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Message:: [QUOTE="doug444, post: 1698374, member: 38849"]The bids you get constitute the "appraisal" and of course this only works if you get a dozen bids or more. With a hidden reserve of $2000, if you get $80, $90, $125, $250, $350, $400, $425, $450, $700, $725, $750, and $761, you feel somewhat intuitively that the item is worth between $700 and $800, and then you list without reserve starting at $650.   It is not an exact science.  I doubt that ANY U.S. firm really knows how to appraise these Yen coasters. For such an obscure item of potentially great value, due to its provenance, and the Seller's need for the house's guarantee of authenticity, I still think it is worth the auction house's fee to handle not only the sale but the VERY tricky business of assuming all the risks of shipping them overseas, which is where your best bids are likely to come from. And there's only one chance to do it right.[/QUOTE]