Hermann Historica is one of the most renowned auction houses in Germany when it comes to collectors' firearms. Here at all4shooters.com you will find a portrait of Hermann Historica and the regular announcements of auctions – the auctions under the current label "Historical and Modern Firearms" are particularly well known. Of course, we always report on the results of the auctions and we have also looked at how sellers can consign collectors' firearms to Hermann Historica and thus have a good chance of achieving good sales proceeds.
Today we want to report on another exciting topic from the auction environment: the so-called post-auction sale.
There are many different reasons why a lot does not receive a bid in the auction. Sometimes the public is not fully focussed, for example because it is still wondering about the enormous hammer price of the previous lot, sometimes it is waiting in high tension for a later, extremely sought-after lot to be called. Occasionally, however, several lots of the same type are on offer –while one is bid on intensively, another is ignored. Anyone who observes gun auctions can experience this phenomenon time and again. One lot really attracts bids, while the other remains completely unbid. This does not necessarily mean that one lot is worse than the others.
The post-auction sale: the second chance to get the lot you want
For all those who could not decide to bid on the lot during the auction, or who missed the auction for whatever reason, there is a second chance: the so-called post-auction sale. In simple terms, this is the opportunity to simply buy a lot after it has been unsuccessfully offered for bids in the auction. The only challenge is that you have to be quick, because the first interested party with the right mindset wins the lot.
However, the post-auction sale usually runs for several weeks. In principle, the opportunity to purchase a lot in the post-auction sale begins immediately after the lot has been unsuccessfully called in the auction. In practice, it takes some time for the Hermann Historica staff working in the background of the auction to register the lot as unsold and release it for the post-auction sale. In the meantime, the auction house provides a separate section on the website at the end of the auction to provide information about unsold lots. This saves time-consuming searches in the regular auction catalogue and interested parties can always find out which lots are still available for purchase.
If you would like to purchase such a lot in the post-auction sale, please inform the auction house. If you are on site, you can contact the Hermann Historica staff directly. If you are watching the auction or its results at home in front of your PC, you can also send an e-mail. The request is then formulated very simply: "I would like to purchase lot 145 from the firearms catalogue". Ideally, however, the item should also be named, for example "a Walther PPK from the Munich police department" – just to avoid any confusion. The buyer then pays the so-called starting price in the auction plus the usual buyer's premium. We explained all the terms relating to weapons auctions, such as "buyer's premium" and many more, in our article linked above. An interested party's expressed wish to buy therefore has the same effect as if they had bid on the lot at the auction and remained the only bidder. Starting price plus buyer's premium is the simple formula for the purchase. Anyone wishing to have the gun sent to them must of course also pay the shipping costs.
The post-auction sale at Hermann Historica, a successful model for buyers and sellers of collectible firearms
Anyone who follows a firearms auction at Hermann Historica can see this for themselves. A number of lots that didn't find a buyer at the auction find one in the post-auction sale. A strange phenomenon? Not at all, if you put yourself in the buyer's shoes. You save up your funds for a bid on a particularly sought-after piece, ignoring lots that were previously called up, but then another bidder snatches this very piece from under your nose, bidding more than you are prepared to offer for it. So now you have funds available to decide in favour of other lots that have not yet found a buyer. One customer – a passionate collector of pistols from a well-known German manufacturer for many years – puts it in a nutshell: "This is how you prepare your battle plan for an auction. There are almost always pieces that you would like to have, but your available funds are completely exhausted. Nevertheless, you naturally look first to see if something might still be possible." It is often prototypes or firearms from army trials that particularly appeal to collectors. "Sometimes," explains the collector, "it works out and you can still get a rare gun for a moderate price, but sometimes the prices just gallop away." He then describes another circumstance that also explains why one or the other piece remains in the auction for the time being. "Let's not kid ourselves. Everyone has a limit in their head as to the maximum they are prepared to bid for a lot. And everyone has found themselves checking, in the back of their mind, for possible reserves they could still offer." As a result, one or two beautiful pieces remain unbid. Until you are surprised to find that it didn’t work out with your actually preferred collector’s item of desire. "This is an opportunity to see what else you might need for your collection." Often it is variations in the labelling of certain firearm models, this collector then describes his further interest. "I'm always happy to buy them, but they're not the primary goal of the auction visit. At the end of the day, you're stuck with your budget and still have some left over." This is an opportunity to take a look at the post-auction sale and perhaps even take advantage of it: the second chance.
The current post-sale for the 104th "Historical and modern firearms" auction will run until 30 June 2025!
These are the next auctions at Hermann Historica
- Special auction of antique, historical and modern firearms: 24 July 2025
- Autumn auction: November 2025
And naturally, there will also be a post-auction sale for each of these auctions.
Further information on the post-auction sale and upcoming auctions can also be found on the Hermann Historica website.
