Honus Wagner Patterson NJ BB team photo 1896???
 

I am not a pre war collector so now that this auction is over I am reaching out for info on the below team photo of the Patterson NJ baseball team of 1896 that shows Wagner.

Is this item legit? Did someone get a real bargain? I am guessing by the price that it may not be original etc.
Any info would be appreciated

Thanks

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-l...son-68C4CEE8AE

It’s a vintage print, and, yes, the winning bidder did well.

[Note: I hadn’t realized the auction was still underway when I wrote this.]

Wow, very interesting.

Fred, it looks like the auction is still running. Bids have gone up.

Wow! A good buy, indeed. Worth many multiples of the winning bid.

If it's legit I'd like to know who is estimating that piece at $1200 - $1800 :confused: .

This post could not have waited for an hour or two for the auction to end? Seriously.

Certainly helped the seller out. :eek:

The photo should be a $10,000 plus item.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, it is hard to tell from the scan if this photo described as a "silver print" is original to 1896 as it should be albumen from this time period and it is not overly clear but who knows without more images and higher quality scans.

wish I had a higher bid limit (I was capped at $5k since I registered so late)...$7500 + juice to someone on the floor.

I love this cabinet/photo as it also includes HOF executive, Ed Barrow. He obviously had an eye for talent.

Same with the 5k limit. If the winner wants to make a buck please contact me.

Consignor definitely owes Fred a beer.

The fact the winner was on the floor and saw it in person is a good sign.

I was told the winner was not on the floor, a friend of mine was on the phone for the bidding and they told him it was not a floor bid, that it was someone who came in late, probably because of this thread.

I have no skin in the game as I did not bid but I know a few people who are quite upset about this thread and outing the auction. It takes some of the fun out of the "thrill of the chase" when someone outs an auction early.

I have no skin in the game either, but I do not favor the bidders over the consignor. Outing the auction allowed the consignor to get a fairer price for his item. That is not a bad thing. On a separate note, this auction house did a horrible job publicizing this desirable piece. I never heard about it before this post, and I’m sure many other potential bidders did not either.

Swann is a respected long-time photography auction house. I would have no reason to doubt their authentication ability on the photo.

I know who won it and they were aware of the auction for weeks.

The seller left money on it to begin with putting it in Swann in my opinion. While it's a fine and reputable auction house, putting that baseball related item in there with the other stuff that was in that auction was out of place and its easy to see why so many didn't notice it.

And good for the buyer, looks like he may have got a slight deal on it still.

With all due respect, one of the first topics ever discussed on this board when I first discovered this site in Feb 2000 (over 18 years ago) was "outing" current auctions. It was discussed and overwhelmingly decided it was in poor taste at that time, has been discussed many times here with the same conclusion since, and will always be considered proper etiquette to wait until something is over. Waiting to discuss pricing or whether something was a good deal has been the unwritten rule of this site and people have been called out for it hundred of times. The exception of course being to discuss as to whether an item is a reprint to save a member from a bad experience.

Had this been an item I had been looking for personally (which this was not) that had been outed by someone unfamiliar with the etiquette of this forum, I would be really pissed off right now. Consignors plugging their own item is a completely different story.

This forum has changed in many ways but the basic fun of it has remained. If an indifference now exists to whether current auctions can be outed and that practice is accepted, it is a step in the wrong direction for the fun of the community.

Again, not something I was bidding on, but the outing of it here before it ended should be looked at as in extremely poor taste by everyone and if not, I believe that is a problem.

I agree and check your emails :).

There have been many threads concerning/discussing outing auctions. Personally I don't like them to be outed when open or even right after they close.
It has been debated and hashed out over and over but there can be no hard rule against it. It is still open for debate but it's been debated so much I can't imagine something changing. Also, in defense of one of my all time favorite board members (hi Fred) who started this thread he did think the auction was over. I have been totally hosed before because of someone outing an open auction on ebay, in the wrong category, which I was following. So be it.
I cringe sometimes when I see them discussed when still ongoing. I can see the other side too but still......and outing your own auction in the wrong place on this forum, when found out about, will get you the boot or at least slapped around a little. :o

Yeah I feel bad for who ever would have owned this piece. That’s being said I had no idea he played for P-Town. Is this common knowledge. Was this like a semi pro league ?

