HESSE GALLERIES AUCTION SVC

I found Hesse Galleries through a friend and used them because they are an "Antique Auction House" and I had to clear out a house with many beautiful antiques on a tight deadline. Before accepting those antiques for auction Hesse Galleries needed to see them. I photographed and described every item. Then sat down with the owner to discuss each one. What they turned out to be was very good at selling THEMSELVES. They were all very friendly. They used words like research and advertising. Although their commission is much higher when items sell for less they explained how it pays them more to have things to sell for as much as they can. The owner sat down with me and talked over each item. I had a list with multiple photos and descriptions of almost everything. When I left them with my stuff it seemed like I might not get top dollar but they would do everything they could to get decent prices. They came to the house and inventoried everything and seemed to pack it up carefully. There was a little confusion and they accidentally left 2 pictures with ornate frames behind. When I opened the box and found them they had broken because of how they had been packed. Their presentation of what they were going to do ended up being extremely different than my impression of the work they actually did. Their descriptions included absolutely no important details even though they had information given to them about the items and many had markings (for instance a Howard Miller clock with maker info on the pendulum was simply described as an oak clock). Photos were single images that did not show important details and many were not very good. A couple of items were damaged during the move. As for the 2 pictures that had broken during packing. I called to see whether they still wanted me to bring them. They said they did so I brought them down. I watched them make repairs as I stood there. When I checked their online positing I did not see the damage included in the description. Everything sold for rock bottom prices. 9 pieces did not sell at all and required a second auction. Over 50 items ( including a beautiful 2 piece antique sideboard, a howard miller clock and many other pieces of fine furniture, pictures and household décor in excellent condition) sold for a total of apx $1800 (an avg of $30 per item) out of which they took appx 25% in commission. Would NEVER use again.