If You Can Afford Cell Phones, iPads, Video Games, Nike Shoes, Netflix, Then Under The ACA...

[MADem]

71. There are regional houses that do business, like Skinner's, which is also very high end.

As well as others that do niche work in regional environments.

If Joe Schmoe has an antique car, and it's in good nick or is repairable and has all its parts, you can bet an auction house that specializes in antique auto auctions would be interested if the auto is unique and likely to move. Their coordinator will send the truck to pick the car up, too, and deduct that plus administrative fees from the final sale.

It's not the seller, it's the quality of the seller's goods.

Ivory is problematic here in USA, owing to importation laws and "Save The Elephants" and so forth. It also doesn't always move as well as it might in UK and other locales. I would suggest your friend ask his auction house of choice which expert they use for vetting an item such as his. It might help if he calls, gets a name of a contact at the auction house and an email, and emails a photo of the item and a request for the name of the auction house's preferred appraisal expert, and then take it from there.

I realize the pawn shows pick and choose--otherwise, they'd be dull and boring. Who wants to watch some poor bastard selling their TV? Or even a crackhead trying to sell a stolen iPad? A crackhead selling a grubby old cassette tape Walkman, OTOH....now that's TV! They pick the people who come in with the most unusual items (and these are often the things I see where I say "You could get WAY more for that!!!&quot , they pick the people who are the biggest characters, or the most confrontational, or perhaps a bit drunk or high or unmedicated, anyone who is out of the ordinary.

I have seen those pawn guys get rock bottom prices for things that would sell for much, much more at a specialty auction, is all I am saying.