1908 Arctic expedition photos on eBay

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man said he hopes to get up to $8,000 on eBay for a rare find in his attic -- 85 photographs from a 1908 expedition to the Arctic.

Francis Boucher of New Haven said the photo album, which had been passed down to him by his parents, spent years in a trunk in his attic until he stumbled upon it about two weeks ago and decided to research its origins, The New Haven (Conn.) Register reported Monday.

"This time, I started really looking at their historical value," he said. "I was surprised and kind of excited. It's one of those things you stick in a box and forget about."

"The book documents Harry Whitney's expedition with the Inuit Eskimo to the north and south of Etah (Greenland), along the Arctic frontier and overwintering in Annoatok," he wrote in an e-mail announcing his auction. "The images portray what real big-game hunting and survival in the wilderness was all about, making today's reality TV look like child's play."

The auction had reached a high bid of $1,612 as of Monday evening.