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Posted By: davidcycleback

Hal, I don't lie or shill or cheat or have people shill. But if, as a bidder or consignor, an auction house told me I might be getting a phone call or two to verify who I am and what I own in the auction, I wouldn't would tell the auction house they won't be receiving my business. If Amazon.com told me I would get a phone or two call after placing an order, I'd buy from Barnes and Noble.

If someone at the auction house asked me, as consignor, to respond to a bidder who had a question about the lot itself (provenance, age, other), I would not have a problem-- though perhaps I would prefer to relay the answer through the auction house employee ... In the past, as indpendant outside expert, I have fielded authenticity questions via telephone from auction houses about current lots, with the employee relaying the answers via phone to the bidders. Sometimes I had no clue who was the consignor or bidder. One time I knew who was the bidder.