Which auction company is the best?

Which auction company is the best?

 

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My set of auction companies and your set overlap only slightly. I have purchased from the top 2 on your list, but my list is:
CNG - top US company
NAC - top
Artemide Aste - my favorite.
You can guess I collect old coins.

 

Thanks

 

"Legendary"?

To be honest, I'm not sure this is really a fair or reasonable question simply because it's both very limited in scope and is something that isn't quite as cut and dry as you seem to think.

 

Added a other section.
https://www.legendauctions.com

 

Sorry, spelling error

 

I was fully aware...

There you go!

 

No such thing. Each firm has positive and negative aspects. Think about it. If that weren't true, the rest would never survive long.

 

They all have their benefits and downsides, so it's really about impossible to say which is "best".

 

Depends what you’re trying to sell.

 

Is that a plumb bob?

 

I do have my two favorites from that list, but my needs and yours may not sync. Here's a hint. I LOVE buying from one of those firms, but I'd NEVER sell with them. Think about it.

 

For me as a buyer my top 3 are Great Collections, Stacks and Legend. GC I love because I like their images the best and also they have the widest variety of offerings and it's there every week. For a type collector there is no better option due to the volume they do. Legend is my favorite for the actual quality of coins. Laura gets flack from people but I have LOVED every coin I've bought from her she claims she passes on coins that don't meet her quality standards and from my experience it's true. I have no issue paying more for their coins trusting I'm getting high quality in exchange. Also the internet only Legend auctions are 10% buyers fee which is nice. Stacks I've only bought 3-4 coins from but I've really liked all aspects of the company. The high fees are the biggest detractor but I've still found value.

 

Yes there are two in the pic, one on the coin and an old (Roman?) one.
I have several ancient (or at least old) plumb bobs and hanging weights. It is hard to tell for sure how the pieces were used - scale weights, plumb bobs, loom weights, fishing sinkers..... You can see an ancient level in the last picture and on two of the coins below.


Several old weights and coins are in my blog:
http://rrdenarius.blogspot.com/2017/01/another-weight-on-roman-republican-coin.html

 

As other have said, there is no best. There might be a few worsts though.

It depends on if you're buying or selling. It also depends on what you're buying or selling, and in what price range. If you're selling it often depends on the value and quantity of what you're selling. Sometimes it depends on the time of year or a company's affiliation with a large show. Sometimes your state of residence will impact the amount of tax you are charged by certain auction houses but not others. If you have contacts at an auction house who can evaluate coins for potential purchase or help you arrange a consignment that can tip the scales.

After you digest that, as a buyer, in alphabetical order I'd recommend Great Collections, Heritage, and Legend as reputable firms with good customer relations. Stacks is probably also in that group but I've had a couple of admittedly minor issues with them in the past. I've never dealt with Kagins, but I've heard good things. As a long-time and loyal client, Heritage takes VERY good care of me.

As a seller......... I try to avoid auctions unless there is no other option. I'd rather do the footwork on my own than give them a big chunk of the transaction value. For a few coins of lesser value, GC is easy and professional to work with. For stupendous rarities, it's hard to beat the exposure Heritage gives you. Again, Stacks is right there too, but I've never consigned with them.

 

Awesome stuff! Thank you for sharing.

 

I actually find their images to be pretty bad in my opinion. They're certainly good for Morgans and proofs and things like that, but they use way way way to much light. High grade Seated and Bust stuff and things like that they always look awful with how the light kills the luster to expose tiny little nicks no one cares about. I used to like their pictures more a year or so ago when they were more like it would be in hand and less like you're viewing it under a 1944 Berlin air raid search light.

 

I would pick CNG/ their grading is the most conservative. When you have an "CH-EF" graded coin= slabbed MS-65/ their FDC would slab as MS-67/68. Spink is also very strict with grading

 

I'm dealing with 1st National Reserve and am very pleased!

 

I've had very few issues, if any, with the auction houses listed. I have not used Kagins. You might also list David Lawrence Coins as well.

I acquire most of my coins from HA. I've also bought some great coins from the others as well.