Buying Art Pottery at Live Auctions

Here are some tips for successfully buying art pottery at live auctions:

1. Give yourself plenty of time to personally inspect anything you plan to bid on.  Most auctioneers will not accept returns for any reason for in house bidders.   There are a very few exceptions where galleries guarantee condition or auctioneers allow a 1 to 2 minute inspection period before considering the sale final.   
2. Understand that in many cases, the pottery at the auction is selling with a reserve price.  If the piece doesn’t meet the reserve price the vase will not be sold.  Many auction houses are discrete about pieces that do not meet reserve so it isn’t always clear if an item sells or not.  Reserves are not necessarily a bad thing but it is important for bidders to realize that in most cases you are not only bidding against other bidders but also against the seller’s reserve price. 
3. Bring the necessary items to assist you in identifying repairs on art pottery and the printed catalog or a note book to record notes on specific lots. Many pottery sales are cataloged so that often helps with note taking but some of the best sales are still non-cataloged and do not sell in any order.  For these events, note taking can be vital to making you day at the auction a success.
4. Determine the buyer’s premium ahead of time.  Many of the larger art pottery auction galleries are charging 20% or more as a buyer’s premium.  This buyer’s premium is added to your final bid price so if you bid a $1000 on a Roseville vase and there is a 20% buyer’s premium you are actually committing to paying $1.200 for the piece.  Make sure you factor the premium into your bid when considering the maximum you will pay for an item. 
5. Identify acceptable payment methods in advance. Some auction houses will not accept credit cards. Others accept credit cards, but charge a higher buyer’s premium if you pay with a credit card.  Some auction houses will not accept checks from out of state buyers without prior approval. 
6. Come to the auction prepared to transport your pottery purchases. I typically bring hard plastic storage tubs like you get from Menards or Home Depot and plenty of bubble wrap for packing. 
7. If I do not know the auctioneer I will typically make my first bid by raising my hand to be sure by bid has been seen. After the first bid, if you want to be more discrete about your bidding activity, you can make subsequent bids by nodding your head or making a less noticeable hand gesture while the auctioneering looking at you.
8. If multiple people are bidding on the same item I am interested in, I will wait for the bidding to slow before entering the bidding action.  Rapid fire bidding can start a frenzy that can drive prices up.  By slowing the bidding down you may be more successful. 
9. Many pottery auctions sell upwards of 100 lots an hour, so it is important to stay focused and know when you item is coming up for bid.  At small, local sales things typically move a little slower but still it is important to pay attention.  A perfect example of this was a sale I heard about recently where there were 2 small Rookwood vellum vases.  It was very small sale and only two parties appeared to recognize what the vases were.  The one gentleman left the room for a smoke break.  The other “gentleman” saw him leave and requested the “small pottery vases” be sold next.  He promptly bought them for around $20 a piece.  This is an extreme example but the point is pay attention to when and where your item is the sale process.  It is also a somewhat common thing for box lot items to end up switched around doing preview; so again pay attention.
10. Finally, set your bidding limit ahead of time.  Don’t let your pride or competitiveness control your bidding. Don’t get caught in that “auction fever”.  Remember your bidding limit and that in most cases you can find another one of the item you are bidding on if you are not successful.

Greg Myroth – Buying Art Pottery