rockyfeller
Registered: April 28, 2007
Posts: 32
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Reply with quote | #1 |
Just finished looking at the results of the last auction (ended Aug 4), and noticed that there were many specimens that did not sell, or that sold at a very low price ( indicating minimal interest). Not to step on any dealer toes, I was wondering if anyone wants to comment on the auction with any constructive comments?
Is it simply the summer vacation season that has folks busy elsewhere?
Maybe the economy slump and folks watching their budgets?
What about the specimens offered? 30 of the 80 specimens were TN's and the small min's took the percentage of very small specimens to about half of the offerings. Unless the quality was really up there, I can't see those specimens ever getting much of a price, but then I'm not a TN collector, so I may be way off base. I've had the feeling for some time that there are a lot of collectors out there that are no longer beginners, and are looking for "above average" quality. Are they finding specimens of interest to them on the auction? There are tons of mediocre specimens out there in dealer stocks, but most collectors are knowledgeable enough not to overbid (or to bid at all) on specimens that won't improve the quality of their collection.
What about the reserves? I know the dealers must protect their investment to a certain degree, but does it limit bidding to the point that activity never gets started?
How about the collectors . . . are they even looking at the auctions? I believe they are. John has one of the most popular auctions on the web and I think folks are checking out the offerings. Must be something else going on.
And maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there. Maybe the auction went real well and I'm full of it. Wouldn't be the first time. And maybe I'm just stirring the pot a bit to get some activity on the message board. Again, wouldn't be the first time.
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kqh
Registered: April 19, 2007
Posts: 40
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Reply with quote | #2 |
Interesting questions. John and I will be discussing the auction in Springfield. We are contemplating some changes including increasing the number of high value auctions. We are also thinking about doing more active screening to push the quality up. It's tough to say what the right move is as we have a wide range of collectors. Some want high end, some want reference pieces, some want rarities... and summer time is always slower.
We are always interested in feedback and often are willing to try out new suggestions.
Thanks, Keith.
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Keith |
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