Choosing an auction house for selling Autographs

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Posted By: Rob

Hi Guys,

My friend and his dad want to sell off their entire collection of autographs.

Some highlights include DiMaggio and Mantle baseballs, 8x10's of Ted Williams, Koufax, Banks, F. Robinson, and many, many other HOFers.

I wasn't sure but I mentioned to him the best route might be via an auction house selling the collection as a whole. Now the research needs to begin.

The only ones authenticated right now are the Williams and Koufax 8x10s. Does he need to get them all authenticated before consignment, or would the auction house have a bulk deal and they can get it done? There might be up to 30 8x10's and quite a few baseballs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Rob

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Posted By: Marc S.

on how extensive/nice your friend's collection of autographs is. Many auction houses will eat the cost of authentication, assuming that the autographs have enough value and potential interest to bidders.

I'd recommend Huggins & Scott, as it seems like it may be a good auction house for that type of collection, although I think their consignment window has closed until their summer auction.

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Posted By: Mark

Seeing that these are not super high-end autographs, I would recommend Premier Auctions. They are very reputable, and pay consignors quickly. It sounds like your mdse. is right up their alley.

Below is the link, and they even have a consignment deadline soon approaching (April 10). I think this is your best bet, as Premier really specializes in autographed material, and the "big guys" would not accept this type of consignment.

Hope this is helpful...

PREMIER AUCTIONS LLC.
www.PremierAuctionsOnline.com

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Posted By: Mark

Probably too late for H & S. Plus, they told me they aren't even considering lots with less than a $1,000 value. I found this hard to believe, since I have seen many lots sell for much less in their previous catalogs (and have won lots from them under $500).

Apparently, they have recently "raised the bar".

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Posted By: Alan

You're not kidding that "H & S" raised the bar. I consigned a piece of memorabilia back in their 1st auction several years ago. Now, they would use that item for wrapping paper for shipping.

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Posted By: Jimmy

I would talk with Scott Gaynor, he will be having a special autograph auction

link below

http://gaynoranddentauctions.com/

I could help if you would like to sell some of your items at shows, just another option for you

Take care

Jimmy

J&B Sports Auctions

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Posted By: Rob

Thanks for the responses.

I think the biggest concern I had was the cost of authentication. I have seen many authenticated 8x10s of guys like Seaver, Ford, Palmer, etc.. go for as little as $15-$20 which is less than the cost of authentication at JSA. Knowing that, I told my friend that selling as a lot is better because if you put those 40 or so 8x10's and from what I now learned about 60 or so baseballs together it is a beautiful collection. But to get them all authenticated might not even be worth it, which is why I asked if auction houses typically eat the cost for a large collection.

I am working on getting a spreadsheet type list from him so I can see exactly what he has.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming.

Rob

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Posted By: James Feagin

Rob,

We offer substantial discounts for autographed items through James Spence Authentications which make it into our auction. We are accepting consignments for our August auction. Please call us at 1-866-462-2273 and mention to us you are from the Net 54 board and what you have.

Thanks,

James

Huggins & Scott Auctions

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Posted By: Alan

Rob,

Also, could also try an autograph auction house. Here are 2 extremely reputable ones:

http://www.rrauction.com

http://www.alexautographs.com/

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Posted By: David

You may want to consider Hunt Auction's monthly sales. They are a good judge of autograph authenticity and if they believe it's real they will sell it without a COA and guarantee it's legitimacy.

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Posted By: Rob

Would the Hunt autograph auction typically sell close on par to another auction house that has the items authenticated?

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Posted By: leon

Is the Hunt company still considered an auction or is it a sales venue? I think that is what we took from Matt's communication with David Hunt, correct?

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Posted By: David

That's the first I've heard of that. They currently have one of their monthy auctions running as we speak. Beyond that, I really don't know. I'll be mildly disappointed if they shut down their monthly sales. There are usually decent deals to be had.

edit: Rob, I would say they sell on par with autograph sales less authentication fees. Ie.. if a Mantle would -typically- fetch $200 it would probably go for that price less whatever the typical Mantle authentication would cost. It still saves some hassle.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Leon,

Not so for the monthly phone/internet auctions. Those items start at $10 with no reserve (aside from a few featured items that have more value-appropriate reserves).

And, to answer Rob's question, the material in Hunt's internet auctions does very well. The type of stuff your friends wish to sell is featured in practically every phone/internet sale.

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Posted By: Larry

They're good at moving autographs fast.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

With multiple Mantle and DiMaggio signed balls, I think most to all auction houses might show interest, though the biggest might offer it as one lot. A good Mantle signed ball goes for a few hundred or more these days.