It’s March already!

Well winter has come and thankfully, err–hopefully that is, gone!  You noticed by now that we didn’t have an auction in February ( I hope) but we’re back.  The answer to the first question is no, sadly–we didn’t get the month off from work but we did get a lot of work completed at the auction house though.   Some of it behind the scenes, some of it more visible.  We’ve painted ( I use the term “WE” loosely–I didn’t help) the entire showroom, cleaned the floors, rebuilt the auction block and worked on some of the office space.  So now, we’re back to business!  What you need to know is that we have made a change that will actually effect you.  We have changed from monthly auctions to an every-other-month schedule.  3 days worth: Friday evening, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon–as a matter of fact, if you need a seat for Friday or Saturday reserved, be sure to call us soon. We’ll be sending out our usual emails Friday the week before and Wednesday the week of the auction.  If you think you’re on our email list but haven’t been receiving our emails, or if you know that you’re a registered buyer but haven’t been receiving our emails, give Grant a call so that we can resolve the matter.  We received many emails back this month and want to make sure we’re reaching anyone who wants to be reached!  Rest assured if you are on our email list; they are private and we don’t share them with anyone!   So, that brings us to this month’s auction schedule.  We’re currently scheduled for Friday March 27, Saturday the 28th and Sunday the 29th.

If you can’t be here in person, remember that we also offer both telephone bids (we call you a couple of lots ahead of time and you bid live while on the phone) and absentee bidding (Perry, Justin or Bruce would bid on your behalf).  Now, I know that some folks don’t feel comfortable leaving absentee bids.  Allow me to put you at ease.  We field all kinds of questions regarding leaving absentee bids and here’s the answers to the most FAQ.                                                                                                                                                         Q: Do you use my left bid as the opening bid.                                                                   A:Maybe. If the opening bid is not live, items typically open for half of the estimated value contingent upon the auctioneer’s valuation of the item.                                                     Q:How does an absentee bid work?                                                                                                     A:A representative is assigned to physically bid for you while in absentia.  Your bid will be acknowledged along with the live bidders with no prejudice to either party just as if you were in the live audience yourself.                                                                                           Q.How can I lose the auction for the same price of my maximum bid?                            A:Here’s how: Say you leave a bid for $100 and the item opens and your bid is recognized at $50 while we’re in $10 increments.   If your bid is every other bid, that would put you in at $90, leaving a competitor the ability to come in at the final call with a $100 bid (the same amount of your maximum).  Because this outcome which happens a lot, I encourage people to give me a “one more increment privilege”.  Which is, exactly what it says.  Trust me, no one likes finding out they were beaten out by one bid.                                                 Q:Is there a cut off time to leave left bids.                                                                                     A:24 hours before the auction starts is almost mandatory, just to be safe (we’re not perfect but we try hard).                                                                                                                                   Q: How do yo handle payment for left bids?                                                                                   A: If you are a new registrant/buyer, we may require a CC deposit to secure any left bids. Either way, Perry will contact successful bidders within 24-48hours post-auction.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t boast on the fantastic line-up we’ve been blessed enough to curate for you this month.  Sterling Silver Flatware; GEMSTONES-you wont’ believe;OH…and a Mans Rolex and a Breitling; Fine Art, the likes of original Bart Lindstrum Watercolors, original Ben Hamptons, a Sandro Bodo and Frederic Matys Thurz; antique furniture including a High Victorian Bedroom Set originally from Lousiana; rugs; home decor and more…come on down and preview.  Ok, that’s it for now,  anything else, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer.  In the meantime, pictures are up and so is the list.  The video preview will come in later! If you have any questions, please let me know.  In the meantime…Spring is in the air and on-sit preview starts Tuesday!     Mike