Hello to all of our great regular consigners and a warm welcome to our new consigners. The 1st quarter of 2012 was a huge success with significant increases in both our on-line activity and bidder audience!
Due to the terrific response we have received from our KTAR advertisements, our endorsement by Dave Ramsey, and adding Joey “Rocketshoes” Dillon as a spokesperson, we have been able to offer our consigners exposure to hundreds of new bidders. Check out our display booth at the Brass Armadillo where we feature items that have already been listed for a future auction. This has proved to be a very successful advertising tool with several new bidders citing it as how they heard of us.
The 2nd quarter promises to be just as exciting as the last one. In April, along with our regular 1st and 3rd Tuesday auctions we are supporting the Youth Programs at Camelback Community Church with a Charity Auction to be held on April 14th. Need to find a great Mother’s Day gift? You are sure to find something special in our on-line only Jewelry Auction which ends on April 30th. We are also very pleased to announce our next great Saturday Auction to be held on May 19th. Check out our catalogs in production for 2012.
HELPFUL HINTS TO HELP US SERVE YOU BETTER:
If you have any background information on your items please let us know. A good description can make a huge difference to our bidder audience. It is not necessary to compose a complete description of your items but if you know specific information about, or the provenance of an item please share that information with us. Obvious hallmarks and signatures that are easily identified do not require identification by the consigner. Things that will help the listing associate make a good description are:
a) Manufacturer name, if not readily identifiable.
b) Artist’s name if an item has an indistinguishable signature and you know who the artist is.
c) Working condition, if applicable.
d) Documented history (provenance) or certificates of authenticity increase interest as well as the value of items.
e) Dust if off! We are not asking you to deep-clean, and you never want to go to the time and trouble of polishing bronze, or brass, and you NEVER want to clean or polish coins, or firearms. However, you can use a dry cloth to get the dust off. Glass items can be washed in a mild detergent solution. A dust free item will photograph much better and may bring a higher bid.
f) In order to maintain the highest standards of our auctions, broken, chipped and cracked items are not generally accepted. Any exceptions will be listed as broken, chipped, cracked or repaired, as is appropriate.
Using our years of experience and expertise, Pot of Gold management reserves the right to verify all statements and to make the final determination on how items are lotted and listed. HIGHS & LOWS:
Similar to the fluctuations in the Stock Market is the activity present in the bidder market. Items that bring a good price in one auction may bring a lower price in the next auction. Excluding coins, guns, sterling silver and jewelry which always seem to do well in our auctions, we offer you the following feedback for the period of January through March 2012:
a) When you drop your items off the POG associate will attempt to make an immediate determination if items are in acceptable condition for listing and if they can be listed separately or need to be grouped with other items. We may initially accept items that will be determined later as unacceptable, at which point you will be notified of your “returns”.
b) RETURNS: Each time you come into our facility please check with the associate to determine if you have items that need to be returned. We have very limited storage space to retain items that are not going to be listed in a future auction. We appreciate your contributions to our auctions. Please feel free to contact any of our associates with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for helping us towards reaching our goal of making Pot Of Gold Estate Liquidations Auctions the BEST in business!
Managers – Cheryl & Dan
Senior Associate – Cassie
Senior Associate & Photographer – Jeff
Associate & Newsletter Editor – Marilyn
Associate – Kara
Many people have asked us how we found such an awesome family of Auctioneers and long story short here you go….
My parents, Danny and Cheryl Todd, moved into a new neighborhood when I was in middle school, while living there I became friends with the boy who lived down the street. That boy’s name is Cody, and his dad’s name is Gary (you might be catching on). While we lived in that neighborhood my parents were mostly in the Estate Sale buisness and had no thoughts of opening an auction house. A few years later Cody and his family moved to the East Valley, the neighborhood was sad to see the lovely family go.
Then my Freshman year of highschool came and it was time for a my parents to find a new “hobby” otherwise known as a buisness (they are always out to find the next big adventure by turning something they love into a buisness). They loved auctions and attended them quite often. One day my dad got the idea to open his own! They found the building, painted, bought showcases, and even found consignors, but what about the all-so-important auctioneer?? After giving it some thought the lightbulb came on, “wasn’t Cody’s dad, Gary, an auctioneer?” Right then they called Gary and explained that they would love to have him be the auctioneer for Pot of Gold Estate Auctions. Gary was very interested and also told my parents that it was somewhat of a family buisness, his wife, Colleen, and step sons, Noah and Bobby D. are also auctioneers, Cody also helps out with calling.
They are not only FANTASTIC, they are also award winners! They have won various awards over the years and we are very blessed to have them as part of our POG Family!
The recent consignment of celebrity and sports autographs has brought about a lot of conversation about both the exciting items themselves, and the companies who authenticate these wonderful pieces of American history. We have received phone calls and emails from people who are excited for the opportunity to own the signature of a beloved star or sports legend, but the question arises, “How do I know if it is a genuine autograph?”
