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What's going on at Stack's-Bowers??
keets
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In the past 1-2 years there auctions have steadily dropped off to the point where they have perhaps one sale every 4-5 months. I suppose some of the blame may go to the Pogue Sale(s) and all the attention they need to direct towards that, but I would think there would still be others using their venue for sales. In fact, I would have expected the Pogue attention to be a great advertisement to bring additional auctions, but that hasn't happened.
Also, am I the only one who sees Stack's with less of a presence since the merger with Bowers and the subsequent move from NYC to the West Coast??
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a veiled criticism of them, I like Stack's and how they operate better than Heritage, but there isn't anything going on there now. Can anyone speculate on why this is happening?? Is it a reflection of all the "slow market" talk we've been hearing lately??
Al H.
Also, am I the only one who sees Stack's with less of a presence since the merger with Bowers and the subsequent move from NYC to the West Coast??
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a veiled criticism of them, I like Stack's and how they operate better than Heritage, but there isn't anything going on there now. Can anyone speculate on why this is happening?? Is it a reflection of all the "slow market" talk we've been hearing lately??
Al H.
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The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
In the past 1-2 years there auctions have steadily dropped off to the point where they have perhaps one sale every 4-5 months. I suppose some of the blame may go to the Pogue Sale(s) and all the attention they need to direct towards that, but I would think there would still be others using their venue for sales. In fact, I would have expected the Pogue attention to be a great advertisement to bring additional auctions, but that hasn't happened.
Also, am I the only one who sees Stack's with less of a presence since the merger with Bowers and the subsequent move from NYC to the West Coast??
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a veiled criticism of them, I like Stack's and how they operate better than Heritage, but there isn't anything going on there now. Can anyone speculate on why this is happening?? Is it a reflection of all the "slow market" talk we've been hearing lately??
Al H.
A friend of mine who works at Stacks-Bowers, and is also a member of the NGC boards, suggested to me at this past Long Beach Show that Stacks' technical infrastructure is woefully behind the times and literally impedes their ability to increase their market presence.
On the web: http://www.earlyus.com
In the past 1-2 years there auctions have steadily dropped off to the point where they have perhaps one sale every 4-5 months. I suppose some of the blame may go to the Pogue Sale(s) and all the attention they need to direct towards that, but I would think there would still be others using their venue for sales. In fact, I would have expected the Pogue attention to be a great advertisement to bring additional auctions, but that hasn't happened.
Also, am I the only one who sees Stack's with less of a presence since the merger with Bowers and the subsequent move from NYC to the West Coast??
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a veiled criticism of them, I like Stack's and how they operate better than Heritage, but there isn't anything going on there now. Can anyone speculate on why this is happening?? Is it a reflection of all the "slow market" talk we've been hearing lately??
Al H.
A friend of mine who works at Stacks-Bowers, and is also a member of the NGC boards, suggested to me at this past Long Beach Show that Stacks' technical infrastructure is woefully behind the times and literally impedes their ability to increase their market presence.
Ive done business with stacks since I was literally 10 years old, and I have made many great friends at the company that both have worked there in the past, and currently are active there. The statement above is quite true from conversations Ive had with friends there
On top of that, the website situation has certainly scared away a lot of consignments I would gather, though I have no real proof of this. I think people are afraid that they will just not get top dollar when selling their items, and Heritage offers a better chance of that.
There are some other reasons as well that I know many people there are frustrated about as well, but not really my place to go suggesting about here.
This is not any way a knock at the company. As mentioned above, I personally like the way Stacks works and the more "personal" approach Ive found working with them for many years. I really hope that the company straightens out some of these issues because there are very good people to work with there and they try very hard to get things right for their customer base.
I Miss Teletrade.
Wondercoin.
Wondercoin
You go to the 'Browse Auctions' link and there's nothing listed for future auctions...some links for pickup and prices realized for Pogue III and the Rarities auction...nothing else. I find that hard to believe, there are NO upcoming auctions at all?
Well, there is the March Baltimore auction for sure coming up on March 30th-April 1st, but there is basically nothing about it on the website, other than they are the official auctioneers.
I know this is happening for sure as there is a very large colonial consignment to this sale (Connecticut coppers).
