How Coin Auctioneers Market Sales to Buyers

Building a room full of bidders can take a lot of effort and here is how some of the specialist sales have marketed their sales to bring in the right buyers for their lots.

Printed Catalogues Still Pull Weight

The Printed Catalogue: A Timeless and Cost-Effective Method for Advertising Sales of Specialist Coins to Potential Bidders. While there are many tools at the disposal of auctioneers to market their sales, a high quality printed catalogue remains one of the most effective ways in which to attract potential bidders to a specialist coin sale. The images, detailed descriptions of grade and any flaws, as well as any known provenance of lots in the sale, all need to be of the highest quality in order to instill confidence in potential bidders. The printed catalogue will remain a vital part of the sales process for many years to come, and often buyers will keep a copy of the printed sale catalogue for future reference.

Specialist Mailing Lists

There is little value in printing generic advertisements which are unlikely to pull in serious bidders for a specialist numismatic sale. Most houses will have developed a list of specialist collectors, dealers, and institutions over previous sales and this list is mailed with information of forthcoming relevant sales. For example, a Byzantine sale would be mailed to all collectors on the list known to have an interest in coins of this period.

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In addition to lot details, high-quality images of the obverse and reverse of a coin, along with a detailed description of the grade and any known flaws, allows bidders to assess the lots they are interested in viewing prior to the sale. Some specialist coin houses also now include short video clips of key lots to aid bidders in assessing the surface and edge quality of the coins.

Preview Events and Viewing Days

People often come to a viewing with the intention of only looking, but then discover a coin or two they would like to buy after handling them.

Collector Club Partnerships

Numismatic societies – partner with them for advertising in their newsletters as well as for sponsoring study days etc.

The marketing of a coin sale can have as big an impact on the sale of the lots in the sale as the information in the catalogue about the individual lots.