[Vintageclout]

Matt and Greg...well said! Of all the inflamatory remarks this seemingly worthless thread is generating, yours just might make the most sense. I really don't think non-paying bidders are isloated to Goodwin, Mile High or any other auction house. To reiterate my previous meassage, I do believe it is widespread because an auction house just might fear any potential negative publicity. To answer one of your questions regarding Goodwin, I do specifically know TWO people that were banned from bidding from the auction because they didn't pay for their winning bids. Are there more...your guess is as good as mine? Also, Greg's comments on "card doctoring" are, by far, the most concerning issue in this hobby. Not only are people gettig "ripped off", but excessive auction prices are realized because a professional restorer can work miracles with cards, turning mid-grade examples into 7's or 8's. THis is where the real fraud exists!

By the way Matt...you might want to know that your Williard's Chocolate Premium was MY consignment which I previously paid almost $5K for approx. one year ago...I essentially took a beating with your winning bid! No hard feelings, and I wish you lots of luck with your new purchase. It is an awesome piece, and I agree that down the road you will realize a great ROI with it.
Additionally, I consigned a Duke Delehanty that I paid almost $15K for and only went for a hammer price of $11K in change...another beating that shocked me! You should also know (Jeff, this one's for you!) I informed Goodwin that I hoped for "at least" $5K on the Ruth & $15K on the Delehanty. I surely wish Jeff's inflated auction figures worked there magic with my two consignments because I lost $6K! Both were not shilled, inflated or as "Big Fish" says "toppled", regardless of my expectations. Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast, the risk we all take with consignments. Jeff, you only seem to lay out the excessive high end results. Believe me, I have spoken to many people that were NOT happy with their Goodwin numbers. Every collector has experienced "pLus/delta" scenarios in their auction experiences.

In closing, I have had both good and bad days with Goodwin, REA, Heritage, etc. with this Goodwin auction not one of my best. However I will continue giving Goodwin, REA and Heritage lots because they treat me fairly, pay on time, and handle my cards with the utmost professionalism. I would like to point out that there is one specific thing I prefer about Goodwin...he virtually NEVER puts more than one of the same card in his auction. For example, Heritage currently has three 1956 Mantle's on two consecutive pages including an SGC 96, 92 and PSA 8! That is absolutely ridiculous. The consigners must be livid (I know I would be). REA also does that much too often, spreading the wealth between too many cards, but unfortunately with only one auction a year I do understand it is almost impossible not to have duplicates.

Regards,
Joe T.