TRICKS OF THE AUCTION ROOM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7886, 18 December 1903, Page 3

TRICKS OF THE AUCTION ROOM.

9 • The Registrar of the Birmingham County Court is authority for the statement that there are three or four men in the Midland Metropolis who make a. practice of blackmailing intending- 'bidders at auction sales. One man, according to this gentleman, has made a fortune of £40,000 by such malpractices. We have heard a good deal, too, of the " knock-out " conspiracies which prevail at London sales. Another trick practised is to have the owner of the goods or his agent secretly bidding to put up the price. This is quite illegal. " The practice is a fraud upon the sale and upon the pubI lie," Lord Mansfield declared. " The ownor j violates his contract with the public if, j by himself or his agent, he bids upon his j goods, and no subsequent bidder is bound | to take goods at the price at which they are knocked down to him." Ludicrous mistakes have arisen from ill--considered bids at auction sales'. Poor Phil , 'May was the victim of such a case. Several of his friends were helping to raise juices at a charity bazaar, when unexpectedly a lot was knocked down to one of the innocent conspirators. He had not the money wherewith to pay, so dashed off to find Phil May, who was in another part of the building. "Let me have a tenner, Phil," he pleaded, as he explained the fix he was in. The artist complied, and went to have a look at the article. It was one of his own pictures which he had presented to the organisers of the sale. Sir Donald Currie can tell you a. worse experience than that, however. The competition for a chair bearing the name " Dunottar Castle " was fast and furious. Expected to realise a few pounds, it started ; at £5 and jumped by tens to £670, at which price it was knocked down. The secret was that Sir Donald, hearing! that the lot was to be put up, commissioned a broker to get it for him. Then, forgetting what he had done, he gave similar instructions to another man. The result was that [ he owns a chair of oak- acquired at a price •which wouldj have bought most thronA*