How To Consign Autographs For Auction

Knowing how to consign autographs for auction is important for sellers who desire the best deal for their autographs.  Naturally, you want the best terms and the best prices for your autographed material.  Here are some valuable suggestions that can help you be a successful consigner. 

Auction Company
Work with auctioneers that have reputations for honesty and fairness.  Several autograph collecting websites can provide details about various autograph auctioneers including those with a history of litigation.  There is no point in negotiating suitable terms if the auction company subverts or reneges on the deal. 

Net Reserve
Consider protecting yourself with a “net reserve to consigner”.  The net reserve is the lowest amount that you are willing to receive on the sale of your autographed memorabilia.  The net reserve is usually not disclosed to bidders.  Some companies charge consigners a fee for assigning a net reserve. 

Shipping
Unless you ask, you probably won’t receive the benefit of free shipping.  Many auction companies will pay your shipping costs, especially if you have highly valuable autographs.  Auction company representatives eager for lucrative consignments may personally pick up your consignments for auction. 

Cash Advance
Auction companies may entice you with cash advances for your consignments.  However, be wary of the terms of the cash advance.  Some auction companies charge high monthly interest for cash advances and stipulate that you may not get paid for up to three months following the end of an auction. 

Buyback
Consigned items that do not sell at auction can be a sticky issue.  Specify in advance if the item is to be held and relisted for auction at a future date, or promptly returned to you. Some auction companies will charge almost 20% of your net reserve if the item does not sell at auction.  Also, be clear as to who pays for return shipping and insurance for items that do not sell at auction. 

Authentication
Auctioneers who represent themselves are knowledgeable autograph dealers should be responsible for items they accept for consignment and sell at auction.  Be wary of auctioneers who use third-party authenticators to shield to themselves from taking responsibility for items they sell at auction.  Some auctioneers demand consigners to guarantee authenticity of their consignments and indemnify them from any dispute that contests authenticity. 

Knowing how to consign autographs for auction can help you be savvy and successful.  Working with a reputable auctioneer on clear terms that meet your needs, will make your consigning experience enjoyable and worthwhile.

FAQs About Free Online Games

Perhaps you’ve wanted to try out some free online games but haven’t taken the time. Maybe you have questions about how free online games work and haven’t been able to find the answers to those questions so you just haven’t given any of these great games a try. Maybe you find it hard to believe that these fantastic games are really free, in spite of what the sites say, and you’d rather not give out your personal information to get caught in some kind of financial or legal trap.

The bad news is that you’ve been missing out on some of the most enjoyable gaming experiences imaginable. There are free online games that you can play any time you want, from any computer you are authorized to use that has an Internet connection, for as long as you want and with anyone that’s online at the same time as you are, no matter where they are located.

The good news is that you don’t have to skip these free online games any longer once you have a good understanding about what free means and what not to do when it comes to these games. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers to help you get started enjoying free online games:

Q. Are there hidden fees associated with playing free online games?

A. No. We reiterate: Absolutely not! When you play free online games, there are no hidden costs, no registration fees, no monthly maintenance fees, no per game costs, no tokens or coins to buy. There is typically just a registration process that requires you to become a member of the site.

Q. What about free trial games, do these cost anything?

A. The word “trial” here is the key. Typically, when you sign up for a free trial, in the fine print it will tell you that there is no charge for the trial period, which can be anywhere from a day to a week or longer. The catch is that you do have to provide your credit card number or bank account number and your account will be charged a full amount if you do not cancel within the trial period.

Q. I can play an unlimited number of games for 24 hours for just $1. This sounds reasonable but is it safe?

A. The simple answer is no. Although you may be providing your credit card information through security sockets that are safe, the process itself is a ploy. The 24-hour period may start when you enter your information, not when you start playing. Once the 24 hours is over and usually not a second later, your card will automatically be charged a huge website access fee that is typically non-refundable.

Q. Should I have to provide my credit card number to play free online games?

A. No, you should not. Free online game sites do not ask for your credit card number because there is no need for it. You may be asked to provide your date of birth if you are playing a game that has adult content but this is only to ensure that minors are not engaging in the game.

Hopefully, these answers have given you the confidence and reassurance you need to get online and start enjoying some of the great free online games that are waiting for you now!

Doll House Kits – Explaining the Difference

With many different dollhouse companies offering beautiful dollhouse designs, it is easy to let a visual interpretation of a dollhouse kit make your mind up for you. There are a couple of things however that you should be aware of when choosing a dollhouse kit.

There are basically two types of wooden kits on the market today.

Die Cut Doll house kits – For those of you who are not familiar with this term, I will try to explain how it works. You start with a large sheet of thin plywood, usually approx 1/8-1/4” thick. The plywood has to be thin enough to enable a large “Die” to be pressed down into the plywood, effectively scoring the wood into intricate shapes that when fitted together, form your dollhouse. Die Cut houses traditionally offer more elaborate design options and intricate trims. These houses are best suited to collectors as the plywood is not thick enough to stand up to heavy play. Collectors love the design elements and are well prepared to spend the extra time needed in sanding, filling and finishing the tab and slot designs.  These kits need only glue to hold them together. The most popular die cut Dollhouse Company in North America today is Greenleaf and Corona Concepts doll houses.

