I think it is unanimously agreed that Al is a good guy. However, my sense is that Al is struggling as a one man band in NJ to do all the jobs necessary to run a mid size auction, especially one putting out a nice catalog. If economics allow, Al might be well served to add an employee in NJ to help with the day to day tasks which would free Al up to do more consignment hunting.
Also, on a side note, Derek's post raises an interesting point. One of his consignment lots was lost before being auctioned off. At that point he was offered a settlement price for that lot. Al was fair and Derek was sayisfied. However, It is not always the case that a consignor will walk away satisfied if an event like that occurs. For higher value consignments consignors should consider stipulating individual insurance values for each lot and include these figures in the consignment agreement. That way if a lot is lost the consignor need not rely on the fairness of the auction house. In general, consignors need to read the consignor agreement, attempt to strike out terms they view as objectionable, and remember that everything is negotiable; the consignor agreement is just the auction houses' first offer.
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