I too agree the “outing” of live auctions has become all too commonplace on here...hard to prevent when such threads can be disguised as “discussion” threads.


Hard to feel bad for the consignor such a rare and unusual items you would have to have your head in the sand to not know it’s approximate value ??

Swann is a good auction house with a fine photography department and I have both bid and consigned with them. They are known for their photography but they do not specialize in sports memorabilia. It was the consignor's decision to give it to them. It's certainly possible that he wasn't a baseball collector and simply had this photo for a reason we can't explain.

My guess is it was part of a larger collection that was consigned. Doesn't have to be a baseball collector.

First I cringed when I read thread yesterday and saw auction was still ongoing.
Second as a proud NJ native I am always happy to see images of the Paterson Silk weavers nickname Silk Sox. I have seen 3 team images of the team. And a good friend of mine has the copy that hung in Ed Barrow's Yankees office for many years. And there is a version from 1897 that has Wagner Barrow and Ed Delahanty. They are all wonderful images. I am including one of the alternate images The team with the Soby cup. This is similar to the image that hung in Barrows office. And the beer bottle from Patterson congratulating The 1897 team as reigning champs. This brewery grew into Ballentine brewing which was beer of NY Yankees for many years.

I don't agree with any of this "outing" an auction nonsense. None of it. Entirely possible the consignor inherited the piece and had no clue what it was worth. Is there a book somewhere where I can look this photo up and see what the last three sales were? Nope.

With the juice the item went for $9,375.00, IMO a steal. The image also comes in cabinet size. The cabinet version sold in the 1991 Copeland sale for $13,200.


The Swann auction this was sold in was NOT the photography auction, but instead their printed & manuscript Americana auction. IMO the item would have done better in the photography auction.

Dunno if it was a steal or not but here is a link http://www.gottahaveit.com/Honus_Wag...rs-LOT566.aspx to one that alegedly belonged to the Wagner estate.

Well I have to agree that there is no book that has the last 3 sales, But there is the Internet. And the internet was available to the consignor as well as to every member of the Auction house.
But there are reasons I disagree on "outing an ongoing auction" . First there is an auction section on this forum for members to alert others to upcoming auctions. Second If I had done the research and found this item registered early and gave them my financial info so that I could compete for the item. Then at the last few minutes of the auction someone alerts a forum full if like minded collectors that an item is selling cheap. I would not be happy.
As a member of net54 I like to think we are here to share our collections and knowledge to help each other I do not think that outing an auction or worse an Ebay deal is helpful. let's face it the thrill of the hunt is a part of collecting I enjoy it, and talking to fellow collectors over the past 40 plus years I know many share that enjoyment. jmho

That's what I was thinking as a possibility.

Interesting since it is neither a print or a manuscript, and they do have a photography department. Surprised they didn't suggest that to the consignor.

FWIW, the OP didn't think he was outing an auction since he truly believed it to already be over (re-read his post).

I collect items from my hometown of Paterson, NJ and I have several copies of this photo but the original is so much sweeter.

MY Bad!!!
 

Hi Guys:

SO SORRY for this mess! I TRULY looked at the auction and thought it was over. I thought the site said SOLD FOR $900 or whatever it was when I posted.

I had watched this for awhile and sent myself a reminder to check the auction when the day came.

Serves me right for putting my nose into things I don't have much knowledge about (Pre War).

All I can do is ask your forgiveness. I am just reading this now. I had checked the box for instant email notifications when people reply, however, I have received only one or two for the first replies. So I am seeing all this tonight for the first time or I would have replied sooner.

Again, SO SORRY. I do know the rule not to out auctions. Believe me this is the first and last time I will ask anything about an auction.

Fred McKie

Don't worry about it Fred, honest mistake. The winner is thrilled, the consignor I'm sure is happy, happy endings all around.

Steve is 100% right. Too often old collectors pass away and their families are left to dispose of hoards of material that they know nothing about. Perhaps an elderly man passed away and his widow gathered up his stuff and brought it to Swanns to auction. Had this item not been outed she would have been shortchanged by even more than she was (the photo still went cheap). The fun of the hobby is collecting, not taking advantage of people.
If I see something in an auction or on EBay that I think a friend of mine collects and might miss I always contact them; they do the same for me. Outing an auction on the board is simply an extension of this.

