For Immediate Release

 

Contact: Andrew Turner

866.626.4661 – ext. 1018

alturner@manions.com

 

Auction house announces addition of new employees

Manion’s International adds five new members to their online collectibles auction team

 

Kansas City, Kansas (November 12, 2008) – While the news is filled with stories of recession, government bailouts, and unemployment . . . for one Kansas City company, business is booming.

 

“We have so much consignment coming in the door we had to bring on additional staff,” said company CEO Jody Tucker. “We’ve welcomed some old employees back, and brought some new folks on board as well.”

 

The online auction specializes in historic collectibles, with an emphasis on military related items. They have auctions closing 365 days a year on the website: www.manions.com.

 

“These items don’t just magically appear for bid on the site,” said Tucker. “It is a lot of work: each item must be tagged in and labeled with an individual bar code; from there it goes into our professional photography studio where multiple pictures are taken of each item; and then it goes into the description department where the items are authenticated and a description is written. The items are then warehoused onsite and shipped by our staff when sold – as you can see, there is a lot of manpower involved.”

 

Within the past couple of months Manion’s has gone from four employees in the description department to eight, added additional photographers, and hired an administrator for their List it Yourself Auction.

 

“We started a List it Yourself auction about two years ago,” said Tucker. “Rather than consign items for sale on our traditional website (www.manions.com), the List it Yourself site (www.listityourselfauctions.com) is more of an eBay style auction but dealing exclusively in collectibles.”

 

Melinda Walters now heads up Manion’s List it Yourself Auction. As an eBay “Powerseller” she has multiple years of experience selling in an online auction format and recognizes the need for alternate online auction options.

 

“Sellers are fed up with the ever-growing fees and restrictions imposed by eBay and they are looking for something new,” said Walters. “Manion’s List it Yourself provides buyers and sellers of militaria, and other historic collectibles, with an option.”

 

In addition to Walters, Manion’s International Auction House has added others to the staff to better meet the needs of their customers during this business surge:

 

Steven Allen is working in the description department and is defining a new Special Accounts Manager position with the company. A lifelong interest in human nature and history lead him to double-major in anthropology and history at the University of Kansas. Allen also has a working knowledge of the German language and his current personal focus of militaria collecting is WWI era German artifacts. In addition, Allen owns and operates Timewalker Toys and Collectibles, an online retailer specializing in 1/6th scale historical and military action figures.

 

Brad Roberts recently returned to service with Manion’s description department. Roberts has been collecting militaria for well over two decades. While his specialties are in Eastern Block military collectibles, he possesses a wide range of knowledge including British and general European. An eight-year USMC veteran, Roberts is also proficient in his knowledge of modern military uniforms, field gear, and equipment.

 

Mike Anderson is another addition to Manion’s description and account management team. He graduated with a BA in history from the University of Kansas, a dual MA in history and art history from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York City. He concentrated on ancient history with the study of German, Latin, Greek and museum management.

His interests include elite military units, Grand Army of the Republic artifacts, fraternal organization memorabilia, and 1/6 scale military action figures. He is a past master of a Swedish Masonic lodge in New York City and a past camp commander of Sgt. Samuel J. Churchill Camp #4, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, in Lawrence, Kansas.

 

In the photography department, Rebecca Baker brings over a year of professional studio photography experience to the auction. What began as part time employment with Manion’s has grown to a permanent position, and allowed the company to process an increased number of auction items on a daily basis.

 

“The collectibles market appears to be different than other industries,” said Tucker. “A portion of collectors continue to collect no matter what the economy looks like, and those that are affected by down times are finding the items in their collections have held their value and the market to sell remains strong.”

 

An investment in militaria, like the items sold by Manion’s International Auction House, not only represents potential profit, but also provides a tangible link to history. Like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, an investment in collectibles can be a good business decision; unlike stocks, bonds, and mutual funds . . . business is good and values continue to rise.

 

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