So, last week I left you hanging when I asked Martin the question:

What strategies to buy at auction would you give to the novice?

Here is Part II of my interview….

Martin: It is a tough question, but I will try and answer the best I can.
First of all, the novice should know most of us, if not all in the business have learned from our mistakes. I have a few mistakes kicking around in my house as a matter of fact. The best advice is not to look at buying at auction in an adversarial mode. I always hear this gem told to the novice: “find out who the antique dealers are and bid one bid higher than them.” That has to do with retail mark-up and what you can buy it for. However, this is not fool proof. There are many ways to make mistakes here. First of all, there is no way of telling if the dealer has a desperate client willing to pay too much for something, or if the dealer is buying for their own collection. I have seen dealers pay extraordinary prices for something they collect.

The best strategy I can think of for a novice is again, use patience coupled with perseverance. Go to auctions, watch what happens, and get yourself familiar with what things sell for. Watch how people bid, and what they bid on. Make notes if you have to. If you only spend $100, then the most you can lose is $100.

My suggestions for the “Do’s & Don’ts” for the novice at auction are:

1.     Again, do not bid on something you have not inspected. Auctioneers do not want to take items back and often will not take them back (unless accidently misrepresented)

2.     Try not to be the first bidder on an item.

3.     Do not keep your card up while bidding (known as the Statue of Liberty Bid). Along those lines, when bidding, don’t look too excited about bidding and use your best poker face.

4.     Do not buy something just because it is a deal. You may be buying something no one else is too excited about. If you may have to live with it, make sure you like it.

5.     If you see a particular piece at an auction that you think you would like to own and time permitting, research it. Take the catalog description home with you and explore the piece on the Internet. Or, ask advice from a dealer, often times, they will help you.

6.     Do not ask other people not to bid on something you want, people often take offense to you asking them. Also, it could be considered collusive. Along those lines, do not tell other people at the auction what you are interested in.

7.     Don’t be afraid of the auctioneer. Ask questions at the preview on what he or she and or the staff may know about a particular piece you may be interested in.

All great tips Martin!
Reyne:  So would these tips apply to online bidders? Or would you have any strategies for the online bidder?

Martin: Another tough question. It is always best to be there in person for
a dozen reasons. However, online bidding has come a long way.

Here is what I suggest:

1.     Buy at an auction house with a good reputation.

2.     Make sure the condition report is thorough and it is cataloged correctly.

3.     Make sure you understand the conditions of sale, buyer’s premium and shipping, etc.

4.     Know that bidding online is not infallible. It has come a long way, but it is always possible your bid will not go through or the auctioneer will move too fast to catch your bid. When I bid online, I just leave an absentee bid of my maximum amount. It is safe way to go and no one knows the amount you leave or who you are. You can just leave your bid and go play golf or something.

Reyne: I can’t help but ask… any big hush hush trade secrets we should know?

Martin:   Because I am an auctioneer, I am reluctant to share this, but will anyway. As auctioneers we want to see everything sell at an auction. However, that is fantasy and sometimes 15% of an auction or more may pass for some reason or another. There are a number of people out there that contact an auction house after a sale and ask about the unsold lots. Often, there is a lot of negotiation, as consignors have generally wanted the pieces out of their life. I have heard of many stories of wonderful buys as “after sales”.

So you mean to tell me that my first auction in November is not going to have 100% sales ratio?
Thanks so much Martin for sharing your knowledge of auctions, bidding, and the strategies to go along with them.   You rock!

Invitation to Consign:

Modern & Asian, Antiquities & European Antiques

Auction: Oct 18th – 22nd 2010  9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Auction:

Oct 27th 2010  2:30 pm

Oct 28th 2010  10:30 am – 2:30 pm

Catalogue available online

OKLAHOMA CITY ESTATE SALE
2905 Dittmer Road
(West on 29th off Ann Arbor,
then south on Dittmer Road.)
Sat., 23 Oct. — 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sun., 24 Oct. — 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
To see preview pics, click here and then scroll down.
*******
The estate of the late Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Wagner.
Mr. and Mrs. Wagner were part-time “pickers”
in Pennsylvania and New York
from the Forties through the Sixties,
and together amassed a huge collection worthy of admiration.
The sale will include
a large, cameo-cut  art glass vase
by Schneider/La Verre Français (Charder),
in the Art Moderne style;
a fine Wheeling Peachblow vase (very scarce);
Austro-Bohemian art glass ca. 1900-20,
including a signed piece of Loetz with an overshot finish;
dolls by Effanbee, Ideal, Marx, Ohio Art and other manufacturers;
sterling flatware, including pieces by Tiffany, Whiting,
Gorham, Shreve and other manufacturers;
an intricately wrought Kirk sterling tea caddy
in the “Repoussé” pattern (older mark);
many small pieces of primitive American furniture;
a massive, blind-front American secretary ca. 1850;
a rare, partial service
in the extremely Art Deco “Our America” pattern
(designed by Rockwell Kent for Vernon Kilns);
vintage toys and dolls galore,
including pieces by Marx, Steiff, Madam Alexander,
Ohio Art and many other manufacturers;
a fine, painted Pennsylvania Dutch blanket chest ca. 1810-30;
a fine array of daguerrotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes
and other early photographs, most in their original cases;
a stereopticon with a large number of accompanying cards;
a wide array of paper goods and ephemera,
including postcards, maps, World’s Fair memorabilia,
vintage Valentines and much more;
an exceptional Pennsylvania corner cabinet ca. 1830-40;
an attractive Sheraton server with a (later added) secretary top;
a huge assortment of late Victorian tin tobacco tags;
several vintage cast iron banks,
including three mechanical banks;
a service of Wedgwood china in the “Pimpernel” pattern;
a great deal of early English transferware;
a child’s dresser ca. 1880-90, with hand-painted folk motifs;
vintage sewing items; sewing notions;
yelloware, redware, ironstone (transferred and otherwise),
majolica and other ceramic wares of the 19th century;
a small Sheraton game table (likely of the period);
a Shreve hammered sterling tea caddy;
commercial and non-commercial perfume bottles;
vintage marbles; Victorian milk glass (white and colored);
Bennington ware; Rockingham ware;
quadruple plate (several pieces);
an Old Sheffield Plate gallery tray ca. 1820-30;
Roycroft; fountain pens and mechanical pencils;
Victorian pattern glass;
opalescent glass, including pieces by Northwood,
Dugan and other manufacturers;
vintage advertising tins;
many Victorian scrapbooks and photo albums;
a splendid sampler dated 1828; copper lusterware;
children’s dishes; a snuff box dated 1828;
a gilded brass “Standing Indian” girandole ca. 1840;
spatter glass; a Steuben crystal paperweight; Frankoma;
two Staffordshire figures ca. 1830-50;
a Dick Tracy tin litho squad car ca. 1935-40;
several silverplated Victorian napkin rings;
a heavy Durgin sterling comport ca. 1930;
several large and scarce flatware pieces
in Gorham’s “Strasbourg” pattern sterling;
a small assemblage of sterling flatware
in Gorham’s “Chantilly” pattern;
a pair of beaded Indian moccasins
(possibly Kiowa or Comanche);
an important, leather-bound, Lancaster County Bible dated 1819,
printed by noted Pennsylvania printer Jakob Bär (a.k.a. “Bear”);
a wonderful folk art cane ca. 1820-30;
several oil paintings (European, 19th century);
antique Currier & Ives prints;
a Colonial Revival server ca. 1890-1910;
an 1889 souvenir program
from the inaugural ball of President Benjamin Harrison;
“Candlewick” pattern crystal by Imperial;
Bakelite jewelry; Art Deco shoe clips;
Franklin Mint items; Mexican and other sterling jewelry;
vintage Christmas ornaments; Kutani and Imari wares; salt spoons;
a large selection of early American stoneware,
including many salt-glazed crocks and jugs
from Pennsylvania and New York potters;
a wonderful assortment of books,
including 18th and 19th century leather-bound works,
works with illustrations by Gustave Doré, Kate Greenaway,
Charles Russell, Rockwell Kent and other noted illustrators,
vintage children’s books, many collectors’ books, etc.;
a handsome, Empire-style tea service by Christofle of Paris
(w/Orfèvrerie Gallia marks);
an embarrassingly full garage; a very full kitchen; much, much, MUCH more.
This is a sale you don’t want to miss —
it’s an absolute paradise for dealers and collectors alike.
*****
On-site security at all times until sale day.
Uniformed Oklahoma City police officer
on site at all times during sale hours.
Numbers given out starting at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Customers will be ushered in in groups of fifty.
Ladies, please lock your purses in your trunks
and bring only your pocketbooks into the sale.
(The volume in this sale borders on the insane,
hence the “no purses” rule.)
No children, please.  No public restrooms.
Each dealer must submit a photocopy of his or her tax exemption slip
for every purchase made — there will be no exceptions.
Please park both courteously and legally,
as violators may be towed.
Sealed bids will be collected throughout the day Saturday
on those items priced $100.00 and above;
bids will be “called” at the close of the sale on Saturday.