I'll go with Jay and Steve on this. If the board prefers a no outing policy, that's fine. But how many times have any of us consigned an item and seen it go for less than we expected? And wouldn't it have been nice if one more serious bidder knew about the auction?

We all want to get top dollar for our consignments, and when we bid get incredibly good deals, but when you get that good deal somebody else is getting burned. Stay quiet if you prefer but I don't think outing is such a terrible thing.

Stuff sells for less than expected all of the time. If you don’t want that risk don’t sell in an auction format. Leon can do what he wants but the last sentence of your first paragraph to me suggests scenarios where people “out” auctions on this board to draw attention to their consignment.

Secondly, if I scour obscure auctions to find something and I locate something I want to bid on, it’s really frustrating to come on this board and see something posted about it, particularly so when the post comes from someone who isn’t bidding.

I think Fred made a simple mistake- he was curious about a piece and asked a question after he thought the auction was over. He wasn’t outing an auction to drum up interest in the piece, which I think is a terrible thing to see happen here.

Hypothetical question Jay - if I see an uncatalogurd OJ player in a tiny auction and I don’t want the card (I would but whatever) - would you prefer I email you about it or post about it here for the whole collecting world to see?

Fred, my thoughts exactly !

Chris- Two thoughts. I agree it is odd when someone with no financial or bidding interest outs a lot. I don't know what their motivation is other than draw attention to themselves, I guess.

Second, people can out their own consignments on the board, if I read your comment correctly. THere is a section on BST to do that, either lots one has on ebay or with an auction house.

Ideally, it's probably best not to out. But how realistic is it to assume you found something on ebay and nobody but you saw it? I think people find most of these things eventually. Sure, you may miss a chance to buy something but you will have plenty of other opportunities down the road.

Obviously in this case Fred made a mistake and that is fine, nobody is upset with him about it, nor should they be. Mistakes happen all the time, I know because I’m usually the one making them!

As far as outing auctions go... one of the most enjoyable aspects of collecting is finding a deal or getting a great item for a good deal. Often times that deal was found because of knowledge you possess that has taken time and research to gain, sometimes it is just luck. If you spend hours a day scouring eBay rabbit-holes just to have someone else post your findings to a community board where someone with deeper pockets swoops in and outbids you... that is super frustrating.

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.

That being said, I reserve the right to break my rules at times. I have been the one to point out something to a seller that they may not have known as a favor (usually I know them or consider them a friend.) I have also done the opposite as well, I was once at a paper show and found a valuable autograped postcard that I later sold for $1500-2000 or so in a stack of postcards with a $10 price. I was toying with idea in my head that maybe I should say something BUT the dealer was so rude to everyone during the 20 Minutes I was at his table I just paid for the item and walked away with a nice find.

Barry, in reference to your last paragraph, I think it happens more than you think. I find items all the time that are poorly listed and sometimes I’m the only bidder. I don’t think Chris is saying no one else will find it, but if you find a hidden gem, would you rather be bidding against 5 people or 500?

And I’m not all for ripping people off, but if people inherit items, why aren’t they expected to do some due diligence to find out if they’re selling something of value. With all that’s out there on the internet, it’s really not that difficult.

I agree with those 2 guys!!

Must be a dental thing Pete.

It doesn’t happen like it used to Barry but it does still happen. In late July I found a RPPC on eBay that had several NY Giants in it - one of them happened to be Jim Thorpe.

I won it for the opening bid. Only bidder.

If someone outed that auction before it ended?

A few months ago, an elderly neighbor called me to look at some mail she received. Her husband died a few months ago and she received a letter in the mail from some sketchy real estate company offering to buy her house in cash immediately. For about half of what it was worth. I guess this is a business angle. Comb the obituaries and find widows who are floundering financially and try to get their home for about half of its fair market value.

I reviewed the letter to her and explained that these guys were trying to get her home for a fraction of what it was worth and she should throw the letter in the garbage.

Did I "out" their business model. Should I feel terrible about what I did?

