Yes, you can focus on some of the signs that went crazy, but there were plenty of deals to be had. When you have 380 items, things will fall through. Two buyers in particular realized this and bought the 30-40 items that were real steals. It's the ups and downs of a no reserve auction. I'm partners in Richmond Auctions and we get the money we do for a few reasons:
1) It's no reserve. No auction house buying stuff back and hiding it after. Everything sells.
2) We get every piece that TAC authenticates, authenticated. People know what they're buying is real.
3) Our logistics capability is one of the best in the business. It's 1 week after the auction and we've already personally delivered 1/3 of the auction, 1/2 will be done in the next 10 days and the balance within 2.5-3 weeks. Almost all of it done by our staff.
4) We market differently. We're bringing new collectors into the market.
There are still PLENTY of deals in the sign market, but they're going to be in a lower condition than what they used to be. The highest quality and the rare stuff has now reached investment status.