Month: November 2007

Lot 79

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Here we can show you a great result:

Lot 79

Canada #26a – Queen Victoria – 5c Olive Green – Perf 12.1 x 12.1. Tough stamp in any condition, as it has been estimated that about only 6% have this perforation gauge, which must be consistent on all four sides. We offer a very finely centered example with trivial, light toning, otherwise fault free. Faint Toronto duplex cancel.

We received an enormous bid of $3500 on this lot from a good customer, along with instructions to break a tie. The pre-sale underbidder had this lot opening at only $220, but once offered the price climbed quickly and soon a live internet bidder was the driving force.

He tried jumping the bidding in increments of several hundred dollars. His bids came fast and furious but slowed down after $3000. The $3400 bid fell to the live bidder. Our bid of $3600 seemed to stop him, but after a few seconds a $3800 bid was registered and proved successful.

Bidding wars like this help make a live auction interesting for all.

Auction #1 News

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November 12th is the Remembrance Day holiday in Canada, but four of us are working hard to prepare invoices and have as many lots as possible ready for shipping starting tomorrow when the Post Office opens.  Local Ottawa customers can pick up lots beginning Tuesday as well, but please call us first at the number above so we can prepare your winnings.

With over 2200 lots it was an exhausting three days for the Sparks Auctions team.  Any new technology causes some apprehension, and we tried to anticipate all contingencies.  The result was that everything ran even more smoothly than we anticipated in our most optimistic scenario.  As we complete the auction cycle, we will have learned three new systems, tamed a brand-new four-station computer network and mastered on-line interfaces to two different programs.  All functioned perfectly and except for a screensaver popping up a few times on the main auction floor display, and about 90 seconds of muted internet audio, we had great luck over the 25-plus hours of the auction sessions.

We wish to thank all of our bidders for their bids, and our consignors for submitting their material.

Sessions 3 & 4 complete, please join us tomorrow

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Please join us for the last day of our inaugural auction. Session 5 (Postal History) begins at 10:30am EST, with Session 6 (Collections, Remainders & Ephemera) at 1:30pm.

Prices Realized for the first four sessions are posted on the StampAuctionNetwork site. We should note that bidders who applied before the auction to be allowed to bid on SAN can get quick approval if they contact us with credit card information by either fax, phone or e-mail.

The Auction Begins Today

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The six sessions of our inaugural auction begin today with Canada and B.N.A., and continue tomorrow with Commonwealth and Worldwide, then on Saturday with Postal History and Collections (see the schedule on our viewing link in the right sidebar). Advance bidding has been steady and we look forward to an active floor and strong internet bids.

Some important notes:

  • Opening Bids are updated live at Stamp Auction Network (click on the button for Openings at the top of our auction).
  • If you want to bid on-line, allow time for your registration to be approved. At least 24 hours is advisable while the auction sessions are proceeding. For speediest confirmation, provide your credit card information. You can call us or fax it to the numbers above, or even e-mail it (use two messages if you want extra security while in transit).
  • International bidders following the sale on-line should note that we are in the Eastern Standard time zone (North America), GMT -0500. It will be 6pm in London, England when our 1pm session begins today, etc.

We wish all of our bidders (and consignors!) the best of luck in a sale that is shaping up to be quite remarkable.

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