Congrats to Love of the Game and a brief reflection on auction houses

[timn1]

Just received my item from the recent LOTG auction, beautifully presented as always. It's been said before around here, but Al does a wonderful job-

I have to admit I was skeptical when I watched all the new smaller auction houses spring up in the last five years. But I have now come to think that these folks have not only filled the void left by Ebay's changes, but they have made the hobby a lot better for all of us.

Collectors now have real options for how to consign their material that they didn't really have when Mastro/Legendary ruled the roost (yes, I know REA and Heritage mitigated many of the issues involved with Mastro, but to me REA and Heritage have always seemed a bit inaccessible to the average consignor). These new houses have created competition that benefits collectors and consignors, elevated the ethical standards of the auction process, and created strong personal bridges between auctioneers and collectors that bigger auction houses just can't maintain.

So here's a shout-out to Love of the Game, Sterling, Brockelman and Luckey, BST Auctions (on the horizon), and ___________ [insert your favorite here] -

Tim