An auction experience I will never forget !!!
tbondsdon
Posts: 6
Although I've been browsing these boards for a few years, this is actually my first post.
I've enjoyed reading many of your threads, and I hope I can add a story or two of my own in the years to come.
I'd like to say the following story had a happy ending, but that would be a lie.
So here goes, I'll leave the real names out, but your likely to figure them out anyway
Two weeks ago at a coin show in St. Louis a local auction firm hosted their mid winter sale,
Lot 223, a framed old penny board from the 1930's, housing a beautiful almost matched set of flying eagle and
indian head cents in mostly VF caught my eye and I wanted to have it. So I placed my bid over the internet,
and indeed I was the winning bidder at $4100 plus juice. I didn't even wait for the invoice to arrive, I quickly mailed
out a check, speeding up the process of the coins to my mailbox. Well, a week goes by and I receive a phone
call from the auction house, sorry to say, my coins are GONE ! What! was my obvious response.
Here's the story as told to me ...
At lot pick up the day following the auction, prior to the public entering for the show, a dealer from Texas comes to
the table to pick up his auction winnings. He hands over his check, and the auction house employee hands him his coins,
but in that stack was my penny board ( I should point out this dealer won a lincoln cent penny board at the sale) lot 233.
The auction house employee obviously gave him the wrong lot. Well, now the story gets very interesting. This Texan
apparently didn't realize he now had in his possession a board worth 3 times the board he should have received.
He then proceeds back to his show table to set up before the doors are open to the public. Then a dealer from Iowa comes
by and askes the Texan what he want for the penny board(apparently he still doesn't know what he has) , he quickly names a price, the Iowan says SOLD, hands him a check, and runs away. Now a dealer friend of mine at the show
tells me that a commotion was taking place that morning, before the public was let in. The Iowan broke the framed set open
on a table , and as quickly as he could, began selling MY COINS.
Well, ths gentlemen from the auction house who was assigned to give me this wonderful news was clearly lost for words,
this of course never happened to them before, not to this degree anyway. Calls were made to the Texan and Iowan,but of course
to no happy conclusion. Did I forget to mention that this auction house actually cashed my check, before I even recieved that phone
call from them. They most certainly would cut me a check back immediately he said, well I should hope so. He said he would
talk to his superiors and get back to me, he believed they should offer some gesture of good faith for my troubles.
Several days went by, no phone call, no email, I thought I'd give them a call. Oh, I did get their check, or I should say my check by then.
The gentlemen never talked to his superiors, I figure he hoped I would just take the check and forget about it. Well, I didn't, but now
get this, the owner of the auction house gets on the phone, tells me he's out lots of money because of what happened, like I care,
I told him , I was the winning bidder, I sent you a check and you cashed it, and I'm entitled to your end of the bargain. He says that
your only interested in yourself, and then tells me to GO F - - - MYSELF !!! and hangs up the phone... Well how do you like that!!!
So, there you have it. You can form your own opinions on what really took place, was it all a series of errors, was it more???
Bottom line, I didn't get what I wanted but learned another of life's lessons.
Of course, another taste of Murphy's Law ( St. Patty's Day is around the corner) and proof once again of the old Latin phrase
Caveat Emptor ! Let the Buyer Beware ! Be aware of all whom you do business with .....
Thanks for reading...
Don
I've enjoyed reading many of your threads, and I hope I can add a story or two of my own in the years to come.
I'd like to say the following story had a happy ending, but that would be a lie.
So here goes, I'll leave the real names out, but your likely to figure them out anyway
Two weeks ago at a coin show in St. Louis a local auction firm hosted their mid winter sale,
Lot 223, a framed old penny board from the 1930's, housing a beautiful almost matched set of flying eagle and
indian head cents in mostly VF caught my eye and I wanted to have it. So I placed my bid over the internet,
and indeed I was the winning bidder at $4100 plus juice. I didn't even wait for the invoice to arrive, I quickly mailed
out a check, speeding up the process of the coins to my mailbox. Well, a week goes by and I receive a phone
call from the auction house, sorry to say, my coins are GONE ! What! was my obvious response.
Here's the story as told to me ...
At lot pick up the day following the auction, prior to the public entering for the show, a dealer from Texas comes to
the table to pick up his auction winnings. He hands over his check, and the auction house employee hands him his coins,
but in that stack was my penny board ( I should point out this dealer won a lincoln cent penny board at the sale) lot 233.
The auction house employee obviously gave him the wrong lot. Well, now the story gets very interesting. This Texan
apparently didn't realize he now had in his possession a board worth 3 times the board he should have received.
He then proceeds back to his show table to set up before the doors are open to the public. Then a dealer from Iowa comes
by and askes the Texan what he want for the penny board(apparently he still doesn't know what he has) , he quickly names a price, the Iowan says SOLD, hands him a check, and runs away. Now a dealer friend of mine at the show
tells me that a commotion was taking place that morning, before the public was let in. The Iowan broke the framed set open
on a table , and as quickly as he could, began selling MY COINS.
Well, ths gentlemen from the auction house who was assigned to give me this wonderful news was clearly lost for words,
this of course never happened to them before, not to this degree anyway. Calls were made to the Texan and Iowan,but of course
to no happy conclusion. Did I forget to mention that this auction house actually cashed my check, before I even recieved that phone
call from them. They most certainly would cut me a check back immediately he said, well I should hope so. He said he would
talk to his superiors and get back to me, he believed they should offer some gesture of good faith for my troubles.
Several days went by, no phone call, no email, I thought I'd give them a call. Oh, I did get their check, or I should say my check by then.
The gentlemen never talked to his superiors, I figure he hoped I would just take the check and forget about it. Well, I didn't, but now
get this, the owner of the auction house gets on the phone, tells me he's out lots of money because of what happened, like I care,
I told him , I was the winning bidder, I sent you a check and you cashed it, and I'm entitled to your end of the bargain. He says that
your only interested in yourself, and then tells me to GO F - - - MYSELF !!! and hangs up the phone... Well how do you like that!!!
So, there you have it. You can form your own opinions on what really took place, was it all a series of errors, was it more???
Bottom line, I didn't get what I wanted but learned another of life's lessons.
Of course, another taste of Murphy's Law ( St. Patty's Day is around the corner) and proof once again of the old Latin phrase
Caveat Emptor ! Let the Buyer Beware ! Be aware of all whom you do business with .....
Thanks for reading...
Don
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