Austrian Philatelic Society Auction Regulations
(as adopted on 17 July 2020)

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1 THE AUCTION

1.1 The Auction shall operate on behalf of and in the interest of the APS and its Members only.

1.2 In recent years, there have normally been 4 auctions per year, with one (at the AGM weekend) being a combined room/postal auction. From the date of these rules, the Hon. Auctioneer shall use best endeavours to conduct 4 auctions per year, depending on the Hon. Auctioneer’s other commitments, the availability of suitable material and circumstances beyond the Hon. Auctioneer’s control. At the Hon. Auctioneer’s discretion any sale, or part of any sale, may be run as a fixed-price sale. Also, at the Hon. Auctioneer’s discretion, material submitted that is unsuitable or remains may be submitted to the Hon. Packet Secretary (with agreement of the Hon. Packet Secretary and the relevant vendor).

2 THE HON. AUCTIONEER

2.1 The Hon Auctioneer is appointed under the Rules of the APS.

2.2 The Hon. Auctioneer shall be responsible for the production of the Auction list and for its dispatch to the Editor or Printer.

2.3 The Hon. Auctioneer shall maintain appropriate insurance to cover material in transit from his address and whilst stored for safe keeping at his address, negotiating a contract with insurance agents which specifies the cover required by the APS, any restrictions required by the insurers, and the annual premium to be paid. The Hon Auctioneer must comply with this contract, advise the insurer if cover levels need to be adjusted and make any necessary claims against both Royal Mail and the policy.

2.4 All lots received for sale shall be stored in the secure conditions stipulated by the insurers and clearly marked with the vendor’s name.

3 AUCTION VENDORS AND MATERIAL

3.1 Any material shall be accepted for sale providing it is relevant to the Philately & Postal History of Austria & the Austro-Hungarian Empire, providing it is correctly described and providing it is, in the opinion of the Hon. Auctioneer, of collectable quality.

3.2 Lotting, descriptions and the setting of reserve prices may be carried out either by the vendor or the Hon. Auctioneer. In the former case, the Hon. Auctioneer may edit or amend the vendor’s descriptions in the interests of accuracy, brevity or good English. If the vendor provides material in unlisted form, then it is on the understanding that he will be expected to accept the Hon. Auctioneer’s lotting, description and reserves.

3.3 Vendors shall pay the APS a 50p per lot lotting charge (on first entry) plus 10% commission on all sales. Lots supplied with a listing of lots and outline descriptions in an electronic format, or lots supplied with acceptable 300 dpi colour scans will be charged a 25p per lot lotting charge. Lots supplied with both electronic listings and descriptions and scans will be accepted without any lotting charge. The Hon. Auctioneer will be pleased to give detailed advice to vendors on providing acceptable listings and / or scans. Normally, Public Libraries will also be able to assist or give advice. The Hon. Auctioneer may use his discretion as to the level of lotting charges, where vendors are unable to provide descriptions / scans, (for example, when assisting spouses of deceased members).

3.4 The Hon. Auctioneer shall be free to dispose of his own material through the Auction but shall treat his lots in exactly the same manner as those of other vendors and pay the same commission.

3.5 With the agreement of the vendor, unsold lots may be offered in a future auction with a reduction in the reserve price.

3.6 Lots unilaterally withdrawn by the vendor after the catalogue has been sent for printing shall be liable to the 10% commission as well as the appropriate lotting fee.

3.7 Vendors must be aware that the APS insurance does NOT cover material submitted for sale until received by the Hon. Auctioneer and may wish to use insured posting methods. Vendors will also have to meet the cost of any customs charges. Postage and packing shall be charged to vendors for the return of unsold material, by the means stipulated by the insurers.

3.8 Payments to overseas vendors and from successful bidders shall normally be by the cheapest practicable means but not in cash other than entirely at the risk of the payer. Vendors will be responsible for any currency or transaction charges.

4 AUCTION BIDDING AND CONDUCT

4.1 Only paid-up and honorary members may bid.

4.2 Bidding steps shall be, £l up to £20, £2 up to £50, £5 up to £200 & £10 thereafter. "Buy" bids are not accepted. Un-conforming bids will be rounded up to the next step.

4.3 Bids are welcome by post or email or text but not by telephone or word-of-mouth. In the case of text or email bids, confirmation will normally be sent within 72 hours. Confirmation by post will only be sent if a S.A.E. is enclosed with bids.

4.4 The winner of any lot shall be the highest bidder (or in the case of tied bids, the first received).

4.5 The winning bidder shall pay one bid increment more than the second highest bid.

4.6 No lot shall be sold at less than reserve.

4.7 Postage and packing shall be charged to purchasers for the despatch of their successful bids by the means stipulated by the insurers and additionally, purchasers will be responsible for any customs charges.

4.8 The list of prices realised will be circulated with the next convenient Newsletter or auction catalogue.

4.9 Seriously incorrectly described lots may be returned for a full refund. However, all material is illustrated by good quality scans on the website and members will be deemed to have examined these prior to bidding. (Try your local Library). All lots shall be assumed to be in ‘normal average’ condition, unless otherwise described. So 100 year old Feldpost cards are very likely to have minor defects. This shall not be a reason for returning lots. The Auction does not operate an ‘Approvals’ service. Larger scans or copies are available at nominal cost.

4.10 The Hon. Auctioneer’s descriptions are given in good faith and with some expertise (at times consulting other APS specialists) but without express or implied guarantee. Lots where there is a significant risk of forgery or faking are normally described “as is”. Lots not so described, that are refused a certificate by a recognized philatelic proofing expert, may be returned for a refund (including the cost of expertising) and this will normally be charged back to the vendor. Any such lots must be returned within 6 months of the date of the relevant auction.

5 AUCTION ACCOUNTS AND REPORTING

5.1 The Hon. Auctioneer shall set up a current account with a suitable financial institution. The account shall be in the name of the APS Auction. Bank transfers or UK cheque payments shall be credited directly to this account.

5.2 The Hon. Auctioneer shall account to the Treasurer for any expenses including insurance. Any large abnormal expenditure (e.g. purchase of material for re-sale through the Auction) shall be agreed with the Treasurer prior to making any commitment.

5.3 The Hon. Auctioneer shall prepare a financial statement, to be submitted to the Hon. Examiner and then to the Hon. Treasurer at the end of each financial year.

5.4 On an annual basis, any surplus that has built up within the APS Auction account shall be transferred to the APS general account (less an amount agreed to cover the start of the next year).

5.5 Bidding slips received by the Hon. Auctioneer shall be retained for a minimum of nine months after the end of the financial year, in case of serious dispute. In every other respect, bidding amounts and slips shall remain confidential.

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©APS. Last updated 22 July 2020