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ewand
·I keep an eye on the traditional British bricks & mortar auctioneer scene, and see some patterns repeating. Sometimes you get honest auctioneers selling stuff that clearly neither they nor the vendor really knows much about; I once bought a Silver PROOF Pogue for a few hundred pounds, as it was listed with a single photo and described only as "Vintage Seiko SS chronograph". It's fun to watch some of the sales (being streamed live) as the auctioneers might have a lot they've listed with a low estimate
Example - this lot sold at an auction recently, estimated £80-120. Looking at what we have here, even accounting for an assumption that every watch is needing work doing (eg Panda and the 6105 have wrong hands, who knows what is going on inside the cases etc, there's at least a few £100s of bracelets and parts in that lot.
Hammered for £2,200 and the buyer probably had to pay £660 in fees (maybe more) + possibly shipping costs. So somebody thought the lot above was worth £3k... I think the auctioneer nearly fell off his chair.
Anyway, there are honest auctioneers, there are some who probably should do a bit more prep (take some decent flippin' photos you lazy lot) and who should really know what they are selling, if they're going to be scalping the buyer 30% of the hammer price and probably hitting the seller with 15% too. And there are some who happily sell stuff even when they know it's hokey, hiding behind the legal situation which basically says if you buy something at an auction then you have little to no come-back on the auction house or the vendor who consigned their stuff to be sold.
Cottees Auctionners in Poole, Dorset, presumably have a regular consignor who deals a lot with Seiko watches, and often they are not what one would expect them to be. Sometimes they unapologetically offer garbage that has been faked up - Cottees Auctions, Poole, sell fake Seiko watches | The Watch Site - and they never respond to questions that point out they are dealing with dishonestly tarted up stuff.
Here's the latest:
Described as:
"Vintage Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue gents automatic chronograph. Serial number dates this watch to November 1976. Recently serviced and running well."
My description might be more like:
"Vintage Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue gents automatic chronograph. Serial number dates this watch to November 1976. Recently "serviced", during which time the dial and hands were swapped with a different watch entirely, the black dial resembling no other Seiko 6139, and fitted with an aftermarket bracelet."
The same auction has a bunch of Seikos, including a 6309 with a 7526 dial, most of which are similarly "serviced". They also have a single Omega watch. I dunno about you but this one looks pretty fishy to my passing eye...
Caveat emptor.
Example - this lot sold at an auction recently, estimated £80-120. Looking at what we have here, even accounting for an assumption that every watch is needing work doing (eg Panda and the 6105 have wrong hands, who knows what is going on inside the cases etc, there's at least a few £100s of bracelets and parts in that lot.
Hammered for £2,200 and the buyer probably had to pay £660 in fees (maybe more) + possibly shipping costs. So somebody thought the lot above was worth £3k... I think the auctioneer nearly fell off his chair.
Anyway, there are honest auctioneers, there are some who probably should do a bit more prep (take some decent flippin' photos you lazy lot) and who should really know what they are selling, if they're going to be scalping the buyer 30% of the hammer price and probably hitting the seller with 15% too. And there are some who happily sell stuff even when they know it's hokey, hiding behind the legal situation which basically says if you buy something at an auction then you have little to no come-back on the auction house or the vendor who consigned their stuff to be sold.
Cottees Auctionners in Poole, Dorset, presumably have a regular consignor who deals a lot with Seiko watches, and often they are not what one would expect them to be. Sometimes they unapologetically offer garbage that has been faked up - Cottees Auctions, Poole, sell fake Seiko watches | The Watch Site - and they never respond to questions that point out they are dealing with dishonestly tarted up stuff.
Here's the latest:
Described as:
"Vintage Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue gents automatic chronograph. Serial number dates this watch to November 1976. Recently serviced and running well."
My description might be more like:
"Vintage Seiko 6139-6002 Pogue gents automatic chronograph. Serial number dates this watch to November 1976. Recently "serviced", during which time the dial and hands were swapped with a different watch entirely, the black dial resembling no other Seiko 6139, and fitted with an aftermarket bracelet."
The same auction has a bunch of Seikos, including a 6309 with a 7526 dial, most of which are similarly "serviced". They also have a single Omega watch. I dunno about you but this one looks pretty fishy to my passing eye...
Caveat emptor.
