My very first auction tomorrow!

My prized thrift store find, a mid-century liquor cabinet

Used to be you could get really great furniture at thrift stores. The last great piece of furniture I got at a thrift store is my mid-century liquor cabinet with the boomerang formica on the interior prep surface.

Since then, things have changed in the world of thrift stores. All the good stuff is scarfed up by secondhand stores before it ever gets to the thrift store. And the thrift stores here are full of cheap new furniture from North Carolina.

What I'm looking for is some smaller accent pieces that I might paint, decoupage, change up, whatever. End  tables, small tables, display cases, bookcases, or small desks. So I'm taking my first foray into the world of auctions.

Come to find out, nowadays auctions are conducted online. They have a live viewing where you are able to go look at the lots, but then the auction itself is

conducted online over a period of a few days.

However, tomorrow in my humble little town of Columbus, Ohio, there is an actual live auction. It's being conducted by a nonprofit organization that gives furniture to people who can't afford it. Though I'm not sure why they are auctioning off a ton of furniture that they could give to people who might need it, if they have stuff I want, I won't argue.

I've looked at the lots online and I know what I'm looking for: a small mid-century settee I might like for my dining room and some small accent tables that have French lines and great potential. I'll check in tomorrow morning to post pics and let you know how it goes.

Have you ever been to an auction? Any advice for the novice?