In the first three weeks of Proxiblog’s launch, some 1500+ viewers have visited our site to learn about top coin auctions selling on the portal Proxibid.

Proxiblog articles, updates, best practices and other features are attracting between 50-150 viewers per day, an impressive figure for a blog without major media sponsorship (now under consideration at Coin World and other auctioneer and numismatic venues). We also have a growing subscription list (see the subscription button on the lower right frame of the home page, under top rankings and twitter).

Proxiblog, which honors ethical standards by the American Numismatic Association and the National Auctioneers Association, is an independent numismatic site with no affiliation to Proxibid.

Since the launch, several enhancements have been made to the site, including the “On the Block” series featuring auctioneers discussing Internet operations and their best practices (or bidder abuses). If you are an auctioneer who would like to be featured in “On the Block,” leave your email in a comment (which will not be posted, by the way) and Proxiblog will be in touch.

The Proxiblog objective is to provide more transparency, competition and quality control among auctioneers conducting online sessions. Only best practices and top auction houses will be featured here. Comments will be screened carefully to ensure that our site is as proactive as possible.

Our standards are reasonable and competitive: 15% or lower online buyer’s fees, pictures of obverse and reverse of coins, expandable photos for closer inspection of items, and shipping within 7-10 days. Our top houses also have “value-added” features, such as:

• Innovative shipping policies like Scott Auctions.
• Low buyer’s fees like Western Auction.
• Expert grading like SilverTowne Auctions.
• Proactive consignment policies like Leonard Auctions.
• Professional customer service like Weaver Auction, Rolling M Auction and Proxibid itself.

Our top online coin auction sites often excel in all the above categories (see rankings to the right).

Houses that meet our minimum standards are included in our Honor Roll. When Proxiblog began last month, only 11 houses met the criteria. Now more than 30 have in our short time focusing on quality control and competition.

We understand that some auctioneers believe that Proxibid fees prevent them from charging lower online buyer’s fees; however, we reject that argument as Proxibid has expanded the coin buying clientele and enhances the online experience with professional customer service. In a word, this is about competition with the understanding that auctioneers who can maintain or exceed these minimum standards also will thrive with top consignments and vigorous bidding. See our article, “The Three Cs of Proxiblog.”

If you’re an auctioneer hoping to maintain high NAA standards while reaching online coin buyers, why not see if your house meets these criteria to be listed on Proxiblog? And if you do, feel free to use our “Honor Roll” icon. (Note: If you wish a high resolution jpeg, leave your email in a comment and we will send you the file.)