Diary Of An Archaeologist - Wattys 2019 Non-fiction Winner

That Time I Took An Archaeologist To An Art Auction

Welcome back, my Archaeology lovers, today I'm bringing back a familiar face; Tobias from 'That Time Someone Tried To Break Into A House With Archaeologists.'
Because this story starts with me running into him, by chance, on a plane.

We were lucky enough a very sweet lady wanted to switch seats with him, so during our flight, we caught up on what we have been doing since graduating.

Tobias had landed a job as an Archaeologist in England and was now flying back to start his latest excavation that Monday. I was working on my master's research in one of Europe's largest museums and was on my way to an art auction with my colleague, Rose, who was sitting next to me.

It was pretty obvious Rose fancied the Viking looks of Tobias because she offered him our extra auction ticket almost instantly. And what kind of wing-woman would I be to deny her that, so I told him about the amazing weapons collection that would also be on display at this auction and he took the bate.
Now, I know what your thinking; Aly, this sounds like a rom-com scenario type of thing. And, yes, it was, but I must say both Rose and I didn't really think this plan through.

You see, although archaeologist and art historians do all have a love for the historical, there is a distinct difference between the two groups.
One tends to be posher and more proper while the other is more down to earth and unrefined.
NOTE THIS!! I'm not saying that everyone is like this, this is a generalisation, but after working in both fields this is what I have observed. To super mega oversimplify it; archaeologists are beer people, art historians wine people.

Okay, now back to the story and no more stereotyping, I don't like it. But it will help explain why thing went the way they went.
So, after Tobias had agreed, I asked him if he had something suitable to wear for the occasion. He answered he probably had a white shirt somewhere.
Oh, sweet mercy, I cannot express the amount of confusion there was between Tobias and me as I explained to him, that just a white shirt wouldn't be enough for an exclusive art auction in London. Some of the guests attending would even rent exclusive diamond jewellery in order to make a good impression at this auction. Then there were, of course, the Dukes and Duchesses that would flock to any British art auction, regardless of there interest in art. These art auctions are the only times I've been among the so-called high society, and let me tell you, if you're not self-conscious about your looks, being among these people for a prolonged period of time will make you self-conscious.

The only reason I was allowed to go with Rose was because she was impressed by my ability to talk to several other museum directors at a Dutch art auction. But they are just ordinary, amicable people, not stuck up nobility. And I was one of the only few colleagues available that weekend.

Well, after we landed, Tobias agreed to meet us later that day to go shopping for a rental suit. He complained at first about the prices, even though we had picked out very reasonably priced suits, but after he got one on and saw Rose's awestruck reaction Tobias had to admit it looked excellent. I was so excited to see the sparks fly between the two, that I took them to a pub for a drink that night, staying up way later than we should have. Because well, the next day was the auction. The auction we went to was an Evening Sale, which meant, most of the day we would spend getting ready for the evening.
Tobias met us at the entrance at our hotel, and I must admit I was cheering on the inside for my ship to sail, they looked so super cute together.
Compliments were exchanged, and we entered the auction house together, registering us as representatives of our museum.

Allow me to paint you a picture of how this auction worked. Several pieces were presented throughout the hall, in order to let experts inspect it up close and even make a bid beforehand, known as a Third-Party Guarantee. This means that a buyer can make a price above the reserve, and the auction house is always guaranteed a sell no matter what happens in the saleroom. Not all pieces up for auction will be presented, some of the most highly desired auction pieces were not there, unfortunately Rose and I were only able to find one of the three artworks the museum wanted to buy. So, with champagne in hand, we strolled through the hall waiting for the saleroom to open.
Rose was chatting with some art collectors when I spotted Tobias from the corner of my eye. He was discussing something with one of the auction's specialist, in front of a collection of Japanese swords. Not katanas, but I don't remember their actual name.

"Oh, there you are. Seeing something you fancy?" I chime in, trying to assess the situation.

"Hey Aly, I was just having a discussion with this gentleman about the price of these swords. The opening bid is at 100.000 and the reserve 150.000! These are (sword name that I forgot) from the (dynasty I can't remember) they're extremely rare."

I knew I should have explained the terminology of an auction to Tobias at that very moment, and mentally scolded myself for getting too caught up in playing matchmaker. The opening bid at an auction is generally set far below the price estimate to attract bidders. The reserve price is the minimum amount that either the auction house or the consignor is willing to sell the piece for. Both are minimum prices, and it's the Auctioneer's job to drive up that price.

To give you an example, Andy Warhol's cookie jar collection had an opening bid of $50 and a reserve of $100. They were sold for $250.000. It gave the journalists a juicy piece to write about, cookie jars sold for a quarter million dollars, and the auction house got free publicity for a month.

"I would pay double that amount," Tobias added, and I could already see the specialist's eyes sparkle at the prospect of securing a bid, so I unceremoniously pulled Tobias away and met up with Rose, who I asked to keep an eye on him. After all, it was not ours, but the museum's money we were spending tonight and I was pretty sure they wouldn't want some Japanese swords in their collection. So, we made our way to the saleroom with another glass of champagne (it was free, I'm not saying no to free champagne) and took our seats.
Most of the auction went fairly smooth; we had secured one of our chosen artworks for the museum, lost another to an online bid that went far above our budget and then the white-gloved handlers strut on the stage with the Japanese swords. The auctioneer announced them, before added, "bidding starts at 200.000, opening bid by Museum X."

Rose and I sucked a gasp as we heard our museum had the opening bid. And for double the amount of the opening bid. Then it clicked in my mind, and I glared at Tobias. He had made that comment about them being worth double the amount, and for whatever reason, that got us in a Third-Party Guarantee. None of the paddles were going up, and the room suddenly seemed boiling hot, I was panicking that much. Then I heard Rose comment a little too loud to Tobias, "Those are the swords from that emperor, right?"

Tobias arched a brow in confusion, but I caught on. She was trying to get other people to bid by making the piece seem more desirable. "Yes," I added, "didn't your team recently find the grave of the emperor to whom these swords belonged."

By now, Tobias knew what we were doing, and played along. "Oh yes, emperor (insert famous name here). These swords are even rumoured to be legendary."

This got the attention of several buyers, and before the hammer could hit the auction block, someone placed another bid. We slummed back into our seat relieved we dodged that bullet. At the end of the evening, we had two of the three pieces we wanted, without going over budget, so it was a good evening after all. Rose and Tobias danced at the reception afterwards, and he and I even sought out the buyer of the swords to offer Tobias' knowledge about what they really were. The man was very interested in the history of the swords, and he even commented on them being a steal, so it turned out fine in the end. Because we felt so guilty for lying to get others to place a bid, it's very unprofessional to do.

But please, if you ever get the chance to attend an art auction, I encourage you to do so, just stay away from making any comment about the prices if you don't want to end up with an accidental bid.

A/N: As always thanks for reading. Feel free to vote or comment, and I love to hear your thoughts.

-Friday I'm going to talk about underwater archaeology and my encounter with pirates. Not the fun rum-loving type, sadly :( -