Buying at Auction

I went to an auction house in Old Town yesterday looking for bargains This is one of their lead off items that has bidding action on it now and I actually went specifically to look at this piece. When these are nicely executed, they are worth around $ 2K.

https://connect.invaluable.com/potom...ST_6D54A6B85A/

One would think with (4) photos you can see what's going on, but not really. Two critical flaws and three minor ones from seeing it in person.

1) There is a huge rear overhang you don't pick up in the photo, appx 3". No one builds a rear overhang, that's so weird. Made specifically to clear chair rail or some obstacle. Major flaw for almost any user, it looks awful.

2) Cabinet Maker missed his closure on the panel above the rear foot by 1/8" - so its gapped. That's an amateur mistake so it leads me to believe it was probably a home/hobby woodworker who built this who has a pretty good skill set, but he is not a pro.

3) A molded top like this should have a sliding dovetail to allow for seasonal expansion/contraction. This one did not and was simple screwed on. That can result in a cracked top or blown out screws over time as the piece goes through seasonal movement.

4) Back exterior panels are too thick, should have been milled down and shiplapped.. A small rookie mistake but noticeable.

5) Finish is too orange, whomever made it missed the toner / highlight coat on tiger maple or didn't know how to do it. Piece comes off brassy when with some toner it would look much nicer. Takes talent to do a good finish on tiger maple.

Poplar secondaries instead of Eastern White Pine tell me this was made in PA or Ohio most likely, a New England made piece would not use poplar. Decent dovetails but a bit sloppy. Not as tight as I like to see them.

So I passed on bidding on it due to # 1 ,# 2, #3. But others have not - they can't see what I can from a personal inspection as the photos don't show it. Always try look at a piece in person when you can, photos don't always tell you wants going on.