It looks like I got skunked at Heritage!

renomedphys · September 2, 2026 2:05PM

Well, today they had their Platinum Night auction and there were coins I was bidding on. Along comes a lot that I had marked, it was about to hammer, I made a cut-bid, and it looked like my bid was accepted. I guess I was confused because I legitimately saw my bid accepted and I saw it was at that price, and the hammer fell.

Look at this!

Anyway I called Heritage to see if in fact I was the winner and they said that another bid same as mine came in literally milliseconds before mine!

I sure wish I had known, I would most assuredly bid again 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

airplanenut · September 2, 2026 2:24PM

I've been there, but at Stack's. I think their website and app are worse than Heritage in terms of making it obvious what your status is. I once slid the slider to place my bid (a cut, I think), and it got all the way to the right and the bid was at the amount I had bid, so when the lot closed I celebrated until I realized I'd lost. I surely would have placed another bid if I had realized I wasn't winning.

For both, I really wish they'd make it super obvious. On every lot, show very clearly one of these:

You are WINNING
You are LOSING
You have not placed a bid on this lot

msc672 · September 2, 2026 3:30PM

That is incredibly frustrating. Is that a 1794? I can't quite make it out.

Namvet69 · September 2, 2026 3:33PM

Millisecond? Ouch!

renomedphys · September 2, 2026 3:36PM

Sheldon 22, MS62. Ex Sheldon. Cool pedigree. I had 26k bid in my notes but I might have gone one more. Live auction fail.

logger7 · September 2, 2026 3:40PM

Can you use a snipe on their auctions?

alaura22 · September 2, 2026 3:42PM

I'm not understanding
Wasn't the auctioneer paying attension?
If bids are still coiming in why did he drop the hammer?
I watch many auctions and there is always a delay after the last bid before the hammer drops
Sorry you lost

jmlanzaf · September 2, 2026 3:42PM

@logger7 said:
Can you use a snipe on their auctions?

It's not a hard close.

airplanenut · September 2, 2026 3:46PM

@logger7 said:
Can you use a snipe on their auctions?

No. All Heritage auctions (internet only or live+internet) are traditional auctions in the sense that they go one lot at a time, and a lot doesn't close until all bidding activity is completed.

tradedollarnut · September 2, 2026 4:04PM

If it’s something you really really have to have then you really should use a representative in the room

renomedphys · September 2, 2026 4:44PM

@tradedollarnut said:
If it’s something you really really have to have then you really should use a representative in the room

And traditionally I would have been at all these auctions myself, until they were all brought back in shop-side. When was that? Covid? I realize that this is a “me” problem as I do have a tendency to rely too heavily on convenience.

2ndCharter · September 2, 2026 4:52PM

If it’s something you really really have to have then you really should use a representative in the room

On an item of that caliber, I always call Heritage and arrange for phone bidding. The Heritage phone reps sit in the front row in the auction room and the auctioneer won't close the lot until all phone bidders are done. I have never missed out on a lot going that route.

epc · September 2, 2026 6:57PM

@alaura22 said:
I'm not understanding
Wasn't the auctioneer paying attension?
If bids are still coiming in why did he drop the hammer?
I watch many auctions and there is always a delay after the last bid before the hammer drops
Sorry you lost

If I understand correctly, the OP saw that the new bid was the amount he had bid, but did not notice that he was not the new leading bidder. A bid accepted is not necessarily the new leading bid. Neither he nor anyone else entered another bid, and some seconds could have passed before the hammer fell.
But if two of the same bid come in at almost the same time, I'd think the latter one would not be "accepted". So something does still seem off, if the details provided are accurate.

MsMorrisine · September 2, 2026 7:11PM

@MFeld - for an online bid, is it so that 2 same amount bids "at the same time" wouldn't necessarily show "outbid" to the second, losing bidder? what would happen if a floor bidder hit first and an online bidder hits at the same amount as the floor bidder hits?

epc · September 2, 2026 7:23PM

If I recall correctly, the Heritage bidding interface will disable the bid buttons (one for full increment, one for cut bids) when you are winning. So, if you see active bid buttons, you're not winning.

