Rod’s Corner – What’s Hot and What’s Not – 9/27/2023

Hi everyone, and welcome to this edition of What’s Hot and What’s Not, a publication of the Steffen Group that helps keep everyone up to date on what items are selling strong in the auction business along with those items that are not selling strong currently.

There continues to be talk about “Live Auctions” and many wonder if those days will return. In the past few months, I have found and attended three live only auctions. Two in Northern and one in Central Indiana. All three were very nice estate type auctions with some excellent antique and collectable offerings. The thing that I noticed though was how few actual bidders were present. Each auction offered roughly 50 bidders. While there may have been a few more present, it was made up of the auction staff and family that were not actively taking part in the bidding process. I must be honest; I absolutely loved the atmosphere and energy of the auctions but as I spent the day observing and bidding, I could not help but think of the money that was lost for the sellers due to the small pool of bidders.

These experiences have confirmed to me the importance and benefit of the Online Auction process in order to achieve the highest possible prices for the sellers. The question that may be running through your mind is “Will the Steffen Group ever do live auctions again?” The answer is that we may do live auctions for our sellers if it is the best decision for them and the circumstance that surrounds their auction needs but right now, we believe that the online auction method of marketing is going to achieve the best results for most sellers.
So let’s get to the part you are all looking forward to as we take a look at what is HOT and what is NOT in the auction business at this time.

Hot

Native American Artifacts: Authentic artifacts have a high level of collectability and therefore, sell strong in the auction market. This can include arrowheads, stones, headdresses, blankets, and many other historical items. One of the key points to remember with all types of artifacts is that if there is documentation as to where they came from it helps to keep the history of the piece

Crocks And Pottery: While there was a day when crocks and pottery of all types were used for everyday purposes such as storage and transport, they are now set aside for decorating our home and are quite collectible. As with most collectibles, the condition is highly important to their value. Other factors with crocks and pottery that have a large impact are size, color, and decoration. The crocks with the blue salt glaze can be quite expensive. The Steffen Group sold a 5-gallon, highly decorated crock jug at auction for $650.

Tin Types: I wanted to mention the importance of tin types. These are the old pictures that were on a tin background and quite rigid. While more than likely, no one knows the people or places in many of the pictures, these antiques are highly sought after. Many collect them to decorate with. One Tin Type recently sold online for over $150.

Farm Related Items: There are a great deal of farm-related items that are collectable. This can include hats, tool cubbie cabinets, work benches, advertising and seed signs, John Deere, International Harvester items, anvils and so much more. Because of this we always encourage people to let us take a look in their barns before they start cleaning them out. I recently saw a DeLaval wall mount wood box with a pretty rusty sign on the front sell for over $1000.

Not

Couches And Soft Furniture: These types of furniture are many times quite soft sellers. There are several reasons for this. Some people wonder if they had pets, did they smoke, was it used daily or infrequently? The other factor that comes into play with this is the color and fabric style. Because these tend to be primary pieces in a rooms décor, buyers are many times quite particular as they approach this type of purchase and as a result will lay off even a quality piece just based upon the color or history.

Dining Room Tables: As our world changes, so have our dining habits. Many new and remodeled homes now have bar seating and smaller breakfast nook dining areas. Many do not even have a dining room. Because of this, the days of needing a nice dining room table and chairs are gone for many families. This, in turn, has led to an overabundance of dining room tables. The double drop leaf dining room tables of the past are super soft sellers. Some that have remained average are the large harvest tables with multiple leaves. That may seem odd, but some do still want the opportunity to have a large table for family get togethers with the convenience of it being much smaller when not needed.

Pictures And Framed Prints: Like couches and soft furniture, pictures are used as statement pieces of décor in a room. Because of this, they many times will sell soft. Many times, I have heard people talking about buying a picture because they were going to repurpose the frame. At auction, we typically try to group two, three or more together to help create active bidding. Now, an exception to this can be signed prints, oil paintings and very old pieces. These pieces will continue to hold their value.

Franklin Mint / Danbury Mint Collectables: Now, I know that these are under the What’s Not Hot category, but I wanted to take a minute to talk about these two collectible makers. They have made a vast amount of almost every type of collectible and some are exceptionally difficult to sell at all. They do have many others that are sought after, very collectible items that can afford very strong prices. I have seen these collectibles in estate auctions where they may not get a bid on some collector plates to where they have sold for over $100 for one item. This is an area that the knowledge of your Auctioneer at The Steffen Group can help you decide what is best to keep and what may be more donatable.

Thank you for reading another edition of What’s Hot and What’s Not but please remember that while these items are both HOT and NOT right now, the market is ever-changing and there are always exceptions. Please reach out to one of the Steffen Group Auctioneers so that we can help guide you to achieving top dollar for your valuable assets.
Reminder: We have a few openings for Higher-End antiques, collectibles, coins, hunting, fishing, and advertising items for our annual Year End Consignment Auction at the Ossian Auction Gallery. Contact us right away to reserve a spot for your items.