This is part of a series of blogs about attending live auctions. We will address auction preparation here.

As with most things in life, a little preparation can ensure a positive experience.

Depending on the time of day or evening, most auctions will have some form of catered food available for purchase. The fare can range from snacks to full meals, so ask ahead if you are uncertain about what is available. Of course, you can always choose to bring your own snack foods and drinks if you prefer. Bringing wipes to clean your hands would be a good idea, since most items in a preview are not completely free of dirt and dust.

Since most auction halls have folding chairs for the audience to use, they generally are not padded seats. It can be very uncomfortable to spend a few hours sitting on one of those chairs while watching and participating in an auction. Bring a cushion!

Usually, an auction house will have magnifying glasses available for use during a preview and sometimes a black light might be available as well. However, being prepared would mean that if you routinely want to use either of those tools for inspecting potential purchases, it would be wise to bring your own. If you like to refer to reference guides, bring those with you as well.

Finally, researching ahead of time to determine current values will help you avoid auction fever and overpaying for your purchase. The flipside of the coin is that having knowledge of current values can assist you in making a great buy. Auctions often results in items being sold for a lot more than their current market value and sometimes they are sold a lot less than their current market value. Research and preparation will help you spot those items and could have lucrative results!

Anita Vieth
Cousins Antiques on Ruby Lane
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/cousinsantiques