[raulus]

Heritage absolutely should’ve done a much better job of managing the closing process, including linking the lots. Or if not that, then more clearly explaining precisely how the closing process would work.

At the same time, Powell is clearly a big time collector. He craps bigger than me. And bigger than almost all of us. Put together. And not just that, but he is obviously a great professional in his field. And this set obviously meant a great deal to him. It wasn’t some little lot that he was hoping to maybe pick up a good deal if nobody else bid, but didn’t really care if he lost. He wanted this, and wanted it badly. Enough to pay the better part of a cool million to get it. So the stakes are high.

Additionally, auctions are pretty final. When the hammer falls, barring shenanigans and nonsense and software outages, when it’s over, it’s over. Finished. No going back. You only get one bite at the apple. So the stakes are that much higher to make sure that you don’t get caught off guard by stupid nonsense like the closing process.

In this case, the format was obviously not normal. Given the stakes, how do you not do some digging into the rules? How do you not think through the closing mechanics and figure out how you might get screwed?

Before Powell walks into a courtroom, I’ve got to think that he prepares religiously. He knows what’s going to happen before it happens. He’s researched similar cases. Practiced his arguments. Refined his wording. Anticipated everything that the other side will do, and he’s ready to counter. Nothing is left to chance.

Given all of this, if it was me, I would have made darn sure that I knew how the closing process worked. I would’ve been obsessing about it for weeks before the close. I would’ve lost sleep having nightmares about how someone was going to outwit me and I would lose. I would’ve called up Heritage and asked them about anything that wasn’t clear. If the morons I talked to on the phone didn’t answer my questions to my satisfaction, I would’ve moved up the chain of command until someone got me the real answers. Assuming that I know how it was going to work seems like you’re living dangerously. You’re hoping that it will work the way you think it will work. I don’t understand how you don’t nail it all down so that you don’t get screwed by the closing format working against you.

Obviously hindsight is 20/20. And I’m not trying to blame Powell. I just don’t understand the lack of serious investigation into and preparation for the closing mechanics, given how badly he wanted it. Maybe he was busy at work on a case. Maybe other auctions were just as important and took up his attention. Whatever the reason, I just don’t understand this element. But maybe I’m just a paranoid obsessive who doesn’t like to lose auctions for stuff I really want due to nonsense.