Which Auctions Allow House Bidding / Owned Items?

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Matt

Hunt's has disclosed that they do it as well.

It's different...

Hunt's has undisclosed reserves on certain lots... this is significantly different than the house bidding described by Heritage (in the Memorabilia thread).

Hunt's is not bidding with the intention of winning a lot at a "wholesale price". They are simply protecting consignors who are leary of losing money on the lots in question. These consignors are willing to see their items go unsold, as opposed to losing a large sum of money. This is why you frequently see unsold items from their Live Auctions end up in the monthly Internet/Phone Auctions.

It's identical to the hidden reserves you can opt for, when selling on ebay. As a consignor, I like this policy, and wish a few other auction houses would adopt it. As a bidder... not so much. But we all know that it is incumbent on these auction houses to appease their consignors.