Goodwin Pickups

[Vintageclout]

Matt and Greg...well said! Of all the inflamatory remarks this seemingly worthless thread is generating, yours just might make the most sense. I really don't think non-paying bidders are isloated to Goodwin, Mile High or any other auction house. To reiterate my previous meassage, I do believe it is widespread because an auction house just might fear any potential negative publicity. To answer one of your questions regarding Goodwin, I do specifically know TWO people that were banned from bidding from the auction because they didn't pay for their winning bids. Are there more...your guess is as good as mine? Also, Greg's comments on "card doctoring" are, by far, the most concerning issue in this hobby. Not only are people gettig "ripped off", but excessive auction prices are realized because a professional restorer can work miracles with cards, turning mid-grade examples into 7's or 8's. THis is where the real fraud exists!

By the way Matt...you might want to know that your Williard's Chocolate Premium was MY consignment which I previously paid almost $5K for approx. one year ago...I essentially took a beating with your winning bid! No hard feelings, and I wish you lots of luck with your new purchase. It is an awesome piece, and I agree that down the road you will realize a great ROI with it.
Additionally, I consigned a Duke Delehanty that I paid almost $15K for and only went for a hammer price of $11K in change...another beating that shocked me! You should also know (Jeff, this one's for you!) I informed Goodwin that I hoped for "at least" $5K on the Ruth & $15K on the Delehanty. I surely wish Jeff's inflated auction figures worked there magic with my two consignments because I lost $6K! Both were not shilled, inflated or as "Big Fish" says "toppled", regardless of my expectations. Unfortunately, this is the nature of the beast, the risk we all take with consignments. Jeff, you only seem to lay out the excessive high end results. Believe me, I have spoken to many people that were NOT happy with their Goodwin numbers. Every collector has experienced "pLus/delta" scenarios in their auction experiences.

In closing, I have had both good and bad days with Goodwin, REA, Heritage, etc. with this Goodwin auction not one of my best. However I will continue giving Goodwin, REA and Heritage lots because they treat me fairly, pay on time, and handle my cards with the utmost professionalism. I would like to point out that there is one specific thing I prefer about Goodwin...he virtually NEVER puts more than one of the same card in his auction. For example, Heritage currently has three 1956 Mantle's on two consecutive pages including an SGC 96, 92 and PSA 8! That is absolutely ridiculous. The consigners must be livid (I know I would be). REA also does that much too often, spreading the wealth between too many cards, but unfortunately with only one auction a year I do understand it is almost impossible not to have duplicates.

Regards,
Joe T.

[sox1903wschamp]

Originally Posted by Vintageclout

For example, Heritage currently has three 1956 Mantle's on two consecutive pages including an SGC 96, 92 and PSA 8! That is absolutely ridiculous. The consigners must be livid (I know I would be).

Just to clarify, I believe it is Mile high that has the 3-56 Mantle's.

[Adam]

Is anyone going to post pickups from the Goodwin auction? Wasn't that the purpose of this thread? Show them!

[Peter_Spaeth]

It seems we are dealing with three separate phenomena: (1) some auction prices seemingly out of line, (2) some cards appearing for sale shortly after they "sold" at auction; and (3) some cards appearing to be recycled through several auctions.

In any given case, of course one could construct an innocent explanation, and it might be correct. And it all could be innocent. But in my opinion there is enough there that one can legitimately raise questions without it being a so-called witchhunt.

One other observation: people are fond of arguing by extrapolation, MY card didn't do so well, therefore nothing must be going on. Or I won at less than my top all, therefore nothing must be going on. While there is a superficial appeal, and I recall the same arguments about Mastro, they don't really prove or disprove anything. IF for example, there was a pattern and practice of only selling cards if they met a hidden reserve, it is more likely an auction house would have that understanding with dealers than with collectors, because there is a far better chance of preserving secrecy. Similarly, IF an auction house was inclined to sometimes run people up to a maximum bid, it probably would only do so selectively to try to minimize detection.

The bottom line is, one can only observe the facts and try to understand them, and everyone's perception including my own is going to be colored by their personalities, experiences, and self-interest.

PS I agree with Greg that card doctoring is a more serious problem.

[Vintageclout]

Thank you Mike for clarifying....I inadvertantly stated Heritage auctioning the three '56 Mantle's...it is Mile High.

Regards,
Joe T.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Vintageclout

Thank you Mike for clarifying....I inadvertantly stated Heritage auctioning the three '56 Mantle's...it is Mile High.

Regards,
Joe T.

Joe- I have sent you 3 messages.....1 through PM, 1 through outside email and 1 through the email in our Net54 system. Please answer one of them asap....thanks

[Vintageclout]

Greg,

Since Jeff refuses to answer your question about the Plow Candy Cobb I will try and help. I wanted that card in the worst way and waged a bidding war with someone, being outbid several times AFTER the $14K Mastro figure. Personally, for a card like that, I didn't care one bit about exceeding a prior figure...I wanted the card! I do know who won the card......it sold. There you have it. Two people who collect high end Cobb items refusing to lose until one of us (I'm the wimp!) bowed out.

Sometimes things are a lot more simple than they look!

Joe

[E93]

I am very psyched about this win in the recent Goodwin auction.

[calvindog]

Does anyone know if Joe Tomasullo (sp?) is still writing the descriptions for Goodwin's auction lots?

[calvindog]

Wow, crickets.

Anyone know anything about the guy who writes Goodwin's flowery auction descriptions? Is his name Joe Tomusello (sp?)?

[ebrehm]

On the subject of auction catalog item descriptions, connections to sports history and sports card history can make for entertaining reading, but what is most relevant to me, as a potential bidder, is the accuracy of the descriptions relative to item condition. On that score, I think Brian Drent (Mile High Card Co.) is now as good or better than anyone in the business, at least among the auctions and items that I personally have been looking at. He seems to be making a concerted effort to give balanced descriptions that include both the stronger and weaker condition attributes of each item, including subtle defects that might be missed just looking at a digital scan.