Honus Wagner Patterson NJ BB team photo 1896???

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

Also, I have never understood the thought process that somehow the Consignor is somehow “owed” or “deserves” top dollar for their item, especially if they have no idea what it is or why it is worth money. There is nothing sacred about their claim any more than the collector that is looking to purchase an item and SURPRISE would love to find something for a good deal.

If anybody was at an antique show (not a baseball card show) and they were going through a paper dealers stuff and found a nice card or item (say for example something like a small stack of Old Judge cards with a Deacon White and Bid McPhee in there) and the seller was asking $20/each for the cards... every person that knows would buy that stack of cards right then and there. The reality is that that dealer probably paid far less then what they were selling them for, there is no sacred duty to help that collector/dealer to maximize returns.

I do not completely agree with this. I feel a consignor is owed or deserves top dollar for their material if they are relying on the auction house, as experts, to properly market and sell the item for them. Especially if the consignor is not an expert or has the connections or the means to sell the material themselves. To suggest otherwise implies if you had an auction house you would not feel obligated to do that for your consignors.

In your example, the paper dealer selling OJs for $20 each is a different story. They are in the business of selling second hand material. They may not be card experts but they are experts in the business of selling and should know enough to know who to ask or where to find the value of those OJs. If not that is on them.