Pleasant Valley, N.Y -Similar to an eBay-style auction, the Dynamic-Ending Auction runs for a set period of time, usually ten days, during which bidders can leave bids on each lot. Much like eBay, the auction typically culminates in a flurry of bidding at the end. The big difference between the Dynamic-Ending Auction and the eBay model, however, is that ‘sniper bidders’ need not apply; the Dynamic Ending Auction includes a feature that extends the bidding for a predetermined number of minutes after the last bid is placed, eliminating the possibility of a sniper bidder jumping in during the last few seconds and winning the lot.
For example, if the dynamic ending clock is set for two minutes and a bid comes in at the last minute, the clock will extend for two more minutes to allow counter-bidding. This will continue until all bidding has stopped for two full minutes, at which point the lot will close.
UCAAR has used the Dynamic-Ending Auction for a number of consignors over the past year. Most recently, an estate from New York City presented itself as a very good candidate for this format. The family was from out of state and in need of an efficient means of liquidating the contents of an apartment in lower Manhattan. The UCAAR team recommended the Dynamic-Ending format and immediately began to prepare for auction.
A cataloging team spent a day at the apartment lotting and photographing all items in place. The marketing team then launched a comprehensive advertising plan that included Antiques and The Arts Weekly, as well as a number of local and New York City newspapers. Within two weeks of completing the lotting and photography, UCAAR uploaded the 70-lot catalog to its online auction website, AARBIDS.com, and opened bidding for ten days. To protect the privacy of the consignor, UCAAR provided only the general location of the items – the street in New York City – to bidders until after the auction.
Participation was strong, particularly for the artwork, which included a C.1905 signed Picasso ‘Blue Boy’ gouache print, which sold for $2,760; a framed late Nineteenth Century watercolor-and-pencil painting signed R(ichard). H(arry). Carter (British, 1840-1911), entitled ‘Helping Grandfather,’ which sold for $2,232; a Nineteenth Century oil on canvas of a landscape with cattle, ornately framed and signed by two artists who painted it together, Johannes Hubertus Leonardus de Haas (Dutch, 1832-1908) and Gerard Joseph Adrian van Luppen (Belgian, 1834-1891), which sold for $2,160 despite being in need of extensive restoration; and a Twentieth Century brass sculpture of a rooster on carved wood stand, which sold for $2,039.
The apartment also contained a number of furniture and décor lots, highlighted by a pair of Nineteenth Century rose medallion vases with Foo dog handles, which sold for $616; a late Nineteenth Century cabinet decorated in the French style with ormolu mountings, inlaid panel doors with mother-of-pearl accents, and brassware with key, which sold for $510; a late Nineteenth Century, handpainted, black-lacquer console table, which sold for $364; and a signed, handpainted Nineteenth Century Royal Bonn porcelain vase, which sold for $180.
Once the auction was over, the Dynamic Ending system emailed invoices to all successful bidders and provided instructions for making an appointment to pick up their purchases at the apartment. For any bidders unable to pick up on the scheduled date, UCAAR offered to bring their items back to the Absolute Auction Center for a nominal fee. In the end, the family was able to completely clean out the apartment on schedule and settle the estate without delay.
For further information on Dynamic-Ending online-only auctions and all other upcoming events, including a jewelry and cut gem auction on March 14, and a lifelong collection of African art planned for late March, visit AARauctions.com or call 800-243-0061.
Contact Information:
United Country – Absolute Auctions & Realty
Absolute Auction Center
P.O. Box 1739
45 South Avenue
Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
Web: http://www.AARauctions.com
