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It doesn’t make a difference if it was the AH placing the highest bid or another bidder, all that matters is that if the AH was involved at all, who knows if a second real bidder ever even entered the picture so either way the high bid wouldn’t even exist because the sole real bidder wouldn’t be bidding against themself. Even if the AH was not involved at all and never placed a bid, all it takes is a “hobby friend” to get involved and the end result is the same. The best way to avoid this whole scenario is for the AH to not allow reserves and every card simply goes to the highest bidder. The idea that a consignor has the safety net of a reserve or hidden reserve so they don’t have to sell their card if they are not happy with the price defeats the whole purpose of an auction. Then sell your card with a Buy It Now price. Why be given the best of both worlds, make sure you don’t leave any money on the table using a fixed price sale while not having the risk of receiving a disappointing price at auction, whichever works out better for you. Because, to get a high-end card like this, AH’s will fall all over themselves and do ANYTHING to get the consignment. A lot of competition out there you know.