I place bids in major Australian auctions occasionally.
The extensive research and quality of their auction catalogs makes them numismatic records in their own right. Their catalogs can be viewed on line.
With two of these coin auction businesses, I have had a strong numismatic friendship for decades with the auction lot describers, each of whom have had 40 or more years coin auction experience, with extremely extensive book reference to back that experience.
In fact, one of those business has a numismatic reference library that would rank in the top ten in the World, and that would include leading museums! Literally thousands of numismatic books, wall to ceiling in three rooms.
Outside the auction environment, I occasionally take a hard to identify coin to them. THAT makes life easy for me!
I have to admit, I REALLY like to attend the view day before the auction, if I can. After viewing, I may place a written fixed price bid for any lots that I may be interested in. I never attend the auction itself. That avoids me getting involved in an auction room bidding war.
Nevertheless, the vast majority of my collection is composed of coins that have an individual value of $20 or less, and probably half of them have come from dealers' junk boxes over four decades.
Edited by sel_69l
12/15/2014 01:41 am