Register to bid online by clicking on the ‘Login’ tab on Weschler’s home page to create an online bidding account. Bidders are approved to bid in a Weschler’s auction based on bidding and payment history. We ask that new bidders 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. Online bidding is also available through Invaluable and AuctionZip.* Instructions on How to Bid and Online Bidding FAQs can be found here. Bidders are responsible for ensuring their online account is approved for the auctions in which they wish to place bids.

* All online bidders are charged an additional 2% buyer’s premium on Weschler’s Online; and an additional 5% on Invaluable & AuctionZip bidding platforms.

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. Bidders are responsible for ensuring their online account is approved for the auctions in which they wish to place bids.

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.

Bids are accepted in bidding increments 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+                              Auctioneer’s Discretion

Absentee bidding is only offered for our Capital Collections Auctions. An absentee bid is left by a bidder who cannot attend a live auction. The bid represents the maximum amount the bidder is willing to pay for a particular lot (before buyer’s premium and applicable sales tax 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 left on their Absentee Bid Form. If there are no competing bids, the lot may be passed, and offered again in a future auction. The Absentee Bid Form is available online and at the office. For further information, contact 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.

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.

The online catalogue is available on our website for each upcoming auction. The Metro Online Auction catalogue is available on Thursday afternoon for the following week’s sale, and the Capital Collection Auction catalogue is typically available three weeks prior to the sale. To access the auction catalogues, click the ‘Buy’ tab at the top of the homepage; select ‘Upcoming Auctions’. Scroll down to find the desired sale date and click ‘Explore’. Our online catalogue for each upcoming auction is also available on Invaluable and AuctionZip.*

* All online bidders are charged an additional 2% buyer’s premium on Weschler’s Online; and an additional 5% on Invaluable & AuctionZip bidding platforms.

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.

A consignment is an item or group of items offered for sale on 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 nominal 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. Request an Estimate

Weschler’s subscribes to a number of online databases which allow for us to check the auction records of comparable items that 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. All of our auctions are listed and available for bidding online to a worldwide audience on Weschler’s, Invaluable and AuctionZip. 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 category. 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 Auction items typically do not have reserves.

Our Metro Online Auctions are Timed Online Only auctions that occur every Tuesday. These sales include fine quality furniture, collectibles, rugs, artwork, decorative arts, silver, jewelry, and household goods, all typically sold without a reserve (minimum). The online catalogue for these weekly sales is available on our website, as well as Invaluable and AuctionZip*, on Thursday afternoon prior to the sale. All lots can be previewed in person in our galleries on Fridays 11 am to 2 pm and Mondays 9 am to 4 pm.

Online bids can be placed as soon as the catalogue is posted online, and until the lot closes on Tuesday. Lots are scheduled to close at 30 second increments, beginning with the first lot at 10 am. Each lot has a countdown to indicate the scheduled closing time for that lot, but the time can be extended if there are competitive bids being placed within the last 5 minutes (when the countdown displays in red). Bidding extension adds 5 minutes and can occur multiple times until there are no further competitive bids being entered and the countdown for that lot runs out. This feature is intended to prohibit sniping software and activity.

* All online bidders are charged an additional 2% buyer’s premium on Weschler’s Online; and an additional 5% on Invaluable & AuctionZip bidding platforms.

Capital Collections Auctions are high-end auctions which take place quarterly. Our Capital Collections Auctions include 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. A printed catalogue is available in our galleries for each auction. The online version of the catalogue, as well as a downloadable pdf version, is typically available three weeks prior to the sale and offers color photos, descriptions and estimates. Items available in these auctions often have a reserve (minimum) below which the item would not sell. Online bids can be placed as soon as the catalogue is posted on our website and live online bidding is available the day of the sale. Absentee bidding, telephone bidding and in-person bidding are also available for Capital Collections Auctions.