Estate Auctions & Liquidation Services

When you need an estate auction

Most of our estate auction clients didn't plan to be on this page. A parent has passed. A family member is moving into assisted living. A farm needs to be cleared so it can be sold. The household holds 50 years of accumulated possessions — and a deadline.

We've been doing this since 1977. We know how to be efficient without being cold, and thorough without being intrusive. Most families tell us afterward that the auction itself was the easiest part of what was otherwise a very hard month.

What we handle

• Antiques & collectibles — furniture, glassware, china, art, primitive tools, coin and stamp collections, militaria, advertising, pottery, signage
• Household goods — appliances, kitchenware, furniture, linens, tools, garage and basement contents
• Vehicles — cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, boats, trailers
• Tools & shop equipment — power tools, hand tools, woodworking equipment, welders, generators
• Farm property — equipment, livestock, hay, grain, fencing materials
• Coin & stamp collections — appraised and sold separately when value warrants
• Real estate — when the estate includes the house or land, we can run that as part of the same sale day

Full-service vs. consignment options

Estate situations vary, and so do our options:

Full-service on-site estate auction

We come to the property, catalog everything, photograph it, advertise it, and run the auction on-site. This is the right choice for larger estates with significant volume or with items too heavy or numerous to move.

Off-site consignment auction

For smaller estates, we can take items to one of our consignment auction events. Your items are combined with consignments from other sellers, which broadens the audience and reduces marketing costs. Best for smaller volumes with mixed quality.

Online-only estate auction

For estates with high-value collectibles, antiques, or specialty items that benefit from extended bidding windows and a national audience, we run online-only webcast auctions through established platforms.

Our process — start to finish

1. Initial conversation. Phone call or in-person meeting at the property. We'll walk through, take notes, and give you a realistic sense of what to expect — both in value and in timeline.
2. Consignment agreement. Plain-English contract covering commission, buyer's premium, sale day logistics, and settlement timing.
3. Cataloging & setup. Our team comes out to organize, catalog, photograph, and tag. Most estates take 2-5 days of on-site work.
4. Marketing. Listings hit AuctionZip, GoToAuction, our site, Facebook, regional newspapers, and direct email to our buyer list (often 5,000+ active bidders for general estate sales).
5. Preview day. Typically the day before or morning of the auction.
6. Sale day. Live auction on-site with simulcast webcast bidding for higher-value lots. Mobile clerking and cashiering office.
7. Cleanup. Buyers remove their lots within agreed window. We coordinate any remaining cleanout.
8. Settlement. Itemized settlement statement with detailed lot-by-lot results, typically within 7 business days of sale.

Compassionate, professional service

We've worked with hundreds of families through difficult transitions. Some things we've learned over 49 years:

• You don't need to "get the house ready" the way you would for a real estate showing. We work with what's there.
• Don't throw anything away until we've seen it. Items you'd consider trash sometimes turn out to be the most valuable lots of the day.
• Family members can pull items out before we catalog. That's normal and expected. Just tell us.
• You don't have to be there on sale day if you don't want to be. Many of our clients prefer not to be.

Request a free estate consultation

Call 419-547-7777 or send us a message. We'll come to the property, walk through with you, and tell you honestly what to expect. No pressure, no obligation.