Thursday and Friday are usually auction days for us - Leamington and Stratford.
By this stage of the week, we've already visited the auction house the evening before and scoured the catalogue for those special finds.
Where possible we always go along in person and look at all the items we have our eye on in the catalogue or online. What seems like the perfect buy may have a couple of hairline cracks, chips or simply look awful in real life. They never tell you the condition of an item, bought as seen!
Once we've made our mind up about what we want to bid on, the fun begins. Husband does the bidding otherwise I just wouldn't stop, and then it's a case of waiting for `our' lot to come up.
Butterflies in the stomach as the lot approaches. You have to be quick and assertive. Adrenalin pumps, as the auctioneer announces the lot number and a description.
Sometimes they get off to a flying start so you need to make yourself known if there are a few bidders. Husband usually raises his catalogue to get attention. I usually lower my eyes to the ground and hope for the best. If everyone is playing it cool then the auctioneer will revise their original starting price - sometimes rediulously low, to get things going. Then it's all systems go. Ten, twelve, fifteen, eighteen pounds - the bids against you, should you go just one more. Dig in the ribs to husband - yes? no?
We got it! Euphoric.
We lost it. Deflated.
Once you've set your heart on something it's hard to let it go ... ... but there's always another auction, another treasure and another bargain to be had.
If you've not been to an auction, then go - it's so different from what you see on Flog it.
It's like any live event, it has atmosphere and characters and it's great fun just to watch proceedings.
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