Closing Tonight - Love of the Game Late Summer Premier Auction

[Bicem]

Picked up the Murnane Tribute Game All-Star team photo. This is the 3rd one I've owned, but never one that belonged to Walter Johnson!

[BioCRN]

I was keeping an eye on the fuzzy-looking SGC 4 N172 Bill Hutchinson (Hutchison) and bowed out at $500. Seeing it hammer for $1500 final price was a bit surprising to me.

I overpaid ($390) for a nice looking T200 Fatima Chicago Nationals SGC 2 with a pen mark and glue residue on the back because it's been a couple months since I even spent more than $30 on anything involving the hobby and I really like how the front presents. I display the oversized pieces out in the open and having good front presentation is really important for me.

[oldjudge]

The one that has me scratching my head the most is the signed ‘51 Bowman Mantle. Yes, it’s his rookie card, but the signature is not from when he was a rookie—it’s a sharpie and was probably signed at some show in the 1980s or 1990s. Whoever got it signed could have just as easily gotten a 1968 Mantle signed or his exhibit signed. Speaking of exhibit, I think the signed Mantle exhibit went cheap considering that since it is a ballpoint signature it was probably signed a lot earlier than the 1951 Bowman was. Also, the signature looks a lot nicer on the exhibit.

[oldjudge]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I was keeping an eye on the fuzzy-looking SGC 4 N172 Bill Hutchinson (Hutchison) and bowed out at $500. Seeing it hammer for $1500 final price was a bit surprising to me.

I overpaid ($390) for a nice looking T200 Fatima Chicago Nationals SGC 2 with a pen mark and glue residue on the back because it's been a couple months since I even spent more than $30 on anything involving the hobby and I really like how the front presents. I display the oversized pieces out in the open and having good front presentation is really important for me.

The Hutchinson was a mislabeled 1890 NL card, a fact that apparently slipped by both the grader and LOTG. In fact, it probably went cheap given its’ scarcity.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

The Hutchinson was a mislabeled 1890 NL card, a fact that apparently slipped by both the grader and LOTG. In fact, it probably went cheap given its’ scarcity.

SGC tosses 1889 on almost all their 1890s. They change things so much with labeling and they'll probably correct it at some point...then change it again for some reason a year later.

Here's one of mine labeled like that (not from this auction).

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Bicem

Picked up the Murnane Tribute Game All-Star team photo. This is the 3rd one I've owned, but never one that belonged to Walter Johnson!

A mind-bogglingly all-time great item, Jeff, congrats!

[aljurgela]

Does the LOTG closing method bother anyone else? It seems like at some point there should just be individual clocks on lots to me. Most auction houses have moved to this method and I feel like it is the most fair. Am I in the minority here? Do people generally like the 2 OT method?

[oldjudge]

I like the current method

[BobbyStrawberry]

I like the method of live auctions when they just end instead of being extended into infinity

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by aljurgela

Does the LOTG closing method bother anyone else? Do people generally like the 2 OT method?

I really like the way LOTG does it.

The lot by lot closing can really suck when you are interested in multiple items, but cant/dont want to buy them all, and you are battling on one only to give up and see that the other lots you were interested in are all closed. This is the benefit of the entire auction closing at once -- you dont get locked out of any specific item. That said, it sucks when an item that has gotten no love gets a final hit at 5am and/or to have to wake up at 5am to bid or protect your item. LOTG's format is a nice compromise.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I really like the way LOTG does it.

The lot by lot closing can really suck when you are interested in multiple items, but cant/dont want to buy them all, and you are battling on one only to give up and see that the other lots you were interested in are all closed. This is the benefit of the entire auction closing at once -- you dont get locked out of any specific item. That said, it sucks when an item that has gotten no love gets a final hit at 5am and/or to have to wake up at 5am to bid or protect your item. LOTG's format is a nice compromise.

But I just can't get on board with the "whomever can stay up the latest" gets the last look. Goes against my sense of fairness, but I figured that enough people must like it so that is why Al sticks with it....

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by aljurgela

But I just can't get on board with the "whomever can stay up the latest" gets the last look. Goes against my sense of fairness, but I figured that enough people must like it so that is why Al sticks with it....

Won't your max bid get the last bid for you if it's the highest you're willing to go? OK, so that makes you try to figure out what that bid might be, but is that a bad exercise? If you're willing to shoot the moon as in "top all bids," go ahead and bid the moon. In a few years it will probably look like a bargain anyway!

[Aaron Seefeldt]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I really like the way LOTG does it.

The lot by lot closing can really suck when you are interested in multiple items, but cant/dont want to buy them all, and you are battling on one only to give up and see that the other lots you were interested in are all closed. This is the benefit of the entire auction closing at once -- you dont get locked out of any specific item. That said, it sucks when an item that has gotten no love gets a final hit at 5am and/or to have to wake up at 5am to bid or protect your item. LOTG's format is a nice compromise.

+1

Bidders get left out by getting locked out AND consignors lose some bids too… and if you don’t keep your consignors happy you won’t last long in what has become an extremely competitive AH industry

[oldjudge]

No one gets locked out; if you want to go to sleep leave an up to bid at your max.I trust Al as much as anyone in the business.

[Peter_Spaeth]

We have had this discussion 1000 times and it seems that with any of the possible closing methods, there are pluses and minuses and some will like it and some won't.