Buying at Auction

The catalogue will go online approx. 10 days before the auction and will include description, photograph and estimates for each lot. Full condition reports are available on each lot by request. We do not print or post catalogues however we can send you a postcard reminder notification of our upcoming auctions if you so wish to join the postal mailing list or you can join our email mailing list to be notified of when our catalogue goes online. 

 The auction will be on view the Sunday prior to the auction 12pm-4pm. We are also open the Monday and Tuesday before from 10:30am - 4:30pm. Certain lots can also be viewed outside of these hours by private appointment only. Please phone +353 (0)1 453 0311 to make an appointment to view items. If you cannot come in to view, we can send you condition reports that will be carried out by our qualified gemmologist and specialist valuers along with image and video requests where possible. 

We hold monthly auctions. The auction starts at 12pm. Catalogues are available on our website, live or to download and catalogue listings are available at reception. There will be circa.500 lots in the sale and the auctioneer goes through approximately 120 lots per hour. The bidding steps are generally in increments of 10% of the previous bids. Raise your paddle number to bid. Please ensure that your paddle number can be seen by the auctioneer. At the end of the sale or when you are leaving, please return your paddle number to reception.

Timed auctions take place without an auctioneer calling the sale. Each lot can be bid on for a defined time period, in this case for our online auctions, it will be over 48 hours. 

The lots can be bid on at any point until the end of the auction. Once the auction starts to close, bidding will stop on lots in 30-second intervals. To avoid bid sniping, last-second bids will extend the closing time of the lot by another 5 minutes. At the end of this period, the bidder who has submitted the highest bid will be successful in purchasing the lot, provided the bid exceeds the reserve price. You will see the current bid on each item and be notified if a bid higher than yours is placed onto your interested lot. 

1. Bidding in person

Please come to reception prior to the auction, fill out a registration form, and  present a form of identification and you will be given a paddle number. If you have registered before, you will be able to get a paddle number by giving your name and address at reception. Please note, there are often queues for registration, so arrive early to avoid missing your lot.

We are open at 10am on the morning of the auction for viewing. We are also open the Monday and Tuesday before from 10:30am - 4:30pm and the Sunday before the auction from 12pm-4pm.

There is 22% premium (incl. 23% VAT) on top of the hammer price.

2. Absentee bids

If you cannot attend the auction you can fill out the absentee bidding form, whereby you would tell us the lot you wish to bid on and your maximum bid. We will bid on your behalf and buy it as nominal as allowed, taking into account other bids and reserves (if applicable).

There is 22% premium (incl. 23% VAT) on top of the hammer price. You can get this form at reception. You can also fill out an absentee bidding form online. Register an account with us, find the lot you wish to bid on and click “Place a bid”, fill in the required details, we will bid on your behalf under the same conditions as stated immediately above.

Bids below the bottom estimate will not be accepted. This form will cease at 11am on the day of the auction.

You will be phoned the day after the auction (Thursday) if your bid was successful, however you can phone us, +353 (0)1 453 0311,  to find out if your bid was successful and arrange payment and collection.

3. Telephone bids

If the lot estimate is over €2000 then you can bid live on the telephone. Fill out the telephone bidding form attached here. We will phone you approximately five lots before your lot is due and inform you of the live bids on the floor. Please note, for a telephone bid you must be prepared to bid to the lower estimate. Due to demand, we cannot guarantee the possibility to facilitate a telephone bid for every lot.

There is 22% premium (incl. 23% VAT) on top of the hammer price.

We do not accept responsibility for telephone bids if we cannot get through, so please ensure you can take our call during the auction.

4. Live Auction Bidding Online

There is also an option to bid live, through the online bidding platform, on this website. You will need to create an account. 

We do not accept credit cards. We accept debit card, bank draft, bank transfer or cash. Please note subject to the Property Services Regulatory Authority or PSRA requirements, buyer’s completing transactions in the cash amount of €500 and above, will be required to complete a cash origin form. This form will be available at reception and transactions will not be finalised until this form is completed.

Please note that debit cards may have daily limits so please check with your bank prior to the auction day.

Bank transfer details are available upon request. Please email us for our client account details to set up a bank transfer. Reference: Registered Buyer’s Name. Any account for items purchased must be settled within 10 days of the sale and the items collected within the same. All lots sold will be invoiced to the name and address in which the paddle has been registered.

We cannot split bills.

If you are coming to the auction you can collect the item 30 mins after you are successful with your bids. Please note, this cannot be done any sooner to produce invoices at reception. If you leave an absentee bid in the office and are successful, you will be notified after the auction. We will not phone you if you are unsuccessful, however, you are welcome to phone us to discuss the results of your bids. Successful absentee and telephone bids can be collected as soon as they are paid for.

Any account for items purchased must be settled within 7 days of the sale and the items collected within the same. Upon payment certain items can be posted out to the buyer for an extra charge.

PSRA Registration Number #003688

International Post

• We ask for goods being sent outside of the island of Ireland that a courier is organised to collect and deliver the goods such as DHL, DPD, UPS, FedEx, or Mail Boxes Etc
• Mailboxes Etc can be contacted by phone at (01) 671 0400 or email info@mbedublin2.com
• O’Reilly’s Auction Rooms 1948 Ltd are not responsible for packing, shipping, and handling of goods being sent internationally
• Please contact the office if you have any questions or need guidance in organising a courier

Internal Post

• We strongly encourage collection where possible for buyers based on the island of Ireland
• If collection by the buyer or a trusted party is not possible, the auction rooms can organise registered post for certain items with An Post for an additional fee and at your own risk.
• By agreeing to registered post with An Post, you are agreeing to accept the risk and responsibility of post and understanding that the auction house is not responsible for any loss or damage caused whatsoever including packing, shipping & handling of lots/items, and non-arrival of goods
• O'Reilly's Auction Rooms 1948 Ltd. is not responsible for any loss or damage caused during posting. We do so purely as a courtesy to our customers.
• Please contact the office to arrange payment for postage which is deemed to be acceptance of above conditions

PSRA Registration Number #003688