If you have never been to and auction before I would like to take a few minutes to inform you of a few useful facts.

• No two auctions are the same. Prices may be high one day and low the next.
• Dress for success. Bring a jacket and a hat. You can leave them in the cat/truck but at some point in time you will be glad you did.
• Bring your price list. Sometimes the fever gets the best of the crowd and you could end up paying more that new prices for farmer Browns old T-post.
• Be seen and heard. I've lost out to a few things because I was to meek. My wife is short and must work twice as hard to be noticed. Once they got you in on the bid they will keep an eye on you though.
• Watch for unscrupulous auctioneers. Some of them will have a ghost bidder go up against you. Look around for your opponent to make sure you are not bidding against the auctioneer's imagination.
• Stay in touch. I was bidding on a table once and finally won but the person bidding against me was persistent. After the auction I found the wife walking around and she told me of this table she almost won but someone outbid her. I'm still hiding that thing in the basement.
• Make contacts. You can find a lot of useful things by just talking with people.