How bidding works

Who can bid online?

To bid online, register with your name, email address and cellphone number, and create a password as a security measure. We'll email you a confirmation link. Once you've clicked it, you can start bidding.

Two kinds of lots

Online-to-live lots. A handful of lots will be closed live at the dinner on 9 October 2026. Online bidding on these closes Thu, 08 Oct, 20:00. The highest online bid becomes the opening bid at the live auction. The top online bidder's maximum stays in play on the night: if the room does not go above it, the online bidder wins, at one increment above the room's highest bid (the same way online bidding works). If nobody in the room bids, the online bidder wins at the opening bid.

Online-only lots. Bidding closes Sun, 11 Oct, 20:00. The highest online bid wins. All physical items will be on display at the dinner.

Placing a bid

To place a bid, you need to bid higher than the current bid by at least the minimum bid increment (R500, R250 or R50, depending on the value of the item; shown on each lot).

When you place your bid, you are stipulating the highest amount you are willing to bid. Your actual bid is simply one bid increment up from the current bid, and the system will automatically bid on your behalf, by the bid increment, as other people bid on the item, until your maximum is reached.

Example: The current bid is R250 and the increment is R50. You bid R1 000 — you are actually only bidding R300. If someone else then bids R650, the system automatically bids R700 on your behalf, as that is under your maximum of R1 000. You will receive an email if someone outbids your maximum bid.

If two bidders enter the same maximum, the bidder who entered it first stays in the lead.

Winning

Bids are binding. Winning bidders will be contacted after the auction with payment and collection details.

Online bidding opens Tue, 01 Sept, 08:00. All times are South African time (SAST).