I've gotten this question a lot recently from seasoned collectors, so I thought I'd chime in.
From the standpoint of running an auction house, I see no difference between the seasonality of our auctions, in terms of bidder activity. While the sports we collect are seasonal, by and large, the hobby itself is not - collectors collect year-round. I'm unaware of any baseball collector who would see a card they want in an auction catalog and say, "Oh well, it's football season, I can't buy that card."
There are consignors who feel more comfortable consigning a certain time of year, for a variety of reasons, but those reasons are typically personal to the consignor. We have different auctions during the year and some are larger than others, but the size of the auction is related solely to the quality and quantity of consignments we secured for that auction.
There are also times of year that may benefit certain folks - some people are more flush with cash in the spring after tax season, but conversely, others are broke after writing big tax checks. Some folks have year-end bonuses or extra cash to spend at the end of the year, but others are strapped after the holidays. For the hobby, it all sort of comes out in the wash, as there are thousands of bidders from all walks of life who all participate in the hobby - so my advice, which nobody asked for - is not to overthink it. "Analysis paralysis" is a thing I read on this board recently, and I think it's a good descriptive. If you've got something to sell, pick the venue you feel most comfortable with, and let them do their thing.
Good luck!
-Al
|