Hello
I have just been going through the latest on line catalog from RIA and noticed that A LOT of the Model 1892 rifles just sold (as indicated in the past auctions listing at Poulin) at the latest Poulin Auction in October of 2016. Even the two rifle lots are listed as the same two rifle lots in the two auctions. Are these two auction houses related in some way? This appears to be more than just a coincidence.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
Actually, it’s the Poulin and Julia Auction companies are “related”, but I don’t believe they are affiliated in any way with RIA. Jeannine Poulin and James Julia are brother and sister. They typically run their auctions concurrently and their headquarters are very near each other, maybe even next door.
I follow 1895’s very closely and, I too, have noticed many of the guns in the Poulin/Julia auctions end up in the next RIA auctions. Occasionally, I see guns going in the other direction as well, but that doesn’t seem as common.
My take is that there is someone, and maybe more than one person, who is buying speculatively from Poulin/Julia and then turning them around at RIA with the expectation that they will bring more money at the latter auction. When you consider the premiums involved it doesn’t seem like a very good business plan, unless it is RIA doing the buying and reselling, then they would only have to pay the buyer’s premium to Poulin/Julia. Of course, it could just be collectors with “buyer’s remorse” who are reselling them. It’s anybody’s guess.
The guns that I have watched seemed to sell a little higher at RIA, but not always. I recently bought a gun at RIA for 1/3rd of what it sold at Julia for just last year. The difference seemed to be that the RIA description was much more detailed and accurate than Julia’s. I have run into that issue with Julia a couple of times lately, but that’s another topic entirely.
Hello again,
I am looking at the latest Little John auction online catalog and cataloging 1892’s into my spreadsheet and notice a “similar” situation with some of the rifle being offered for “auction”. Lot #861 is a Model 92 SRC in 25-20 WCF. No big deal there but this will now the 4th time it has supposedly been sold by Little Johns. It was also sold during the following: Sept 2014 # 119 / Dec 2015 #2231 / June 2016 #254 / and now Feb 2017 #861 Does anyone besides me think that the auction house might have “Ralph” (pick any name you like) in the seats who is bidding for the house until the rifle gets to a “we make money hurdle” and then he quits. If Ralph is the last guy standing and they did not achieve the hurdle value then the house “buys” the gun and puts it away until they offer it again at a later auction. There is no way in hell anyone will convince me that the last three real buyers of the gun just happen to all resell it back at Little Johns!
https://www.proxibid.com/asp/Catalog.asp?aid=121672&p=1&srch=winchester&sort=0#cnTb
Three Model 1892’s are re-listed from previous LJ auctions along with one of the Model 61’s.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
“Ralph” is a shill bidder, and Yes, I sadly suspect that most auction houses have a “Ralph” on their staff. Because I also troll all of the major auctions (for survey purposes), I too have seen the same Winchester “sold”, and then relisted in a later auction. In the modern era of the internet, you would think that the auction houses would wise up, but to their detriment, they have not.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Ralph knows what the absentee bids are so he can take you right to your limit.
I mailed an absentee bid to a well known auction house Ralph was the only other person bidding and he took me right to the limit.
If I ever want another rifle I think telephone bid is the way to go.
August 11, 2015

I too have seen a number of guns resold in the auction houses I frequent in the Texas area.
Not sure what, how or why the process continues, but it seems like a couple of houses always have some guns added to the current auction that were from a previous one. Just recently witnessed a high dollar Henry get resold for about half of what it sold 18 months ago. My explanation was it was either a fake or the auction house ran the price up previously and the owner must have renegotiated the minimum.
With this and all the banter regarding “gun broker” legitimacy, I have become extremely skeptical about any and all guns to the point where I have a hard time believing in the original concept.
Regards,
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