Featured I've been wanting to share this info with other glassies . . .

because you all would completely understand.

I went to an auction on Saturday because they advertised some lovely Fenton cranberry opalescent hobnail items and some killer dishes, among other fine things. Well, the deep pockets - this is my first auction people - must have been there. I got virtually nothing due to the insane prices.

But here is what I wanted to tell you . . . an older lady and a middle aged man got into a throw down over a Fenton milk glass hobnail basket and bid it up to $235!!!! The lady got it. I have 2 just like it down in my basement which is where I place my duds that won't sell. Trying to get a little underground mojo working so when I pull them out again, they'll sell. I should have gotten the losers name so I could offer him one of mine for the bargain price of a hundey or two, LOL!

 

Just take them to the auction house next time they're selling glass and let them do all the work for you.

 

The baskets usually sell at auction for between $5 - $15 tops. Mine would probably be the one to bring 5.

 

Was this an estate auction? Sometimes relatives compete over grandma's things at auction if they can't decide how to divvy up the loot. I have seen some insane priced realized when this happens. In some states, the auctioneer is required to announce that there may be family bidding on items.

Otherwise, I have seen auction fever produce similar results. There are always some people with more money than brains.

 

I have often wanted to ask some folks at auctions if they ever go shopping in the real world because they pay more than they would if they went to a local store.

Peggy

 

Hi,
I do not do auctions anymore. I have seen the most ridiculous things happen. I have seen cheap trinkets go for 100 times their value. I must admit that I got some incredible values on things. The auctions around here are just stupid. There are several that have three or four that have "paid buyers" to move up the price because two weeks later the same items are back up for sale. I can not afford "Christies" auctions anymore. I used to go to auctions since they were real auctions. The ones around here are just plain rip offs. I miss the auctions in PA and NY. The Jersey ones are just horrible.
greg

 

I fairly regularly attend a local auction. I love the auctioneer as she's a local and incredibly straight forward and honest. Most of the attendees are locals and most seem to have good sense and while bidding can go high on some things you can usually predict what and more times than not things go for less than you can find much of anywhere.

It's entertaining if nothing else. I don't think I remember anyone fighting for something that went crazy high. One of the most expensive things I remember being sold there I actually was bidding on and lost to a phone bidder. Dern I really wanted that bed too. Huge old birdseye maple, but my pockets weren't deep enough.

 

I can relate Ola. Some or most milk glass is the bane of my existence. I don't buy it anymore and if I remember right, I have one more piece to go before that is the last one to sell.

I see others selling milk glass like hot cakes, but I must be cursed or not destined to sell those kind of wares. I know people buy milk glass in multiples for weddings on Etsy but apparently not from me.

 

pearls - I don't sell MG on line, the cost to ship most of it just about negates your profit. Same with Westmoreland MG Paneled Grape. I sell it in my B&M space and it does reasonably well. There, I can "arrange" it and make it look more enticing. So that helps.

 

I like the smaller local auctions better than the bigger ones. we dont have a lot of auctionhouses in my country, but we do have one huge and famous one, the Bruun-Rasmussen action, and then we have a small one in my home town. the Bruun-Rasmussen you will most likely not get anything cheap... because they advertise so much and have returning big bulk buyers from all over the world, who can afford to bid up the prices and exclude smaller buyers unless they want to pay up big time. thats why i like the small auctionhouse better, i have made some good deals there and sometimes things go at a crazy price, but sometimes you can get some really nice things dead cheap i buy a lot of silver there because most of the other buyers are scrappers who base their bid purely on metal value~

 

Except for occasional bidding wars, how do prices in small local auction houses usually compare to prices on eBay and Etsy?

 

The auction house I go to just about every Friday night would be considered a small one. He gets all types of consignments from an entire estate down to a single piece consigned by an individual. The buyers run the gamut from dealers to individuals who just like to go to auctions. The dealers are also a varied lot. Some sell on ebay, some run their own shops, some sell at antique shows, some sell to private buyers & some sell at flea markets.

The prices are sometimes all over the board depending on who is doing the bidding & where the item is going to be sold or if the buyer is planning on keeping it for their own collection / use. I get plenty of things that I am able to sell for a very nice profit, but often things go way beyond where I could make any type of profit on ebay.

Peggy

 

Thanks, Peggy, for sharing that. So it sounds like it can be all over the map.

The reason I asked is that I've wondered if I should try selling some items through local auction houses, but didn't know if it could work to my advantage. I've only been to a live auction once, and it was many years ago, so I don't have personal experience.

 

My local auction is a great place to buy most things. Toys, fishing, advertising, and farm stuff go high. Most furniture, glassware, pottery, and other stuff goes dirt cheap. I have never seen a real painting go for more than $20.00 there. Sometimes prints will bring more.... go figure

 

So it might be a good idea to attend auctions for a while just to see what's going high or low locally?

 

That would be a good start. Also keep in mind that most auction houses keep a percentage of the sale. Around here it's 30%. I run very little through live auction. If you see glass and pottery going cheap then you know your glass and pottery items will also most likely go cheap. This area is a good place to buy but a lousy place to sell.

 

If that's typical in most areas, I wonder if it's the reason why the big auction houses only accept items with high estimates.

 

well the bigger the auctionhouse the bigger the reputation. they wouldn't have time and labour to run normal value actions side by side to their fine arts and chinese silver xD
the big one in my country have several auctions a week, streaching around 5-10 thousant lots at most times. they cannot afford to spend time and labour and storing pieces that wont bring them a certain amount

 

That all makes sense.