Auctioneers’ Cabinet Capers
Sale By Auction
Generally, I enjoy visiting auctions and I immediately hunt out the china figurines.
Sometimes an auction can be tiring and frustrating. But, if you stick to your game plan, the overall experience is usually a positive one. And as you attend auctions on a regular basis, you begin to recognise faces, make new friends and get to know the little eccentricities of each auction house.
But one little ‘trick’ of most auctioneers is what I call the ‘cabinet caper.’ This is more of a psychological ploy to enhance the value of an item which is being sold.
Small items, jewellery etc, will often be in a cabinet on viewing day and an attendant will often be present to show any articles to interested purchasers. The reason for this is because small items can easily be stolen and the visitor to the auction then assumes that these cabinet items are therefore valuable. This is often the case but not always and as a potential buyer you should be aware of this fact.
On the day of the sale, some buyers, because an item has been lifted from the all-important glass cabinet, will assume that the item is quite valuable. They can then get carried away with this idea, get caught up in a bidding frenzy and end up paying far too much for an item.
At any auction, you should always examine an item carefully.
Because a particular lot has been given pride of place in a display cabinet should not impress you. View an item for what it is and not how it is presented by the auctioneer.
After all, an auctioneer, like all salesmen, wants to make the sale and will use any honest technique he can to get you to buy.