When they do have auctions, they tend to include a motley mix of exonumia and esoteric things I'm not interested in (US Federal issues). That's fine if it's easy to find what I'm looking for, but it never seems to be. It's virtually impossible to search for anything on their website and even harder to know if you've won something for sure. They've sent me incorrect invoices before and unless they feature something truly special it's usually just easier to avoid their website entirely. For me, it's a hobby, and it's supposed to be fun. Their competitors are doing it better with less confusion. For these reasons, they would be my last choice when looking to consign items.
Well, it's like they say, "Every dark cloud has a silver lining." Thank you, Mr. Russell, for taking up the slack with Great Collections.
They need a new photographer who knows how to adjust the lighting to get better pictures. Until they do, I don't bother with them? With CoinFacts, that photo guy at least has the lighting in the right place at 2:00 for portraits facing left but something else is going on like, he's using split lighting where half the coin is right and the other half is off. If I can do it, why can't they?
[URL=http://s595.photobucket.com/user/leothelion_04/media/DSC_0690ab.jpg.html]
[URL=http://s595.photobucket.com/user/leothelion_04/media/DSC_0691ab.jpg.html]
Leo
The more qualities observed in a coin, the more desirable that coin becomes!
My Jefferson Nickel Collection
My comment to all of this is just three words long....
I Miss Teletrade.
Wondercoin.
Maybe they would be more receptive to selling it to you now.
Good point. I will set up a lunch with Brian K. for next week and ask him!
Wondercoin
I had a nice lunch with Brian today. Teletrade is still not for sale of course. But, Brian did tell me there would be a big announcement coming out of Stacks next week in connection with their auction operations.
Wondercoin
Just to update...
I had a nice lunch with Brian today. Teletrade is still not for sale of course. But, Brian did tell me there would be a big announcement coming out of Stacks next week in connection with their auction operations.
Wondercoin
I hope it addresses technological advances that will bring it up to par with other auction sites.
ANA 50 year/Life Member (now "Emeritus")
The Pogue Family Collection is not the only major consignment that SBG has received in recent years. The Ted Craige and "Kendall" consignments of colonials are each extremely important. The auction of the Doug Kaselitz Collection went really well and Doug was very highly regarded in the coin community. SBG sold an 1804 dollar at the 2014 ANA Convention. Let us not forget the truly complete Battle Born Collection of Carson City coins back in 2012.
Kendall Collection Sale Brings Solid Prices in Baltimore
Garrett-Kaselitz Coin and 1838-O Liberty Seated Dimes in General
Kaselitz Coin Latest of Several Gem 1831 Capped Bust Quarters to Emerge Recently
A friend of mine who works at Stacks-Bowers, and is also a member of the NGC boards, suggested to me at this past Long Beach Show that Stacks' technical infrastructure is woefully behind the times and literally impedes their ability to increase their market presence.
Maybe if they put a bright, flashing Geocities "Under Construction" icon on their page, people would feel better about the situation.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Just to update...
I had a nice lunch with Brian today. Teletrade is still not for sale of course. But, Brian did tell me there would be a big announcement coming out of Stacks next week in connection with their auction operations.
Wondercoin
I hope their "big announcement" wasn't the one I got about financing options for buyers.
I basically ignore their auctions at present. Too much grief and stress to even try to navigate their horrible system.
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My sets: [280+ horse coins] :: [France Sowers] :: [Colorful world copper] :: [Beautiful world coins]
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In the past 1-2 years there auctions have steadily dropped off to the point where they have perhaps one sale every 4-5 months. I suppose some of the blame may go to the Pogue Sale(s) and all the attention they need to direct towards that, but I would think there would still be others using their venue for sales. In fact, I would have expected the Pogue attention to be a great advertisement to bring additional auctions, but that hasn't happened.
Also, am I the only one who sees Stack's with less of a presence since the merger with Bowers and the subsequent move from NYC to the West Coast??
Don't get me wrong, this isn't a veiled criticism of them, I like Stack's and how they operate better than Heritage, but there isn't anything going on there now. Can anyone speculate on why this is happening?? Is it a reflection of all the "slow market" talk we've been hearing lately??
Al H.
A friend of mine who works at Stacks-Bowers, and is also a member of the NGC boards, suggested to me at this past Long Beach Show that Stacks' technical infrastructure is woefully behind the times and literally impedes their ability to increase their market presence.
