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Tom BoblittHunt's does (or has done) it...........I have attended a couple auctions where bidding went on and then the lot was not sold due to some behind-the-scenes reserve. Right or wrong, I think most any auction house (save REA per their own statements) would likely take a card valued at $100K with an open reserve (or maybe even unopened).
Publicity is everything for these guys. Average lot price, # lots sold, % lots sold, # lots above $10-$20-$50-$100K, etc. Statistics are what drives them. Whether they intend to go public (some have previously done this) or just hype the next auction, those type of lots are very important. And there are houses that will allow consignors to bid on their own lots I believe.