How to place your bids

»Going once, going twice, and sold to …«

We auction authentically in the auction hall and with a real auction hammer. Auctions must normally be conducted in accordance with the stringent commerce rules and regulations governing them. On the other hand, »internet auctions« — virtual auctions that only take place on the internet - are not auctions as strictly governed by the commerce laws and restrictions.

Nevertheless, you don't have to be in the auction hall in person to participate.

Basically, there are four ways to bid at our auction:

  • 1. Bids »in writing«

    You authorize us to bid on lots on your behalf on auction day — up to the maximum bid amount you have specified. We represent your interests, i. e. only bid as high as is necessary to win the bid.

    Example: The SOB of a lot is 100 €, you authorize us to bid up to 500 € for the lot. The second highest bidder goes to 150 €, you win the bid for that amount plus one bidding increment higher — for 160 €. You can download a bid form from our website. You fill in your bid(s) and either mail or fax it to us.

    In exceptional cases you can also submit your bid(s) informally via e-mail, but the e-mail must contain the following sentence: »I accept the terms of the auction«.

      Bid form as PDF file

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  • 2. Bids using our online system

    You can access the online catalog at https://auktion.reinhardfischerauktionen.de/en. There is a hammer icon next to the lot descriptions, and you can bid just by clicking on the icon. There is a detailed »Help« section for this procedure. Bids sent via the online system will be treated as bids in writing. You will receive a confirmation of your bid in any case.

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  • 3. Telephone bidding

    Please let us know in writing, by e-mail, fax or by telephone which lots you want to bid on and the telephone number where you can be reached on auction day. We will call you on the phone when the lot is up for bidding.

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  • 4. Auction participation in person

    This is probably the most interesting option, simply because one just must directly experience the atmosphere of a live auction at least one time. It is almost exactly as you have seen it in the movies, but maybe a little more “bureaucratic”, and we usually don’t put up Rembrandts worth two-digit million figures for auction (and neither do our colleagues in the art business).

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If you would like to join the bidding, please arrange to get a bid card with a bid number. You don’t place a bid by calling it out loud or raising your hand, but by holding up your bid card. As long as at least two bid cards are being held up, the auctioneer raises the bids »100, 110, 120, 130 …«.

A »bidding war« ends when only one bidder is still holding up his card. Then the famous words »Going once, going twice, and sold: Lot 4711 goes to bidder 0815 for 130 €« announce the winning bid.