Thought I'd throw out that there's really no need to change the rules for the club auction. The auction fills up very quickly under the current rules. If the rules discourage some who are concerned about being sure of getting top dollar, that's probably good. There just isn't time to auction everything. To me a true auction is a crap shoot. You may get three times what you would have sold the item for in a private sale. You may get a third. If you're not willing to gamble a bit there are other ways to sell. The club provides one at the convention: Buy a table, put up a sign "Chips for Sale: Prices Firm."