Auction houses launch open days

SALEROOMS OFFER ADVICE ON VENTES AUX ENCHÈRES TO TAKE FEAR OUT OF BUYING AND SELLING IN A BID to uncover possible fortunes in people's attics, the newspaper _Le Figaro_ has organised a

week of events to take the mystery out of auction rooms. Selling or buying at auction can be a nerve-wracking time - especially if you are not sure of how the system works - and the

newspaper's _Journées Marteau_ until March 31 is the perfect time to learn more about _ventes aux enchères_. It comes as a pair of mules, thought to have been owned by Marie-Antoinette,

sold at auction in Toulon at the weekend for e43,000 - 10 times their estimated value. And last year an auction house in Toulouse notched up a e34 million windfall from the sale of Imperial

Chinese treasure discovered in an attic - the largest sale of Asiatic art ever realised in France. Dozens of salerooms from Aix-en-Province to Caen, Honfleur, Troyes and

Villefranche-sur-Saône are taking part as many French people do not know how the auction system works, from entering goods for sale, to bidding and to the "hammer" falling to

complete the sale. With help from the saleroom federation Syndicat National des Maisons de Ventes Volontaires, _Le Figaro_ has encouraged auction houses to offer advice and information to

the public - with no risk of a stray hand in the air landing the owner with an unwanted purchase. Along with the auction houses from across the country a large number in Paris and the

Ile-de-France are also taking part. _Le Figaro_ has videos on its website at www.lefigaro.fr/encheres (in French) explaining the different aspects of the system and the costs involved. It

also lists the auction houses taking part in the _Journées Marteau_.