One major AH vs another
 

Hypothetically, say you have a nice card to sell and think it's worth about $50,000.

Do you think which AH you consign it to will materially impact the final selling price? Not talking some obscure off the radar place, but one of the big say 10-15 AHs. Do you think it really makes a difference at the end of the days whose selling it?

Not looking for a recommendation for a sale, just curious in what people think.

Does quality of reputation or style of presentation really matter at the end of the day in thus crazy marketplace?

One thing that really irks me is when I consign what may be considered a showcase card to one auction house...and when the auction opens there are a handful of other examples...this in my opinion surely will affect the hammer price.

Granted I'm not talking 50K cards...maybe 5-10K.

You mention 10-15 AHs. In my opinion, there are not 10-15 different AHs To which I would consign a $50k prewar card. For a $50k card, I think there are 5-7 AHs to choose from. That said, in this market, I think the end result in all 5-7 would be about the same; that is, the AH does not make too much of a difference. This means the deciding factors would be customer service, auction timing, and how much of the BP you could get.

Maybe ask Fballguy- that genius seems to be an expert in auction houses and buyer’s premiums.

I see the same issue with the numbers of the same cards in auctions and I have cards in that 5K and higher value as many of us do .
I was wondering before consigning an item if you can ask the AH before the deadline to consign how many of this card are in their auction and what are their grades and who is the grading company in order to decide on who to use , and would they tell you ?

I have noticed that trend for a couple of years now with some of the more popular but (relatively) inexpensive cards like Red Cobbs.

Way above my pay grade, but I generally agree. The only thing I would say is some auction houses do a little better with specific types of items. For instance, I would probably consider Goldin over REA for a modern super pink twinkle refractor and REA over Goldin for a rare 19th century cabinet.

But if you consign say a nice PSA 5, and the auction is listing an 8 and 9 going sky high, maybe the presence of the other two cards exploding actually gets you a better price on your card than you would have otherwise gotten, as it attracts all the relative “bargain” seekers. just a thought.

Perhaps, but I have also seen multiples in the same grade in the same auction of quite a few popular cards.

yeah, that’s not going to be helpful.

Whereas in the past the auctions wouldn't do this

Ha ha...If rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it, right Crotchkiss?

The loyalty with which lemming hand over their wallets really is a site to behold. Most do it grudgingly and that I get. Others eagerly turn around and bend over so their back pocket is more easily reached. Maybe too eagerly in some cases.

I hardly think you can equate paying the vigorish on a baseball card, which is clearly disclosed, to the act of rape. Maybe use a better choice of words.

Yeah, that was bit much.

Don’t want to pay a commission, shop elsewhere.

My vote for the classiest and most intelligent guy on the board.

I feel bad for your mother. I hope we get to meet so I can tell you to you’re face what I think of you

Ryan “Crotchkiss” Hotchkiss

For a 50k Prewar Master Piece... being respectful & respected need to come with the deal, seems to be what I desire the most!

The rest boils down to may be the 5-7 AHz mentioned...

*Zero to maybe even a +percentage is Highly in order here!

I can only think of five auction houses that I would consign a high value card to: REA, HA, Goldin, Memory Lane and LOTG. This is a function of their mailing list, the quality of their write ups, and their reputation. Depending on the card, I think the result might differ amongst these, but probably not by a major amount. For lower value cards I think other auction houses may do better because they can devote more time to this material and can break down groups into smaller pieces.

I agree with much of the sentiment already voiced...Goldin for shiny shit...REA for classic vintage...Heritage, Memory Lane, Love of the game, Sterling all seem to bring strong prices. For a 50K item is that even enough to get any of the buyers premium take?

Pete—I wouldn’t consign a high value item to an auction house that does not issue a catalog. Even in today’s world, physical catalogs generate bids. As to your question, a $50k item should always get the consignor a portion of the buyers premium.

Now, about that definition of insanity you were telling me about...:D

Note to self as well -- do not feed the trolls.

Lelands, MileHigh, SCP, and Hunt should all be in consideration as well for a 50k item. They have all been around for a long time and have history for selling large ticket items. They all put out catalogs too. I would add CleanSweep to the list if they did a smaller auction of high end items. I left PWCC off as the jury is still out on them.

Rape at post #11. That’s got to be record speed for craziness.

Would have to be a jury of dullards to take this long...

I'd go with REA and LOTG before the rest. They check all the boxes and the service is first-rate. i am not a fan of Heritage: too big. I feel like a number dealing with them.

