Bid at a live auction

“My first experience at an auction was ten years ago when I read about it in the paper. I drove to the Hilton, registered my credit card with a paddle number and foolishly won a carved, wood side table with slots for wine. It didn’t matter that I didn’t drink wine or that I hadn’t inspected it closely. I had won it and the feeling was sublime – until I had to lug it out to the car myself. [...] Had I inspected it more closely, I would have noticed that the dovetail joints had come apart on one of the lower legs. Normally, you could take a rubber mallet and pop it back in place but this wood was so warped from moisture damage that it would have been impossible. Lesson learned.”

“getting to the auction early. There is the pre-auction home open. Longest half hour of my life, but it was good to (politely) eavesdrop on other bidders and get a sense for the space before the auction began [...] standing front and centre for the auction. The heat will be on you, but for us it helped us feel very confident.”