At USIANA.com, everything starts at ten dollars. Whether it’s a signed first edition, a rare 18th-century pamphlet, or a hand-colored map, every lot opens the same way. People often ask why we begin so low, and the answer is simple: we want everyone to have a fair shot and to keep the auctions lively.
A $10 start removes hesitation. It invites curiosity and participation. Even someone new to collecting can throw in that first bid without fear of overpaying, and once the bidding begins, the excitement builds naturally. The competition that follows determines the real value—set not by us, but by the collectors themselves.
We also like the honesty of it. There are no hidden reserves, no inflated starting figures, no guesswork. Just an open field where a 200-year-old leather-bound volume might sit beside a modern artist’s book, both starting from the same place. It’s transparent, fair, and a lot more fun.
And sometimes, that’s where the magic happens. A bidder spots a title they recognize, places a bid, and suddenly discovers something unexpected—a forgotten gem, a piece of history, a book they didn’t even know existed. That sense of discovery is exactly what we love about the auction world.
Starting at ten dollars keeps things moving too. Lots don’t linger; they find new homes, new shelves, new collectors. It keeps the energy up and the catalog fresh week after week. It also fits our philosophy—rescuing good books and artifacts from obscurity and giving them another life.
So yes, it’s a strategy—but more than that, it’s a statement about how we see collecting. Everyone’s welcome, everything gets its moment, and the market decides the rest. Whether you win a 19th-century travelogue or a psychedelic 1960s poster, you know you started on equal ground.