Congrats to Love of the Game and a brief reflection on auction houses

[gnaz01]

With absolutely NOTHING but respect for all the AH's mentioned (I like all of them), why do you feel REA is inaccessible to the consigner?? I have only ever consigned twice, both times to REA and Rob/Brian have been incredibly awesome and personable to me.

Greg

[chipperhank44]

Couldn't agree more with the OP. Consigned with Heritage early in my vintage collecting days, nothing terrible about the experience just impersonal and corporate. Have consigned with B&L and Small Traditions since then, what a breath of fresh air!! As a consignor, I want to build a relationship with auction houses not be "processed".

[drcy]

It's been a half a millisecond since the auction ended and I haven't gotten my consignment check!!!

Sorry but I laugh at those posters.

Personally, I don't care what customer praise is heaped on them for it, I think shipping out items before they're paid for is a horrible, stupid practice. That's how Mastro Auctions went bankrupt.

But, yes, LOTG had quite the offering this last time. Big time. I've consigned with them twice. As I said to Al, "The proof is in the pudding. If I consign a second time, that means I was satisfied with the first time." Clearly, I'm not one to count the days, but as I recall I got my check fast. If it had come a week or two later, i wouldn't have cared. I had no mental time frame of when it should have come.

[timn1]

I meant no disrespect to REA or Heritage whatsoever - they are top-notch firms and my infrequent dealings with them have been entirely satisfying. Brian Dwyer (REA) and Peter Calderon (Heritage) are friends and great hobby professionals.

I simply meant that those houses are operating on a very big scale. If you want to consign cards worth a few hundred bucks, they are not the ideal choice. Likewise, as a bidder I like being able to bid on lots that aren't going to cost me a month's salary - in that sense the smaller auctions are more accessible to me. And when you are dealing with guys like Al C., Lee Behrens, Scott and Leon, Dave ("Bagger") Schrader, etc., you can do so with confidence and even pleasure.

[jbsports33]

We all need to look out for the little guy(small auctions listed above) in this hobby - time and time again we hear bad news about some of the larger companies

Jimmy

[drcy]

Don't worry, Tim, after reading your second post, REA has erased your name from 'the book.'

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by jbsports33

We all need to look out for the little guy(small auctions listed above) in this hobby - time and time again we hear bad news about some of the larger companies

Jimmy

Big or small it gets down to trust. Who do you trust as a bidder? I understand consigners looking to maximize their return but don't understand bidders who risk losing big bucks by bidding in auctions where: 1) the auction house can bid on their own items, 2) the consigners can bid on their own items, 3) they've been accused and/or prosecuted for shill bidding.

Read the fine print on some of the large auction houses web sites to determine whether they are allowed to bid on their own items or not. Follow the hobby news on who's headed to jail. Decide which people who run auction houses have integrity and allocate your money accordingly. If we all do this, many more consignments will go to reputable auction houses in the future and those with sketchy practices will go away.

jeff

[Jaybird]

You mean like Heritage? Where consignors and employees are allowed to bid on items? It's in the rules and allowed in the state of Texas so no problem there. You shouldn't be worried because it's ok with Texas.

Other Texas laws that seem completely reasonable:

You may not shoot a Buffalo from a 2nd story window.
You may not milk another man's cow.
You can be legally married if you introduce a person as your husband or wife 3x.