[Bosox Blair]

Hi Barry,

While I certainly can't challenge your experience as an auctioneer, I firmly believe it is valuable to limit the number of competitors against you in overtime. I've seen/experienced this many times - the sand starts to shift in overtime. As people get pushed beyond their limits on their initial goal lots, they feel they have "freed up" bidding cash, and they turn to other lots. I know for a fact this happened to me last REA. I had the high bid on a lot through the end of the auction and through 8+ hours of O/T. The person who won the lot told me they came back to my lot to bid after somone topped them and things got too rich on a more expensive lot they were chasing.

With REA, you can only turn to what you bid on in regular time. So keeping people off your lot in regular time has some value. Of course you can't eliminate competition, but you can reduce competitors.

Yes, I know there are "whales", but in an auction like REA, I believe these guys have quite a few lots to consider. I agree that if one of these guys is bound and determined to have the card you want, then you are in some trouble. But in any other case, I'd like fewer bidders to have the option of turning their focus to a lot I'm interested in during overtime.

Cheers,
Blair