Auction Houses--Vance/Sparks/Others

I recently started purchasing material via auction houses. I have purchased from Vance and UPA--Vance for some WW lots and UPA for some early Mongola/Tannu Tuva singles.

I like Vance--no buyer's premium, pay in Canadian dollars, no issues with shipping, and they have some lower priced lots which is what my budget affords (less than $200 is what I would consider low at auction).

Does Sparks have lower priced lots or are they more of a mid/high range auction house? Is there a buyer's premium? How would you compare Vance vs. Sparks?

What other (if any) auction houses would recommend for someone looking to spending $100-400 on a lot? For this conversation, consider a lot a country collection, an album, a banker's box, shoebox, WW collection, stockbooks, etc. My personal last few purchases were a carton of WW, Malta on stockpages, a stock card of early Denmark, Trinidad and Tobabo on stockpages. . .

thanks for any information.

I would add Modern Stamps to your list. They are a perfect fit for what you are looking for and they have no buyers commission. I highly recommend them.

https://www.modernstamps.com

Its possible to find bargains both at Sparks and at Vance and to me, both sit in a similar niche as far as lot pricing goes. Sparks does charge a 15% tip.

For what it sounds like you're looking for, check out 'NobleSpirit' on ebay. They have been known to be "loose" in some of their identifications, so one has to be cautious from that perspective, and they use really, really annoying and unecessary adjectives in their descriptions, but I've walked away with some super deals buying from them on lots in the price range you seek.

Check out Dutch Country on SAN. They have auctions every 2 months and they always have Box lots, many starting at $100. I think their estimates are conservative so I will just bid the high estimate on a few items and pick up nice bargains.

I agree on Dutch Country Auctions...I just wish their auctions were live on SAN.

docgfd me too, I've talked to them about it and they think it will slow them down to much. If you've ever attended their auction you know they go fast 200+ lots/hrs. I like going to their auctions very congenial and I always find something in their Stamp Store that I need.

Fast is sooooo good. Schuyler Rumsey kills me between the pace and the three hour difference.

I've bought from both Vance and Sparks and had good buys and service. I would say Sparks gets into some higher end/more specialized Canadian stuff, but also covers the same range as Vance does. As noted, Vance doesn't charge commission, whereas Sparks is 15%. A few months I had an issue with a purchase from Vance (they were not at fault) and their responsiveness/resolution of the issue was exemplary.

They both have auctions coming up in late January with some interesting stuff.

For US auction houses, also bought from Paradise Valley - they have weekly auctions with some lower price stuff. As a Canadian, the exchange is painful the other way, so don't buy too much from US.

I just took a look at Sparks, lots of interesting stuff in my price range. It does seem to be fairly similar to Vance but with the 15%. I will take a look at Dutch Country too. Thanks for the suggestions! I have seen Noble Spirit on ebay but never bought anything from them.

If you do not at least take a look at Modern Stamps you are doing yourself a disservice.

I will look at modern stamps, always looking for something interesting. Waiting on my Vance WW lot--once I get it and look through it I'll be on the lookout for another . . .