The End Of The Chicago Philatelic Powerhouse .

STAMPCROW --Thanks for the kind words

I think we can now include the closing of RASDALE STAMP COMPANY .
Most don't know that I am their oldest active buyer at their auctions ,ever since they moved to Chicago , where talking over 50 years as a buyer .

The last hurrah
Seems nobody wants a last time get together sort of a "last supper " for the eveing before or after the stamp auction . I would of driven up to Chicago . Maybe for a few drinks and a deep dish pizza .I was sure a few guys would want to be there for Rasdale's last auction .
Guess I will buy something but bid on-line ,thought I would get a gold plated stamp tongs as a award .Oh -well maybe the cost of travel will be better spend on a stamp lot .Hotels and gas is too much for just a seat at the auction .

You could always rent a uhaul truck and justify your travel expenses by the savings on shipping. Sort of like the good old days when you filled up your .. was it a blazer or bronco?

VW van with the "Gas, Grass or A**, Nobody Rides For Free" bumper sticker.

Given up buying huge mixture lots too many have been raked clean ,before I see them .

I think I am the only one crying about the Rasdale Stamp Company closing . Maybe it is the many auctions {maybe 60 different auctions that I attended } . Safe to say buying stamps from them got me thru a lot of difficult times .

Nope! They are one of the auctions I always checked.

Sad to see them go!

Why has Rasdale not been sold to another auction house? There are too few stamp auctions outside the east and west coasts!!!!

The material will find it's way to another auction house or a dealer. I do agree that there is a value to being local to consignors who have volume. I am guessing that three hours drive is a fair number to assume as being doable. As someone who used to consign heavy material on the East coast, Kelleher was the place since I could drive there in an hour to hour and a half. It also gives comfort that you can easily visit the house if there is an issue.

The only and last time I consigned volume material long distance from Massachusetts it was with Regency-Superior in St. Louis and it was a disaster. They had undisclosed financial issues, the owner became Ill as well and I ended up with my material stuck in limbo with no way of easily retrieving it. Thankfully it was Rasdale that stepped in and drove to rescue it and they did sell it for me. Many others weren't so lucky. Rasdale kept in personal touch with me and did a good job and for that I have always had a soft spot for them. They also paid promptly.

It's hard to see anyone sinking money into a niche auction establishment that only does philatelic and within that only does large lots.

I am not sure of the story behind the decision , I can only repeat what David Khols of Regency Stamp Auctions has stated in the past .
The stamp auction business has changed, to buy stamps is very competitive and buyers are not as aggressive to bid up material . Then knowing the family there was nobody interested in carrying on the family business into a new generation .There is also a note on their website that they plan to stay in the stamp trade but not in the auction business .
It would be nice to see that they move Rasdale down to Florida and be semi-retired . That is what New England Stamps did . After Michael Roger's was bought by Kelleher it left a spot here in Florida . Kevin's Dad lived down here and they traveled down to Florida both for family and business often to the stamp shows in the state .

"to buy stamps is very competitive and buyers are not as aggressive to bid up material"

Which is it, very competitive or not aggressive???

"Why has Rasdale not been sold to another auction house?"

Not easy to find a buyer.

EYEONWALL -----should of made that more clear. It is very competitive as a stamp auction firm to get material and the buyers at your auction are not bidding up the lots . I believe what David Khols was talking about . I believe all the on-line sellers took away a percentage of what the firms had .

On the question of why it wasn't sold --- I believe it was a good local business in the Midwest and pull the local market . Buying the firm and moving it all to the west or east coast you loses the Midwest . Second reason is most customers are on the books at other firms already . Over the many years also notice a lot of the big money collections in the Midwest seems to drift off and was sold by the big East coast firms already .

Yes, that is more clear on the competition front.

As for lists, every auction firm has a loyal group of local suppliers and buyers, but beyond that, most are on every firms' lists already as you say. In the case of Rasdale, buying the company name and customer list was pretty much it, because you were not going to be getting employees too. So, you would not only need to find someone who wanted to own an auction, but someone who thought they could round up some employees/partners. Describers are not easy to find.

Rasdale is a favorite of mine, and when approached by an inlaw about disposing of Grandfather's collection I recommended Rasdale, for their Fall auction. The granddaughter got the collection (worldwide) to them on the last day they were taking consignments.This collection was in good shape for not having been gone through for 40 years , plus or minus. I saw that Rasdale broke the collection down into 25 or 30 lots or so, and stated "has not been gone through" on some of the larger lots.One lot that I saw sold for 1400 yesterday and I picked up 2 lots this morning before I had to leave home/the auction.Rasdale did a great job describing, and breaking down a pretty formidable collection, and then putting it up. The granddaughter has thanked me for the recommendation and is pleased with their handling. I will send a card with my final payment thanking the staff (the family) for their many auctions in the past and taking care of my in law. They will be missed.
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