Grey Flannel still active, as of 9 am East Coast Time
 

Looks like Gray Flannel is out to break the record for longest extended bidding period on record?

Anyone know what's the record?

They're still running the auction as of 9 am the following morning.

Looks like most of the championship rings (sorry, this is my only solid area of knowledge) did not perform too well except for a Dr. J All Star ring that did very well.

I guess the highlight of the auction is the Babe Ruth Tour of Japan game used cap - it's currently at $252,731 before the final buyer's premium is added.

It finally ended just a couple of minutes after you wrote that. Thanks Grey Flannel, for robbing us of any chance for a decent night's sleep!

For the record, the Joe D. Cap didn't do too poorly either! :eek:

http://catalog.greyflannelauctions.c...entoryid=33291

Also they might've realized a record price for a 1932 Yankees Ball (not 100% sure, but it's gotta be close..)

http://catalog.greyflannelauctions.c...entoryid=32660

Grey Flannel
 

I think one of the stronger buys was the Roy Campanella jacket. In my opinion, vintage jackets are among the most undervalued items out there as compared to comparable items of the same player. Jackets were produced in far lesser quantities than the caps and uniforms. Jackets also require a good bit more study and analysis in order to properly date them, or at least establish a more defined time frame than what is typically seen when they come to auction.

Dave Grob
DaveGrob1@aol.com

I was outbid at 3 am and was annoyed at myself for sleeping but at 730 the auction was still going so I got to bid again and got this one .. I Rarely buy a glove for myself but might need to keep this for a week or two

That's a decent hammer on that glove, Matt. You did well - beauty!!

Do you think that could hurt them next auction having it run so long.....now you might have people be like oh I can just wait til the morning to bid.

I don't know if it will hurt them , but I do think there needs to be a limit ... They send out an auction is winding down email at 4:32 and then it runs for a few more hours . Pick an end time and call it a day .. People will still bid
Matt

Well I would think it could hurt them (granted minimally) but moreso the consignors, if you have bidders who can then just go to sleep wake up and bid.......then their auction ends at 2am/3am then they miss out on the bidders who assumed it would again go into the early morning.


If you know an auction is going to still be going in the morning are you really staying up to 2 or 3 to get a bid in. And granted you don't "know" it, but their next one, I'll have a mental note.

Auction Dynamics
 

I’m not sure I understand the current auction dynamic and why so much of what we see is still so much of a vestige from the earliest days of the industry. Back in the day, catalogs were sent out and you actually could and did fill out bid sheets and send them back via mail or fax. You also made use of phone lines. Longer running times and longer lead times almost necessitated this as a matter of practicality.

Now we have the ability to view previews on line, bid on line, and the technology exists to allow for single lots to close. In short, with an advanced ability to preview for some time, why not reduce bidding days to say only 3-4. Many sports memorabilia purchases are emotional decisions anyway, so why give folks more time to talk themselves out of them over a longer period. Would a shorter bidding cycle increase the sense of urgency on the part of collectors or would it give them less time to talk themselves into a purchase?

Collectors love hard copy catalogs to look through; consigners love them as it is reassurance them that someone can see their items, but they are expensive and I’m not sure the cost really helps that much with influencing bidding or consignments as folks are looking for things like cash advances, lowest consignment fees, and proof of performance (prices realized).

Not necessarily looking for an answer to any or all of this, but is what we see in the current sports memorabilia auction really the best way to serve all the various entities (bidders, consigners, auction houses) or is the current dynamic really nothing more than “we’ve always done it that way…”
Please know I am not doing any market research for anyone nor do I have much more to offer on this topic, more along the lines of just thinking out loud…

Dave Grob
Dave Grob1@aol.com

I was watching that one with great interest and am SHOCKED at what it went for. Jackets may be rarer (more rare?) but I didn't figure it would go for 3.5x what a game-used glove would go for. I was having a debate with a buddy of mine and thought he was crazy when he said his guess was that it would go for $20k. I was figuring around $15k. I was only a little off. LOL

this is nothing new for them....
 

I guess maybe you guys werent aware (or forgot) but gf's last two december auctions both ended around this same time ie hours after wake-up time on the east coast so around the 9am range. Last years didnt end til around 8:30 am if I remember correctly (I usually make a note of ending times for most auctions when I remember to so I will have to check my records from last december) and two years ago in 2012 it definitely went past 7 am and probably even later than that so I will have to check; that being said, this is nothing new for them.

However, gf's antics pale in comparison to mears' record-breaking ending time of their december 30th 2010 auction which didnt end til at least noon the following day (and it might have been 1 or even later, will have to check); as much as I love mears, that was absolutely ridiculous!!:eek:

edited to add: just found the email that troy of mears sent on december 31st, 2010 at 2:32 pm stating the auction (that was supposed to have ended the night before) would end no later than 8pm EST that night; so as of 2:32 in the afternoon it was still taking place and now that I think about it I think it ended sometime around 5pm that evening (so way before the 8pm cut off time lol) but much later than gf's 9ish end time today; maybe this will give gf something to shoot for next year!!