Before Comic-Con@Home began the virtual event, Scoop caught up with Barry Sandoval of Heritage Auctions, as well as a few other dealers and auction houses. Sandoval let us know how Heritage is participating in Comic-Con@Home and how the company is doing during this difficult time.

Scoop: Since you normally set up at Comic-Con, are you creating any special events or sales in lieu of the live event? If so, what are your plans?
Barry Sandoval (BS): We’re participating in Comic-Con@Home, but only the tiniest fraction of our auction lots are shown there. We auction almost half a million dollars’ worth of comics and comic art every single week at HA.com, so that is where the bonanza is to be found.

Scoop: COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all aspects of our industry. How has it impacted your company?
BS: We had to change some things around behind the scenes, but our goal was to make sure the customer experience as far as bidding and consigning remained the same. Though we certainly look forward to getting back to in-person events like comic cons! Thankfully, the actual auction results have been great, and since all of our auction prices are listed on the website, anyone can verify that for themselves.

Scoop: What have you done differently during this time to generate sales?
BS: I think because of our online presence we were uniquely well-positioned already. We’ve offered live online bidding with real-time audio and video for almost 15 years now! Also, we offer complimentary virtual lot consultation for bidding in any auction, comics or otherwise.