This week we begin a series of spotlight reviews on the top five houses in our numerical rankings. Depicted here is a copy of our score sheet. Earning a 4 or 5 in our rankings is significant, and few top 20 houses earn more than one or two maximum scores. Those earning the highest scores this month also tied for top house, with Capitol, Key Date, SilverTowne, Weaver and Western all registering the maximum 25 points.

We become excited every time we see an announcement for a Proxibid auction by Capitol Coin of Evansville, Indiana. This house not only is known for auctioneering expertise and numismatic knowledge, as it specializes in coins; it is known for the highest standards of ethics. Its slogan is: “We operate on a high standard of professionalism and ethics that you can trust.”

Auctioneer Brad Lisembee has earned our trust and then some.

In fact, for more than two years we have always trusted Capitol Coins’ reputation, especially when it comes to knowledge of numismatics. Here’s the proof. In March, we purchased an 1898-S Morgan silver dollar, which Capitol graded as MS64. (Click picture to expand.)

We immediately sent in the coin to PCGS, one of the most rigorous grading companies in the business. Here was the result. (Click picture to expand.)

We appreciate Brad’s attention to digital photography, in which he invests a lot of time. You’ll notice that his photos not only are sharp and expandable but also feature obverse and reverse on the same field, a chief reason for Capitol’s increasing online audience, because bidders can discern luster as well as condition.

Until recently, Capitol Coin Auctions was not listed in our top rankings because it carried transparency notices and charged 17% buyer’s fees. We do not support maximum-bid viewing, as our regular viewers know. Capitol Coin Auction never needed to see maximum bids because it consistently sold below that in hammer prices.

See the company’s service terms from March 2012 above and compare that to the service terms below. (Click pictures to expand.)

In a recent discussion with the company, Proxiblog was informed that the auction house decided to heed our advice about losing transparency notices. Capitol also lowered its buyer’s premium to 15%. That spurred vigorous bidding in its most recent July auction, with the majority of lots selling above wholesale with several of those above retail, especially NGC and PCGS slabs. (Click picture above to expand.)

We applaud Capitol Coin Auctions for its expertise in auctioneering and numismatics and for creating buying and selling opportunities for bidders and consignors alike. We commend the company whose memberships include the National Auctioneer’s Association, the Indiana Auctioneer’s Association, and the American Numismatic Association. Capitol Auctions is also accredited by the Better Business Bureau serving the Tri-State Area (Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky).

Visit this page to check on upcoming auctions or to consign to the company.

Proxiblog is an independent entity with no connection to the auction portal Proxibid. Our intent is to uphold basic numismatic standards as established by the American Numismatic Association and the National Auctioneer Association and to ensure a pleasurable bidding experience not only on Proxibid but also on similar portals such as iCollector and AuctionZip.