We'd like to help you add to your collection through our Public Auctions and Mail Sales. Here are some suggestions for making your bidding more effective.
BIDDING: We accept bids by mail, fax, phone, email, and from our on-line bidding form. When bidding by mail please mail as early as possible; postal service is not consistent and we receive many bids after the sale has closed.
BID EARLY: In case of ties, the earliest bid wins.
MINIMUM BIDS: The minimum bid is one-half the Estimated Cash Value (ECV), unless a reserve is given. Bids lower than minimum are rejected by the auction software.
BIDDING INCREMENTS: Bids not adhering to the increments shown on the bid sheet will be rounded down to the next highest valid increment. For example, a bid of $32 will be rounded down to $30 and will NOT beat an earlier $30 bid. (The table below is slightly different the one on the bid sheet, but gives the same result.)
Bidding Increments Up to $30 $1 $30 to $75 $2.50 $75 to $150 $5 $150 to $300 $10 $300 to $750 $25 $750 to $2,000 $50 $2,000 to $3,000 $100 $3,000 to $10,000 $250 $10,000 to $20,000 $500 $20,000 and up $1000 Unless otherwise indicated, the minimum bid is ½ ECV.
NEATNESS COUNTS: Please fill out your bid sheets as neatly as possible and in lot number order. This reduces mistakes. This is especially important for faxed bids, as fax machines occasionally distort text.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Please do let us have contact information, such as FAX or phone number or email address, in case the bid sheets are damaged in transit and cannot be read.
OPENING BIDS: We cannot give opening bids (the current winning bid amount) for Mail Sales - to you or to your competition. Bid the maximum you're willing to pay on each lot, and you'll still pay only one advance over the next highest bid.
CHARGE CARDS: Successful bidders who have authorized credit card payments have their lots shipped first. It's easier on us, and it's quicker for you, so please use this option if you can. You must authorize us to use your credit card for each auction; we will not automatically charge without your permission. Please authorize when you bid - it's easier on all of us.
INQUIRIES: We know you're anxious to find out if you've won anything in our sale, but please wait until the Wednesday following the sale to ask. We have to manually proofread the bidbook (hundreds of bidders, thousands of lots) to insure accurate invoices and it takes time.
NEW BIDDERS: We're glad to have you as customers. However, we are required to get credit references (preferably auction houses) and/or a valid credit card.
GOOD LUCK!
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