August 17, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
How to price an experience nobody has sold before
A boat trip, a factory tour, a chef for an evening: how to put a number on a lot with no market, and why th…
News
Know-how for anyone organising an auction night, from planning to settling up.
Fun & facts · latest
Where the word 'auction' comes from, and other odd origins
Auction comes from a Latin word for growth; add a Roman spear, an empire sold in 193, a burning candle and a Dutch clock running backwards.
August 18, 2026
August 16, 2026 · On the night · in English
Silent auction bid sheets are dead: what replaced them
Paper bid sheets could not show a price, warn an outbid guest or close a lot fairly; here is what replaced …
August 15, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive watches ever sold at auction
From a steel Patek Philippe at $31 million to Paul Newman's own Daytona: ten record watch sales, and what t…
August 14, 2026 · On the night · in English
Why the last two minutes decide half your total
Bidding is back-loaded, and a hard ending cuts it off; here is why the close decides so much of your total …
August 13, 2026 · Audience · in English
Service club auction ideas: what Rotary and Lions evenings do well
What actually works at a Rotary or Lions auction evening: where the lots come from, which three carry the n…
August 12, 2026 · Planning · in English
How long should a charity auction last?
Allow forty-five to seventy-five minutes of actual bidding inside a three-hour evening, sell twenty lots ra…
August 11, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive cars ever sold at auction
A $142m Mercedes, seven Ferraris and two Silver Arrows: the ten highest prices ever paid for a car at publi…
August 10, 2026 · On the night · in English
Auction terms explained: hammer price, reserve, increment, premium
Hammer price, reserve, increment and buyer's premium in plain English, plus which of them a charity evening…
August 9, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
How to write a lot description that gets bids
Name the number, the place and the dates, say what is excluded, put the donor in one line, and take the pho…
August 8, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive paintings ever sold at auction
From a $450m Leonardo to a $139m Picasso, the ten highest prices ever paid for a painting at auction, and w…
August 7, 2026 · Planning · in English
Charity auction ideas that work in a small hall
A hall of a hundred people fits about twenty lots, so pick promises over objects, keep one lot that many pe…
August 6, 2026 · Planning · in English
Common charity auction mistakes and how to avoid them
The ten mistakes that cost volunteer-run charity auctions the most money, from too many lots to slow paymen…
August 1, 2026 · After the auction · in English
Thanking donors and artists after the auction: the Monday email that doubles next year's donations
How to thank auction donors, artists and winners in the week after the event, with a Monday email template …
July 29, 2026 · Planning · in English
School auction fundraiser guide: how a parents' association runs a great evening
A school auction guide for parents' associations: the lots that work, class art projects, teacher experienc…
July 26, 2026 · On the night · in English
What to do when nobody bids on a lot: reserves, re-opening and bundling
Practical rescues for auction lots with no bids: fixing the price on the spot, bundling, second-chance roun…
July 23, 2026 · On the night · in English
Proxy bidding explained: let guests set a maximum and enjoy the evening
How proxy bidding actually works, with real numbers, the mistakes guests and organisers make, and the edge …
July 20, 2026 · Money · in English
How to handle payment at a charity auction: same-night settlement without the chase
Collect auction money on the night itself: what slow invoicing really costs, a settlement flow two voluntee…
July 17, 2026 · Planning · in English
Charity auction checklist: the week before, the day, and the hour before doors
A charity auction checklist for volunteers: the final week, the day, the hour before doors, what goes wrong…
July 14, 2026 · On the night · in English
The big screen: why showing a live total makes rooms bid more
Why a live total and bid feed change how a room bids, how to choose the goal and the type size, and the fou…
July 11, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 strangest things ever sold at auction
A stegosaurus, a shredded Banksy, a banana and a kidney stone: ten auction lots that genuinely happened, an…
July 11, 2026 · On the night · in English
How to be a good volunteer auctioneer: script, pacing and the hammer
A field guide for first-time volunteer auctioneers: the script per lot, bid ladders, pacing, stalls, the ha…
July 10, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive whiskies ever sold at auction
Six of the ten come from a single distillery and five from one cask filled in 1926. Ten verified record whi…
July 8, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive vintage posters ever sold
Ten record poster prices, from a Toulouse-Lautrec Moulin Rouge to the sole surviving Dracula sheet, each wi…
July 8, 2026 · Money · in English
What does charity auction software cost? An honest market overview
Charity auction software pricing explained: percentage of proceeds, donor tips and flat fees, the costs tha…
July 7, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive toys and games ever auctioned
From a two-million-dollar Steiff bear to a chess piece once bought for five pounds: ten verified toy and ga…
July 5, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive stamps and coins ever sold
Ten record sales, split into two lists: five coins from the 1933 Double Eagle down, and five stamps led by …