The answer to that is simple. If you trust the authenticator, then you trust that the autograph is genuine.
We advise our bidders to educate themselves before placing a bid on any item: autographed collectibles, coins, jewelry, artwork, furniture, etc. Always research before you buy – don’t take one person’s word as the end-all-be-all – use the wonderful tools available on the Internet to compare differing viewpoints to make an informed bid.
Most auction consignments come with very little verifiable history and provenencial information, but others, such as certified and graded coins and authenticated autographs are backed by the professional opinion of a trained authenticator.
In such cases, the bidder has the opportunity to research the reputation of the company or person who has offered their expertise in the form of a certificate of authenticity (as in artwork or autographs), or grading certificate (as in coins and collectible cards).
Knowledge empowers you to make an informed bid, and may well give you the winning edge you need to build your collection with auction treasures!
These items come from a personal collection, and each item has been professionally authenticated and certified by such prominent and reputable services as the AAU of “Pawn Stars” fame.
We were contacted by the owner of this historical sign who offers the following bit of information:
This fabulous sign was taken down from the Harley Davidson Corporate building in Milwaukee, WI in 2008 by The Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company, marking the 105th anniversary. Sadly no replacement sign was put back up over time. The massive sign was carefully removed by an authorized Harley maintenance crew. The sign was issued as “pass” by Harley to one of the men on the crew. A “pass” is written permission for Harley property to be removed by contractors, employees, etc. The owner of this sign and another man performed some home remodeling work for the Harley employee and the two of them agreed to take the sign as payment for the work done. In 2008 the housing market was flush and the two men thought of the sign as an investment. Since that time the sign has been stored in indoor storage. When the bottom dropped out of the home remodeling business the men began to talk of selling the sign. So the pair unwrapped it, assembled it, and have it available for viewing with the hopes of selling it to a good home. The men, living in Harley’s Home town thought the Harley museum would want it but turns out the museum only accepts donations. This is what brought them to Pot of Gold Estate Auctions in hopes of finding a home and buyer for the sign. Some additional interesting facts are that it was the only lighted sign that ever hung on the Juneau Street Headquarters but based on the signs’ ability to be broken up and displayed in 3 separate pieces there were years when one of the bookends (bar & shield logo) were displayed separately.
POG is excited to be part of the search for a new home for this historical sign but because of the logistics of shipping the sign from Milwaukee, WI to Avondale, AZ we decided to take the unusual step of letting the world know that this gem is available and you can contact the owner directly if interested.
Bob at this email address: dieselfitter11@yahoo.com, and welcomes any serious interest…and tell him his friends at Pot of Gold sent you!
We just recently had a several Disney pins consigned to our auction and I wanted to share some Disney pin facts with you!
Pin trading began in the Disney parks in late 1999 and became a huge hit and it is something adults and children can do together! Disney has rules and regulations for how pin trading should be conducted within park limits, one main rule - money cannot be used in a trade (only pins for pins). While in Disney parks cast members may be wearing lanyards with pins, guests are able to trade with them up to 2 pins per person as long as you don’t give them a pin they already have!
What to trade for? Some people focus on one character, movie or attraction to collect while others, like me, collect whatever they think is “cute” or special to them. Both ways of collecting are fun and exciting and you never know what you are going to find next time you are on the hunt in the parks!
There are several different types of pins: Limited edition, open edition, Artist Proofs, Cast lanyard pins, Cast exclusive pins, Slidder pins (moving parts), 3D or raised pins, and many more!
Here is some information taken from Disney’s offical pin trading website: (more…)
Hanging out a shingle with a start up Estate Sale Company
We recently had the opportunity to have an email-based conversation with MA resident who is considering starting their own Estate Sale Business. The topic at hand was: “Please share with me how you became successful in the Estate Sale Business”. (more…)
This fabulous dragon bracelet and earring set is a perfect example! Available for bids in the October 19, 2010 auction catalog.
A little known designer costume jewelry maker, “HAR”, was based in New York, and was only in business for a few short years in the 1950′s and 1960′s. This dragon bracelet (with matching earrings), is one of their signature pieces, and was even featured in Judith Miller’s 2003 Collectors Guide (page 164), as valued at $700-$800!
While not much is known about Hargo Creations, it appears as though (more…)
We recently had the opportunity to have an email-based conversation with a potential client. The question at hand was: “Should a family attempt to organize and run their own sale, or is it best to hire a professional?”
Later in this post I will share that email exchange, but first let’s consider the driving reasons behind this question.
First, the idea behind Do-It-Yourself projects of any kind are, to some degree, based on the notion that it will cost less. Or, in the case of Estate Liquidating, the idea is that more money will be netted by the family if no commission fees are being paid out to a professional. In my experience, as both a previous Do-It-Myself-er, and as a current Professional Estate Liquidator, I believe this is a false premise. Professionals have (more…)
This wonderful model ship just walked in the door for consignment! Look for this item in an upcoming auction.
