That may be correct for previous years. I will consult with the board as to how they want to handle things this year, but here are my thoughts on the matter.

The primary point of the auction is to be a club fundraiser. Members (exclusively?) are donating the items being auctioned off. I would venture to guess that they would like the club to realize as much possible revenue from the sale of their donated items as possible. If their goal was to let their fellow club members “steal” collectibles at a fraction of their market value, they could do that on any number of discussion boards.

So, it is my considered opinion that opening up our auction to the world is in the best interest of the club, and will give donors a greater sense of satisfaction knowing that their contributions are more significant than they would have been under the old rules.

There will still be an auction that is members only. And that is the silent auction that takes place at the auction table during the show. As someone else pointed out, everyone in attendance is a member or a member for the day. Because I ran over the 200 item mark that was set in previous auctions, I may throw in some additional items on the silent auction table.

Here’s a fun fact that I just became aware of yesterday. In speaking with Jerry Birl on the phone, he advised me that the roulette table that the Atlantis is donating to us is likely to be worth upward of $10,000!! And maybe more!! He suggested another club member that I should talk to you about this to make sure that we know exactly what we are getting and that we are able to get maximum value from it. I had NO idea those could be worth that much.