Brock's is no more

[Rob]

For all those unaware of the fact, Tony and Wyn have decided to hang up their boots at the end of the month. Tony has been undergoing chemo for the past two or three years and Wyn has reached 65, so they have decided to call it a day.

[Peckris]

Sad news. I never used their services but I remember them featuring in the Coin Monthlies of my youth.

[PWA 1967]

I used to go and bought a few banknotes and bits and pieces.Would like to send my best wishes

[Rob]

I used to go and bought a few banknotes and bits and pieces.Would like to send my best wishes

email them via the website

[PWA 1967]

Just sent a message,do you think someone will carry on an auction in the northwest rob.I ask because we dont have many other opportunities close by

[Rob]

Just sent a message,do you think someone will carry on an auction in the northwest rob.I ask because we dont have many other opportunities close by

Don't know. There are other salerooms that have occasional coin lots, but not geared towards them. Brock's had coin lots because firstly he used to deal in them, but also the pawn shop used to attact them. Might be thin pickings from now on.

[PWA 1967]

Getting the stock from the pawn shop obviously helped ,especially on the jewellery.However low over heads ,not much advertising .Think using a small bar and using a mailing list would give a couple of dealers an opportunity to move stock on.Anyway sure someone will get something together

[Rob]

It isn't so simple these days because the web has increased the availability of auctions and nowadays you have to organise on-line auctions. The back-up required should not be underestimated. There were half a dozen or more people involved to make it work, and even that looked stretched at times. Without premises you are going to have to take a table at the fairs to get people to drop things off. London Coins are already there. To have what is basically a coins only auction means you are competing in a fairly crowded market place. Filling the catalogue would be the difficult thing. As for moving on stock, I would presume that collectors are already scouring the web for material, so this would just be an alternative outlet for items that are already available.

There have been several dealers cum auctioneers who have tried such as the one in Kendal, Birmingham Coin auctions, the woman near Derby, Bucks Coins (Westminster Auctions) etc, but only the last seems to have been remotely successful and that was because everything was illustrated. He said it was enjoyable, but hard work and very time consuming. So, without offering a full service I suspect you are likely to be on a hiding to nothing.

You then have to consider availability of material. Everyone is struggling to get decent coins which is why prices have rocketed at the top end. The world is awash with middle/lower grade material, but that market is in a deflationary phase with everyone hanging on for a better example. For many issues there is a point between VF and EF or sometimes higher where there is a gulf in prices, with little material selling at the expected intermediate price for this reason. Of the four auctions above, only one was illustrated. That was also successful because he sold his own collection as part of the two sales. Anyone can sell their collection to get off the ground, but 'what next?' is the difficult one. There are already too many auctions for the number of quality collections coming up for sale.

I don't think that many people would be willing to invest the time and effort into a business that might only last two or three sales. Probably the best way forward is as done by Neil and Lee where you are already geared up to produce catalogues, you have the eyeballs via the existing website and the method of auctioning doesn't require it to be alright on the day at 11am precisely. But this only works for whole collections and not the occasional vendor.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Rob

[jaggy]

It isn't so simple these days because the web has increased the availability of auctions and nowadays you have to organise on-line auctions. The back-up required should not be underestimated. There were half a dozen or more people involved to make it work, and even that looked stretched at times. Without premises you are going to have to take a table at the fairs to get people to drop things off. London Coins are already there. To have what is basically a coins only auction means you are competing in a fairly crowded market place. Filling the catalogue would be the difficult thing. As for moving on stock, I would presume that collectors are already scouring the web for material, so this would just be an alternative outlet for items that are already available.

There have been several dealers cum auctioneers who have tried such as the one in Kendal, Birmingham Coin auctions, the woman near Derby, Bucks Coins (Westminster Auctions) etc, but only the last seems to have been remotely successful and that was because everything was illustrated. He said it was enjoyable, but hard work and very time consuming. So, without offering a full service I suspect you are likely to be on a hiding to nothing.

You then have to consider availability of material. Everyone is struggling to get decent coins which is why prices have rocketed at the top end. The world is awash with middle/lower grade material, but that market is in a deflationary phase with everyone hanging on for a better example. For many issues there is a point between VF and EF or sometimes higher where there is a gulf in prices, with little material selling at the expected intermediate price for this reason. Of the four auctions above, only one was illustrated. That was also successful because he sold his own collection as part of the two sales. Anyone can sell their collection to get off the ground, but 'what next?' is the difficult one. There are already too many auctions for the number of quality collections coming up for sale.

I don't think that many people would be willing to invest the time and effort into a business that might only last two or three sales. Probably the best way forward is as done by Neil and Lee where you are already geared up to produce catalogues, you have the eyeballs via the existing website and the method of auctioning doesn't require it to be alright on the day at 11am precisely. But this only works for whole collections and not the occasional vendor.

Rob

This is great comment. I had looked at the Brock catalogue a couple of times but always felt that the quality was not really there compared to London or DNW (for example). So I never did bid in one of their auctions. Quality is everything. Quality of the coins on offer, quality of the web site, quality of the after-sales administration and despatch.

[PWA 1967]

Yes good comments,just a shame nothing really goimg on in manchester.