Warwick & Warwick auctions?

Has anyone used this Warwick & Warwick Site, bid &/or won a coin or note there? Would you care to share (your experience) how it turned out?  I've been searching for new venues & this one seems severely outdated.

 I've looked over the site & have been through their auction listings. Archived auctions have a “Bid now” function which seemed weird since the note was bought months ago.   I have found their banknote listings pretty odd (Lacking description re: grade, & that there's no current bid DISPLAYED for current bids. I found the site really cumbersome, the lack of descriptions per/banknotes lacking + majority of images out of focus. I'm just wondering how they operate, (or maybe more correctly how they manage to stay in business).  I'm surprised that seem so established so severely behind, outdated (out of touch) to where online sites are these days. 

Serial_Number_8

Has anyone used this Warwick & Warwick Site, bid &/or won a coin or note there? Would you care to share (your experience) how it turned out?  I've been searching for new venues & this one seems severely outdated.

 

 I've looked over the site & have been through their auction listings. Archived auctions have a “Bid now” function which seemed weird since the note was bought months ago.   I have found their banknote listings pretty odd (Lacking description re: grade, & that there's no current bid DISPLAYED for current bids. I found the site really cumbersome, the lack of descriptions per/banknotes lacking + majority of images out of focus. I'm just wondering how they operate, (or maybe more correctly how they manage to stay in business).  I'm surprised that seem so established so severely behind, outdated (out of touch) to where online sites are these days. 

I have not, but I try not to buy from any auction houses now, as the last time I got involved in one was more than 10 years ago, and can be very expensive, with the buyer's commission charges and postage. They even charged me for the packing materials as well. That purchase was more than A$1000+ in total, and I have a record reminder here to remind me - Never Again!

I try not to buy from any auction houses now, as the last time I got involved in one was more than 10 years ago, and can be very expensive, with the buyer's commission charges and postage. They even charged me for the packing materials as well. That purchase was more than A$1000+ in total, and I have a record reminder here to remind me - Never Again!

My experience with Heritage was similar (they didn't charge me for packing materials though). They charged me a fee to use VISA (a fee for any payment method other than wiring them the money) & their FedEx rate was high (about double the most expensive shipping on eBay). Then FedEx charged me a fee for paying my duty (so I paid a duty + fee + high exchange rate).  

Now I am wondering how these auction houses are staying relevant when there's so many cheaper ways to purchase notes?

I would, but nobody asked me, simply discard auctions and their prices, which are highly unrealistic. I never understood, why they are imported into numista….. but then I'm probably just an innocent country fool.

Serial_Number_8

I try not to buy from any auction houses now, as the last time I got involved in one was more than 10 years ago, and can be very expensive, with the buyer's commission charges and postage. They even charged me for the packing materials as well. That purchase was more than A$1000+ in total, and I have a record reminder here to remind me - Never Again!

My experience with Heritage was similar (they didn't charge me for packing materials though). They charged me a fee to use VISA (a fee for any payment method other than wiring them the money) & their FedEx rate was high (about double the most expensive shipping on eBay). Then FedEx charged me a fee for paying my duty (so I paid a duty + fee + high exchange rate).  

 

Now I am wondering how these auction houses are staying relevant when there's so many cheaper ways to purchase notes?

I believe their grading is very strict and usually good too. I suppose it is also the ‘service’ you are paying for. You are right to say that you can buy the same note from others that maybe cheaper, but the quality may not be the same. I have bought many banknotes from dealers listed as UNC condition. When the notes arrived, the notes are everything except UNC condition - foxing, ink mark, corner bent, paper creases, and even multiple folds too, and the seller claimed that it could be folded whilst in transit to my mailing address.  This is indeed a miracle as the note folded by itself inside an envelope and then unfold by itself when it arrived.

I believe their grading is very strict and usually good too.

Often UK (& some US) dealers/Auction houses are very conservative graders. Conservative grading is really grading with the best interest of the collector in mind (rather than grading with lining one's pocket book as a priority).  Once the dealer/auction house establishes a repuation (like Denley's or Pam West from UK) then everyone trusts what they get is very good.  (So unlike with eBay where the note has a fold or ink like you wrote- the note truly is UNC).

They also tend to auction tough - rare items & avoid hyperbole when describing. “This is the 2nd time we've offered ____” could be a way they describe something truly tough-rare.  This is very appealing to older collectors. That's why I was asking about W&W.

