Welcome to Proxiblog!
This is an educational, proactive blog that reviews and shares information about auctioneers selling coins on eBay, HiBid and other online portals. Its owner and content creator is Michael Bugeja, former columnist for Coin World and Coin Update News and member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee of the U.S. Treasury. He has collected coins since his boyhood.
This blog is in no way affiliated with or sponsored by Proxibid or any other auction company. Its purpose is to share information about best (and worst) practices of online auction houses in the business of selling coins through Proxibid.com.
To be showcased on this blog, on the preferred auction tab, the auction company must meet basic numismatic criteria:
1. Clear pictures of obverse and reverse of coins.
2. The ability to expand pictures so as to analyze any flaws or identify any varieties.
3. Accurate numismatic lot descriptions.
4. Reasonable buyer’s fees.
5. Inexpensive, quick shipping.
In addition, Proxiblog must have purchased or won coins from the company to validate competent service and reasonable shipping.
Proxiblog reviews will be based on personal experience of doing business with the auction company. Your experience may differ from ours.
Proxiblog's Top Online Coin Auctions 
My company is Auctions by Wallace. One of our buyers pointed us to your blog. We have been using your best practices prior to even knowing about your blog. We would like to be considered for your blog.
Thank you,
Sheena Wallace
Auctions by Wallace
Thank you so much for pointing us to you. We’ll visit Auctions by Wallace. Please look at our “On the Block” series. Perhaps you might like to share your best practices with our valued auctioneers and their companies.
Your auction house certainly meets our criteria. You have been listed as one of our “Honor Roll” auction companies whose standards exceed the norm for coins. Your pictures, especially, are clear and vivid. Thank you for bringing your company to our attention!
Doing the right thing!
I conducted a ‘live virtual interactive’ auction on February 17th, consigned was 5 TRADE DOLLARS, I did not get a chance to really look at them before the auction. I was asked if they were real. I was not certain at first, so after considerable interaction with the bidders online, we determined that they were indeed counterfeits. I pulled them from the auction. I received on email from a bidder attending the auction this morning.
Ron
Great auction last night some really great deals on some nice coins. I could see how difficult it was for you to pull those Trade Dollars from the lineup without positive proof that they may be replicas, but congratulations on doing the right thing. Most auctioneers would have considered their obligation only to the consigner. I’ll be watching for your next live auction (SHOW).
Also I have some items I would like to consign to you. Could you let me know when would be the best time to call so we have a few minutes to discuss logistics?
Thanks again,
Michael
Brockton Ma
Doing the right thing, yes… this message made it all worth while.
Doing the right thing has its own reward ,,, and return customers, too! Thanks for sharing this, Ron.
I can’t find any other way of contacting you other than through the “Reply” function here (Boo!), but I would like to get your take on auction companies that auction the same items on multiple platforms. …
To me, this opens the auction company up to charges of unethical behavior. For example, I have entered maximum bids on Proxibid that get trumped by “onsite” bids when there are NO onsite bidders. The “onsite” bidders are (supposedly) the participants bidding on another platform, say Auctionzip. As a bidder on Proxibid, I guess I’m supposed to just take the auction company’s word that there is a higher bid on the other platform(s) that the auction is taking place on. I have no way of confirming these other bids unless I have multiple, simultaneous windows open where I can see all bidding activity on the lot at the same time. What is your take on this practice?
Thanks for your great blog!
You are pointing out a problem that I just got done explaining in some detail to Proxibid. I’m not sure there is a resolution for this. But I will forward your comment to the folks that look into these complaints at Proxibid.
I’ve called on investigations of what actually does sell “onsite.” I’m VERY suspicious of auction houses that claim only “to see maximum bids” when they also are ghost-bidding, perhaps by doing the same thing that you are wary about in your comment.
Thanks for writing and reading my blog.
I feel unless the auction company clearly states the auction is online only how do you not know whether there are actually onsite bidders. There also may be absentee bids left through phone auctioneer. Unless you know personally the auction company’s procedures there is no reason to complain about something such as this.
I too don’t see any way to contact your blog except to post here (boo!). Am having a bad experience with an auction house and want to blog about in order to warn other bidders. Where’s the best place to do that? Is this a blog where users can post their experiences with auction houses or is there a more appropriate blog or forum on the internet where people leave feedback on the various auction houses for other proxibid bidders?
Proxiblog is an educational site, and so we don’t publish bad experience reviews. If you have a complaint, the best way to lodge it is to call Proxibid customer service. They really do listen. We’ve lodged complaints ourselves. I thank you for reading the blog and wish you luck, too.
Mike, I have started to blog on my newly designed website… I am currently blogging about an auctioneer-auction company having the ability to see a bidders maximum bid at any time… I am completely against that possibility for any reason.
You continue to show leadership. I am proud to know you, Ron, and applaud what you stand for in the auctioneering business. One Proxibid Auction company announces in bold letters: “We will not bid against you!” And yet it sees maximum bids. With your leadership, perhaps Proxibid will just discontinue the practice.
PROXIBID gives the auction company a choice it is clearly noted on an auctioneers auction they do. So, that leaves it up to the bidders whether to place a high bid or not or to conduct business at all. BUT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO STRESS, it is all the other platforms out there that are not given or post they know your maximum bid. I believe most auction software does provide the auctioneer with your maximum bid… So maybe less about PROXIBID attempt to promote the highest level of ethics and more about all those other auctioneers who uses a different platform.
I addressed these issues to an extent with the NAA, The president was prompt with a reply and answered all my questions and provided their stand in regards to them.
Is there a way to get our rankings raised? We have been on the list for years. We are putting plans together now to have weekly coin auctions. We do everything possible to keep shipping costs down – we do them in house. We even take packages to USPS to ship more cheaply than flat rate when appropriate. Please feel free to contact me outside the blog either by phone or email. I have enjoyed reading your blog and have recommended your blog to many others.
Thank you,
Sheena Wallace
Auctions by Wallace