LEIGH ALAN DEMROW

Alan, “QUESTION OF THE DAY” Some auction houses guarantee a minimum selling price. If they do not meet that amount, they then buy the item. This brings in more top quality pieces. This usually works well, but some large houses have paid millions for works with questionable authenticity.

ED.–on the subject of “questionable authenticity” see this link

JAN & WAYNE MONTANO

Hi Alan, For your question of the day. We have a local auctioneer here in Emmett, Idaho that has a good way of dealing with having his “own” stuff in the auction. If he goes to an estate and the owner hasn’t a huge estate and is looking to move on quickly, the auctioneer buys the estate and may have several like that during the summer. Then in the fall the auctioneer has a huge multi estate auction. He owns the estates and has a fast and sometimes profitable auction. For such a small community like Emmett, it works well.

CHARLES SWEIGART

Answer to your question is very complicated as every state and even some cities have laws covering or not covering the subject of auction practices and disclosure.

Most states have no law on this subject. New York City has a disclosure of auction house ownership for the big houses that catalogue their sales. I believe the law does not pertain to the rest of the state. If your state has auction licensing you might contact the state agency in charge of the auctioneers and query them.

In short, “All auctions are not created equally”.

2013 Carder Steuben Club annual Symposium will be held at The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY from September 19-21, 2013. The festivities will begin with Frederick Carder’s 150th birthday celebration on the evening of September 18, 2013.

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