I want to share my experience specifically as a consignor. While Bronstein Estate Auction Company…read moremay be a resource for auction buyers, based on my experience, I would caution anyone considering using them to liquidate an estate, particularly when belongings have significant monetary or sentimental value.
Before anything was removed, Mrs. Bronstein personally came to my home and viewed the items being considered for auction. She had the opportunity to inspect the property and decline anything her company did not want to take. Her company subsequently loaded and removed more than a 26-foot moving truck's worth of property, packed floor to ceiling, with additional items beyond that. The belongings included antiques, artwork, sterling silver, designer clothing, furnishings, collectibles, and more.
My total proceeds were a little over $600.
On July 23, I specifically asked whether the check I received covered everything the company had picked up or whether I should expect another check. I was told: "Yes, that's one check for everything. Everything that I was physically able to Auction off." Based on that response, I understood the payment and accounting I had received to represent the completed auction process for my property.
The sales documentation I received reflected approximately 85 auction lots. I understand that multiple items can be grouped into one lot and that, under the contract, unsold items could be disposed of. I did not expect every item to sell. My concern was the limited documentation showing what ultimately happened to such a large volume of property.
I do not know which items were individually evaluated or offered for auction, which were grouped into lots, or which were ultimately donated or disposed of. Had I understood beforehand that I could turn over this volume of belongings, receive documentation reflecting approximately 85 lots and a little over $600 in proceeds, yet have limited information about the disposition of the remaining property, I would have chosen a different approach.
UPDATE: Since posting this review, I have located Bronstein's archived auction materials from September showing multiple distinctive antique pieces belonging to my family. At least two can be matched to photographs taken while they were still in our possession: a distinctive nineteenth-century carved antique bed my parents purchased in Europe and an Asian-style cabinet with distinctive hardware and design details. The cabinet appears in materials advertising a September 10 auction, and the bed appears in materials for a September 24 auction--weeks after I had been told in July that the check I received was "one check for everything."
I have preserved the July correspondence, the archived auction materials, and our corresponding family photographs. I have recognized additional pieces but am limiting this update to those for which I currently have photographic comparisons.
I cannot explain the discrepancy between what I was told in July, the documentation and payment I received, and my family's property subsequently appearing in September auction materials. I do not want to speculate about the reason. One possible explanation could be inadequate inventory or tracking rather than intentional wrongdoing. If so, however, that lack of inventory control is itself extremely concerning when customers are entrusting a company with valuable and irreplaceable personal property.
My advice to anyone considering estate consignment is to ask in writing before anything is removed: Will every item be inventoried? What documentation will show what was offered for sale? How are lots created? What happens to unsold property? What records will document the final disposition of your belongings?
Once estate belongings leave your possession, you are placing significant trust in the company handling them. Based on my experience, I would make sure you know exactly what inventory, sales records, and final-disposition documentation you will receive before your belongings leave your possession.
