Baffling eBay

This blog's long running series, Top eBay Chess Items by Price (March 2010), is a teenager now. In last month's post, Poster Perfect Chess Art (March 2023), I wrote,

This month's initial list was top heavy with chess sets. I had to scroll way down the list to find an example of chess art, so scroll I did.

Copy that and scroll again. The item pictured below was titled, 'George Hall Neale 1863-1940 Antique British Oil Painting "A GAME OF CHESS" c1900'. It sold for 'GBP 285.00; Approximately US $352.39; Best offer accepted'. I'm baffled why that price had a bar through it. As far as I can see from the item's placement in the list of all sold items, that was -- more or less -- the selling price.

The description said,

Manor House Interior - A Game of Chess; By George Hall Neale; 1863-1940 • A large painting in the Victorian manner by this well collected artist who's painted many famous dignitaries in and around the Liverpool area in the early part of the 20th Century. His work became somewhat more impressionist in later years after studying at Acadmeie Julien in Paris. • Age - c1900

Size - 23 by 31 inches approx including frame, canvas 16 by 24 inches approx. • Medium - Oils on canvas • Frame - Antique gold coloured frame, some knocks, offered free with the painting. • Condition - We would be happy to hang this one as found though there is some light varnish browning in places. Some thinner paint areas and some old spots of restoration. The white coloured linen and hair of the couple playing chess appear to have been re-inforced at some point in the past. • Signature - Lower right.

For more works by the artist, see Neale, George Hall (artuk.org; '1863–1940; British, English '). According to that page, his portraits can be seen in dozens of museums, gallerys, and other institutions.

I'm also baffled why the price was so so low for an artist whose work is frequently estimated at GBP in four figures for auctions. The 'Condition' section of the description hints that the painting has been badly restored. The eBay images were very dark, so I had to lighten one of them for this post.