Posted By:
warshawlawI've consigned with 19th Century Only. I offered (and I would suggest you do the same) the cards conditional on their being priced with specific minimums and lotted a certain way. Seth was very gracious about it and everything did well.
As Barry said, a good auctioneer recognizes that you are retaining him, not vice versa. Since you both want the same thing ideally--max prices--the key is unambiguous communication. My suggestion is that you put everything in writing, including lotting and minimums, get written agreement on the terms (via email works just fine) and write the lotting and minimums into the consignment contract itself when presented. A professional will have no problems dealing with a knowledgeable collector; only the hacks, fly-by-niters and crooks want to cut out the item owners from the process.