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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;lrbguy, post: 2876775, member: 88829&quot;]People often don&#039;t realize that auction houses have lotting minimums, the minimum price they need to have a lot to achieve to make it worthy of catalog space.&nbsp; Since a number of the bronzes in the group lot are significantly scratched and not likely to achieve the minimum, they group them.&nbsp; However, they don&#039;t just dump the lower grade stuff by itself.&nbsp; They salt in a few &quot;plums&quot; to try to catch bidder interest.&nbsp; The more high profile a house is, the higher the lotting minimum, and the larger their &quot;balance&quot; lots.&nbsp; This house called special attention to the Vitellius, as the ringer, which makes 11 coins with the other ten.&nbsp; At an average of 33 1/2 euros per coin that is a good price for large Imperial bronzes even sight unseen - if you don&#039;t care what issues you are getting.&nbsp; So clearly, the way they were marketing it, in their minds this lot was intended for the wholesale market to buyers intending to retail the coins.&nbsp; Their other clients are probably upscale enough that the house did not expect them to show much interest.&nbsp; That they agreed to rephoto the lot, may not have much impact on how it is listed in their print catalog, but MAYBE the online listing will show them off a bit more.</p><p><br /></p><p>When you go to six bidders you can see the stratification of companies by the starting prices on their lots and by the grade of the material.&nbsp; The status of a company (especially in their eyes) will tell you a great deal about how they will lot your consignment.&nbsp; Facts of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>Doug posted as I was writing, but we are on the same wavelength on this one.&nbsp; </p><p>BTW, why on earth do you prefer &quot;unpatinated&quot; Sestertii?&nbsp; Not all patina is green.&nbsp; We have some threads going now that get into that (on treating bronze disease and Verdigris) which would be good for you to read.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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