Auctions and swap meets Buying and selling memorabilia at auction can be an exciting and rewarding experience, as Jack Boskett reveals.
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omewhere in the country there are auctions of railwayana and collectables every month. For many collectors, it is one of the main sources of acquiring items – or selling. Because of the specialist nature of what is bought and sold, several auction houses now deal solely with railwayana. Other general auction houses now offer occasional sales of railwayrelated items, once or twice per year. As specialist auctioneers (listed on p30), they will use their professional knowledge and skills to the best advantage of their seller. They will also give an honest appraisal of an item’s worth and are often called upon to deal with probate sales. With anything between 500 and 700 lots being Prospectve buyers inspect totems prior to auction. JACK BOSKETT
sold every few months, there is a lot of work to be undertaken before the sale day. Each item entered is assessed as to its condition for a description to aid the buyer, and then photographed to provide a good and honest representation. Auctioneers also tend to have a good idea regarding an item’s authenticity, and will not knowingly offer non-genuine lots, or will make it clear an item is a reproduction. No one wants to sell items which later turn out not to be genuine due to the risk of reputational damage, especially as there is quite a bit of fake memorabilia sold online. With the lots categorised and numbered they are listed online, although some auctioneers still
