Two of the hobby’s long-time auction companies are merging.
Lelands and Clean Sweep announced Thursday night that they will continue to operate as independent companies under the ‘Collectors First Auction Group’ brand.
Steve Verkman, President of Clean Sweep and a long-time hobby veteran, will assume the role of CEO for Collectors First Auction Group, overseeing both the Lelands and Clean Sweep brands.
Michael Heffner, President of Lelands, will act as Special Advisor to the CEO during the transition period.
Collectors First says it will offer four distinct types of auctions each year, targeted to varying levels of collectible interests and pricing. In all, the newly combined firm will hold 12 regularly scheduled auction events per year.
“Our goal is to help collectors unbundle their collections, maximizing value through tailored auction solutions that bring their items to the right audience at the right time,” Verkman remarked.
Lelands, based in Port Washington, NY, was founded by the late Josh Evans in the 1980s while Matawan, NJ-based Clean Sweep began building its customer base in the 1990s.
The two auction companies will combine resources but will continue to operate as they have been, “with no significant changes planned for either brand’s auction operations or marketing,” according to a news release.
“By joining forces, Lelands and Clean Sweep Auctions will be able to offer even greater value and more tailored auction solutions, while maintaining the same trusted operations and marketing strategies that have served our clients so well for decades,” Heffner stated.
Clean Sweep has an auction running now, while Lelands’ Fall Classic is set to open on Sunday.
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