The One That Got Away

Today I attended an auction at the Port Hope Recreation Centre, a fundraising event for the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. It was a chance to visit Port Hope and to spend time with my parents, who made the trip from Peterborough.

I haven't been to an auction in many years, and it was a fun event!! I arrived at 11 am, along with many other interested bidders, to preview the merchandise, and of course I found an item of interest: Catalogue Item #79 - a 45 piece set of Royal Doulton Clarendon china.

Precisely at 1:00 pm the auction got underway, and it took some intense listening to "translate" the language of the auctioneer. As I grew accustomed to the bidding process, my item was quickly approaching the auction block. My heart pounded, my palms began to sweat, I mentally recalculated my maximum bid...I raised my paddle...$130...$150...$190...I'm out. The set sold for $200, and I'm sure it will look absolutely beautiful on someone else's table:

Photos courtesy of www.replacements.com