Auction tracking

thelawnet

I'm wondering how you keep track of all the world auctions that go on. Ebay is great, I have a bookmark and I hit the bookmark every day and it shows me the new listings. But how do you keep track of all the different world auctions all on different days with catalogues published x many days in advance. Sometimes things get sold very cheaply because they are being sold in the wrong country where there is no demand. It seems a shame, but ebay aren't interested any more in working with live auctions, so that's going to fade away (and even now it covers just a fraction). Coinarchives.com is a nice site, I can visit it and think wow this:



sold for $2892, when it contained 4.43 ounces of gold @ $655 an ounce ($2900), plus $150 worth of silver coins, all in the attractive original presentation box, and probably only 500 such sets every made. List it on ebay on buy-it-now, and it would sell for at least $5k, eventually.

If only it hadn't been sold by Gorny & Mosch Giessener Münzhandlung, but rather by someone whose website I happened to check before the auction.....

And if only Coinarchives listed what is coming up, not just what's already sold....

Does anyone manage to keep track of everything? How?

And do these 'sold in the wrong place items' just get picked up by local dealers on the cheap.

1960NYGiants

Each auction site / company operates to their own schedule. Very few can compete with eBay on a daily basis.

Heritage and Teletrade run 3 or 4 auctions per week. Some run on a weekly or monthly turn. Some are quarterly.

The key is to learn and track their schedules. I keep a list of about 18 auction houses in "my favorites" folder and notes on their schedules. I visit their websites at least once per month to verify dates.

It's a little work but worth it when you find one of those out of place lots.

cacheman

enjoy....

sixbid.com

Rickc300

Keep it simple... Know what you collect for starters!!! I collect what I want and a few items I don't really have any use for. Steer away from the stuff you don't collect and know nothing about, including those medals that most of us love but have no real idea about grading or what they are worth (leave that to the experts here)... There is going to be a ton of material that you like, but only a few ounces of things that really fit into the theme of your collecting interests. I have a large collection of German coins but very little interest in current German coin auctions per se. If I can afford the coin, I will buy or bid on it. If it is out of my price range, I will pass on it until I can find a more affordable one...

Rick

thelawnet

<< <i>Keep it simple... Know what you collect for starters!!! I collect what I want and a few items I don't really have any use for. Steer away from the stuff you don't collect and know nothing about, including those medals that most of us love but have no real idea about grading or what they are worth (leave that to the experts here)...
>>



Actually the picture up top are commemorative coins, not medals (although you can't tell that from the picture - the denominations are on the other side).

I have the silver set, they are very attractive coins. In the case of silver, they sell for a large premium over bullion - mintages were under 5000, and the coins are very high relief and the 750rp (second-largest) in particular an attractive design. This ounce of silver sells for about $70; in contrast, the 1974 WWF coins are pretty much bullion because mintages wer larger (18,000), and they were just a multinational WWF cash-in rather than a commeorative. Indonesia has issued four international charity coin series, and five different commemorative series. Some of the commemoratives are rare and valuable as a result. Only 500 of the 2001 25,000 rp were issued.

wikipedia

Speaking of undesirable medals.....

ebay

This set commemorating the opening of the 'Mini Indonesia' theme park in 1974, and containing 0.97 oz AGW, and 0.41 oz ASW, sold for just $500 recently.....

Somebody got a steal.