I'm fine either way. I don't want to steal cards, just have a fair shot at them. My only regret would be not having the opportunity to bid.

Fair enough - to me if you put something up for sale it is the seller’s responsibility to make sure that they are getting the maximum they can for an item - not me as a buyer.

If someone came to me and wanted to sell an item I would certainly feel a responsibility to help them by pointing them to a reputable auction house that specializes in what they are selling. That said, I don’t believe it is the responsibility of potential buyers to look out for sellers of items currently for sale.

Chris-I hear you, but helping the seller achieve a market price is only part of it. Discussing an auction is also giving all potential buyers the opportunity to bid on the item, so no one misses something they collect and may have been looking for. In most markets full disclosure of information is the law. I am just suggesting that full disclosure in the hobby market benefits both the seller and potential buyers, and through increased transparency the hobby in general.

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.

You really didn't understand what I was writing did you!?! You just want to argue so I'm not going to go down that rabbit-hole with you.

Obviously, being a terrible person and taking advantage of an elderly person would be a bad thing. :confused:

This isn't a hard concept people!

I get where Jay is coming from as well as there have been items that I would have loved to have a chance at but didn't see the item until after the fact. I didn't enjoy that but I probably should have looked harder I suppose.

Absolute nonsense!

If I had an Auction House, I wouldn't do a horrible job marketing an item. Not all auction houses are created equally.

You are actually suggesting that to not help a consignor attain maximum value for an item at an auction house (who are paid to do a job) is the same as me ripping off a theoretical consignor?

Sorry, but I have a hard time believing your story that just conveniently happened a few months ago... perfect timing to make a nonsensical comparison to the thread right? And you're comparing someone who offers someone an unsolicited low ball offer to someone purchasing an item at what the seller wanted or expected. These two things are completely different. You can't see that?

So if you're some marauding do-gooder so concerned with ignorant sellers getting the same amount as people that actually research and do the work...
then why aren't you spending day and night patrolling the web, looking to help those completely unfortunate individuals to make sure they get every penny you wrongfully think they deserve?

Hurry Steven!! Someone somewhere is getting an item a nickel cheaper than market value... Ohh the unjust horror!

...I should add this is mostly in jest, but c'mon, let's not be delusional. :rolleyes:
What ever happened to personal responsibility in society????

That was a horrible job to market the piece by the AH, that is the AHs responsibility and if they do not know they should reach out. That is the difference in AHs, that is exactly what they are suppose to do. If I consigned that item not knowing what I had and strolled across this thread right now Id be pissed. Anyone can thrown a card in an auction, not everyone knows how to market what they have to the right audience. The AH did a major disservice to the consignor.

S Suckow

I am suggesting nothing. I stated that a consignor is owed and deserves top dollar if they contract with an AH to sell their goods which is contrary to what you wrote. You were the one suggesting that a consignor who does not know the value of what they have is not entitled to top dollar. If the consignor is not an expert and turns to an expert then they should not be dismissed.

Actually it happened to my mother, but I didn't care to interject a lot of personal stuff into the discussion.

And Rhys, while I responded to your post, I wasn't addressing you specifically, but the general concept that somehow interfering with a lopsided transaction is a terrible thing to do.

And I totally agree that the AH deserves a lot of blame here.

Since the majority who posted here prefer the no outing "rule", and since some still do find hidden gems on places like ebay, then that's the way to go. I don't search ebay much anymore, so I'll defer to those who do.

I don't really believe anyone is "entitled" to anything in this world.

You would be hard-pressed to find someone in this hobby that tries to treat other people with more respect and gives information and knowledge more freely to others than I do. There is no obligation to do so and there never has been a mandate dictating that it be done. I enjoy doing so because it is fun but to many their knowledge is theirs and they use it to the best of their ability to help themselves... that is their right to do so as they own their own knowledge and have worked hard to attain it.

I'm not getting the righteous indignation here.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree Jay. In 20 years of being a member of this and other message boards, I don't believe I have never seen a situation where people have outed an auction so that everyone gets a chance to bid on it.

If i put in the legwork to find something that was missed by 90% of the potential buyers, I don't think I should have to worry about that auction being outed on here by an uninterested party under the premise of giving everyone a chance at bidding on it. If I found it other people can too.

