Ernie... You're right. AuctionWeb! I totally forgot. I guess that's why I started calling them "EvilBay", too, since the name changed & it felt like a new entity had taken over when the newer rules started making things more difficult. If I remember right, it used to be free to list in the beginning, too. And there weren't such things as 'reserve price auctions'. AND you could see the email of the sellers, too, which was good for resourceful bidders and not so good for those waiting to spike on the last day. Man, all the drama in those days over people contacting sellers & getting them to sell privately, and of course finding out about all the rest of the Wackys they also had. It was still a "First Come, First Served" world where the resorceful sleuths still had the upper hand regardless of their bankrolls. And we all spent many an hour arguing on the forums of the day about the 4 or 5 different styles of aquiring Wackys and which was more ethical, etc. Wealth vs. Skill & Timing. Collectors vs. Dealers. In-group Back-scratching vs. Robin Hood Trickle-down...
...well anyway, regardless of my original support, my exclusive 1997 AuctionWeb/Evilbay Club Card is no more. I probably didn't have the earliest signup, but I'm guessing mine was the only one still left without a credit-card on file, though... which I was proud of. Hope no one else lost theirs due to inactivity.