I saw some well circulated Chinese lots go for surprisingly high bids offered by Lynn Knight from NYC.  I don't know a lot about older Chinese banknotes but I imagine there must have been a few rare ones in those lots. He had lots consisting of runs of 6 to 8 UNC low # banknotes from the Cayman Islands (+ many other desirable items) & I had registered to bid years ago but I never actually placed a bid as the bidding just heated up too dramatically. It's a tough call b/c you have to try to mathematically figure out what you're willing to spend per note (remembering the premiums/expensive shipping & duties).  So my point is that I suppose these auction houses also appeal to treasure hunting collectors (those who feel they'll discover something exceptionally uncommon that others don't spot) sort of like “cherry picking.”

The Warwick website is pretty bad. 

I haven't ever dealt with them.

I would recommend noonans.co.uk as the best of the UK auctioneers in my experience. Spink.com come second. I haven't bought anything from the others in several years, largely because they haven't had anything to interest me. Bonhams, London Coins [another bad website, but good to deal with] and Lockdales also come to mind as auctioneers I buy from occasionally.

Sinconia and Christoph Gärtner are two continental European auction houses that I have bought from over the years, and have only ever hand good experiences, can recommed both. I also recommend Holmasto.fi and Katz (watch out for Katz's 4 Euro per-lot handling charge, which can add up. They will also restrict your bidding with a 500 euro limit initially) - both are family run businesses, and I have found them to be very good to deal with (holmasto for a long time, Katz more recently.

[I also buy from several other auctioneers in Finland and in Poland, but those are for Finnish and Polish notes only].

My experience of dealers is that even the best of them sometimes grade notes badly, in error - always check those corners!

Good advice Hibernia.

Noonans 👌

Hibernia

I would recommend noonans.co.uk as the best of the UK auctioneers in my experience. Spink.com come second. I haven't bought anything from the others in several years, largely because they haven't had anything to interest me. Bonhams, London Coins [another bad website, but good to deal with] and Lockdales also come to mind as auctioneers I buy from occasionally.

 

Sinconia and Christoph Gärtner are two continental European auction houses that I have bought from over the years, and have only ever hand good experiences, can recommed both. I also recommend Holmasto.fi and Katz (watch out for Katz's 4 Euro per-lot handling charge, which can add up. They will also restrict your bidding with a 500 euro limit initially) - both are family run businesses, and I have found them to be very good to deal with (holmasto for a long time, Katz more recently.

[I also buy from several other auctioneers in Finland and in Poland, but those are for Finnish and Polish notes only].

 

My experience of dealers is that even the best of them sometimes grade notes badly, in error - always check those corners!

Thanks for sharing your insights Hibernia.  

On a side note, I ordered 2 notes, an Irish Lady Lavery (1 Punt) & an Isle of Man (10 Bob), from Pam West a few weeks ago.  Both arrived as described in excellent packaging (with sharp corners!) & in good time. I would recommend her site if you're looking for notes from the UK. 

Serial_Number_8

Hibernia

I would recommend noonans.co.uk as the best of the UK auctioneers in my experience. Spink.com come second. I haven't bought anything from the others in several years, largely because they haven't had anything to interest me. Bonhams, London Coins [another bad website, but good to deal with] and Lockdales also come to mind as auctioneers I buy from occasionally.

 

Sinconia and Christoph Gärtner are two continental European auction houses that I have bought from over the years, and have only ever hand good experiences, can recommed both. I also recommend Holmasto.fi and Katz (watch out for Katz's 4 Euro per-lot handling charge, which can add up. They will also restrict your bidding with a 500 euro limit initially) - both are family run businesses, and I have found them to be very good to deal with (holmasto for a long time, Katz more recently.

[I also buy from several other auctioneers in Finland and in Poland, but those are for Finnish and Polish notes only].

 

My experience of dealers is that even the best of them sometimes grade notes badly, in error - always check those corners!

Thanks for sharing your insights Hibernia.  

 

On a side note, I ordered 2 notes, an Irish Lady Lavery (1 Punt) & an Isle of Man (10 Bob), from Pam West a few weeks ago.  Both arrived as described in excellent packaging (with sharp corners!) & in good time. I would recommend her site if you're looking for notes from the UK. 

I met Pam West in the Feb 2023 Coin fair held at  RDS in Dublin.

Smart lady with boundless energy. 

Also met the enigma that is Hibernia.

I met Pam West in the Feb 2023 Coin fair held at  RDS in Dublin.

Smart lady with boundless energy. 

Also met the enigma that is Hibernia.

Sounds like the coin fair was memorable!