Auction: Nov 21st 2010  12:00 pm

Preview: Nov 17th – Nov 20th 2010

Catalogue available online

Date of Release:  Oct. 21, 2010

Works by Tiffany Studios, other iconic 20th century design in Michaan’s Nov. 8 sale

ALAMEDA, Calif. – Devotees of 20th century art glass, lighting, pottery, jewelry, fine art and architectural elements won’t want to miss the inaugural 20th Century Decorative Arts sale to be held Nov. 8 at Michaan’s Auction in Alameda, California. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.  The sale will be headed up by 20^th Century Design expert, Reyne Haines.

“All of us here at Michaan’s Auctions are thrilled to be collaborating with Reyne Haines in the creation of the first of a series of 20^th Century Decorative Arts sales that we believe will eventually become the most important auctions in this field on the West Coast.” said Allen Michaan, owner of Michaan’s Auctions.

In the heart of the Bay Area, Michaan’s Auction is centrally located between San Francisco – with its many Art Deco architectural masterpieces – the Arts & Crafts mecca of Berkeley, and the moneyed Silicon Valley, a region known for its Mid-Century modern homes. This geographical position puts Michaan’s within striking distance of the best of northern California’s estates and collections.

Fine art highlights of the Nov. 8 sale include a Leroy Neiman Charlie “Bird” Parker silkscreen created expressly for Hugh Hefner, a rare Salvador Dali print from the Marquis de Sade portfolio, photographs by Ezra Stoller and Margaret Bourke-White; and watercolor studies by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Tiffany Studios will be well represented by several windows, leaded lamps, desk accessories, glass, and a few particularly rare designs: a four-panel tea screen and an enamel-over-copper vase.

Other studios whose coveted artworks are to be auctioned in Michaan’s sale include Rene Lalique, Emile Galle, Muller Freres, Daum, Quezal, Venini, Steuben, and Duffner & Kimberly.

The jewelry category is led by one of the finest collections of Bakelite seen in some time, with such inclusions as a Philadelphia bracelet, a Greco-Roman head, and green and red Josephine Baker profile bracelets.

Other jewelry highlights include an array of Mexican silver by such premier artists as Hector Aguilar, Los Castillos, Damasco Gallegos and Erica Hult de Corral; and  Modernism pieces by Ed Weiner, Bill Tendler & Anton Mikkelson. Additional jewelry categories include early French paste and a beautiful assortment of KJL, Hattie Carnegie and Miriam Haskell designs.

Rounding out the sale is a collection of Modernism furniture and design. Among the highlights are Marcel Breuer lounge chairs, a Mobier rocker, an Edward Wormley desk and cocktail table; a Vistosi table lamp, and a Paavo Tynell table lamp.

“It has been exciting watching the sale come together.” said Haines.  “I think this is going to be the start of a wonderful thing!”

All forms of bidding will be available for the Nov. 8 auction including live gallery bidding, phone, absentee and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 510-740-0220 ext 122 or email reyne@michaans.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Visit Michaan’s online at www.michaans.com.

Auction: Nov 11th 2010  New York

Auction: Oct 26th 2010  10:00 am

Preview:

Oct 22nd 2010  10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Oct 23rd 2010  10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Oct 24th 2010  12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Oct 25th 2010  10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Auction held in New York:

Nov 9th 2010  Evening Auction

Nov 10th 2010  Day Auction

Auction: Oct 30th 2010  10:00 am

Antique Helper’s October Art and Antiques Auction featuring Mission to Modern will offer a large representation of art and antiques, including furniture, fine and decorative arts and a variety of artifacts. An additional, select grouping of African, Oceanic, Native American and Pre-Columbian art and artifacts, plus Peruvian textiles, will be offered on October 30. These objects have been gathered from several notable collections.

Featured items are on display now and many more will be featured during the week. The catalog will be online by this Friday.  Visit www.antiquehelper.com to view catalogue.