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A closer inspection before bidding

How to get what you want at auction
Unless you’re an aficionado, auctions can be intimidating. Matthew Girling of Bonhams offers some tips:

1 Use a sales calendar (all auction houses will have one) to decide which sales you want to attend.

2 Once you’ve decided on the sale you will need to order a catalogue. Flick through it and start thinking about what you want to bid for in advance. It takes preparation.

3 Make sure you attend the viewing day, which is usually the day before an auction.

4 Auction houses take your credit card details before you bid. Once you bid you enter into a contract so make sure you read through the contract beforehand – it will be published in the catalogue.

5 If you can’t attend the sale you can bid via telephone or internet and you can do an ‘either/or bid’.

6 If you are selling, call up and make an appointment – it’s the auctioneer’s job to tell you what something is worth and whether it’s worth selling. You can also email digital images, which saves time.
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