Artcurial at Le Mans Classic – Much Ado About Nothing

The opening line of Anna Karenina, Lev Tolstoy's celebrated novel, runs as follows: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The implication is that many factors must align to make a family happy, and the absence of just one is enough to make it unhappy. The same can be said of auctions: a successful sale requires interesting lots with accurate estimates (and reserves), the right setting, a skilled and knowledgeable team, and – above all – bidders ready to compete. Let any one of those factors slip and the auction can founder.