Tag Archives: Midwest Coins

Weaver, Bullock tie for “Best Photography”

Posted on by

Weaver Coin Auction and Matthew Bullock Auctioneers tie for best digital coin photos, featured on Proxibid.

On occasion the data used in deciding our TOP AWARD winners are so close that we have to name a tie, in this case with two exceptional Honor Roll houses that have one thing in common: both listened to our analyses of successful auctions and made changes to reflect our recommendations, especially in photography.

To be honest, several Proxibid houses are missing opportunities that Weaver and Bullock readily embraced by providing sharp, expandable pictures of obverse and reverse. We just don’t understand why so many auctioneers on Proxibid, as competitive as you might anticipate NAA members to be, take shortcuts on photos, sometimes only displaying only obverse, sometimes depicting only a box or an album, sometimes neglecting to note key date coins, sometimes forgetting about lighting, and sometimes just blurring the whole shebang.

Check out this article for tips about digital photography.

Weaver Coin Auction and Matthew Bullock Auctioneers upgraded their photography this year so that expanded photos capture the faintest varieties of coins. Bullock, especially, knows how to photograph deep mirrors and gems.

Please do not take shortcuts on photography if you are paying Proxibid fees whose technology is programmed to share the onsite excitement of an auction with your Internet clientele. Nothing sells a coin with high bids as sharp, expandable photography. Several of our Honor Roll houses would be surprised at how much more they might earn with excellent pictures, especially of Morgan dollars. We’ve seen deep mirror ones selling double their retail value as bidders compete for cherry coins.

Our Honorable Mention companies know this: Key Date Coins, Chaparral Coin, Leonard Auction, Midwest Coins, Silver Trades, and Western Auction.

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.

Best Coin Photos on Proxibid

Posted on by

These six auction houses provide needle-sharp straight-on coin photos on Proxibid, surpassing standards so that numismatists can check for varieties and condition.

Proxiblog spent part of this week analyzing photography on all coin-selling sites on Proxibid. The test was a comparison of breast feathers on an uncirculated Morgan dollar, which requires our Honor Roll standards of clear, expandable obverse and reverse photos. However, an added analysis to test the photography was the clarity and size of the expanded photograph and whether the viewer would be able to discern a variety such as an 1880-CC VAM-4 Reverse of 78 Overdate, required by some set registries.

These six were chosen because of the needle-sharp images and more than 200% expansion of those images allowing fine details to be seen, such as overdates, hairlines, rubs, cleanings, doctoring, artificial coloring and so much more:

    Matthew Bullock Auctioneers. (Click to expand the Bullock photography of the Morgan reverse to the left.)

    Capitol Auction. (Click to expand the Capitol Auction photography of the Morgan reverse to the right.)

  • Chaparral Coin Auction. (Click to expand the Chaparral photography of the Morgan reverse to the left.)
  • Dixon’s Auction. (Click to expand the Dixon photography of the Morgan reverse to the right.)
  • Leonard Auction. (Click to expand the Leonard photography of the Morgan reverse to the left.)
  • Western Auction. (Click to expand the Western Auction photography of the Morgan reverse to the right.)

CONGRATULATIONS to these six auction houses!

Postscript: Several auction houses came close to top photography standards. Others had acceptable photography. Honorable mentions go to Culpeper Auction, Engstrom Auctions, Furlo Auctions, Gold Crown Auction, Hall’s Auction, Jackson’s Auction, James Peterson, Key Date Coins, Linkous Auctioneers, Jewelry Exchange, Kreuger Auctions, Meares Auction, Midwest Coins, Scott Auctions, Silver Trades Auction, and Weaver Coin and Signature Auctions.

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.

New Rankings, Brief Hiatus

Posted on by

Proxiblog has updated its auction rankings, with Silvertowne Auctions overtaking Western Auction, due to top consignment as well as buyer’s policies.

Silvertowne, concerned about securing top-quality consignments for its bi-monthly auctions, has one of the best seller policies on Proxibid, with low and even zero fees for coins that bring good hammer prices. Western Auction, still one of the best online and onsite companies in the business, at one time featured a 0% buyer’s fee, increased that to 5%–still the lowest on Proxibid–but recently upped that to 10%.

At 5% fees, Western Auction still would be doing well. Its July 6 session brought amazing hammer prices, with this 1893-S PCI-graded Morgan bringing $2950, or a realized price of $3245, still a bargain for all parties–auction house, seller and buyer.

Silvertowne, operated by Rick Howard of Howard’s Coin Shop in Leipsic, Ohio, features similar high-end items. In its last auction, this raw 1893-S sold for $3200, or $3680 realized, with 15% buyer’s fee. While that fee is on Proxiblog’s high end, Silvertowne makes up for that with expert coin grading and consignment policies. (Note the accurate description on the 1893-S coin pictured here.)