Ive done business with stacks since I was literally 10 years old, and I have made many great friends at the company that both have worked there in the past, and currently are active there. The statement above is quite true from conversations Ive had with friends there
On top of that, the website situation has certainly scared away a lot of consignments I would gather, though I have no real proof of this. I think people are afraid that they will just not get top dollar when selling their items, and Heritage offers a better chance of that.
There are some other reasons as well that I know many people there are frustrated about as well, but not really my place to go suggesting about here.
This is not any way a knock at the company. As mentioned above, I personally like the way Stacks works and the more "personal" approach Ive found working with them for many years. I really hope that the company straightens out some of these issues because there are very good people to work with there and they try very hard to get things right for their customer base.
Well said. I consigned to them 2 years ago with somewhat disappointing results. The people were good and the write-ups were good, but the technology killed it for me. And I've seen little to no improvement, though frankly, I've given up checking. Quite a disappointment since other auction companies seem to have no such problems. I'm only an occasional consignor, but most of my consignments are 5 figure pieces and easily auction-worthy. I am not inclined to consign again unless and until things improve dramatically. The overall coin market down-turn bothers me less.
Tom
hopefully they clear up the site for everyone else's sake and start listing more auctions for my sake.
Like them above all others for the exonumia in their auctions.
I do hope they improve their website experience and archives.
Andrew Blinkiewicz-Heritage
In this day and age, I have little sympathy for technical problems. The solution is a phone call and a check (or ACH payment). You would think with all the big checks they have written for other things (like mergers), this would be a no-brainer.
Just to update...
I had a nice lunch with Brian today. Teletrade is still not for sale of course. But, Brian did tell me there would be a big announcement coming out of Stacks next week in connection with their auction operations.
Wondercoin
That is too bad, someone must feel there is still value for them.
Still, I will continue to use SB when the opportunity is right. As a buyer, I care most about the right coins being available. If their technology is subpar (and it is!), then so be it. I'll find a way to view the lots and bid. I always have, and always will find a way to do what I need to do.
For CNG's NYINC 2016 auction, I effectively didn't bother to do anything myself. I asked my guy there to give me his professional assessment on several lots, and then another guy at CNG called me for phone bidding. All I needed was contacts and old school techniques. For SB at NYINC 2016, I was actually in the room so didn't need to avail myself of phone bidding. But, since I wasn't sure I'd be back from dinner in time, SB happily arranged a phone bid session for me as a contingency. The previous year, I needed to take one final look at a VERY IMPORTANT lot but it was after lot viewing had ended (and maybe even after that session had started!). And guess what? They pulled out the lot from the box and let me have my final private lot viewing.
(When I try to get a little bit of personal service from HA, it's been a real nightmare. HA behaves like a government bureaucracy, with one person saying one thing and another person doing something else. HA is actually the venue that I am less likely to use because they make me feel like I don't matter.)
So while there is much to decry about SB's online presence, it won't stop me from what I want.
One more thing I'll say about SB auctions... For the past 3 years, their NYINC auctions have done fine for the good lots: fresh, rare, or with out-of-this-world eye appeal. Seldom any bargains there. For the common stuff, they will be at the whim of chance and prevailing market forces. And for the problem material, well, they rarely ever do well.
While I'm only talking about the world stuff, I think my comments should not be viewed as Dark Side-specific.
EVP
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
I got an e-mail from Stack's today promoting special payment terms for Part 2 of the Twin Leaf Large Cents Collection...again, the biggest thing missing from the e-mail, a link to view the actual lots in the auction that is less than 5 weeks away. Maybe some people have received printed catalogs in the mail, but it still appears to me that none of this is available online. Just out of curiosity, has anyone received a printed catalog from Stack's for the upcoming Baltimore sale?
The coin show is March 31. I'd expect stuff to start showing up online and in the mail about 1 month prior to the auction, so I guess I'll get the auction catalog in the mail in ~ 1 week.
I know that some auction houses can do it faster, but you'll find that it won't be much faster than 1 month lead time. HA is nice in that they allow folks to preview the auction lots as they get put into the system. But, the final online product isn't generally ready until ~ 1 month prior to the auction.
EVP
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com