OVFF is a special case, in that the fannish auctioneers (this year, me and Sutton) are there to introduce the pieces and keep the flow going, and the required-by-law licensed auctioneer handles the bidding. Bob does a good job, but this year he let a number of pieces go on too long. Someone should talk to him prior to next year's auction. (Also, since this setup results in the fannish auctioneers having much more off-stage time, two of them is sufficient.)

The auctioneer is in a position to override the pace set by the wench mob, simply by *immediately* following the latest bid with, "We have two hundred, two hundred going once, two hundred going twice . . ." (Again, we should pass this on to Bob.)

Supplemental rule for those donating to an Interfilk auction:

If the item you're donating is so unique that you really, really need to get up in front of the audience and introduce it, think about what you're going to say in advance, cut it to the absolute minimum, and rehearse it. The auctioneers are used to doing this on the fly - you're not. If the item is a custom CD, don't list every performer and every track.

(There are rare exceptions to the "keep it short" rule. We had one this year. Barry's description of the guitar he donated was longer than the auction average, but he needed to point out several things, and he covered each point quickly.)