Saturday April 21, 2012 – 10:30 AM
Preview hours
Friday 4/20/2012 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 4/21/2012 8:00 am – 10:30 am
Live Railroadiana Auction
Brookline Auction Gallery LLC
Route 130, Brookline, New Hampshire
in conjunction with Scott Czaja as Sales Manager
April 21,
2012 Print File (one line per item)
Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
Old Catalog from October 22, 2011
o No hidden Reserves - All items
will be sold
o Auction format - Scott Czaja
will catalog this auction and be available for consultation
o Absentee bids will be accepted
and fairly executed (phone, email, mail)
o New Hampshire has NO state
sales tax
o Fall sales - Possible delivery
to the Gaithersburg, MD show (reserve early)
Brookline Auction Gallery LLC web
site
Featured
items:
More great Dater Dies - 100
Huge
selection of Timetables - Thousands
Large
Book Collection – very good quality - over 500
Historical
Society Magazines – over 600
More
nice Annual Passes
Trolley
items (pins, badges, timetables, etc)
Over
70 Menus (Political, Sporting, NYC, B&O, PRR) – sold in lots
Progress
to date:
o March 17, 2012 (@ 2:00 AM) – Done”. The long listing
file is finished. There are over 1,000 pictures in use. I have completed the 495 individual
files. Holy Moly – This is it! If you see problems with any of the files or the
main file, links, etc, please report it. We’ll now be busy with consignor
communications and adding additional files (stripped down printable, etc.) The
main listing file with link is: Auction Listing File for April 21, 2012
o March 16, 2012 – 495 lots are “Catalog Ready”. The long
listing file is finished. There are over 1,000 pictures in use. I have added 420 of the 495 individual
files. Note that lots 421-495 do NOT have individual files yet the link
is: Auction Listing File for April 21, 2012
o March 15, 2012 – 495 lots are “Catalog Ready”. The long
listing file is finished. There are over 1,000 pictures in use. I have added 370 of the 495 individual
files. Note that lots 371-495 do NOT have individual files yet the link
is: Auction Listing File for April 21, 2012
o March 14, 2012 – 495 lots are “Catalog Ready”. The long
listing file is finished. There are over 1,000 pictures in use. I have added 272 of the 495 individual
files. Note that lots 273-495 do NOT have individual files yet the link
is: Auction Listing File for April 21, 2012
o March 11, 2012 – 495 lots are “Catalog Ready”. The long
listing file is finished. There are over 1,000 pictures in use. I have added
200 of the 495 individual files. Note that lots 201-495 do NOT have
individual files yet the link is: Auction Listing File for April 21, 2012
o
February 24, 2012 – 459 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I have added some
interesting pictures to Lantern and Misc pages of the gallery. I am part way
through the interesting New Hampshire collection. I’ve got to lock down the
consignment process. If you are considering consigning, this is “last call” for
April. We have room for October, 2012 and the planning for April, 2013 has
begun. We now have 898 Photos. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012
Auction
o
February 21, 2012 – 371 lots are “Catalog Ready”. We’ve dabbled with
dining car and timetables. A major push will take place in the next week to
process a wonderful local collection from New Hampshire and to do another
1,000+ timetables. It is now obvious that we will continue with the timetables
well into 2013. If you are considering consigning, it’s a good time to let us
know. We now have 741 Photos. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012
Auction
o
February 19, 2012 – 356 lots are “Catalog Ready”. We are working
Brookline and we have done lots of timetables. See Gallery page #9 for a
sample of just some of the timetables. We now have 700+ Photos. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
o
February 17, 2012 – 311 lots are “Catalog Ready”. We are working
Brookline and we have done lots of timetables and unusual Misc items. See Misc
and Timetable gallery photos. We now have 662 Photos. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
o
February 15, 2012 – 286 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve processed 610
Photos. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
o
February 2, 2012 – 266 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve processed lots of
items in the Dining Car category. Some nice china, silver and groups of
flatware. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
o
December 19, 2011 – 213 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve processed over
600 Historical Society Magazines. They will be sold in geographical based lots.
I thought I was done at 550. I then uncovered another 120 or so. They just keep
coming. These magazines have very nice, Highly detailed historical information.
