Ok, you’ve followed my tips so far and have arrived to view your chosen auction with plenty of time and with the right equipment with you.  The purpose of viewing is to establish which lots you want to buy and how much you are prepared to pay for them. This is how I approach the viewing :

- Find lot one and work  up from there. This ensures that you dont miss out on anything and that you have all the lots you want to bid on in the right order when it comes to the actual sale.

1. - Assuming that there are hundreds of items in the auciton you are only going to be interested in buying a small %. I quickly glance at each lot in turn passing over ones which are not of interest to me.
2. - When I find a lot of interest I examine it in detail looking for : what is it? How old is it? Any damage or restoration? Any manufacture information? This enables me to work out if it would be of interest to my customers and if I am interested in buying that lot. If I have any outstanding questions about the item I write down notes so that I can do further research when I get home,
3. - I work out the maximum price I am willing to pay for the lot. Remember you will have commission to pay on top of the price you win any lot at. You will need to ask each auction house individually what the commission is. The maximum price you bid will need to take this commission into account.
4. - move onto the next lot and repeat the process until the entire auction has been viewed

There are a few points to remember:

• - The auction house staff are there to help you, if you cant find a lot or need to know more about it do ask. You may not always get the help you need but its worth a try
• - Find out how many lots per hour the auction sale proceeds at. This will  help you establish how long you will be at the auction and what time you need to turn up at the sale.
• - Auction lots can sometimes be quite large and there may only be one or two items in the lot which interest you. If you buy a very large lot the auction house will normally expect that you take it all away not just the items you want. Do ask the auction house staff they may be prepared to help with the disposal of unwanted part lots but normally not.

What do I need to take with me to a real life auction? 

I would say as an absolute minimum you need:

- a pen

- a copy of the catalogue or a note book ( or you may buy a catalogue at the auction house)

- proof of identity which is needed at some auction houses before you can register (see part 6)

- means to pay for your purchases ( check the auctioneers website to see what is acceptable)

- packaging material to protect your purchases on your way home

Victorian glass dump

Depending on the types of antiques you are going to buy you may also want:

- a loup or magnifying glass

- a set of digital weighing sales ( for gold)

- a tape measure ( will the furniture fit in my house?)

- an electronic diamond tester

- an ultraviolet pencil light to test for ceramic restoration

- Reference Books ( keep these in the car it is really un-cool to be seen referring to them in the auction room)

And, In my case I also need to remember my glasses as I can see the details clearly enough without them!

This is part 2 of my beginners guide to real life antiques auctions. You do not have to take auctions  this seriously and you can miss this step out if you wish – my guide is intended to help you get the most out of the auction and preparation before turning up can really help.

Having established in step one when and where the auction is being held you can now research :

• - Is there a catalogue to be viewed in advance?

Catalogues can often be found on the Internet a few days in advance of the sale either through the antiques trade gazette website or directly on the auction house website. This will help you to establish if they are selling items of interest to you . Some catalogues have estimated prices and pictures some are just text lists. If possible print off a copy of the catalogue – over a year this can save you a considerable amount of money. I attend one weekly auction where they charge £2 for a printed list of the lots which can be printed off for free.

• - What time is viewing and is it worth a separate trip?

Auctions can normally be viewed a few days in advance of the sale as well as in the morning of the sale itself. If the sale is large, there are lots of things which interest you and it is not too far away I would recommend viewing on a day prior to the sale itself. Close to the auction start there can be lots of other viewers who : get in your way and slow you down, prevent you having sufficient time to view the lots ( this particularly applies to small items and jewellery which are kept under glass and you need the assistance of a porter to view). Additionally you will see items you wish to come home and research further.

• - How do I get to the auction house and what facilities do they have?

The auction will start on time and auction houses can be tucked away in city back streets with limited parking facilities. You can wast precious time on the morning of the sale looking for parking as every other bidder will also want a space. This is competition and the early bird who is well prepared has an advantage.

Also check what the refreshment facilities are, it can be a very long day if you cant even get a cup of tea and you may want to take you own (more on what to take with you in the next part of my guide).

studio vase bought at auction

Part one of my ten part beginners guide to real life antiques auctions covers how to find out when and where auctions are being held.

• To me the most useful website for researching the where and when of auctions is the Antiques Trade Gazette website. You will need to register for the site but it is free to use .  You can also buy a paid for subscription to the Antiques Trade Gazette newspaper which has the information contained on their website plus lots of glossy adverts for antiques auctions however I would not personally subscribe just for this purpose alone.
• Check your local newspaper; There are often small local auctions which never get advertised in the Gazette. These can be held in pubs, clubs, village halls etc.
• Check your yellow pages; Auction houses are listed and you can give them a ring to find out when they hold their auctions or find out their web address
• Ask around; do you know anyone in the antiques trade? They will know all about the local auctions and if you are lucky will pass on some insider knowledge

Now follow the information you have to go to the individual websites of the auction houses – there will be loads more on the when and where. For example take a look at this website of a Birmingham Auctioneer 

Bretby stork vase bought at auction

I love going to real life auctions and attend at least one every week looking for bargains to offer to my customers. Auctions are  wonderful, interesting, exciting and profitable to attend.  Done well the auction can be entertaining, sociable and a source of learning. However, if you go about attending auctions in the wrong way it can be an absolute nightmare waste of time and money. Over the next few days I am going to tell you a bit about how I attend auctions and how you too can get the most out of them.

The guide is in ten short parts:

1. - How can I find out when and where auctions are running
2. - Preparation before attending the auction
3. - Equipment to take with you
4. - Viewing the auction
5. - Research what you’ve viewed
6. - Registration /commission bids
7. - During the sale – the bidding process
8. - Paying for and collecting your purchases
9. - When you get you treasures home
10. - Other useful snippets – antiques auctions conclusion

I will be adding one or two of these sections to my blog every day over the next week