Information for Buyers

About Bidding

Register to bid online or click the Login tab to create a Weschler’s account. Bidders are approved to bid in a Weschler’s auction based on bidding and payment history. We ask that new bidder’s complete the online registration 24 hours in advance. Pending bidders should contact Christine Messing at 202-628-1281 or by email to check bidding status. Bidding is also available through Invaluable and Auctionzip.

Bidder registration is approved on an auction-by-auction basis based on bidding and payment history. If your bidder registration is pending, please contact Christine Messing by email or call 202-628-1281 to check the status of your registration.

The buyer’s premium is a percentage added to the hammer price of an item sold at auction. Be sure to verify the buyer’s premium prior to bidding.

Our Auctioneers execute and conduct the bidding by bidding increments. Bid increments for our auctions are as follows:

$1-$99                                    $5 increments

$100-$499                            $25 increments

$500-$999                            $50 increments

$1,000-$1,999                      $100 increments

$2,000-$4,999                     $200 increments

$5,000-$9,999                     $500 increments

$10,000-$24,999                 $1,000 increments

$25,000-$49,999                 $2,500 increments

$50,000-$99,999                 $5,000 increments

$100,000-$199,999             $10,000 increments

$200,000-$499,999            $25,000 increments

$500,000 +                            $50,000 increments

 

An absentee bid is a bid that is executed on behalf of a bidder during a live auction. The bid represents the maximum amount the bidder is willing to pay for a particular lot (before buyer’s premium and sales tax–if applicable are added). There must be a competing bid to authenticate the bid, therefore, the bidding does not automatically start with the top limit of an absentee bid. A bidder can consequently win the lot for less than the top limit of their bid. Absentee bidders may place bids using the absentee bid form available online, or by contacting Linda Niehaus at 202-628-1281.

Telephone bidding is only offered for our Capital Collections Auctions. During the auction, a member of Weschler’s staff will call you from the auction floor to bid on your behalf for the desired lot. To make arrangements for a telephone bid, complete the absentee bid form, including the telephone number(s) where you can be reached on the day of the auction. As a guide, Weschler’s auctions proceed at a rate of approximately eighty lots per hour. We will attempt to call you several lots in advance of your lot. While we do our best to reach you during the auction, we cannot be held responsible for bad connections or missed or dropped phone calls. Contact Linda Niehaus for more information or to arrange a telephone bid.

General Information

A lot is the unit of sale. The lot may be a single painting, a chair, a hundred-piece set of china, or a diamond necklace with a pair of matching earrings. There is no limit to the number of items that may constitute a lot. Items cannot be bought individually nor separated from a lot.

A lot listing is available on our website for each upcoming auction. To access the auction listing, click on the Bid Now tab in the upper right section of the header menu, scroll down to find the sale date, then click explore auction.  The catalogues for our Capital Collections Auctions are available on our website approximately three weeks before the auction, along with a downloadable pdf version.

The price realized is the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium. This number is the final price published in press releases and online highlights.

Information for Sellers

About Consigning

A consignment is an item or group of items offered for sale on the behalf of the owner (consignor/seller).

A representative from Weschler’s must review your property before it can be accepted for consignment. You may make an appointment to have your items reviewed at our gallery, email us photographs accompanied by descriptions, or arrange for an in-home visit with a specialist to have your property personally inspected (the visit fee is refunded if the agreed-upon property is consigned within three months of the visit). Email photographs of your pieces to [email protected], or call (202-628-1281) to schedule an appointment with a specialist. Weschler’s requires all consignments to have a total minimum auction value of $1000. If accepted, our specialists will determine the appropriate sale category for each of your items, with the goal of maximizing your profits.

See also: Request an Estimate or How to Sell

Weschler’s subscribes to a number of online databases which allow for us to check the auction records of comparable items which have been auctioned in the past. These databases are not free to the general public.

At Weschler’s, our goal is maximizing profits for our clients. Auctions allow for this to occur by offering items for sale in a competitive open market. In contrast, estate sales apply set prices to items. Weschler’s has specialists in many categories who research individual pieces, and, subsequently, help to ensure top dollar for your items by placing them in the appropriate sale categories. In addition, Weschler’s advertises sales both nationally and internationally through social media and/or print.

No, Weschler’s exclusively accepts items on consignment.

A reserve is the mutually agreed upon minimum price for which a lot will be sold and is confidential between the Auctioneer and the consignor. If a lot does not meet its reserve, it will not be sold. Property may also be offered without a reserve or at the Auctioneer’s discretion. Metro Online Timed Auction items typically do not have reserves.

Types of Auctions

Our Metro Online Auctions take place every Tuesday. These timed, online-only auctions typically include over 500 lots of antique, reproduction and modern furniture, collectibles, rugs, artwork, decorative elements, silver, estate jewelry, mirrors, lamps, porcelain and more, which are available for bidding through our website and Invaluable and AuctionZip (online auction platforms). Lots in the timed online auction end over a period of time. Lots in the Metro Online Auction begin closing at 10am, and each minute thereafter. There is a countdown timer beside each lot to determine when bidding will end. In the event that competitive bidding takes place within the last five minutes of the auction, time will be added in five minute increments. This feature is intended to prohibit sniping software and activity.

Capital Collections Auctions are high-end auctions which take place quarterly. Our Capital Collections Auctions include antique European and American furniture and decorations, paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, jewelry, coins, watches, 20th Century decorative arts, Asian works of art, rugs, carpets, and tapestries. The online catalogue is typically published three weeks prior to the sale, along with a downloadable pdf version. Items could sell for more or less than the estimated values provided in the catalogues.