Cottone Auctions, located in the western New York town of Geneseo, opened its doors in 2002. However, proprietor and auctioneer Sam Cottone had been running auctions since 1985. The firm presents some of the better items to reach the market from homes in western New York and nearby Canada, including a Whistler painting that had graced a Geneseo home for a century. It sold for $1 million. Books sometimes make there way into Cottone's auctions, including an Audubon octavo which sold for $71,500.