One of the better auction venues in Wisconsin. Please note that this place is a bit strange as they have no buyer's premium, but you have to register to bid and, in that process, you pay $20 (I think) to register.
This upcoming auction has a ton of ink wells. This isn't typical, but if you want to collect ink wells, then you ought to check this out. They don't have quite as much Victorian furniture as I would like to see, but there are still some treasures among the other junk. Do be sure to check out categories other than just "FURNITURE" as they tuck decorative Victorian shelves & the like in other categories. Also please note that they do have a keyword search (try "Victorian" and "19th" {century}, among other terms).
http://www.schragerauction.com/
Hopefully this makes up a bit for exposing some of the Cincinnati places.
- Jason
Schrager Auction - March 9-14, '08 - Milwaukee, WI
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Auction and Show Watch thread on victorianforum.com · started February 26, 2008 by 1881victorian · 3 posts · discussion in 2008.
One of the better auction venues in Wisconsin. Please note that this place is a bit strange as they have no buyer's premium, but you have to register to bid and, in that process, you pay $20 (I think) to register. This upcoming auction has a ton of ink wells. This isn't…
It is rather ridiculous, in my opinion, to make bidders pay $20 simply to bid. That will drive a lot of potential bidders away, I'd imagine.
I agree that the $20 "cover charge" keeps potential bidders away. That having been said, it also tends to make those people who do pay the $20 all the more hell-bent to buy something. I have watched a few small items exceed their fair auction value by a wide margin. Conversely, I have seen a number of real bargains move through this place and I regretted not paying the $20 after seeing the hammer prices.
There are a few important things that I learned while participating in one of Schrager's auctions:
1. The auction is broken up over a number of days. Bid on items only on the day that they close. If you bid on your entire wish list and have a no-win bid on everything in the first few days, then you might regret bidding $20 on something that closes on the final day (because, invariably, you will win that last item and then have to figure out how to go get it).
2. Note that even though the auction end time is listed at, say, 4 p.m., that closing time is extended by 5 minutes every time a bid comes in. In effect, this eliminates the "sniper" strategy that causes me so much stress on ebay, but it also leads to last-minute bidding wars. Those wars, combined with having plunked down $20 in sunk money, tend to inflate the prices.
3. No buyer's premium is nice.
So...yes, it is rather different. I'm not registering for the upcoming auction. Still, my wife is quick to point out that there are worse ways to spend $20...a trip to the casino, for example.
- Jason
There are a few important things that I learned while participating in one of Schrager's auctions:
1. The auction is broken up over a number of days. Bid on items only on the day that they close. If you bid on your entire wish list and have a no-win bid on everything in the first few days, then you might regret bidding $20 on something that closes on the final day (because, invariably, you will win that last item and then have to figure out how to go get it).
2. Note that even though the auction end time is listed at, say, 4 p.m., that closing time is extended by 5 minutes every time a bid comes in. In effect, this eliminates the "sniper" strategy that causes me so much stress on ebay, but it also leads to last-minute bidding wars. Those wars, combined with having plunked down $20 in sunk money, tend to inflate the prices.
3. No buyer's premium is nice.
So...yes, it is rather different. I'm not registering for the upcoming auction. Still, my wife is quick to point out that there are worse ways to spend $20...a trip to the casino, for example.
- Jason