How Do Stamp Auctions Work?

I've bought from all 4 of those - there is one more I occasionally buy from in Canada, Northwestern Philatelic Auctions in Penticton. It's a relatively small firm and, like Weeda, the prices for winning lots can be lower than the other three on your list. I like attending the auctions at Maresch, but I live 2000 miles away so I don't get out there too often. Vance Carmichael attends the Maresch auctions and picks up almost everything that is receiving low bids!

Ryan

Floortrader I know exactly what you mean..in the early 1990's I used to go down to the Dutch Country Auctions in Wilmington Delaware and for 400 bucks I could come home with a back seat full of box lots...it was fun..then all of a sudden it seemed like prices tripled...i could not win a lot from the dealers no matter how junkie it was !

I have heard comments from my Canadian friends about Vance auctions..i have no personal experience so I can not comment further !

TOM------Its hard to give any recommendations without knowing what you are looking for.Each buyer is looking for different things . Are you looking for high price certified stamps, or stamps in top grade condition.If your looking for collection lots every firm has a different standard of what they take out to sell seperately.Some firms remove stuff over $500.00 catalog and sell it seperately. Others have a lower bar and pick over any item over $50.00.There are firms that list less than very fine material but show you the catalog value and their low opening bid. Many firms sell run of the mill material and if they get anything rare and unusal they run it to a New York stamp firm ..........so as you can see each firm has their own standards which a new bidder never knows about.
There are firms like APFELBAUM that hires blind stamp auction describers who call stamps cut into and rounded corners as very fine .Then there are firms like H.R.Harmers that estimate value of lots at full catalog which is then posted as suggested bid . Then they scream and cry if you return the lot back to them.
There are firms like the one in Chicago that pick thru every lot and nothing escapes them as far as value in any of their large lots ,they are combed thru by about two staff members .
So as you can see it depends what you are looking for .
Now this don't address all the firms that "manufactor" auction lots ,these are made up by the firms specifically to sound good in the stamp auction catalog ,for example once I purchased a lot described as "a box full of single auction lots " and they described ten of the items included in the lot . All ten cataloged over $25.00 each . When I got the lot those ten were in there but the other 200 pages with stamps ,none cataloged over $1.00 ,it was some kiddy stamp club auction pages with cheap stamps.I sent it back with a note that if a check wasn't in my hands in ten days ,I'LL fly out to have a serious incident in the presidents office . So as you can see it really is a buyer beware situation.

IBFS "You can pay to have your stamp put on the cover, but I shudder to think of what that would cost." I've never heard of any auction firm that sells the ability to get your stamp put on the cover.