Auction house consignment
 

I have a few vintage memorabilia items I will be looking to consign to an auction house at some point. I am curious if anyone feels there is a best time of year to do so? Perhaps it depends on the auction house; One house may have the best results in the fall while another has better results in the spring.

Just curious if anyone has noticed any patterns.

Likewise, is there a better time to buy (for example, less competition)?

From my experience, time of year doesn't matter much. As for which AH, it really depends on what the items are as each has strengths and weaknesses.

To answer you with recommendations, we would need to know what specifically you are looking to consign. Tough to recommend one auction house over another without knowing the content.

As for the timing... I guess the consensus is that "end of year" auctions are the most popular. But everybody has one... so perhaps there's an element of cannibalization. I personally think April/May is a good time frame.

There are other factors as well... consignment fees, hidden reserves, Live Auctions vs. Internet Auctions, etc. Let us know what you've got, and we can recommend best timing/venue.

edit... Jeff and I were writing at the same time, but he summed it up more concisely.