Auction Fun
Thinking about auctions (see the good morning thread of boaty),,,
Beginners think if they scratch their nose ,they'll get a Modigliani or something knocked down to them. They won't but there are other hazards, some odder than others.
I once flew to Edinburgh to buy a picture of a snooty dark haired woman arranging flowers. A really good study. As I was leaving, my wife saw I'd marked it in the catalogue and said "If you buy that picture, I'll burn it!" Asked why,she said "the woman looks exactly like your ex-wife" I never thought....So I chickened out and bought a picture of three girls, young children , playing instead, having first made sure that my ex didn't have fair curly hair when she was eight,
All came good by mistake. Later I was at a sale when a picture of an ugly woman with a prettier dog came up. Estimate £2000
As they do, the auctioneer opened with a suggested low bid,to get things started. £1500? No bid. £1200? Silence "Oh come on everybody£1000! " So, to be helpful, I did the conventional thing and bid. You can guess the rest . For the and only time in my long career,there was stony silence and in.a room of 200 plus bidders. I took my mistake home. My wife thought it wonderful and have it pride of place
I'll never understand women !