Anybody know how LCA plan to handle their June auction?

[1949threepence]

I only ask because it's now a month away, it's highly improbable that the lockdown, certainly as it applies to indoor pubic gatherings, will have been lifted. Yet they are advertising it as though it will take place as per usual at the Grange Hotel, Bracknell, with the public in attendance.

I sent an e mail to them several days ago, but have received no response.   

[Sword]

5 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

Yet they are advertising it as though it will take place as per usual at the Grange Hotel, Bracknell, with the public in attendance.

LCA is just burying its head in the sand. Might be they will announce their decision regarding live bidding when they publish their catalogue. 

[copper123]

1 minute ago, Sword said:

LCA is just burying its head in the sand. Might be they will announce their decision regarding live bidding when they publish their catalogue. 

COVIDIOTS

[1949threepence]

Have now received a reply. Just one sentence, which ends with a comma rather than a full stop. .

Copied and pasted my question and the response. Not really any further forward. But obviously, the inference is that the auction will go ahead, but in precisely what form they're maybe not completely sure at this stage. Which is fair enough.

Quote

 

From: info@londoncoins.co.uk <info@londoncoins.co.uk>
Sent: 06 May 2020 17:11
To: 'Michael Hopkins'
Subject: RE: June 2020 auction

 

Hello Michael

 

Our auction will go ahead,

 

Regards

General Manager

Semra Cetin- Lockett

London Coins Ltd

www.londoncoins.co.uk

 

From: Michael Hopkins  
Sent: 02 May 2020 10:04
To: info@londoncoins.co.uk
Subject: June 2020 auction

 

Hello there,

 

What arrangements will you be making for the auction if the Covid 19 lockdown is still in place on 6th/7th June?

 

Thanks,

 

Sincerely,

 

Michael Hopkins

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by 1949threepence

[Sword]

It does look like they are very reluctant to start offering live online bidding. Otherwise they might at least have said that they are looking into this option. My guess is that they will be doing it by advance bidding only and hope that future sales will be back to normal. 

[Peckris 2]

Semra is Stephen's wife?? 😮

[1949threepence]

1 hour ago, Peckris 2 said:

Semra is Stephen's wife?? 😮

Well observed - never noticed the name change. 

[1949threepence]

3 hours ago, Sword said:

It does look like they are very reluctant to start offering live online bidding. Otherwise they might at least have said that they are looking into this option. My guess is that they will be doing it by advance bidding only and hope that future sales will be back to normal. 

It is rather looking that way, isn't it. 

[secret santa]

10 hours ago, Peckris 2 said:

Semra is Stephen's wife??

or his adopted daughter........

[Paddy]

13 hours ago, Sword said:

It does look like they are very reluctant to start offering live online bidding. Otherwise they might at least have said that they are looking into this option. My guess is that they will be doing it by advance bidding only and hope that future sales will be back to normal. 

Cynically one might suggest he resents releasing control of the commission bids as this allows him to bid up to the maximum, even when no one else is interested...

[oldcopper]

9 minutes ago, Paddy said:

Cynically one might suggest he resents releasing control of the commission bids as this allows him to bid up to the maximum, even when no one else is interested...

 

37 minutes ago, secret santa said:

or his adopted daughter........

Was he married before? - he's no spring chicken.

Edited May 7, 2020 by oldcopper

[1949threepence]

44 minutes ago, Paddy said:

Cynically one might suggest he resents releasing control of the commission bids as this allows him to bid up to the maximum, even when no one else is interested...

But from a purely practical point of view, we as customers are going to need to know the arrangements, and know soon. Hopefully, as soon as the catalogue is released this will be the case. If it isn't then there's a problem.

Just replying "the auction will go ahead", is sidestepping the question as I don't imagine any of us envisaged that it wouldn't.   

You kind of get the feeling that most organisations would have squarely addressed the issue well in advance, and shared their thinking with potential bidders.    

Edited May 7, 2020 by 1949threepence

[Iannich48]

They are accepting lots up to the 8th May, so the catalogue will be a few days after that date i guess. 

[1949threepence]

2 minutes ago, Iannich48 said:

They are accepting lots up to the 8th May, so the catalogue will be a few days after that date i guess. 

They usually release the catalogue about 3 weeks before the auction, so yes, that would make sense.

 

[secret santa]

14 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Semra Cetin- Lockett

It was a typo - should have been Semra Cetin-Lockdown

[Varietalis]

My view is that they will stick to commision bids only.  If the better lots don't get enough interest to meet reserve then they will just re-appear in the September, ie. post lockdown, auction.  

[oldcopper]

15 minutes ago, Varietalis said:

My view is that they will stick to commision bids only.  If the better lots don't get enough interest to meet reserve then they will just re-appear in the September, ie. post lockdown, auction.  

If that's the case the word that comes to mind is bargepole.

[1949threepence]

1 hour ago, secret santa said:

It was a typo - should have been Semra Cetin-Lockdown

Cetin is a very unfortunate surname anyway, given what the addition of an extra r after the C makes it.  

[oldcopper]

12 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Well observed - never noticed the name change. 

I wonder how far away the noise could be heard when Steve suggested putting his surname first...…..

[mrbadexample]

18 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

Hello Michael

 

Our auction will go ahead,

 

Regards

General Manager

Semra Cetin- Lockett

Does anyone else feel that, coming from a "General Manager", this is a completely unprofessional response made with little or no regard to the question asked?

I'm not sure it's any better than no response at all. 

[jaggy]

I was never able to attend the LCA auction in person anyway so it makes little difference to me. 

I always felt that LCA were missing a trick by not putting their auctions online in the same way as DNW or Spink. But it's their business and their decision.

I will review the catalogue when available and enter bids if there is anything there for me.

[1949threepence]

11 minutes ago, mrbadexample said:

Does anyone else feel that, coming from a "General Manager", this is a completely unprofessional response made with little or no regard to the question asked?

I'm not sure it's any better than no response at all. 

It's as though it's from someone in denial.

[Rob]

I'm not sure why everyone is getting so exercised. If you aren't happy, don't bid and move on, just as everybody does on ebay. It isn't as if the world is short of online auctions. Whether there is online bidding or not, it is always more reassuring to view any lot in hand prior to bidding, or get someone to view on your behalf.

As Jaggy says, when the catalogue appears it will be reviewed and bids placed as appropriate. It's only in the past 15 years or so that people have had the luxury of on-line catalogues with real-time bidding facilities. Before that you either had to view beforehand or place a blind commission bid based on the catalogue description.

[mrbadexample]

7 minutes ago, Rob said:

I'm not sure why everyone is getting so exercised.

It's because we're only allowed out once a day. 

[Rob]

Just now, mrbadexample said:

It's because we're only allowed out once a day. 

In that case it appears many members have exceeded their daily allowance.