Seeking Consignor Input On Canadian Auction Houses For Pre-Confederation Tokens

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 924
daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1057 Posts	Posted 09/07/2024 6:29 pm Wondering if anyone has some good or bad recent experience -- preferably post-pandemic -- as a token consignor to a Canadian auction house. I'm looking for one that can capably handle my fairly high-end collection of about fifty pre-Confederation and Borderline tokens mixed in with more mundane stuff like Canadian provincial dealer lots, library, etc. Optimal factors would be user-friendly seller premiums, no inbound or up-front costs, reasonable starting bids, good sell-through percentages, etc. Also, I'll need a team with enough "subject-matter knowledge" to firm up (i.e., correct) my attributions of Bust & Harp; Tiffins; Ships, Colonies & Commerce; and Bank tokens...areas I've accumulated without ever seriously collecting. Most crucial, I guess, would be the largest bidder "audience" as measured these days in eyeballs and clicks as well as live attendees. Right now I'm considering just two firms as my prime suspects: Geoffrey Bell (now Brian and Dawn apparently partnered with Alliance, scheduled for Torex next May) and the Canadian Numismatic Company (booked for RCNA in Calgary next July). Heritage was eager, but I've already declined their invite as they want 100% NGC- or PCGS-slabbed stuff. (Remember that they flew Randy Weir into Dallas for a couple of weeks to catalog the Doug Robins collection.) Many thanks in advance for any thoughts you can share! Just an example: The Illustrious Wellington/Waterloo Halfpenny. Host coin unidentified. Breton 981; Charlton WE-10A1; Withers 2020, RR. NGC MS64. "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff

1960NYGiants Pillar of the Community United States 666 Posts	Posted 09/08/2024 6:11 pm I've had very good results with Geoff Bell Auctions. Brian and Dawn have been running the show for several years. They typically set an opening bid at about 50% of stated value. I believe they are not partnered with Alliance unless it is a very new development. They are the auctioneer for the Toronto Expo show. They have just posted their latest auction on the icollector.com site for the Oct show. I have only bought from TCNC, so cannot comment on their process. A possible US firm may be Stacks/Bowers. Again, I've only bought with them. LM of RCNA Member of CATC Report this Post to the Staff
daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1057 Posts	Posted 09/08/2024 7:41 pm Thank you, Gene. I've been a buyer over the last 10-15 years at all of the major auction houses, but my only consignment experiences have been in the UK. I'll be keeping Geoffrey Bell in the top two for sure, and they may actually have the edge as my lots would probably fit comfortably into the Spring 2025 Torex sale which would perhaps be a better venue than RCNA in Calgary next July. That's pretty subjective at this point, of course, as I haven't studied Terms & Conditions yet. I appreciate your input! Tom "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff
Cdncoins Pillar of the Community Canada 999 Posts	Posted 09/08/2024 7:58 pm TCNC has a lot more auctions than Bell. Their Prominence sale auctions are bigger than the RCNA ones. I think both get a lot of eye balls. I've bought from both, but only sold with Bell once. The item I sold was also sold at an TCNC auction for a very similar amount, although a little less. Given that you are looking to sell a number of items, you should see what each can do on the sellers premium. I think they typically charge 10%, but maybe one or both will cut or eliminate it. Report this Post to the Staff
1960NYGiants Pillar of the Community United States 666 Posts	Posted 09/08/2024 10:09 pm Tom, just want to clarify. There are two shows in Toronto each with a different auctioneer. Toronto Coin Expo is held at the Toronto Reference Library. Run by Jared Stapleton and auction by Bell. Torex Coin Show is held at the Crowne Plaza. Run by Scott Cornwell, owner of ICCS, and auction by TCNC. I've attended the Expo several times - it's a well done show. Never attended Torex; it use to be THE show in Toronto but heard it is in decline. LM of RCNA Member of CATC Report this Post to the Staff
Cdncoins Pillar of the Community Canada 999 Posts	Posted 09/09/2024 11:54 am Torex is actually run by Brian Smith. No relation to Scott Cornwell. There used to be auctions at Torex, but there hasn't for a while. Report this Post to the Staff
daltonista Pillar of the Community United States 1057 Posts	Posted 09/09/2024 2:21 pm 1960NYGiants and Cdncoins -- Whoa! My thanks to both of you for straightening me out on the Toronto shows...I guess I was conflating them without even knowing it. So far, I'm liking what I see of the Bell operation but will be digging some more into TCNC, of course. I'll certainly send them both a well-illustrated "prospectus" -- either a PDF or an Imgur photo album -- and see what sorts of offers and/or inducements (if any) might emerge to give me more of a basis for comparison. "If everything seems to be under control, you're just not going fast enough." --- Mario Andretti Report this Post to the Staff
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