P0CKETCHANGE · September 2, 2026 7:46PM

Better to use “live proxy” bidding than roll the dice with HA’s janky software.

winesteven · September 2, 2026 9:42PM

@P0CKETCHANGE said:
Better to use “live proxy” bidding than roll the dice with HA’s janky software.

I believe this is “the best kept secret at Heritage”. Most bidders probably don’t know what this is. I’ll try to explain it:

Once an auction opens for accepting “Proxy” (active) bids several weeks before the live auction, so does their “Live Proxy” tool. This allows you to place your max bid (“on increment “) at your convenience. Your Live Proxy bid though is NOT activated until that lot actually goes on the block weeks later. In the meantime, if you change your mind a few days or more after placing your Live Proxy bid, you can cancel it, you can increase it or decrease it, as long as that lot has not gone on the auction block.

Here are the advantages:

Other than bidders who have placed regular, ACTIVE proxy bids in advance, you will “own” all bid levels up to and including your max bid, against floor bidders, telephone bidders, and bidders at home on their computers bidding “Live”. For example, if your max “Live Proxy” bid is $4,000, when the lot is on the block, and as the live bid is approaching your bid level, if the highest other bid is $4,000, YOU win that tie. Naturally, if someone bids higher than your max, you lose (unless you then choose to bid again, to try to outbid that higher bid, which you are allowed to do).
By placing your “Live Proxy” bid weeks in advance, remember it does not become “active” until the coin is on the block. So when the auction is actually live, you can be dining at a restaurant (with a nice bottle of wine, of course), at a movie or a show, asleep, on the toilet, or even forgotten about the auction, etc. Even if you’re on your computer watching the auction live, have you ever lost internet connectivity? No worries with your “Live Proxy” bid if there is an electric blackout at the worst time.

Steve

MFeld · September 3, 2026 2:56AM

@MsMorrisine said:
@MFeld - for an online bid, is it so that 2 same amount bids "at the same time" wouldn't necessarily show "outbid" to the second, losing bidder? what would happen if a floor bidder hit first and an online bidder hits at the same amount as the floor bidder hits?

I’m sorry, I don’t know whether two online bids of the same amount can arrive “at the same time” or what would happen if they could.

Regarding your second question - if a floor bidder’s bid is received before a live online bidder’s bid of the same amount does, I believe that that the online bidder’s bid wouldn’t be accepted. However, it would be best to call client services to check on this.

BLUEJAYWAY · September 3, 2026 5:38AM

Timing is everything.

RedRocket · September 3, 2026 7:34AM

@BLUEJAYWAY said:
Timing is everything.

Along with a hefty bank account.

dynamic2 · September 3, 2026 8:42AM

I had the same thing happen once, thought I had won and quickly noticed I was out bid.
I did not bid again as I did not want to go higher, but had to make quick call before hammer.
I have not used the phone bidder route, but if I was someone who had to have a coin I would use it.
(note: took me 6-7 years to finally get a coin for slightly more and I prefer, sometimes patience is a virtue.
Now if only a couple exist and in strong hands, chances can be very few) .
>
Good luck to all in pursuit of your goals.

MsMorrisine · September 3, 2026 12:17PM

how does live proxy show up online during the live bidding? "live proxy?"

winesteven · September 3, 2026 12:40PM

@MsMorrisine said:
how does live proxy show up online during the live bidding? "live proxy?"

No. I believe it shows up as Heritage Live, the same as someone actively placing a bid from their computer. However, if YOU are the bidder via Live Proxy, you will see on the screen as either "you are the high bidder" (or something like that), or, if you've reached your max and someone bid higher, it will show you that "You were Outbid".

Here's a key point I omitted above with my detailed explanation: If two potential bidders enter the SAME max bid via Live Proxy (like $4,000 each person on the same lot) the person who entered it FIRST will be the one that "owns" that max bid. However, the other collector will not know that, until they see they were not the high bidder when that max level was reached when the coin was on the block. That's why I enter my "Live Proxy" bids as soon as possible once the bids open a few weeks before the actual auction.

It looks like I got skunked at Heritage!

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