My virgin auction experience was interesting, to say the least.

The man, whose vast collection was unloaded, was in attendance and had a difficult time with the proceedings. The antique auction house, a very reputable one, offered whole lots or “choice” lots, meaning your bid price was PER item. The catalogue published which lots were which type, whole or choice. However, a lot of this got changed during the auction which made it very frustrating and long for those of us in attendance.

My storage area was clean. That is, until I unloaded all the stuff above from an antique auction this past weekend.

Overall, most of us got good stuff at fair prices, and antique auctions, in general, are a great place to find unique and interesting pieces below retail.

But patience is the name of the game. I spent thirteen hours, over two days, at this auction. And here are some of my finds. I picked up lots of iron trellises and tables.

…bowls, wood-carved treasures, and garden statuary…

…and mixed boxes of wooden architectural pieces and tins and tools…you never know what you get until…

…you open the lid…

…and that, my friends, at one dollar, was the find of the day. A nice “jewel” of a surprise. That..and all the wonderful people I met over the course of two days…you become surprisingly intimate with auction regulars….