How to Sell at Auction

We are happy to provide you with a free estimate of value in the following ways. You can send us photos of your merchandise along with all of the necessary information through email to info@stacksbowers.com or by Traditional Mail. You can bring your property to us in person at our New York and Philadelphia Offices. We do free walk-in appraisals on Monday through Friday between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM. You can schedule an appointment with one of our world-renowned experts at any time. For large collections, our specialist will visit you at your home, bank, or office at your convenience. We’ll advise you on what we expect your coins, currency, or medals to bring at auction and discuss our commission rate. The commission rate, a percentage held by the auction house to cover costs depends on the size and value of your consignment. Stack’s Bowers Galleries does not charge an extra fee for photography, security, storage, marketing, catalog presentation, or insurance. Many other auction houses do.

When your last question has been answered and you’ve decided that Stack’s Bowers Galleries will showcase your collection at auction, we will send you a contract with all of the pertinent information that we discussed, which you will sign and send back to us. We then arrange receipt of your consignment. Of course, this can all be done at the same time with a personal visit or appointment. Once your property is in our hands, our insurance takes effect and our experts go to work for you.

Your consignment will be professionally photographed, cataloged, marketed to our worldwide list of proven buyers, and safely stored the entire time it is in our hands. Prior to the auction, our team will combine all the material for an auction event and place the items in the sale in order with lot numbers. The catalog will be printed for distribution and all items will be published on our website. A global pre-auction campaign will commence, which includes ads in trade and club publications, brochures, direct mail, online banner ads, and targeted email messages. During the weeks prior to the auction, your property will be on exhibition at our offices and at the auction venue. The day of the auction, thousands of people will be bidding in person, on the phone, and on the internet. When the lot that contains your property comes up, the auctioneer will open the bidding. Once the bidding stops, the lot is sold and the amount at which the hammer falls is the hammer price. We pay you 45 days after the sale the hammer price, less your commission.