The magazines will be page “4a” in the gallery. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012 Auction
o
December 15, 2011 – 201 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve processed over
500 books to be sold in 100 lots. The gallery has pictures of SOME of the
books. All books are from one collection. There are more books than the ones
shown in the gallery. Gallery of Items in the April 21, 2012
Auction
o
November 17, 2011 – 99 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve already got 290
pictures. Please remember that the gallery of items may have additional
pictures in the catalog. It’s just bait for the early “gotta have it guys”.
o
November 14, 2011 – 80 lots are “Catalog Ready”. I’ve already got 253
pictures. The April sale will have some very nice items. I’ll try to get a new
“Gallery” of selected items as I work on the catalog.
Absentee Bidding – Everyone
always wonders if auction houses are legitimately executing absentee bids. We
instituted a new policy in Oct 2011 and it worked well. We also increased the
number of lots sold per hour to 120 from 100. I executed the absentee bids. The
new policy is:
(1)
If there is
only one absentee bid on an item, we will open that item on the floor
for $10.00. Several items sold in excess of $200 and they were opened by our
absentee bid person (me) for $10.00. Ask anyone who attended in person if
this is true. We may open a $2,000 lantern for $100 just to save time but
the concept is that we WILL execute your absentee bids fairly. We also had over
600 absentee bids on the Oct 22, 2011 auction.
(2)
If there is
no interest from live bidders an absentee of $10.00 will take an item.
This did happen several times. This makes the whole auction move along and it
saves everyone some time.
(3)
If there
are multiple absentee bids we will open the bidding at one bid above the 2nd
place bidder. If we have bids of 20 and 200, we will open the item at 30 (one
bid above 20). If we have bids of 90 and 100 we will open the item at 100 (one
bid above 90). I was asked why the absentee bids either went on forever or I
would bid once and give up. If I have bids of 20 and 30, I will bid 30 once and
that’s it. If I have bids of 20 and 300, I’ll be bidding from 30 up to 300 against
any live bidders.
(4)
I hope this
helps both prospective absentee bidders and auction attendees understand our
absentee bidding policy.
(5)
We DO NOT reveal
any bids or the names of people who place absentee bids.
(6)
There is a
minimum absentee bid of $10.00. Absentee bids must end in a $5.00 or $10.00
increment (no pennies please). This is a live auction and $412.93 is hard to
execute!
(7)
Absentee
bids must be in on time so that we can sort through all of the bids and
determine starting bids and high bids for all lots.
Frequently Asked Questions
|
Q1 |
What is a "Reserve"? Why do I care? |
|
A1 |
Some antique auctions have used a semi-secret technique
called a "reserve." It is a secret value below which an item will
not be sold, and the item is returned to the consignor if no bidder reaches
the secret minimum. This way of doing business is hard on bidders as well as
the auction house. We are trying to make this auction a buyers' experience.
Without reserves all items will be sold with no secret minimum values. |
|
Q2 |
Is it too late to consign items? |
|
A2 |
No, However this is a specialty sale and to properly catalog
and advertise your items for maximum return you should consign early. |
|
Q3 |
I have attended some of the Brookline Railroad Auctions.
Will this one have a catalog? When can I get one? |
|
A3 |
Yes. There will be a free online catalog. There will
also be a free online “list” of one line per item available. The online
catalog will be available sooner. We will also have a simple list (one line
per item) printed out so you can doodle along with the sale. There will be a
minimal fee for this. |
|
Q4 |
Why are there two web sites (www.TagTown.net and
www.brooklineauctiongallery.com)? |
|
A4 |
Scott Czaja is the Sales Manager and is responsible
for: getting consignments, developing the catalog, answer collector
questions. |
|
Q5 |
Do I have to attend in person or can I call in or mail a
bid? |
|
A5 |
We will definitely accept "absentee" bids.
