re: the post, (snipped), below:
we all are familiar with the pbs show, antiques
roadshow, (a clone of its counterpart in the UK),
and the keno twins, two of the top appraisers.
i went to a speech these brothers gave and then
bought their book, 'Hidden Treasures'.
brother leslie works for southeby's, new york.
in one chapter he writes:


"...I never doubted the Appleton secretary would sell but my
deepest wish was that it would sell in the millions. The question
in my mind was whether or not it would reach a world record.
In order to help that process along, part of my job at the auction
house is to build the type of interest in a piece that generates
competitive bidding. That means in addition to drawing in the
ultimat buyer, I also need to find an underbidder--a person
whose passion for the piece will ostensibly drive the price up."


parallel worlds?
e-RICHIE