Dear Lee,

My computer is misbehaving again, sending me to unknown places after a new software program decided to “upgrade the system.” Once again, I can’t find all my email. The screens have unfamiliar layouts, and new ads and emails are cluttering up my lists with the note “from your phone.” It made me think about how I complain about what has happened to change antiques and auctions and what is selling, no—what is not selling. And suddenly I remembered a sale Ralph and I went to in the 1980s.

It started with a phone call from a friend. “There is a sale of Christmas plates, hundreds of them, by an auctioneer I’ve never heard of at a nearby hotel. The ad says everything must go.” It sounded like a possible story for our newsletter so we rushed out. The ballroom was filled with hundreds of boxes and stacks of Christmas plates. Most were the two popular Danish plates that started the collecting craze. We were sitting behind newlyweds who told us they needed a rug and they heard this sale might have one. We sat for hours, recording prices that were amazing bargains. We even bought the first year of the Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grondahl plates, the most expensive, hardest to find, and historically most important plates because they started the limited-edition idea. Each was less than $15. Other plates were selling in a box for a few dollars each. Most lots had a dozen boxes. A chair, vase, table, rug, and a few other pieces that seemed to be from a senior’s apartment encouraged the newlyweds to bid on a few things. We explained what to do, even gave tips: Have you registered to bid? Do you have a paddle? Have you examined the rugs? Don’t start the bidding. Sometimes a big jump bid scares others away. Wave or even yell if the auctioneer doesn’t seem to notice you as a new bidder.

A large deco rug with a shocking pink border was rolled out on the floor. The center was golden yellow with bright blue birds, a shocking pink rock near the center, and asymmetrical groups of green leaves and plants near the border. You could hear the laughs and remarks about how ugly and gaudy it was—a useable room-sized rug with strange colors and an out-of-style pattern. “It’s the perfect size. Should we bid?” our friends asked. We said yes. If it is cheap enough, you can decorate to cover the flowers and sooner or later it will be back in style. It was Chinese, from the 1920s to 1940s in the art deco style. I can’t remember what they paid but they were the only bidders. It must have been less than $50. But this week while going through auction catalogs and my usual mail, I saw a similar rug. It was selling in an Oriental rug store as the latest style, price—$9,444. I hope our auction friends still have theirs.