A Big Day at Borgin and Burkes
03/03/2019 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
izmeinaToday was a seriously busy day. After 2 days of lurking and slinking at Borgin and Burkes eying up the territory and the Enemy, today was the big day.
I had been drawing up the battle plans because auctions are infamous pits of quicksand for those who do not have their reason and wits about them.
The grand plan included scrolling through every one of the 666 items in the catalogue looking for anything that came from Number 4 Privet Drive and saving all the relevant pictures from the dark and dusty Borgin and Burkes Portkeys. For soon that particular portal will be locked, a new one will be open and those pictures which are the only records of previous possession will disappear down the black hole of Oblivion.
That was when I came across those nursing service medals which looked uncannily familiar. I thought Daisy had them and she thought that I had them but here they were lumped in with an assortment of dark objects to be offered to the highest bidder
So now the main mission would be to rescue the set of my mother’s St Mungo's nursing service medals. The fact that they were even offered for sale was shocking in the first place.
Of course there would also be the chance to obtain hopping pots, a Hand of Glory and the odd iron maiden or cat o nine tails too.
Vanishing cabinets are most desirable too but that’s like expecting champagne on a butter beer budget.
I had already visited their little corner of Knockturn Alley last month on another mission to rescue Petunia’s precious cauldrons. After a lot of phone calls and tear jerking letters, I managed to get them back but that is a long story in itself and turned out to be the trigger for a long overdue Dursley divorce.
So the strategy was to make a wish list in numerical order with the lot number, a basic description, the suggested valuation which usually turns out to be the starting price and the most important of all - the absolute upper limit for bids.
The dangers of being caught in silly bidding frenzies at such events is legendary and the Izzie was not going to sink in that quick sand.
Did stick to the limits ruthlessly and missed quite a few items on the wish list. Soon realized that it was partly due to serpent cluelessness. I learnt very quickly that if your limit is 100 or another even number then you should make bids on even numbers only. By bidding 90 when my absolute limit was 100, I had in effect been forced to either drop out at a price lower than my limit or to pay $10 over my limit.
It was so much fun watching other folks get caught up in such craziness and paying $1,500 for items with a starting price of $40.
Most of the time, things turned the other way where beautiful pieces of furniture given ridiculously low reserve prices ended up going for less than half of that.
Fortune favours those who do their homework and this serpent has snaffled some of Petunia’s most beautiful things for a pittance. All at the expense of one Vernon Dursley.
That counts as a double victory.
Pity is that since the old critter is no longer welcome at the Lair, he will never get to see these magnificent mahogany masterpieces in their new home where they will be loved and valued again like they once used to be.
Daisy is going to die laughing when she sees what I have snaffled.
I had been drawing up the battle plans because auctions are infamous pits of quicksand for those who do not have their reason and wits about them.
The grand plan included scrolling through every one of the 666 items in the catalogue looking for anything that came from Number 4 Privet Drive and saving all the relevant pictures from the dark and dusty Borgin and Burkes Portkeys. For soon that particular portal will be locked, a new one will be open and those pictures which are the only records of previous possession will disappear down the black hole of Oblivion.
That was when I came across those nursing service medals which looked uncannily familiar. I thought Daisy had them and she thought that I had them but here they were lumped in with an assortment of dark objects to be offered to the highest bidder
So now the main mission would be to rescue the set of my mother’s St Mungo's nursing service medals. The fact that they were even offered for sale was shocking in the first place.
Of course there would also be the chance to obtain hopping pots, a Hand of Glory and the odd iron maiden or cat o nine tails too.
Vanishing cabinets are most desirable too but that’s like expecting champagne on a butter beer budget.
I had already visited their little corner of Knockturn Alley last month on another mission to rescue Petunia’s precious cauldrons. After a lot of phone calls and tear jerking letters, I managed to get them back but that is a long story in itself and turned out to be the trigger for a long overdue Dursley divorce.
So the strategy was to make a wish list in numerical order with the lot number, a basic description, the suggested valuation which usually turns out to be the starting price and the most important of all - the absolute upper limit for bids.
The dangers of being caught in silly bidding frenzies at such events is legendary and the Izzie was not going to sink in that quick sand.
Did stick to the limits ruthlessly and missed quite a few items on the wish list. Soon realized that it was partly due to serpent cluelessness. I learnt very quickly that if your limit is 100 or another even number then you should make bids on even numbers only. By bidding 90 when my absolute limit was 100, I had in effect been forced to either drop out at a price lower than my limit or to pay $10 over my limit.
It was so much fun watching other folks get caught up in such craziness and paying $1,500 for items with a starting price of $40.
Most of the time, things turned the other way where beautiful pieces of furniture given ridiculously low reserve prices ended up going for less than half of that.
Fortune favours those who do their homework and this serpent has snaffled some of Petunia’s most beautiful things for a pittance. All at the expense of one Vernon Dursley.
That counts as a double victory.
Pity is that since the old critter is no longer welcome at the Lair, he will never get to see these magnificent mahogany masterpieces in their new home where they will be loved and valued again like they once used to be.
Daisy is going to die laughing when she sees what I have snaffled.
