Auction House For Canada Stamp Collection

As part of the downsizing of my collecting activities, I am disposing of my collection of Canadian stamps which has a decent sampling of the early issues, but only a few of the really expensive stamps, and a total catalogue value of about $25k. I used Kelleher for my U.S. collection, but was wondering if there is an auction house more appropriate for a Canadian collection at this level. TIA.

Kelleher is mostly US but they sell a lot of worldwide singles and collections as well. If you were happy with them for your last collection, they should definitely be in the running for your next one.

I have purchased from Ron Leith Auctions in British Columbia. They have a good amount of Canada, but I'd say mid-range, not necessarily high-end.

Vance is also huge in Canada, but I've heard they don't do consignments, they only sell their own stock. They may be willing to buy outright, but I have no experience to know whether they pay good prices.

R Maresch (near Toronto), Sparks (Ottawa) and Eastern (in New Brunswick) would be best for consigning a single solid Canada collection. They all specialize in Canada and have many active bidders looking for Cdn material. I'm most familiar with the first two, had excellent experiences with both (buying mostly). I would not recommend Vance as they are not an auction house, will not get you best return. LMK can provide contact info if you like.

I have over the year both purchased from and sold to him.

I have had great experiences buying from Eastern.

I have been also pleased with my dealings with City Stamp Montreal in Montreal.

I have no issues with my Vance purchases either.

Good luck.

I don't want to be the fiend who hijacks an honest thread, but what hoops would a Canadian have to jump through to sell stamps at a US based auction? Thanks.

You just need to physically get them to the auction house, in person or by delivery service. Of course Canada likes to do customs check both leaving and entering the country.

That said if there are major shows near you that are attended by US dealers, especially auction firms, then call them to discuss presenting you material to them as the show.

That is my biggest concern, the gov't sticking their nose in and cutting my profits down. I don't have a lot of premium US material but I know it will sell better in the US than here. I have a few places I buy from that I can contact.

Thanks for the suggestions. Paddle_more - I don't mind the brief diversion but next time I suggest you start a separate conversation.

OoD, Paddle_more actually is on topic. The Canadian Border can be an issue in either direction of crossing with philatelic material.

Best to contact the auction house first to see if they will accept the consignment. This way they can also help you navigate/ use proper terminology on the customs form so you will not have any trouble when the stamps cross the border. As for selling, they may reccomend to sell better items or smaller lots averaging $1500 up to $5000 to $10,000 catalogue separetly to get the best return, depending on material. Call and discuss it with them or email some images.

Maresch appears to be a bit more generalised, and Eastern auctions is becoming more specialised on Canadian material and collections.
Have been to many Eastern auctions over the years, and Gary was very fair and honest to deal with. Also bid in many Maresch auctions over the years and he also was very fair and honest to deal with.

Mike

I had a bad experience with Ron Leith and would recommend avoiding him in favor of more ethical auction houses.

There are only three auction houses in Canada that currently matter, if you have a decent collection to dispose of. 1) Eastern - they handle the cream of Canadian collections - if the collection is worthy, they will break it down and sell it. If not, they will offer you a number, and move it through their Mail Auction. They will cherry pick the best lots, and base the value on those stamps, the rest are fodder. They own everything in their Mail Sale, and some items in the Public Auction. They have reserves on items that are not disclosed. 2) Maresch - they don't own anything in their auctions. No Reserves - everything sells to the highest bidder. So your collection will sell to somebody - Vance Auctions has been known to shop here. 3) Sparks - again items sell, but reserves are posted.

Thank you all again for replying, particularly with respect to the comments distinguishing between the houses so I can more effectively target the one(s) appropriate for my collection.

Just to be fair to a few of the newer and/or smaller auction houses in Canada who haven't been mentioned...

1) Longley Auctions in Hamilton Ont.,
2) Garden City Stamp Auctions in BC, new but the principals are experienced,
3) Ocean Park Stamp Auctions, also in BC.

Maresch, Sparks and Eastern are all fine auction houses and each can handle the material, just be aware each has a slightly different niche in the market. You would have to decide which fits your needs best.

There are a few others. There is nothing wrong with consulting the various US auction houses either, there are plenty of Canada collectors in the US and at least you get paid out in US dollars.