Buck1967 said
speaking of gaming the system. I pulled this right off Proxibids and Hibid websites. I’m no lawyer so Zeb please chime in but I read this as confirmation the auction house and or the seller are free to place fake bids to run the auction price up?

ProxiBid
PLEASE READ: At the request of the auction company, this auction permits bids to be placed by the auctioneer, an employee of the auctioneer, or the seller or an agent on the seller's behalf. While Proxibid's Unified User Agreement prohibits this behavior, in accordance with UCC 2-328, this auction is permitted to engage in this activity by providing this clear disclosure to you, the bidder.

 
Hibid
19.Auctioneer and Auction Staff may bid and purchase items. Sellers have the right to bid on and protect their items.
  

That kind of verbiage is in many auction house's Agreements.  Helps them make more money.  Especially if the house owns the gun. 

Mike

mrcvs said
If you are a buyer, you very well might find a bargain in the next auction.
  

What's that you say? I'll be hiding over here in the bushes with my paddle...I think you may be right!

Anthony said
You're not offending me, as I think you're spot on, and when you try to call and tell them about it, they don't listen and, interrupt you're conversation, as the younger generation, has taken over this auction house, and they only care about the $$$$$$$! IMHO!
You can plainly see that the site has changed and not for the better! IMO! I know that we have to adapt and change with the times, but a lot of people weren't happy, and very frustrated with the last auction!
Tony
  

tim tomlinson said
Tony and others,  I don't think the emphasis changed in regards to dollars.  I do think the young may have "pride of authorship" getting in the way.  Years ago the program for NRA Instructors was put in place and was not working for us instructors.  Got a young man whose response to criticism of the program was "any idiot can work through this program!"  My only hope is he was soon shown the outside of the door!  Pride of authorship on full display.  Obvious to the author, not the intended user.  Wards was totally not user friendly and in time it will show up in reduced sales prices.  My opinion only. Tim
  

Tim,

I understand you're point, and was thinking about what I posted, later when company came in. I didn't make it back to better clarify, my point. In regards to the money signs that I posted, and my reference to the newer regime at Ward's not caring, I really feel like many other Auction houses and other places we deal with today, we become a number, as in, NEXT!!! 

On another note, my friend, capitalized on the last Auction snafu, and called and got logged in and grabbed a bunch of stuff, a little cheaper than he had anticipated, as he does his research ahead of time, and makes  notes on his capped bid price he wants to place, and he said he spent several thousand dollars this last Auction, and over looked the issues, that many of us have found to be uncomfortable.

Certainly, "Different Strokes"!

Tony

oldcrankyyankee said
I would add this. After the last ward's auction debacle I will be very, very hesitant to bid there again. I was less than impressed. Sorry if any one is offended by my remarks.
  

Hint:  If you are a seller, best not to consign with Ward’s.

If you are a buyer, you very well might find a bargain in the next auction.

You can plainly see that the site has changed and not for the better! IMO! I know that we have to adapt and change with the times, but a lot of people weren't happy, and very frustrated with the last auction!

Tony

  Heritage Auctions

           T/R                    

One I would add (to your "minor" list) is Redding's Auction in Gettysburg PA.  

https://reddingauction.com/

They have gun auctions a couple times a month and sometimes great stuff turns up.  Plus they have a "zero" buyer's premium if you bid in person, via phone or absentee.  Not all their auctions run live on Proxybid, etc. so it can pay to check them out once a month or so.  Here's a gun I got (phone bidding) from Redding's last Spring.  A Model 70 1st variation Target rifle (quite rare), nice condition, original and intact.

Also remember that Ward's auction sells old Winchesters.

https://www.wardscollectibles.com/auctions/

Good Luck,

Lou

Here is a list of Auction Houses I’m aware of and would appreciate you guys adding to it. I think it would be a nice resource to have on the site. 

Major Auction Houses (Typically has the rarest of rare)

1. Rock Island

2. Poulin

3. Morphy

4. Richmond

Minor Auction Houses (Offers great items and occasionally you can find a gem)

1. Amoskeag

2. Krammer

3. LSB

4. Gunrunner

5. Gun auction USA

6. Gun Slinger - just sold the Marissa Wayne collection! Marissa Wayne is John Wayne’s youngest daughter and she auctioned off Colts and Winchesters that were 1 of 7’s made exclusively for John Wayne’s children after his passing. Not Rock Island big money but one of the Colts went for 30k I think. 

Auction Aggregators ( There are 100’s of small Auction Houses in the U.S. and Canada who don’t have their own platforms but use an Aggregators software and platform to sell online. The upside is each of these sites allows you to search and bid on 100’s of auctions. The downside is they typically add 3% to the purchase price for that convenience) it is important to note on these platforms to never use the max bid feature. The aggregators share your bid with these small houses and in my experience many have phantom bidders who swoop in and will bid you up to your max every time. You can watch that same screen name bid on multiple unrelated items and never win anything. This is possible to see on some platforms like Hibid that show bidder names but not others like Proxibid that just show the # of bids. 

1. Proxibid

2. HiBid

3. icollector 

4. Live Auctioneers

5. Auction Zip

6. Invaluable Auctions

Guys, help me fill in the blanks of what I’m missing. Thanks, Buck

Mike

Bert H. said

Rick C said

Buck1967 said
I am also in agreement as I was underwhelmed overall but did manage to find a few interesting items like this oldest known 1894/95 hybrid…
https://bid.poulinauctions.com/EARLIEST-DOCUMENTED-WINCHESTER-1894-95-HYBRID-SRC_i59096674
Curious what you guys think of it? Has a bid of $3,000 on it already with a 6 to 10k projection. 
  

Hammered at $6500 + the juice!
  

That is totally Nuts!  I was expecting $4K - $4.5K
Bert
  

Yes I agree Bert. Well over $8000 total.