Auctions: small pennies and big hopes

We're all familiar with the prestigious auctions held by the big houses - Sotheby's, Christie's - where works of art or precious jewels fetch exorbitant sums. But auctions are also the place to find objects seized by insolvency authorities in the hope of compensating creditors, or assets pledged as collateral for a financial loan. Jewelry, watches, crockery - what value do the objects around us have?