Moreover, that opens a pandoras box of non-altrusic uses for outing auctions. People would be using this place as a bulletin board for their auctions that they were concerned wouldn't get the price they want, among other things.

Rhys, you have been helpful to me personally. And I appreciated it.

I’m not looking to fight with anyone. I honestly just don’t understand the argument that as collectors all of our allegiances should be with a potential buyer about to get a breathtaking deal and not with a seller about to lose something at an uniformed price.

If I listed a photo somewhere and forgot to say it was a Conlon rarity or if the AH didn’t recognize it, I’d hope someone on the board would reach out to me and tell me I’m making a huge error. But maybe that’s not how the game is played.

What if the consignor turned to the wrong expert?

I understand your point-- there are two legitimate perspectives. Reminds me a bit like when Net54ers decry shill bidding, but tell their friends not to bid on lots they want to suppress bids.

Invoking 'unwritten rule' never particularly impressed me-- especially since it's usually a rule seven people agreed to and decided to impose on everyone.

Here is an interesting case where people decry that a consigner is getting enough exposure for his lot, and that someone gave it exposure.

Steve I agree with you here but what if a random Ebay seller listed a photo in an obscure category and called it a reprint and you saw the photo and recognized it was an original type 1 Conlon and planned to bid on it? Would you want someone not interested in the photo to post about it here before the auction ended in the hopes that the seller corrected the listing and/or to alert other potential interested parties?

I see your point as well. Honestly I don't have super strong feelings on it either way. But some have very very strong feelings on the nondisclosure side and I have a hard time understanding that.

I remember a few years ago Christies was selling lots and some people in the area went in person and realized some of the lots were poorly identified (cabinets photos I think) and much more valuable than advertised. Do they have an obligation to tell the world about the fruits of their research? I'd say no. Are they an ahole it they decide to do so? I'd also say no.

Is this a "If a tree falls in a forest..." question?

To answer you, I don't think it changes the point I was making which is that a layperson should be "entitled" (sorry Rhett) to not be mislead or taken advantage of by a person or business who is/are considered experts. Nobody should be disadvantaged because they are not experts.

That said, I get your point, not all experts are going to do the best job or do a good job at all. If the expert was just not great at their job then that is the cost of doing business for the consignor and an unfortunate outcome for them.

The OP stated "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." I just do not agree with his statement. Using that same logic if the OP hired a contractor to fix something in his house that he knew nothing about I guess he would be ok if the $125 job cost him $4,875 before parts??

Now if you excuse me I have a date with my TV to watch the Dodgers/Giants game.

Let's go Dodgers! :D

No seller is "entitled" to get the best price for their item. In this case, with the Wagner, the seller may deserve a great price as it is a great piece, but he isn't entitled to it just because he put it up for sale in an auction. He is entitled to have the AH do it's due diligence and research what they are selling and market it properly to get the best price they can for their client.

As far as outing an auction goes, I am in the "it's not proper etiquette" boat. But I respect anyone's opinion even if it doesn't agree with my own.



.

Wow, way to take my quote out of context! I said quite a bit more before and after making that statement, go back and read it again.

There is due diligence that needs to be done by anyone that has an object for sale, if they don't do it or simply hand it off to someone else (that may or may not do it) then that is on them, not the universe to make them "right."

This is a fight I am just not willing to have.

Im not mad at anyone and its all good, I just dont have a ton of time to come on this forum much anymore to read responses etc. In the abstract, people speak in moral high tones and that is all fine and dandy but when something they want comes up for sale and they have put in the legwork only to see it outed at the end would leave a bad taste in absolutely everyone's mouth.

I was not bidding, I just had a good friend who was and whether he would have won this or not, the thread just made my heart sink for him because I knew that once it was outed he had no chance anymore.

We move on

I agree 100%. How does an inefficient market benefit the hobby? How does selling/buying an item at a fraction of market price benefit anyone except the individual collector who is getting a 'steal'. Auctions are meant to bring many buyers to the table and to sell items at what the market will bear. I can not see any wrong when an item sells for what it is worth.

And just stop the "Well I sat for hours/days at my computer searching the darkest holes of the internet to find this auction and now it has been brought to other's attention and I'm not going to be able to underpay for the item."

