Barry Sloate Auctions is best.....who's no.2.

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

I'm sure that more than a few of you are going to get riled up because of the controversy surrounding ranking Auction Houses.

Which auction house(s) do you consider the best and the reasons why, thanks.

Peter

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Posted By: barrysloate

Peter, you are far too kind...but who are your sources for this spurious information?

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Posted By: Steve M.

I like Lew.

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Posted By: peter chao

Barry,

For one thing you know how to use fancy words like "spurious." The second reason is you are modest, which is a lot more than I can say about those people at Memory Lane. I approached Memory Lane about auctioning a few items and they told me, "we don't deal with low-grade vintage cards."

Peter

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Posted By: Judson Hamlin

They don't do a whole lot of vintage, but I'm a fan of Kevin Savage- if I have to give my money out, I'd rather give it to someone without 'tude. Lipset is also on that list.
But I think I saw some graffiti on the Van Wyck where someone wrote Clapton is god and then crossed out Clapton and wrote Barry. <insert smiley here>

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Posted By: MVSNYC

gonna just take a quick crack at this...here goes:

REA
Mastro's
SCP
Leland's
Heritage
Memory Lane

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Posted By: Joe D.

well after barry sloate....

I enjoy

REA

then

Mastro.

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Posted By: Wesley

REA and Sloate are the best.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Mr. Lipset
Mr. Goodwin
Mr. Sloate
Mr. eBay

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Posted By: Alan

Peter -

I think it depends on IF you are consigning or buying & on WHAT you are consigning or buying. Some auction houses are better for cards, some better for memorabilia, some better for autographs, some better for baseball, some better for Americana, etc,.... Also, the only thing better than an auction catalog is a free auction catalog

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Posted By: Denny

Peter,
Try Huggins & Scott! They seem to specialize in smaller lower grade lots. Plus they're on the rise....Josh Walkun out of SF/Oakland office is a favorite of mine and he will treat you with the utmost respect.

See You Roundin' 3rd,
Denny Walsh

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Posted By: Josh Wulkan

Denny,
thank you for such kind words. It's rare that we are brought up in this conversation, but I do appreciate the vote of confidence. We certainly do handle lower grade vintage cards, and actually, we do quite well with them.

Josh

(edited to make it read better, so I don't sound so much like an idiot ~

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Posted By: john/z28jd

I think Barry's auction is so good that he's ranked #1 and #2.


Tough break Barry,finishing a close 2nd to yourself

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

I think it would be difficult to categorize and compare all the auction houses. I like Barry's auctions because, well, there Barry's auctions and it's a very personable experience.

I would rate Barry's and Lew's auctions as the better small auctions. I'm sure both would tell you that they can't (and probably don't care to) compete with Mastro and REA. With that said Mastro and REA are the behemoths of the sports cards industry auction houses. They have some very high power stuff and lots of it.

I still wouldn't say that the Goodwin, Burks, Huggins/Scott auctions are terrible. I also like them a lot because they bring good material to the hobby. I miss Smolin's auction. Those were always fun.

I suppose what you collect would also dictate which auction house you would like. I'm a card junky so the auction houses mentioned are my favorites. If I liked memorabilia then I might have selected Lelands or someone elses auction house.

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Posted By: bruce Dorskind

There are four qualities one looks for in auctioneer

1. Knowledge of the Material
2. Breath and depth of the customer base
3. Integrity
4. Customer Service


There is little doubt that Barry Sloate, whom we have known and
worked with for 25 years, scores highly in each of these areas.

Our list of favorites would also include

1. REA- Rob's knowledge and marketing prowess are unmatched
2. David Hunt- it is always a pleasure to work with David . He
often procures material from outside of the hobby
3. Doug Allen- no one works harder than Doug. He has built
a memoribillia machine and now has the most recognized brand
in the sports collectibles arena
4. Bill Goodwin- auction features many unusual type cards. Great personal service
5. Lew Lipset- one has to respect a true pioneer who literally "wrote the book."

It is great to see that so many Board Members hold Mr. Slote in such high esteem.
He is truly a collector's auctioneer.


Keep up the great work, Barry.


Best,


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughes Want List

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Posted By: barrysloate

Thanks Bruce. There are many fine auction houses and many choices for collectors. I think the size and scope of one's collection is an important factor in whether to choose a large or small auction house. Each has the ability to handle a collection differently.

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Posted By: dstudeba

As I buyer I think that Huggins and Scott does a little too well with lower grade vintage material

I look forward to REA's catalog the most, and Rob Lifson has always been a top notch guy in my dealings with him.

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

Thank you for all the information about auctions. There really seems to be a strong trend here away from retail sales toward the dominance of auctions. This is especially true when it comes to vintage sales.

Peter

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

I've never been to a brick and mortar auction house before. Are there any in the SF-Bay Area that are pretty good for sports memorabilia.

Peter