We continue to see Proxibid sessions like this one, with reserves on inexpensive coins at or approaching retail, and have to wonder whether these houses have any confidence or experience in conducting a genuine auction.

• Real auctioneers advertise and lure an audience, onsite and online, via target marketing and nifty catalogs.
• Consignors search out real auctioneers because a big crowd can mean big bucks.
• Real auctioneers dislike any reserves on lots. The risk is just too big when items fail to sell, and all those advertising, catalog and marketing dollars go to waste.
• Real auctions are entertaining because the audience sees who will win a bidding war and who will steal a lot.
• Real auctioneers do not need to see maximum bids online because they are too busy taking bids from the onsite and Internet crowd.
• Real auctioneers do not need to shill bid because the onsite and online crowd will bid each other up to snare cherry lots.
• You can find some real auctions on Proxibid, especially ones in the rankings to the right.
• You can also find online coin shops masquerading as auctions on Proxibid.