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The Great Big American Auction -- anyone watching? Reactions?

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I just noticed this banner ad at the top of Heritage Auctions --

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I didn't see any currently active threads about this so I thought I'd start one for people to add their comments. Were any of you at the live auction where this episode was recorded in April 2011? Anybody planning to watch this show (or after Thurdsday night, anybody watch?)?

 

Here's some info about the show:

-- ABC site page about show

-- Antique Trader article about the show

-- Dallas Art News article about the show

-- Heritage Auction's press release about the show

-- Heritage auction info from last April

 

According to the Heritage press release: "The TV special features historic comics, currency, historic Ty Cobb memorabilia; filmed aboard The Queen Mary." (Unfortunately, the Queen Mary was recently in the news for other reasons.)

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Looks like it could be highly sensationalized similar to that "ya shure shure" .... I kinda hope this thing is a hybrid of auction kings and antique roadshow. I want to learn about the item in detail and maybe learn about the owner and even some about the bidders.... being that Pennington is involved means higher production values for better or worse. I have it recording... back to discuss!

 

 

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ASM 1-9.4, Xmen 1- 9.0 and something else I don't remember (I might also be wrong about the grade for the Xmen-screen time for the books was about 6 seconds).

 

Yes and the owners were shocked and surprised when they were told that the books were valuable and auction -worthy.

 

They were SLABBED not found in Dad's attic. Wotta set-up.

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Yeah I am kinda sorry to anybody who watched after I posted about it.....it was a lame show. It was great publicity for Heritage, but I thought they were going to actually show some vintage comic books being auctioned and talked about.

 

The show was sort of like Antique Roadshow for the first 1/3rd, and an auction for the rest. The brief Antique Roadshow-style part was somewhat amusing if only for those people who think their family heirloom is worth big bucks and it turns out to be worthless. Somebody had what she thought was a Degas sketch and it turned out to be fake. A man had a guitar he thought was vintage and that he bought for $2,000 and the appraiser said, "I doubt it's worth $20." Ouch.

 

The producers obviously had too much footage because they only highlighted a few items for the full bidding, and for other auctions (such as the comics) they were barely even on screen long enough to remember what they were, and you never find out what they sold for. Though they did show Stan Lee, smiling in the front row. When the host pointed out Stan's presence, Stan got up and approached the stage. For a second there it seemed the host was about to say, "No no, Stan, I didn't call you up here."

 

Clearly the editors/producers chose to fixate on the more unique items and the owners whose stuff had a story behind it. One woman had an old Louis Vuitton steamer trunk from the late 1800's. She got it from her grandma and had been using it as a coffee table. She was hoping it was worth "a million dollars" (is she related to Dr. Evil?) but I think it went for more like $5,500. It was pretty goofy how they had her stand there during the bidding. She didn't realize she wasn't supposed to gesticulate wildly and try to goad bidders into bidding, and the host sidled next to her, pointed at the auctioneer, and helpfully advised, "That's her job."

 

There was a military guy whose mother had been an aide to Earl Warren. She had an original Warren Commission Report book and managed to adorn its inner page with the signatures of everybody on the commission as well as a few others involved. The military guy had the right attitude, saying he just wanted to get whatever it's worth in auction, and that he'd rather it go to somebody who could enjoy it rather than have it sitting in a box in his attic or basement. I think it sold for around $12,500. The owner said the auction was more exciting than jumping out of a plane as a paratrooper.

 

Then there was the middle-aged woman (with her 20-something daughter) who had a large checkbook from baseball legend Ty Cobb. The checks were voided but had his repeated signatures (obviously) and information from various places he had spent money. The woman apparently had a bit of Dr. Evil to her as well, because she balked when the appraiser said the starting bid should be $50,000. She wanted more, so the Heritage person setting up the auction told her they could do a reserve, which ended up as $90,000. The reserve was announced during the auction, so a combination of live bidders, phone bidders and internet bidders placed bids going up to $85,000, and then bidding abruptly stopped. I was kind of hoping the auction would stop there just because the woman seemed to have a real inflated expectation of the item's value. There was a commercial break and then they came back and revealed that somebody (a phone bidder) finally did hit the reserve at $90,000, and won it. The woman had a strange look on her face, and when they interviewed her afterward, she was crying and peeved. I don't think she ever said what she expected it to be worth, or why.

 

In one of the other auctions, some dude who owned a garage sold his vintage car (which the show had restored and made shiny) and it sold for $110,000 from a $50,000 starting bid. The guy's reaction was sort of, "Oh. Now I don't have to sell my garage." He didn't seem terribly happy about it. Maybe somebody just informed him about the seller premium.

 

One of the cooler stories was a currency note from the 1800's of which only 16 were known to exist. The owner found it hidden inside the frame behind a photograph that her mother or grandma bought at a flea market for 10 cents many years prior. It sold for big bucks ($15,000 or something). I felt sorry for the family of whoever hid it back there, though they'll never know. There was also an original Book of Mormon that sold for $60,000 (I think) to a bidder who looked pretty Mormony.

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looked to me that the ASM 1 was graded 9.0

 

i didnt see the grades for X-MEN 1

 

and the other books was a graded Avengers 4(didnt see that grade either)

 

they said "sold for 40 thousand dollars, amazing spider-man 1" then cut, so dont know if they sold em all for that or just the one

 

but that show was like so many other reality shows on tv, not reality, its just a stage play. but i thought it was ridiculous that the woman who sold the ty cobb checkbook for 90k, was cryin sayin it was worth alot more. um, no its worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it.

 

and the woman sellin the louise batton(idk how to spell it) chest was hilarious, she wants a million bucks for it but will be willing to gamble and start it at 500 bucks, and was tickled as all get out when it sold for 5500.

 

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Yea.... what was she thinking that crazy lady? If you really thought somthing might be worth a million dollars it wouldnt be getting used as a coffee table! Stupid chick bugged me, and the Ty Cobb lady also. Did anyone notice how hot the one blonde taking phone bids was? Freakin smokin'... I didnt realize Heritage had such a stable of hotties? Might have to make a appointment down in in Dallas.

 

All in all the lack of coverage of the Graded books bugged me. What was the story?, How did the lady come into them? Did they sell as a group? Very disapointed.... doh!

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Well I do not think you would find the hottie down in dallas.

 

That Auction was held at the Beverly Hills office.

 

Wish they all could be California Girls......

 

 

They spent more time showing Stan Lee than on the auction of the books.

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Did anyone notice how hot the one blonde taking phone bids was? Freakin smokin'...

She was smokin'. She also seemed self-conscious or slightly embarrassed, in a cute kinda way, like she had to push herself to enunciate "In-ter-net bid!" and rise to the snooty majesty of the occasion. I thought it was funny there was a camera ready to record her saying that, as well as the man taking phone bids, who was mic'ed when he told the phone bidder, "I think you're going to get it."

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