July 5, 2026 · Online & hybrid · in English
Running a hybrid auction: how to let people bid from home with a live stream
How to run a hybrid charity auction: the stream delay that decides your closing method, inviting remote bid…
July 4, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive sports memorabilia ever sold
From Babe Ruth's called-shot jersey at 24.12 million dollars to the T206 Honus Wagner: ten record sports me…
July 2, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The most expensive sneakers ever sold at auction
Six sneaker sales that can actually be checked, from an 8 million dollar Jordan set to the 1972 Moon Shoe, …
July 2, 2026 · On the night · in English
How does mobile bidding work at a charity auction? QR codes, no app needed
How phone bidding works at a charity auction: scan a QR code, bid in the browser, get outbid alerts. What o…
July 1, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive pieces of jewellery ever sold at auction
From the 71.2 million dollar Pink Star to a record that was never paid: ten landmark jewellery sales at auc…
June 29, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive photographs ever sold at auction
Man Ray at 12.4 million dollars and a Steichen at 11.8 million: ten confirmed record photograph sales, and …
June 29, 2026 · On the night · in English
Charity auction rules and etiquette: a guide for guests
What a first-time charity auction guest needs to know: how silent and live bidding work, what a bid commits…
June 28, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive musical instruments ever auctioned
From the Lady Blunt Stradivarius to David Gilmour's Black Strat: the ten most expensive instruments ever au…
June 26, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive maps and globes ever sold
Ten record prices for maps, atlases and globes, from a 1477 Ptolemy at Sotheby's to a small globe bought fo…
June 26, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
How to get local businesses to donate auction items: the ask, the letter, the follow-up
A practical system for collecting auction donations from local businesses: how many to ask, a letter you ca…
June 25, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive handbags ever sold at auction
From Jane Birkin's own prototype at 10.1 million dollars to a row of near-identical Himalaya crocodile bags…
June 23, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive guitars ever sold at auction
From David Gilmour's Black Strat at 14.55 million dollars to Kurt Cobain's Unplugged Martin: ten record gui…
June 23, 2026 · Planning · in English
How many lots should a charity auction have? The 12 to 20 rule
Twelve to twenty lots is the sweet spot for a charity auction. Why more lots raise less, what too few costs…
June 22, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive fossils, meteorites and space objects
Ten verified auction records for meteorites, Moon rock and spaceflown hardware, from a 25kg piece of Mars t…
June 20, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive film props ever auctioned
From the ruby slippers at 32.5 million dollars to the Casablanca piano: ten record film prop sales, each ve…
June 20, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
What to auction when nobody donates art: promises, experiences and services
No paintings, no problem. How promise lots, experiences and donated services fill a charity auction, what t…
June 19, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive dinosaur fossils ever auctioned
From a 50 million dollar T. rex to a skull that sold for a third of its estimate: ten record dinosaur fossi…
June 17, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive design and furniture pieces auctioned
From the Badminton Cabinet at US$36.7 million to a 1988 aluminium chaise longue: ten confirmed record price…
June 17, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
40 silent auction basket and lot ideas that actually get bids
Forty silent auction lot ideas grouped by what they actually fetch, from 25 euro fillers to headline lots, …
June 16, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive comic books ever sold
The biggest comic prices are private sales, not auctions. Ten genuine hammer results, from a 9.12 million d…
June 14, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive celebrity possessions ever auctioned
Ruby slippers at 32.5 million dollars, a Babe Ruth jersey at 24 million: ten confirmed record sales of cele…
June 14, 2026 · Lots & donations · in English
How to set starting bids at a charity auction: the one-third rule
Opening each lot at about a third of its real value raises more money. How to set the increment ladder, use…
June 13, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive bottles of wine ever auctioned
From a one-million-dollar charity lot in New Orleans to a 1945 Romanee-Conti at 812,500 dollars: ten record…
June 11, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 most expensive books and manuscripts ever auctioned
From a 1787 Constitution at 43.2 million dollars to Shakespeare's First Folio: ten record book and manuscri…
June 11, 2026 · Planning · in English
Silent auction vs live auction: which fits your evening
Silent handles volume and shy bidders, live handles your best three lots. The arithmetic behind each, how t…
June 10, 2026 · Fun & facts · in English
The 10 biggest charity auction lots of all time
From a $142 million Mercedes to lunch with Warren Buffett: the ten biggest charity auction lots on record, …
June 8, 2026 · Planning · in English
How to run a charity auction: a complete guide for first-time organisers
The full arc of a volunteer charity auction: six weeks of planning, twelve to twenty lots, format, starting…
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