All bids are held in strict confidence. You can leave bids with Scott Czaja
or Brookline Auction Gallery. You will be responsible for shipping, handling
& insurance costs. There may be some large or "awkward to ship"
items. They will be flagged in the catalog. |
|
Q6 |
Will there be internet bidding? |
|
A6 |
There will not be ” live” internet bidding. This style of auction is a disservice to
people that attend in person having to wait for someone sitting at a computer
to actually determine when an item has sold and not the auctioneer. We had
over $80,000 in cumulative absentee bids in the first auction and over
$60,000 in the 2nd smaller auction. The 3rd auction had
over 600 absentee bids. These bids were executed (almost) without a hitch. We
do not need to use another 3rd party service. You will need to
register and agree to the terms of the auction. |
|
Q7 |
Will there be phone bidding? |
|
A7 |
Maybe, if you know that you will need to bid by phone,
please schedule with us early. We will also need to "register" you so
scheduling is even more important. We will also need to know what specific
lot(s) you are interested in. We may require a “minimum starting bid” to
execute live phone bids. Talk to Scott.
|
|
Q8 |
I am interested in consigning. What do I do? |
|
A8 |
Contact Scott Czaja. I will ask for a list of what you
have. We need to manage the material already consigned with new consignments
so that everyone has a chance to have their items featured. We have many
collecting categories that fill up fast. |
|
Q9 |
What commission do you charge for consignments? |
|
A9 |
This depends on: (1) how much you have, (2) the quality
of what you have, (3) time to catalog |
|
Q10 |
I can’t wait to the auction to sell my things. Will you
buy my collection? |
|
A10 |
Yes. It helps if you have a list of what items you
have. This way I can schedule a detailed evaluation. |
|
Q11 |
Can I get on a list so I get updates on the auction? |
|
A11 |
Yes, I will bring a "sign up" sheet to shows.
In addition if you send me an eMail with "Brookline auction" in the
subject line I'll put your email address into a distribution list. When major
milestones are met, I'll notify you regarding what we are up to and how to
get access to new pictures and other information. We also all have
non-internet friends. If you know of someone who is not online, please eMail
me their mailing address and I'll send out notices when the catalog is
available or other important milestones have been met. |
|
Q12 |
Will you accept left bids from Canada? |
|
A12 |
Yes. You would be responsible for paying in $US and you
would be responsible for any duty |
|
Q13 |
What is Gaithersburg Delivery? |
|
A13 |
We have scheduled this auction to take place 2 weeks
before the largest transportation show in the country (Gaithersburg MD).
Scott can deliver your items to the show if you have pre-paid your bill.
There are some exceptions to the delivery rule. Ask Scott for details. Please
remember that there is limited space and weight capability in our van so
schedule this early. |
|
Q14 |
Who are you? |
|
A14 |
I, Scott Czaja, bought a switch key at a train show in
1972. I collected off and on for years and then got serious about collecting
Railroadiana in the 1980s. I have been the New England Regional Vice
President of the "Railroadiana Collectors Association Inc." since
the mid 1990s. I have been a member of Key Lock and Lantern since the 1990s.
I have been a member of various railroad historical societies for years. I
have attended major Railroadiana shows since the 1990s. I have been a
fulltime Railroadiana dealer since 2001. I did mail-order sales for years before there was an eBay.
I have done detailed collection appraisals valued at $210,000 and $375,000. I
use my name as my eBay ID: S*Czaja. I want collectors to find me and I
have nothing to hide. It is my goal to make this an auction by a
collector for collectors. |
Feel free to contact Scott Czaja at: sczaja@hotmail.com
Copyright
2011, 2012 Scott Czaja