I've just returned having spent two and a half hours - in vain - at Ross's auction-house in central Belfast. Drat and double drat! The item I sought went over the porter's estimate and I think I heard the auctioneer saying that it had not reached its reserve price.
At eleven o'clock I stood at the window overlooking Montgomery Street and observed two minutes' silence, my mind filled with thoughts of our dear Queen at the Cenotaph.
Still, it was quite an interesting auction. Many items in the sale seemed to emanate from Lieutenant-Colonel W E L McCammond, 3rd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles. There was a ceremonial wheelbarrow with an elaborately engraved silver spade or shovel with McCammond's name thereon. It fetched £2,000.
Whilst I was biding (no, not bidding!) my time I browsed through a 1937 Coronation album with photographs of Lord and Lady Suffolk arriving in their coronation robes and coronets, the Carnarvons and Armstrongs, too. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, was seated wearing his coronet.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
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3 comments :
Tim,
I think as a general rule the reserve cannot be set any higher than the lower estimate for any item entered into a "respectable" auction. So maybe your lot didn't get bid up to the lower estimate? Having said that, I have seen plenty auctioneers take bids of the back wall to allow them to advance the bidding up to the reserve! All good fun.
Cheers,
J
Hello J,
I always feel slightly out of my depth - which of course I shouldn't - because there seem to be so many dealers! A wink here; a nod there; here, Daniel! etc
To be truthful, I'm uncertain, except it went a fair bit beyond my £250-70 limit - at least £350 in fact.
Ah well, no harm done, but it's darned tedious waiting.
Tim,
Yes, auctions can be rather intermediating, even for those of us who have been through the hallowed gates of BHS and CCB! I spent (wasted) many hours at Christies and Bonhams in London, and witnessed some "interesting" goings-on. Dealers do indeed radiate a slightly intimidating manner, but you just need to blend into the room. And when your lot comes up, don’t jump into the bidding straight away, but wait till you are able to intervene to maybe restart the bid progression, and carry on bidding authoritively for several increments – this gives the impression that you are serious and intend to have the lot at whatever price. This can deter dealers from competing against you, since they know there is no profit to be had from a dealer out-bidding a private collector, since the latter is the target market of the former! Standing at the back of the room (a favourite haunt of dealers) is also a useful trick, not least of all as it means one can easily sneak out of the room for 30 mins if your lot is not coming up. Did you ever go to Temple Auctions outside Carryduff? I think they are no more, but they had some interesting sales.
Cheers,
J
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