Proxibid will be taking a brief hiatus until mid-month. In two months we have posted more than 30,000 words in several categories, hoping to enhance your summer reading on best practices and more for your auction company.

In closing, we’d like to acknowledge our Honor Roll houses for their standards and practices on Proxibid:

Abal Auction

Arneson Auctions

Auctions Unlimited

Auctions by Wallace

Battermans Auction

Beatrice Auction Service

Beloit Auction/United Country

Black and Gold Auction

C.B. Kaye and Associates

Carden Family Auction Service

Carrick Auction

Crawford Family Auction

Culpeper Auction

Dave Kaufman Realty and Auctions

Furlo Auction Service

Garrison Auctioneers

Gavin Pope Auction and Appraisal

Gold Crown Auctions

Grey Ghost Auction Service

Grubaugh Auction Service

Hi-$ Auctions

Hidden Treasures

United Country/Hudgins

Key Date Coins

Kraft Auction Service

Krause Auctioneering

Krueger and Krueger

Jewelry Exchange and Auctions

Johnny’s Estate Auction Service

Lippard Auctions/United Country

Meares Auction Group

Massart Auctioneers/United Country

Midwest Coins

Phil Cole Rare Coin Auctions

RJ’s Auction Service

Scott Auctions

Silvertowne Auctions

United Country Shobe Auction

Sullivan Auctioneers

Weaver Signature Coin and Currency Auction

Western Auction

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.

On the Block: Charles Commander, Midwest Coins

Posted on by

Midwest Coins runs 60-65 coin auctions a year through the website portal Proxibid. No other auction house on Proxibid pushes as many coin lots. Humbly, we do make mistakes, as we are human, and put 100% effort into rectifying these problems when they do occur.

Midwest Coins is a family-owned business. We own a full service coin store and jewelry business.

When we first started with Proxibid, I can remember selling wheat pennies individually and other items of no numismatic value. We have been with Proxibid for over five years now and have enjoyed all the people we have met along the way. One of the great things about our business is that we can run it the way we want. We have made changes along the way, only if it was deemed necessary to improve the experience for the customer.

One thing should be noted about our company. WE HAVE NEVER NOT TAKEN BACK AN ITEM FROM A CUSTOMER IN THE FIVE YEARS OF OUR BUSINESS. IRREGARDLESS OF THE REASON FOR THE RETURN, WE HAVE ALWAYS ISSUED A REFUND.

With that being said, please put yourself in our shoes for a minute. We DO our best to accurately describe each coin. We DO ship in a reasonable time frame. We DO accept returns in an acceptable time frame. We have issued several returns even after the period that consumers have sent coins in for the grading process. This should be noted. considering that this could be several months after the auction and we have paid the consignor already, and I am forced to eat the coin and costs. I have always believed that it is worth any cost to keep a customer. It cost more to lose one and even more to attract a new one.

Here are changes we made to enhance the customer experience on our Proxibid auctions:

  1. Started at 20% Buyers Premium (1 year), lowered to 18% (3 1/2 years), and now we are at 15%
  2. Shipping generally took two weeks; we now have Click & Ship and ship within 3-5 days.
  3. Shipping charges were cost plus $5 for handling; we now charge a $10 flat rate! (Please note that if you buy a $3 item that we usually cut shipping costs in half.)

In all, we appreciate the loyalty of our long time customers and look forward to the new ones as well. We have lost some customers along the way, and I know that all auctioneers could say the same.

Keep in mind that a fair and impartial mind is needed to accurately describe the coin business. We are in the business of providing an outlet to sell coins to people that may or may not have easily or readily available resources to complete their respective collections. We categorically sell coins below grey sheet prices while maintaining happy consignors. That is one tough act to follow at times.

All of these services are still worth something in America today, aren’t they?

Thank you for allowing me to express our position, as well as our gratitude to customers for their commitment and loyalty to Midwest Coins through the years. We will continue to shine and bring to you quality coins, tougher dates, excellent customer service, lower premiums and shipping costs, 100% satisfaction, excellent descriptions, awesome photography, and an overall pleasing ONLINE auction experience.

Please feel free to drop me a line at charles121871@yahoo.com to express your concerns or opinions about this “On the Block” installment, adapted from my company newsletter.

Postscript: If you are an auctioneer who wants to share views in “On the Block,” leave your email in a comment. We’ll be in touch. Rules are simple: Explain your practices and perspectives as proactively as possible, as our intent is to share information to make the online buying experience pleasurable and profitable for auctioneer, consignor and buyer. “On the Block” is not a venue to challenge Proxiblog’s “Honor Roll” standards or Proxibid fees.

Proxiblog is an independent entity with no ties to Proxibid. We promote the ethics of the National Auctioneers Association and American Numismatic Association.