ALL TIME FAVORITE SELLERS:
NOTE: Auction houses in our top rankings do not see maximum bids or allow bidding by auctioneers or their employees. All rankings are based on Proxiblog buying experience to establish informed opinion. Your online experience may differ from ours or these reviews.
1. Capitol Coin Auctions
25 points. One of the most professional coin houses on the portal and, in our opinion, one of the top sellers on Internet. Low buyer’s fee, 15%. Consignments are among the best, and owners write accurate lot descriptions that are of PCGS accuracy. Great photos, too--among the best on Proxibid. More than 35 years in the business. Hosts only a half dozen sessions per year, but each is an event with coins from estates. Never overlook this house on Proxibid.
2. Weaver Signature Coin and Currency Auction
25 points. Weaver Signature Coin and Currency Auction. Detailed photography. Best innovation. Top online advertisements. Numismatic descriptions. Low or tiered buyer's fees. Runs budget-saver auctions. Highly competitive, innovative. Provides detailed receipts for both buyers and sellers. Very responsive. See "On the Block" entry for more information. Usually ships within 3-4 days.
3. Fox Valley Coins
24.5 points. One of our favorite Proxibid houses. Excellent consignments. This is the place where the best buys on the portal can be had if the bidder knows numismatics. We are excited to participate in each auction because of the vast array of key dates, varieties and rarities. Schedules only a few mega-auctions per year on Proxibid, but each one is an event! Now accepts credit cards. Photography greatly improved, which makes up for the lack of numismatic descriptions. Buyer’s premium is 18%.
4. SilverTowne Auctions
24.5 points. Exceeds basic criteria in both buying and consignor categories. Among best coin grading and descriptions on Proxibid. Top consignment policy for rare coins. Timed auctions offer great bargains with good selections. Accepts returns on counterfeit coins or if error made in description. Among fastest shippers on Proxibid using numismatic packing. Usually ships within 1-2 days.
5. Leonard Auction
24.5 points. Among the best consignments on Proxibid, and for good reason, too. John Leonard's policies of 0% seller's fee for lots that bring $250 or more ensures top numismatic items. Completely thorough lot descriptions. Quick shipping. Professional customer service. For more about this reputable house, see this "On the Block."
6. Jewelry Exchange
24.5 points. A long-standing reputable auction house featuring regular coin consignments, including gold, US and World coins (and on occasion Ancients) with 15% buyer’s premium, great customer service and quick shipping. Photography adequate; lot descriptions, accurate. See the company’s “On the Block” by clicking here.
7. Krueger and Krueger Auction
24.5 points. Kurt Krueger is a seasoned numismatist who conducts exemplary auctions on Proxibid. This house also is innovative and understands the importance of the online audience. Of particular note is his accurate lot descriptions. He’s not afraid to say “Hogwash” to bottom-tier alleged grades, and we love him for that.
8. Back to the Past Collectibles
24.5 points. 10% online buyer’s fee. Excellent photos. Quick shipping. Auctioneer C. Scott Lovejoy has made significant improvements and secured fine consignments. We admire houses like his that aim to please the online bidder! Rapidly becoming one of the top coin auctions on Proxiblog.
9. Star Coin and Currency
24.5 points. One of the best timed auctions on the portal. Keeps improving. Yet another company that pays attention to customer service. Sharp photography. Numismatic descriptions. Inexpensive, fast shipping.
10. Meares Auction
24.5 points. Charges 5% online buyer's fee for coins. See this article for Darron Meares' innovations. Improved photography. Courteous customer service. Ships reasonably and quickly. Knows coins. One of the longest Proxibid sellers and top auction house; nationally recognized as leader in industry.
11. Kaufman Realty and Auctions
24.5 points. Kaufman Realty features strong consignments, fair photos, numismatic lot descriptions and regular coin auctions. 15% buyer’s fee makes looking here a must. Shipping time is improving. Always worth the wait.
12. McKee Coin Auction
24.5 points. Charges 20% buyer's premium and doesn’t use APN, but gives 5% cash discount and uses PayPal. Consignments are improving, and photography is vastly improved. We know Owen McKee and are pleased that he is sharing his vast numismatic knowledge in his descriptions. You can also find the unexpected in his two-day 1500+ marathons, including Canadian coins. Shipping is reasonable but charges $1 per lot handling fee.
For other companies meeting basic criteria, click here.
We understand the privacy and security reasons behind hiding Proxibidders’ names, showing only “Internet” or “You” with a winning bid. And we accept the change as bittersweet, for we will miss certain users with quirky habits, as Proxibid becomes more safe and perhaps less fun for some of us.
I completly agree with your comment on removing the nicknames on proxibid, I do not believe that they had to do that for security. I thought removing high bidders name when the auction started tookcare of that. I also believe that it will hurt the action comanies bottom line . the reason I believe that is there had been some competitive bidding between so-called rivals! It is the human nature in all of us to be competetive and this new policy removes that excitement from the process.proxibid bid has done a very good job for the most part of trying to bring the auction expereience to the online masses, but I think they dropped the ball on this one!!!!
We agree with you. Until now, Proxibid always strove to re-create the auction experience, and in real as in online auctions, there were bidding wars driven by personalities as much as by bids. We wrote about Proxibidding wars moving from one auction to the next. You can access that here: https://proxiblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/proxibidding-wars/
Proxiblog has always encouraged competition. Auctions thrive on it. Portals may thrive on it, too.
Increasingly, Proxibid is becoming eBay with harsh terms of service and no reviews of auction houses, which is why we exist, to remind both the portal and the auctioneers that competition counts and that the best houses (i.e. Weaver, Western, Silvertowne, et. al.) understand this … which is why we rank and recommend.
Thanks for your comment. It’s an important consideration.
I have conducted over 500 auctions on PROXIBID, as I watch the changes being made I do wonder where the direction is coming from. Whom should PROXIBID be taking the lead and developement from? The BIDDER or the AUCTIONEERS… I believe it should be about the auctioneers, we are paying the bills, granted without bidders we would not have success. I have called several times in regards to recent changes, I honestly feel as though my thogts are dismissed as quickly as expressed. I do worry that PROXIBID is moving towards an eBay like system. I believe that the head of RISK MANAGEMENT there is a former eBay employee… I am oftem told that PROXIBID makes changes based on what the bidders are requesting… I am not sure really who or what is driving the changes, but I do fear that PROXIBID in some ways is moving in the wrong direction despite what I believe is their best intention for all. Ron Krause, Krause Auctioneering, Rochester, MN 507.319.0098
Ron Krause is one of our conscientious auctioneers. He is high on customer service, too. We like competitive bidding because it is good for the auction house and, ultimately, the Proxibid user. Keep in mind, though, that it’s not only about the auction house; it’s about the technology. The old Proxibid had a social network style. It could have gone in two directions–toward eBay, as it is doing, or toward a virtual reality environment. Think about that. Suppose in addition to user names bidders could personalize icons. We’re not recommending that. And we continue to support Proxibid and help auctioneers get top dollar for their consignments by sharing best practices. But Proxibid is eliminating the fun element of online auctioneering. It would be good for the company to think about how to infuse that again, spark competition, promote houses with good terms of service, and use technology as social network.
I think i missed the oppotunity to voice my opinion about the changes that have occured here on Proxibid. Oh that’s right, I wasn’t. Did anyone else out there, bidders, get asked what there opinion was? I liked being able seeing who I was bidding against, it was more like attending the actual auction. This is an auction website, correct? If I didn’t want to feel like I was at an auction, I would be bidding on Ebay.