If only a real jury was involved there.

I'm going to be at the National. Let's meet up.

This crybaby takes an unprovoked shot at me, then gets his feelings hurt upon retort. Why is this hobby filled with so many of these guys? Probably why they got into hobbies to begin with.

.

Good point!!

I propose a charity softball game at the National, the "The Crotchkisses" vs "The Geniuses" all funds to go to the Negro League Baseball Museum. Game to be played by dead ball era rules or lack there of...

Now pardon me while I go kiss my girlfriends crotch, since I'm no genius.

I am curious as to why you didn't also include Huggins & Scott.

Heritage used to be the only one who would have multiple cards or sets sometimes in the exact same grade but Robert Edwards the last couple of years has surpassed them by a long shot.

As far as where a 50K card goes, we will each have our list of top choices but I don't think any of them have a list of secret bidders. I think one that is known for selling 50K cards on a regular basis is imperative. And making sure they won't have another example of your card in similar grade should be agreed upon in advance.

I am on the other end of this "argument." I don't think you can have too many red cobbs, T205 Cobbs (or any commodity type card) in an auction. Every one of them is going to be different even if they are all the same grade. A centered red cobb can go for 2x a non-centered one, even in the same grade.

Leon, you have a very disconcerting habit of finding beautiful undergraded cards. What's your secret? Anything to do with your last name?

One of my thoughts was similar. The people I know who could buy something like that are generally disciplined, and have a price in mind already and that price is somewhat fixed.

So if it's a card that's 50K, they're not going much above that. If there's 5 different ones, they'll have a bit of a lit of preferences, like maybe they like he third one then fourth then first. So they bid a bit under on the first, a bit over on the third, and have the fourth as a backup.

All things being roughly equal the prices should be pretty close.

On unique items, it may be a lot different.

My other thought was that the auction house choice may not matter much on a commodity or a hypothetical 50K card, but might matter for a specific card. One ah might be better with T206 than the others, but not have the best pool of buyers for a different card.

as many said there are many good auction houses it can be consigned to. Negotiating the points back on high end cards if often key so you can maximize your profits

Consider Andy Sandler www.AllSportsAuctions.com
 

Please consider my auctions at
www.AllSportsAuctions.com

I have been active in the hobby for almost 50 years and ran Teletrade Sports Auctions when we were the largest in the hobby (I was one of PSA's and Jimmy Spence's largest customers). Due to this I have a massive mailing list. I am also a long-time collector with a huge inventory of all kinds of sports memorabilia, myself, so I know all the major dealers/collectors of just about every type of sports collectible and will contact them to maximize your results.
In my current auctions, I have sold items for $300,000.00 and $10.00 and everything in between. I have received RECORD PRICES on vintage sports cards, autographs, programs, game used jerseys, etc. Over the years I have sold just about every vintage card except a T206 Wagner.
In my auctions, consignors (and buyers) get very personalized service as I am the only employee and will make it so we all are satisfied! I have very little overhead so I am happy to bend to make it worth your while!
Please take a look at my website or give me a call. You won't be disappointed!

Sincerely, Andy Sandler (914) 388-2940 andy@allsportsauctions.com

Hey John
I have shown it around a hundred (and one) times .....still love looking at cards like this and I know a lot of other members enjoy them too (see Jamie's gorgeous 1.5 Jackson.)

As for which auction house would be best? All of our advertisers. :) They are getting the word to the right audience....
.

Or - save yourself some fees and uncertainty
 

I have been selling cards privately for Net 54 members (and non members) for a few years now. I have a private client list, set up at most major east coast shows and the national. On any cards over $10K my commission is a measly 7.5% - considerably better than any auction house and Ebay! For strong cards I can usually get strong prices - best part is if I don't get the price we agree to, it DOESN'T sell to the highest bidder! Contact me for more info.

My vested interest aside, I do not believe auctions are the best way to sell most cards. The cards that make the most sense to me to be auctioned are the high demand low supply examples - (think super high grade major rookie cards), where a truly competitive market can be tapped. For cards that have a good supply and clear market value - sellers are just giving up a much larger % of the proceeds than they need to - usually between 15 and 25%:eek:

Regarding the auction house question - I believe there is a group of "better" auction houses. Like DJ - I think some houses are better for certain items. I also believe how a house writes a description, takes quality images and where/how they show the card(s) make a HUGE difference.