A Bidding War Over Alekhine

A few days ago, in Quote Alekhine Unquote, I was concerned that 'this week is turning into some kind of a blog maintenance week'. Instead it's become Alekhine week. The 'Quote Unquote' post pointed to a few other posts about Alekhine, and now, for this latest edition of Top eBay Chess Items by Price, I'm featuring an item that was titled 'Alexander ALEKHINE vintage original photo - simul 1943'. Pictured below, the photo auction was a battle between two bidders who made 46 bids between them. From a starting price of US $39, the item eventually sold for $796.

The description added,

Original vintage photo (14 x 9 cm = 5.5 x 3.5") of the chess world champion Alexander ALEKHINE. This photo was taken during his simul held in Kromeriz (Czechoslovakia) during World War II in 1943.

To keep Alekhine at a viewable size, I've cropped out several rows of spectators on the left. He is standing farthest to the left in the group at the center of the tables.