I said that if I was the seller, my thoughts may be different. I've never actually put anything up for auction (of real value), including chips.

When I go to an auction with friends Isee us as more like teammates. At a regular auction, all my buddies keep their eyes open for anything chip, casino, or gambling oriented. When I see coins, or sports cards, I make sure the right buddy is made aware.

And if more than one person wants something in my group, at least we are all aware of it.

Yes Archie, I am ultra competitive (obviously), but I don't like to 'beat' friends. Maybe that is why I prefer Vegas for big games (poker), and like to keep the games with buddies at real low levels (nobody gets hurt to bad).

But like I said, the original question deserves more thought, lots of nuances and follow up questions that can be examined.