Use a Paddle to Bid at an Auction

“I observed that (if you want to blend in) you don’t actually wave the paddle to bid. You make confident eye contact and a hand signal or nod to the auctioneer, and after you’ve become the last bidder standing and the gavel has pounded with the final bid amount, only then do you show your bid paddle so they can record your account number. The sale ends with the auctioneer definitively saying “Thank you bidder 202” so there is no confusion. The first hour of the auction was tremendously exciting. [...] sometime during the fourth hour, I could gauge my approaching lot as my palms sweated. I began senselessly fidgeting with my belongings, arranging papers, and then rearranging them. The auctioneer opened bids on our lot, and after four hours I was poised for action! I followed advice to “let things get started”, so instead of jumping out of my seat, I sat and let the auctioneer look around the room. And then, he took a bid from the phone! I bid in retaliation. Phone bid. I, after feigning contemplation, bid again.”