Hogbens Guide to Buying at
Auction
The fact remains that more people furnish their homes from high street
stores rather than antiques from auction rooms.
However there are many incentives to buy at auction, foremost is the
value for money, always keep in mind that an auction room is a wholesale
unit and hammer prices are often 50% less then what you might expect to pay
from a shop, however before you leap in I’ve listed some do’s and don’ts
for auction room buyers.
Don’t buy anything first time:
My advise would be stand at the back
of the saleroom so you can see what is going on & be patient watch,
learn & listen, after you have been a couple of times you will get a
good idea of who’s who and what’s what. You will also get familiar of
what the auctioneer does and how many lots he sells per hour, you will also
see regular faces bidding in each section.
Read the catalogue: As with all reputable auction houses the
catalogue description should tell you everything you need to know about the
item and I strongly suggest that your first visit to a sale-room should be
an auction house that has a catalogue. This gives the buyer some
rights.
