Goldin Gig: A dream hosting position with eBay Live auctions is up for grabs

You might have caught that Netflix reality show, “King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch.” This high-stakes television series dives deep inside the workings of a premier New Jersey auction house founded and operated by CEO Ken Goldin. Known as the Godfather of his hobby, Goldin radiates a magnetic chuckle and admits to savoring the thrill of a collectibles chase. He has sold more than $1.3 billion in memorabilia from some of the biggest names in sports. That list includes Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Jackie Robinson.

Want a piece of that action? Read on.

The “King of Collectibles” cast resembles a baseball dream team. Young talent. Seasoned veterans. Pitch-perfect camaraderie. Managed by Goldin himself, this spirited entourage hunts down, authenticates and appraises high-end collectibles such as sports cards, comics and pop culture artifacts. Items are later sold through live auctions on the Goldin website and eBay. This ambitious crew has certainly mastered the art of sealing deals and rallying sky-high bids. In February, a 1998 Pokémon Illustrator card encased with a custom diamond necklace worn by World Wrestling Entertainment superstar, Logan Paul, fetched over $16 million on the Goldin website.

The “King of Collectibles” series has sent scores of TV viewers scrambling to explore attic boxes for hidden treasures. Odds are, most of us won’t be uncovering a 1909 T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card like the one Goldin and his team recently sold for over $5 million. However, the King is giving one lucky individual a chance to mingle with the all-stars from his multimillion dollar auction clubhouse through a contest called “Lights, Camera, Bid.”

Up for grabs? A hosting position with eBay Live.

“It will familiarize this person with mostly all of the collectors in the entire hobby. Ideally, I believe this host will become a household name. A person that can go to a collectibles show and become recognizable and honestly, become a role model to the children,” said Dave Amerman. An accomplished actor with decades of experience in the collectibles industry, Amerman serves as head of sales and consignment for Goldin and leads the auction management team.

“Our auction platform is the leader when it comes to the most high-end and most rare collectibles of all types,” he said.

While at Goldin, Amerman has contributed to over $100 million in consignments which included the collections of Cal Ripken, Jr., Willie Randolph and Julio Rodriguez. He said demand for high-end collectibles has exploded in recent years, in part, due to the investment aspect of these items.

“It is as red hot and on fire as it has ever been. People enjoy collectibles. They enjoy sports. They enjoy pop culture and when you combine that with the excitement of six-figure items and the ability to potentially make money or even get rich … people have gravitated to it,” Amerman said.

But, back to that Goldin gig.

Proof that money can’t buy everything, this coveted hosting position will not be awarded to the highest bidder. To close a deal, contestants will need to bring their A-game to the playing field. The further you progress in this process, the more you will need to know.

“They’re gonna have to be ready to perform,” Amerman said.

No on-air experience is necessary. In fact, it has been reported that Ken Goldin is seeking a “diamond in the rough.”

“People don’t know how good their skills are until they put them to the test,” Amerman said.

If you do hit a home run with the King, be prepared for life-changing adventure.

“It’s exciting to be one of the spokespeople … one of the personalities that’s gonna be right in the forefront of this venture for Goldin and for eBay Live,” Amerman said. “We have a couple studios here in the headquarters in New Jersey, but we’ve also taken eBay Live on the road. We were just with Luke Combs in Indiana. It’s a great way to interact with people. Live questions. Quick questions. Items that are accessible and for sale right on the spot … being able to communicate with buyers live on the spot. It’s a fun way to sell items and it’s a highly popular way now.”

Amerman has fielded countless DMs on social media since the “Lights, Camera, Bid” promotion kicked off in April. Applications for the position are being accepted until 8:59 p.m. Friday. Complete contest rules are available online.

“I think if I could give a piece of advice to anyone … especially those who have asked me … it’s just being genuine and being an expert and being yourself. Hopefully, that will relate to the people and that will do the trick,” Amerman said.

Cynthia Reugh can be reached at cynthia13048@gmail.com