vintage postcard fix. But, "eBay was a bonanza. There were hundreds of items all in one place. eBay assembles thousands of items in a particular category in one convenient spot." So while you can still spot my father at the Georgetown Flea Market on Sunday afternoons, he's at the family computer nearly every weeknight checking the listings for his favorite eBay searches.

Some free eBay advice from a man whose counsel is sought by luminaries: "If you really want something for sale on auction, you have to be there right when the bidding closes," he suggests. "And, you have to be ready to punch 'send' with a higher bid a few seconds before the bidding closes. Bidding in a leisurely manner never seems to work. Vigilance is rewarded."

When I ask him to share a favorite eBay story, he muses, "I am a lawyer. A senior lawyer. Once, many years ago, when bidding on an item that I really wanted, I was defeated by 'lawboy'. Now, that was embarrassing." (This was back in the day when you could see the seller name of those whom you were bidding against in an auction. Perhaps eBay now hides these names to help folks like my father avoid the humiliation of defeat at the hands of a lowly "lawboys".)

I have been meaning to profile my Dad since The Inside Source launched almost two years ago. With Father's Day around the corner, now seemed like the time. To me, Father's Day is the chance to recognize the two most important men in my life—my Father and my husband—for their love, affection, friendship and support. I never knew my grandfathers, but I know that for my Mom and Dad, the holiday is a chance for them to honor their own Fathers. "I lost my Father when I was very young," my Dad says. "It is a chance to remember him. And, because I am now a father and have a wonderful daughter, it is a time to remember how lucky I am to be a father."

"If you could have your perfect day for Father's Day, what would it be?" I ask him.

"Easy. Being with my family—my wife, my son-in-law, my grandson, and my wonderful daughter," he answers.

"If you could go on a Father's Day shopping spree, what would you buy?"

"Presents for my grandson. For sure," he says. Somehow, I have a hard time believing there wouldn't be a few antique cufflinks thrown into the mix, too. And with that...

Robert Barnett's eBay Wish List

Antique Cufflinks

Roll over items for details

Vintage Silver Enamel Cufflinks

Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Enamel Cufflinks

Vintage Enamel Cloisonne Owl Cufflinks

Men's Diamond & Enamel Gold Vintage Cufflinks

Father's Day Special: Our Editorial Director Goes Back to her Roots, eBay and Otherwise

1. Vintage Silver Enamel Cufflinks: "This is the type of cufflink I collect—enamel, probably French, multi-colored, two-sided."

2. Vintage Enamel Cloisonne Owl Cufflinks: "After law school, I clerked for a judge named Judge Wisdom. He collected owls. These would remind me of him. Cloisonne is very attractive."

3. Vintage Art Deco Sterling Silver Enamel Cufflinks: "Beautiful design. Unusual. Wish they were two-sided."

4. Men's Diamond & Enamel Gold Vintage Cufflinks: "Very classy. Diamonds. Very expensive, though."

Vintage Waukegan, IL Postcards

1935 Hotel Waukegan Postcard

(buy it now price, $8.95)

Mathons Restaurants for Ichthyopagists Postcard, Waukegan

(buy it now price, $5.24)

1914 Waukegan Public Library Postcard

(buy it now price, $6.50)

Waukegan Township High School Postcard

(buy it now price, $19.97)

Pre-1920 McAlister School Postcard

(buy it now price, $6.50)

1949 Linen Postcard, U.S. Post Office, Waukegan

(buy it now price, $5.99)

1. 1949 Linen Postcard, U.S. Post Office, Waukegan: "This is where my Father had his office. His window was at the left on the first floor."

2. 1935 Hotel Waukegan Postcard: "This is the hotel where my boyhood best friend was married. I was in the wedding party."

3. Waukegan Township High School Postcard: "This is where I went to high school."

4. Pre-1920 McAlister School Postcard: "This was the first school that I attended—kindergarten through third grade."

5. 1914 Waukegan Public Library Postcard: "This is where a learned to read, attended "story hour" and spent many a Saturday mornings when I was little.

6. Mathon's Restaurants for Ichthyopagists Postcard, Waukegan: "An ichthyopagist is a fish eater. Mathon's was my favorite restaurant, closed long ago. The owner, Mathon Karitsis, was famous for taking a group to Greece each summer to search for the arms of the Venus De Milo. Needless to say, he never found them."

Tags: