Sale No. 1

The Inaugural Sale

Lots marked SPECIMEN are house-catalogued examples assembled from public data while the first consignments arrive. Prices and bidding are member-only — a paddle takes a minute.
House rules

The mechanics, in the open

RuleHow it works here
Proxy biddingThe amount you enter is your sealed maximum. The house bids the minimum needed to lead on your behalf, one increment at a time, and stops at your ceiling. Earliest maximum wins ties.
Increments€2 below €50 · €5 to €100 · €10 to €250 · €25 to €500 · €50 to €1,000 · €100 to €2,500 · €250 above.
Soft closeAny bid landing in the final 2 minutes extends the lot by 2 minutes. A lot ends only after the bidding has gone quiet.
ReserveLots may carry a confidential reserve; the card shows only whether it has been met. A lot that closes under reserve is passed, not sold.
Salvage windowIf the closing bid reaches at least half the reserve, consignor and leading bidder get a 24-hour window: the consignor may accept the standing bid, or the bidder may raise to the reserve and take the lot. If neither moves, the lot passes.
SettlementWinner pays the mill the hammer price; the mill ships direct in certified packaging. The house invoices the mill a flat 22% — the only fee on either side in year one.
BreakageConsigned lots must ship in tins, wood cases or moulded-pulp shippers. Damage claims: within 48 hours of delivery, with photographs of bottle, packaging and label. The mill reships or refunds the buyer. Transit is the consignor's and the courier's risk — the house retains 10% of hammer on damage-refunded lots, and the full 22% where packaging standards were ignored.
PrivacyBidders appear as paddle numbers only. Prices are hidden from the open web — the room knows who is in it.