When I came upon a classified ad with the headline Special Mid-Century Retro Auction at Dixon's Auction House, I was thrilled. Pieces designed by some of the era's giants, like Charles Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Russel Wright, were set to go on the block. This was an event I couldn't miss.

Designed in 1957, the Eero Saarinen Executive Arm Chair by Knoll doesn't have to go in an office. It looks just right in a living room, too.

Being a veteran auction goer, I knew to examine the merchandise before the auction started, and there it was. Designed in 1957, the Eero Saarinen Executive Arm Chair by Knoll, upholstered in orange fabric, was pristine. Oh, yeah, I thought, this chair is the one. It'll look superb in my house, casually placed in the living room, like it had always been there.

Patiently, I waited for the chair to come up for bid.

In the meantime, I watched and listened as a Verner Panton yellow plastic table lamp (also pristine) sold for $80. Hans Wegner's Wishbone Chair in decent condition went for $175. A Heywood-Wakefield bamboo gateleg dining table and four matching chairs sold for $455. (They showed up a few days later at a local antiques shop with a $1,400 price tag.) A little research after the auction found the Wegner chair at hivemodern.com for $499, new.

By the way, there was much more than furniture for sale, like pottery, sculpture, glassware (some in their original boxes), paintings, crystal, and even a splendid vintage Columbia bicycle with all the bells and whistles. I was very much impressed by the quality of the items in the auction. They came from an estate, and obviously there was a discerning collector at work.

Finally, the Saarinen arm chair came up for bid.

I set a spending limit and entered into some spirited bidding. When the hammer came down, I owned it – for $160. I was blissful and emboldened. There were other items I wanted. The only thing on my mind was what I would do with my new purchases. No matter. The like-new Charles Pollock Executive Chair in black leather from Knoll was a must-have, and now I have it. It looks wonderful in front of the computer desk. You can buy it new at knoll.com for $1,251. Let's just say that I paid a fraction of that for it at the auction.

When all was said and done, I came home with three Eames chairs (two matching), the Saarinen beauty, the Pollock chair, and a few pieces of Poole Delphis pottery, which was made by a British company in the 1960s. Incidentally, the Saarinen arm chair retails for about $1,100 at zincdetails.com and at dwr.com.

We've all watched the Antiques Roadshow, and we know that the auction price is significantly lower than the retail or resale price. To those of you who've never bought at auction, what's keeping you?

DIXON'S AUCTIONS has an auction every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Visit dixonsauction.com. Alexander's holds an auction every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Visit alexandersantiques.com. Check the Web sites for preview times.