What is a lot?

Buying at Auction · Revised 3 August 2026

A bidder's numbered card and a tablet on an oak table beside a closed catalogue

A lot is the unit in which property is sold: a single manuscript, a single photograph, or a group of related items catalogued and sold together. Each lot carries its own number, description, estimate and reserve, and is bid on independently of every other lot in the sale.

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