What we are building, and what we are learning

Buying cricket memorabilia in a live auction

Ask how they know. The answer, not the item, is what you are really bidding on.

Buying comics in a live auction

Ask for the spine edge-on, the indicia and the page colour. Three requests that settle most of it.

Describing the condition of film posters

Paper grades on what has happened to it, and every repair is part of the description.

How saree and textile condition is described

New, worn, vintage — and the specific flaws that have to be named.

Buying film posters and cinema memorabilia

Ask for the reverse. The front sells the poster; the back tells you what happened to it.

Buying sarees and ethnic wear in a live auction

Ask for the drape, the reverse and the measurements. All three are routinely skipped.

Describing the condition of video games

Sealed, complete in box, loose — then the state of each part. Precision here prevents almost every dispute.

How coin and note condition is described

The 1-to-70 scale, what uncirculated actually means, and why "cleaned" is the word that costs most.

Buying video games in a live auction

Ask for the region marking and ask them to boot it. The two questions that prevent almost every return.

Buying coins and currency in a live auction

Ask for the edge, ask for moving light, and ask whether it has ever been cleaned.

How record condition is graded

Mint, near mint, very good plus, very good, good, poor — and the rule that good is not good.

How trading card condition is described

The four factors, the common 1-to-10 scales, and what "raw" commits you to.

Buying records in a live auction

Ask for the tilt. A record held flat to the camera is a record you have not seen.

Buying trading cards in a live auction

Ask for the tilt, the corners and the back. Three requests that tell you most of what a grade would.

Describing the condition of books and films

In the book trade, "good" means worn. Using it to mean good is the most common honest mistake there is.

How sneaker condition is described

Deadstock, VNDS, and the honest middle. What each term commits you to.

Buying books and films in a live auction

Ask for the copyright page. Everything else about a book can be argued; that page cannot.

Condition words across every category

Deadstock, mint, NM, VG, uncirculated, restored, married. What each means, and in which trade.

Buying sneakers in a live auction

What to ask the seller to show you, and what a refusal to show it means.

how it works

Every Metzee term, explained

Show, host, store, balance, payout, credits, boost, strike, collect-by. The words this site uses and what each means.

Provenance — what it is and why it changes the price

The history of an object. What counts as evidence, what does not, and how to ask without being rude.

Starting a collection without much money

Where to spend the first little, the expensive mistake everybody makes, and why the cheap end teaches you more.

Collecting, as a habit rather than an investment

An argument against treating a collection as an asset class, and for the version that makes people happy.

payments

UPI, and why it suits a live auction

Instant, familiar, and already on the phone you are bidding from. The hand-off is the only part that surprises people.