I am upset..

If you took the $80, you are breaking your end of the deal by creating this thread, and calling the auctioneer assoc.

 

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"Where were all the other bidders".

I'll replay the entire scene..

1. Coin was in a flip, so it was not easily seen.
2. It was announced that they were selling a few junk nickels, the flip was in between the other coins and the helper's fingers, so the flip was not easily seen either. No mention of a gold coin was made.
3. The bidding only lasted 15-20 seconds, before anyone could realize what happened.
4. There were only about 3-4 collectors at the auction.
5. I won the coin, out of sheer disbelief.
6. Someone goes up to the auctioneer about 20-30 minutes later and yells (auctioneer had to turn microphone away..) "some $#$@$ got a $5 gold coin for $3" (and a few other sentences, but I could barely hear over the crowd and no amplification from the microphone anymore.
7. Auctioneer announces about an hour later that he needs "to see me after the auction is over" (much to my embarrassment).
8. (I had two other people in my party) auctioneer makes sure I am alone before confronting me.
9. Auctioneer (while speaking in an intimidating tone) says "he realized what I've done", but "cannot pay the seller $3 for a $5 gold piece".
10. Claims the piece is worth $180 according to the same guy that complained (either he or the auctioneer lied at that point, spot is $280 (and the coin books for $366).
11. Offers me $80 as "splitting the difference" as long as "I act like this entire ordeal never happened".
11.5. He acted like the entire thing was my fault.
12. We shook hands and I took the check and left (after paying for my purchases).

But you have to understand. I was being confronted and the whole thing made me very nervous so I couldn't even think straight.

 

Tim, you got $80 for nothing. What are you complaining about? That you didn't get $225 for nothing?

 

Thinking on your feet and not being intimidated can be a tough thing. I'm not a confrontational person either 95% of the time. But, hey, you walked away with some nickels and about $77, so congratulations! You basically got paid just to show up there!

 

Right? But I'd say he's just as upset, (if not more upset), about the intimidation and embarrassment part.

 

It's over and done with. Let it go but learn from what happened. Yes, the auctioneer was wrong. Yes, you won the bid fair and square and according to all auctions that I've been to (a lot), you were right and the rules and laws of auctions support you.

However, you agreed to whatever the auctioneer discussed with you later and you , for whatever reason, sold the coin back to him. Yes, you made a profit, not as much as you could have but you agreed to sell that coin back to him. That alone supports you were in the right and he knew it. The auctioneer actually offered to buy back the coin at a profit to you so he knew you owned the coin.

For him to say, "never speak of what happened." I would question his ethics and I would consider never going to his auctions again. The person that yelled at the auctioneer was also in the wrong and just as the auctioneer intimidated you, that person intimidated him.

As I said, Let it go, it's over and done with but be aware of what can happen at auctions and learn from it. It doesn't matter would was "right" or "wrong."

 

I agree with this. Tim, you said you were intimidated, but you are a grown adult. You agreed to the deal, and as part to not speak of it, also to be able to still attend the auctions. The auctioneer would have been in his rights to say "sure you won the coin, and you can never come here again". So you gained more than $80, you also gained the ability to come to the auctions, (even though regular auctions for coins are usually bad places to buy). In the bargain, you agreed to not speak of it. So, don't.

 

At that point, the auctioneer should have advised him, "You snooze, you lose! Tough toenails!"

Chris

 

I think Tim mentioned that the auctioneer mixed it in with some small change as one lot.

Chris

 

Oh it was sooo nice for not having the poor poor pitiful me threads, for as long as it lasted

 

Wot?

 

In little Timmy's case, the words 'grown' and 'adult' are mutually exclusive.

 

That's mean.

 

Tim is 18 or older I believe. I was saying he needs to stand up as an adult and be responsible for his actions sir.

I know about immaturity. I have a 62 year old cousin still living in his mother's basement. Age never means maturity, but it can be used to remind people they have the right to stand up for themselves.

 

Can't speak for anyone but myself, but as I've traveled through this life thing for the last 67 years, I've had a lot of instances where I could have handled things differently and it might have resulted in a better outcome. Until a time machine is invented, who cares, the time moves on to the next scenario. Only good to come from dwelling on this is to not play it the same way next time.

 

Alright, I have had a similar experience albeit on a smaller scale:

Many years ago now, an auctioneer was selling P/D rolls of 1999 statehood quarters. Mint rolled, with the mint wrappers.

The sales were set up so that in the case of multiple same items, the winner of the first lot offered in a group had the option to buy all the lots at the price he paid on item 1.

The auctioneer did not make clear that he was selling 2 rolls in the lot. The initial bidder won the lot for $10 and smilingly agreed to buy all the lots at that price.

The auctioneer realized what happened immediately. He berated all bidders for "being asleep" and obviously each lot sold for half of face value. There were at least a half dozen lots in that group.

Clearly if the auctioneer had been more careful in both cases to verify and better describe each lot as it comes for sale, these things would not have happened.

 

Yeah it happens. I used to go to auctions a lot in IA, (don't seem to be many her ein MN for some reason), and used to get some screaming deals due to people not paying attention. I got a group of boxes once with an original Lincoln assassination newspaper in is for $3, and my dad got a pallet with an entire case of silver solder sticks for $10. This COULD have been one of those stories.

However, Tim did agree to sell it back to the auctioneer, so its done. No sense trying to change the past. Just know if you win the auction, stick to your guns in the future. But, like I said, the deal is struck so he just needs to live with the outcome, and DO NOT call the auctioneer association. You promised to not talk about it Tim, so leave it alone.

 

So........the complainer was not the consigner?
The Auctioneer accuses Tim of "doing something".
Corners our young member with intimidating tactics. (Remember, he is a kid with not much experience.)
Offers to pay our young charge $80 if he'll keep his mouth shut and return the coin and NEVER mention the fact that he intimidated Tim, ran an unfair auction, and allowed himself to be governed by a "bidder" thereby affecting (and controlling) the outcome of the sale.

I'd have to ask what happened to the coin after Tim agreed not to consummate the sale?

Was it returned to the consigner in which case the auctioneer would have to explain how he screwed up?
Was it sold to the "complainer" for $180 with the auction books being "adjusted"?
What?

Regardless of what happened to the coin, I think it would be fair to speak with the Auctioneers Association since the auctioneer himself has questionable ethics which calls into question whether or not he should even be conducting an auction.

Unless there is more to the story, what occurred was illegal.

 

"I promised the kidnapper that if he would just let me go, I'd never tell the police!"

"I promised the carjacker that if he'd just let me out of the car, I would never tell anyone!"

What the auctioneer did was illegal and should be reported to the proper authorities and no, I do not think that Detecto is upset because he could not get a $5 gold piece for $3. I think he is upset because he knows that what happened was not right and he's questioning his lack of knowledge about what he "should" have done and instead let someone with more "perceived" knowledge intimidate him into making a decision.