Cabinet Grade Plywood Doll house Kits – 3/8” plywood is usually used in these kits. Assembly includes small nails as well as glue. These houses are much sturdier for play use, and usually simpler in their design than the die cut houses. Some of the higher end houses are stunning with working components, turned porch spindles and many elements that replicate their larger counterpart perfectly. The smooth plywood exterior finish on these kits can be painted, stucco can be added, or you can add real wooden siding for a very realistic look. Real Good Toys in Vermont is the largest and most respected doll house maker of plywood houses in North America today.

Milled MDF – Similar to solid plywood houses milled MDF (medium density fibreboard) an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibres, combining with wax and resin, and formed into panels by applying temperature and pressure. It is much denser than normal particle board. These MDF sheets are cut similar to plywood, however they offer a unique difference. The “siding” of a dollhouse can be milled directly onto the outside walls of MDF kits, creating a realistic exterior finish when painted. MDF is heavy, will withstand a reasonable amount of play and also will take nails for assembly. Dura-Craft controlled the MDF doll house market for many years, and their demise has left a hole in the dollhouse market. Real Good Toys is now offering many of their dollhouse kits with a choice of smooth plywood finish or MDF, depending on the choice of the consumer.

Plastics continue to be available as a dollhouse alternative for very young children.

Consider all of this information when choosing a type of dollhouse kit to purchase and avoid disappointment in your finished product.

Edward Thorp – the father of blackjack card counting

Edward O. Thorp, born in 1932, is extremely famous in the world of blackjack, not necessarily as the best player to have ever lived but as the father of blackjack card counting. He created it and has therefore made quite an impact on the game of blackjack. Thorp received a Master’s degree in physics and a doctorate in mathematics from UCLA, and went on to become an accomplished PhD professor of Mathematics at UCLA, NMSU and UC Irvine and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was whilst he was working in the latter that he used his proficiency at maths to devise a mathematical system to beat the casino at blackjack. He published his book ‘Beat the Dealer’ forty five years ago, which introduced his card counting system to the public.

Thorp used one of the earliest IBM computers to shed light on the statistical aspect of the game. He realised that if you could keep track of the cards, then you would have a better idea of knowing which cards were left, and could therefore increase or decrease your bets in view of that. This of course gave blackjack players a huge advantage and card counting was born. Thorps initial method is the ‘Ten count system’ which all serious players took on board, but the effect was so great on the casinos that they changed their tactics by increasing the number of decks from one to four. Thorp quickly introduced his next system, the High-Low count, which was included in the 2nd edition of Beat the Dealer, and proved to be even more effective than the Ten count system.

Thorp didn’t just prophesise ? he himself took his theories to the Las Vegas casinos before publishing them, winning $11,000 in a weekend (equivalent to $70,000 in today’s dollars) and would have won more if the casino security hadn’t kicked him out for doing so well!

Not only has Thorp been successful with blackjack, but has also used his mathematical prowess to ‘play’ the stock market. Using probability and statistical computations he has made a fortune through investing in the market, particularly in the securities market and his own hedge fund. Being the kind man that he had already proved himself to be, he shared his secrets in the book ‘Beat the Market’ which was published in 1967.

Thorp was made an inaugural member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame and his story was dramatized in the recently released movie ’21’, starring Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne as well as the book ‘Bringing down the house: How six students took Vegas for millions’ by Ben Mezrich.

It is worth noting however that counting cards is not a workable strategy for online blackjack playing. This is because the online casino software will shuffle the cards after each hand, so there is nothing for the player to count. But it is definitely worth knowing the strategy if you go to a ‘real’ casino or Las Vegas!

Accessories For Coin Collection – Pepping Up Your Hobby With A New Series

One of the most important things to consider when you are getting addicted to coin collecting is that you must know a good way to take care of it. They coins collected might be limited edition ones, or maybe antiques, or even ancient coins, and these coins are from different countries, and have a high value. So, a collector should always have an idea as to how he can take care of the coins.
The best way to do it is to get a set of accessories, which can preserve your coins. These are not only coin accessories, but also make your collection look organized.
When you choose to buy a coin accessory, the most important thing to keep in mind is that the accessory must be able to fulfill what the collector really wants.
There are many coin accessories that can be found online, or in a collectible store. There are some coin accessories that still remain the favorite among collectors:
Coin Boxes
These are one of the most sought after coin accessory, and they make the whole collection process a very convenient one. The various compartments in the box make sure that the coins look presentable. The compartments are very wide, and they provide flexibility while placing the coins. The compartments also assist the collector in handling of coins.
Coin Albums
The coin albums are very similar to the other albums, just that they have a compartment to hold coins, instead of photos. This album has a layer that is transparent, and strong, which helps to preserve the coin. The collector will not have the necessity to handle each coin. Just turning the pages would do.
Coin Holders
The coin holders come in handy for those collectors who keep collecting coins even when they are traveling. In addition to this, the collectors don’t need to carry their entire collection; they can simply place the coin in the holder, and proceed. The coin holder is to help the collector maintain the value of the coin.
There are other coin accessories too. The main purpose of the accessories is to satisfy the needs of the coin collector. The prices of the accessory vary depending on the how durable the accessory is. One needs to research the various coin accessories before they decide to get one for themselves.