AVA Auction News

Convention Auction 2022 – Chris Donovan

An important part of the annual Convention is the Auction. Last year, COVID overshadowed much of our proceedings. Many possible attendees stayed home. As a result, the in-person attendance suffered.

We only had 11 in-person bidders. Mail bidding also was down from previous years.  I have been gathering input as to why  interest has declined. Some newer members say that many of the tokens submitted far exceed their respective budgets. Long-time members want more rare (and subsequently costly) items. Some say, “There’s not much variety”.

In an effort to increase participation and add more variety/ interest, I have increased the number of lots offered to 400.  I have also added some additional categories to this year’s Auction:
    1) Multi Token Lots. You can combine up to 3 tokens as one lot. The combined Catalog Value must be at least $5.00.
    2) Condition Related Lots. Tokens that are “less than perfect”. These could be holed tokens whose Catalog listing is “solid”. They could have rim nicks, wear issues, etc. These would have minimum bids of 1/2 to 3/4 of the listed Catalog Value.
    3) Non-Token Transit Memorabilia. Token holders, hat badges, paper tickets, passes, lapel pins, ticket punches, AVA items, commemorative tokens, etc. (Submitter would need to list their minimum bid). For mailing purposes, these items should be no larger than 12” x 12” x 5&1/2” and weigh less than one pound.

An auction can only be as good as its contents. I NEED YOUR HELP. Every member has items they could submit. If you are downsizing your collection, consider sending some of your “better” tokens.

Whether it’s combining a couple of your duplicate lower Catalog Value tokens, sending less than perfect tokens, submitting unusual items from the back corners of your desk/ closet (things you purchased years ago at an antique store, coin show or on eBay that you no longer “need” and are gathering dust), all of these can contribute to a more interesting auction. Besides, any money you receive could be used to fund future purchases.

There is no charge for members to submit items. The Catalog Value for tokens needs to be $5.00 or greater. Please, no more than 50 submissions per member. If there are duplicate submissions, the earliest is the one I will auction. If you want to find out ahead of time if someone has submitted the same item, it is recommended that you contact me, Chris Donovan. (My e-mail is gobearsdad@yahoo.com My phone: (916) 434-0472).

For those who choose to telephone, due to a large volume of spam calls, it is necessary for me to screen incoming calls. Please leave a message. Say you are with the AVA. I will try to return your call within 24 hours.

When sending in your tokens, please place your token in a new 2×2 with the Catalog Listing printed on the top left and Catalog Value on the lower left corners. The actual items must be in my hands by April 18 so that the final list can be compiled and published in the May issue of the Fare Box.

My mailing address is 3008 Mt. Baldy Dr.  Roseville, CA    95747. Thanks!

Chris