PHILCON 2008: Art Show Bidding Rules

How Do You Bid on Artwork in the Art Show?

 

The Art Show is an exhibit of original SF, Fantasy, and Fannish art in two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms (that is, sketches, paintings, and sculpture), executed by professional and amateur artists. You only need your Philcon badge to come in and view the art, and vote for your favorite artwork.

Bidding on Artwork

To bid on artwork you must:

1. Be a registered member of Philcon, as evidenced by your Philcon badge.
2. Register at the Art Show Control Desk to receive your bidder number.

All artwork (other than that marked “NFS” i.e. Not for Sale) is for sale by competitive bid, both written and voiced. A Print Shop for direct sales of photoprints, lithographs, and other items is located near the common wall of the Dealers' exhibit area.

The Bid Sheet

Each piece of artwork is tagged with an ID/bid sheet that lists the title of the piece, the medium, and the name of the artist. The color of the bid sheet indicates the sale status of the artwork:

• Blue bid sheet: Artwork for display only, not for sale.
• Yellow bid sheet: Limited-edition photoprint or multiple-copy artwork for sale at preset price only. A print with a yellow bid sheet will have one line for a written bid. The first written bid, which must match the sale price, buys the print. Usually, the artist will have submitted additional copies of the print for direct sale in the Print Shop at the same preset price.
• White bid sheet: Original art for sale to the highest bidder, beginning at minimum bid. At the bottom of the white bid sheet for original art will be lines on which the bidder can write a bid. Each bid must beat least as high as the minimum bid specified by the artist and higher than any preceding bid. Write your name, bidder number, and the amount of your bid legibly on the bid sheet.

Please do not cross out any written bids.

Quick Sale

Philcon offers the option of Quick Sale. If and only if there are no written bids on a piece, that piece may be immediately purchased for the Quick-Sale price with the caveat that the physical piece may not be removed from the Art Show before 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Written Bidding Close

Written bidding closes at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The Art Show will be cleared of all fen at that time. Any artwork with two or less bids will be sold to the bidder who made the highest written bid. Artwork with threee or more bids will be entered in the voice auction.

The Voice Auction

The voice auction will be held on Sunday afternoon from 1 P.M. until 2 P.M. in program rooms near the Art Show. Please consult your pocket program for the exact location.

At the voice auction, the art is open to further bids by other people. Therefore, a bidder should attend the voice auction to make further bids on pieces s/he wants to buy. The bidder making the highest bid by voice will buy the art at that price. If there are no voice bids, the art will be sold to the bidder who made the highest written bid.

Several words of warning:

• Keep track of all bids you make.
• When placing a written bid on more than one item, assume that you will be the winning bidder on all of them. This way, you can avoid buying more art than you can afford.
• If you have reached your limit of Art Show purchases, wait until you have lost an item to a higher bidder before bidding on another item.
• Also, return to the Art Show shortly before it closes on Sunday at noon to check the bid sheets and see which items you have won by written bid and which will go to voice auction.

Art Show Sales – Pay and Pick Up!

Art Show sales will be on Sunday afternoon from 1:30 to 3 P.M. in the Art Show room. At this time, you must pick up and pay for all items of art you have won by written bid or voice auction. Cash, Visa, MasterCard, travelers' checks, and personal check with ID will be accepted for payment in accordance with rules set by the Philcon Treasurer. Proof of ID (at least one photo and proof of address) will be required for all buyers at time of payment. You must pick up and pay for your own purchases.

We will track down anyone who fails to pick up and pay for art s/he bought at Philcon!!!

The Print Shop

The Print Shop is for direct sales of photoprints (reproductions of original art), lithographs, and other multiple-copy artwork. One sample of each item will be displayed either on the artist's panels in the Art Show or on panels dedicated to Print Shop merchandise. These are primarily display copies. Do not write your name on the bid sheets attached to these display copies! Sales stock will be at the Print Shop sales desk. Tell the Print Shop clerk the artist and title of the piece you wish to buy. The clerk will complete the sale.

A Bid Is a Legal Obligation

Remember: You bid, you buy.
Be serious. Do not bid unless you intend to buy.
A bid is a legal obligation to buy the art you bid on at the price you bid.

 

Updated Nov 22, 2008