Hi Jim,

Your note troubles me on several points. In one instance, you say "happens all the time" then in conclusion you state "Do these practices happen often? Not really" and go on to explain how it is always the new collector who is on the losing end of these practices, which in my mind are blatent interferrence of, or an attempt to manipulate the outcome of what should be a legitimate auction.

What troubles me the most is you saying that nothing is done about this because "the facts do not become known until AFTER the auction." WHAT EXACT FACTS HAVE BECOME KNOWN?!? I hadn't heard of these practices taking place in the Club Auctions until NOW!

I'm one of those new collectors, ready to celebrate my first year of serious devotion to this hobby. IF I would have known about the alleged insider selling on the auction floor during the bidding on a particular lot, I would have felt obliged to inform the outsider of what was happening, then and there! The buyer and seller commissions make the buddy system, bid it up for me format more costly to those that my try that avenue, so there is a downside to that practice, but the offering for sale DURING an auction, especially by the person who put the lot up for sale, is beyond my comprehension! It's unethical beyond reproach.

Back to the "facts". Who knows them? Obviously part of the crowd that doesn't consider themselve as "inside" do, and us outsiders probably will never know.

I'm not happy about any of your and other's revelations, but I'm glad that Carl's note brought a few secrets out of the closet.

Bob