I find it hilarious that people are using terms like “legwork” and “research” to describe using Google on your phone while watching football. Let’s be honest.

I was thinking the same thing. Most people’s perspectives align with what benefits them.

I have no problem with the outing of auctions, but I can certainly see both sides. To me, it seems outing an auction benefits more people than it hurts, which would overall be a good thing.

Fight? For real? We, or at least I am, politely discussing/debating. :confused:

I absolutely agree that anyone selling should make efforts to know something about the material they have for sale but sometimes that is easier said than done. Should we expect a 70 year old widow to know her husband's ungraded caramel cards are in NM-MT condition as opposed to EXMT? Or that the T206 Doyle is the rare variation? Nobody can become enough of an expert that quickly to be able to fend for themselves in an environment that exists in most collectible fields.

Anyway, I did not take the quote out of context. I do not want to come off as argumentative but nothing you wrote before or after really that explained what you meant. Here is the whole statement which was made in its own mini paragraph: "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." And for the reasons I have stated, I simply do not agree with it but I am sure many here would support your position.

First off, Steve, it’s great to have you back on here. As to the debate, I don’t think the real issue here is about protecting some buyer/collector who is about to get a breathtaking deal. I will bet that the people who are passionate about this issue happen to be the flippers/dealers who scour the internet and hunt in obscure auctions looking for deals so that THEY can later sell it for absurd amounts of money. If you “out” these auctions, you are cutting into the profits of these flippers. I want to note that I am not referring to any particular member who has posted on here, nor am I saying that a collector cant ever be affected by an “outing.” I’m saying that the loudest voices are probably coming from guys who make a living off the hobby and expect radio silence so that they can steal the item and then resell it TO A COLLECTOR for a huge profit.
Now to address the collector (as opposed to a flipper) who gets pissed when someone outs your auction item. Finding a card first doesn’t give you any right to the card. An auction is not finders-keepers. Don’t be surprised when other collectors find out about it through the internet. In fact, you should EXPECT IT! The person doing the “outing” may bother you, but he is actually helping other collectors who didn’t know about the auction and want the card just as badly as you do. Why are you more important than those collectors? You want the card more than them? Outbid them.

I'm out. This is insane.

There is an entire subset of the population that enjoys looking for "deals." Not because they are immoral rip-off artists, looking to "steal" items, cheat theoretical consignors, or rip off 70 year old widows. They just enjoy looking for items at prices they are happy with. There is nothing wrong with the way they decide to collect, it isn't any lesser a form of collecting than "COLLECTORS" ... whatever that means.

**Please Note** I overpay for stuff ALL THE TIME, This entire thread I am simply pointing out that I understand the different types of COLLECTORS & where they are coming from, how do you guys not?

I think the various viewpoints and perspectives on this topic shows that, despite what some claim when they invoke it, there is no hobby rule. Or, at least, it's a rule that not everyone agrees with. As far as I very roughly calculate in this thread, half agree with it and half don't.

Of worthy note as far as some unwritten hobby rules go, I remember back when some old timers thought it unethical for someone to place their first winning bid in the last seconds of the auction. They considered that cheating or stealing what they considered rightful person who had his bid placed there a long time. Just saying.

I find it beyond hilarious that people are using terms like "inefficient market" to denote not every collector on earth being aware of every single auction. Or that there's an endless plethora of "70 year old widows" all in disarray due to being completely clueless regarding their husbands world class "caramel card" collections, and distinguishing between "NM-MT condition as opposed to EXMT" Completely comical to say the least....
Let's be honest.

If this board has no rule against outing an auction, then I think that it is fine to do so.

Not everyone agrees with other’s “unwritten rules.”

None of us own the auction, so none of us have the right to suppress the information on it. And if it isn't a board rule...it isn't a board rule.

Out away!

PS: as a guy who flips stuff all the time I get the frustration of seeing a great deal evaporate but a deal is not something i have a right to unless and until the seller and I agree on terms. At that point anyone stepping into my deal is interfering with my contract. But lets not confuse the two things: outing an auction doesn't affect anyone's right to a deal.

As far as AH's go, the onus is on them to get it right in terms of valuation and lotting.