What should staff do first when a wrong hammer price is discovered?

Hold the affected lot from invoicing, payment, settlement and release where those steps have not yet completed. Preserve the original clerking state, identify the correct bidder and establish the accepted hammer price from independent evidence before editing the record.

Can the clerk simply edit the hammer price?

Only after the accepted amount has been established and the correction is authorized under the auction house workflow. Capture the original state first, use the supported correction path, and verify every dependent amount and document afterward.

What if the bidder is correct but the price in the system is wrong?

That is the core scenario for this runbook. Keep bidder identity unchanged. For quantity or Times-the-Money lots, first confirm whether the stored figure is a unit hammer or an extended total. Then prove the accepted hammer price, correct the monetary amount in the primary sale record, and reconcile premium, tax, invoice, payment, seller settlement and release status.

What if the bidder and hammer price are both uncertain?

Do not treat the incident as a simple data-entry correction. Hold the lot and escalate the sale-status decision to the auctioneer or manager after preserving logs, recordings, notes and separate staff recollections.

What if the wrong hammer price is found after the invoice was sent?

Correct the primary sale record first, then void or supersede the incorrect invoice through the supported workflow and issue one clear replacement. Check buyer premium, tax, payment requests and buyer-facing records before release.

What if the buyer has already paid?

Preserve the payment history and stop further downstream processing while the corrected amount is verified. Any additional balance, refund or payment reversal should follow the auction house payment controls and leave a clear audit trail.

Should the original wrong amount be deleted from the record?

Keep evidence of the original state. Use correction notes, audit history, void or superseded records where supported so a later reviewer can see what was recorded, what replaced it, who authorized the change and why.

How can an auction house prevent wrong hammer-price entries?

Use clear bid increments, a clerk confirmation habit for ambiguous calls, visible lot and amount displays, a second-person check before final invoicing, and a post-sale exception review for unusual prices or mismatches between clerking and online logs.

Can the auctioneer reopen the lot after a hammer-price error?

Sometimes, but only when the applicable Terms or Conditions allow reopening or continuing bidding and an authorized auctioneer or manager chooses that remedy. Preserve the first result, establish the last undisputed bid and restart point, synchronize every active bidding channel, announce the correction clearly and re-clerk the reopened sequence.

What if the property has already been released?

Treat it as a late financial or contract exception rather than a routine clerk edit. Preserve the transaction record, confirm the corrected amount and governing Terms, escalate immediately to management, communicate with the buyer in writing and use accounting or legal review where the issue is material or disputed. Do not assume unrelated property, payment methods or bidder access can be restricted without authority.

REFERENCE / CLERKINGPRICE-ENTRY CORRECTION

Wrong Hammer Price Recorded at a Live Auction

Use this field procedure when the accepted bidder is known, but an incorrect hammer price appears in the clerking or sale record.

Hold downstream processing, preserve the original entry, prove the accepted amount from independent evidence, then make one authorized correction and reconcile every record that depends on the hammer price.

Print source: https://jasperauctionhouse.com/reference/wrong-hammer-price-recorded-live-auction/

First 60 seconds ↘Full correction runbook →

FIRST 60 SECONDS

Stop one wrong amount from becoming five wrong records.

The immediate problem is not only the number in the clerk screen. The hammer price can feed buyer premium, tax, invoice totals, payment requests, seller settlement and release paperwork. Contain those downstream steps before correcting anything.

HOLD → SAVE → IDENTIFY → PROVE

Hold the affected lot

Pause invoice finalization, payment collection, seller settlement and property release for that lot where those steps have not already completed.

Preserve the original state

Capture the lot number, recorded bidder, recorded hammer price, time, bid source and visible event history before an edit changes what staff can see.

Confirm bidder identity

Make sure this is actually a price-entry error. If the buyer is also uncertain, stop using this runbook as a simple clerical correction.

Write both amounts separately

Record the amount currently in the system and the amount believed to have been accepted. Do not overwrite one with the other from memory.

Secure independent evidence

Save the clerking history, online bid log, room recording, auctioneer notes, spotter notes or other contemporaneous record that can establish the accepted bid.

Name the authorizer

One person prepares the correction; an auctioneer, manager or other designated authority confirms the outcome before the primary sale record is changed.

INTENT BOUNDARY

First decide what is wrong: buyer, price, source—or the sale result itself.

These incidents can look similar on an invoice but require different recovery paths. This page covers a proven buyer with an incorrectly recorded hammer amount.

THIS RUNBOOK

Buyer correct. Hammer price wrong.

The accepted bidder is established, but the amount recorded in the primary sale record does not match the accepted bid.

DIFFERENT RUNBOOK

Hammer price correct. Buyer wrong.

If the sold amount is right but the lot was assigned to the wrong bidder number, use the Wrong Bidder Number correction runbook.

DIFFERENT FAILURE

Bid source is wrong.

A floor bid may have been tagged as online, phone or absentee even though buyer and amount are otherwise correct. Correct source only after the event sequence is verified.

ESCALATE

Buyer and price are both uncertain.

That is no longer a routine data-entry fix. Preserve the evidence and escalate the sale-status decision instead of forcing a convenient value into the record.

PRICE BASIS CHECK

Before correcting the number, confirm what that number is supposed to represent.

A value can look wrong when staff are comparing two different price bases. This matters most for quantity, Times-the-Money and grouped-lot sales, where a clerk screen may show a unit hammer while an invoice or report shows an extended total.

Write the price basis beside the proposed correction before anyone edits the sale record. If the system stores a unit amount, do not replace it with the multiplied total merely because the total is larger.

What does the field mean?

Unit price and extended total are not interchangeable.

Single lotConfirm the accepted bid and the stored hammer amount refer to the same single lot.

Times-the-MoneyCheck whether the clerking field stores the unit hammer. Example: $20 × 5 items may produce a $100 extended total while the hammer field remains $20.

Quantity lotVerify quantity separately. A wrong quantity can make a correct unit hammer appear to be a wrong sale total.

Grouped lotsConfirm whether the software records one combined amount, one amount per lot, or another configured basis before changing anything.

Correction rule: identify the stored price basis first, then compare like with like. Do not convert a unit hammer into an extended total inside the primary hammer field unless that is how the auction system is configured to record the sale.

OPERATING PRINCIPLE

Correct the sale result first, not the invoice total.

The hammer price belongs in the primary sale record. Buyer premium, tax, invoice balance and seller settlement are downstream calculations or records. If staff repair only the invoice, the auction can end with two conflicting truths: one amount in clerking and another amount in accounting.

Keep the buyer unchanged when bidder identity is proven. Establish the accepted amount, correct the primary record through the supported workflow, then re-check everything that derives from that amount.

Price mismatch

Same lot. Same buyer. Two different hammer amounts.

RecordedLot 184 · bidder 412 · $4,250hold

AcceptedLot 184 · bidder 412 · $4,750prove first

Do not change $4,250 to $4,750 merely because someone remembers the call. The accepted amount must be supported by the sale record or independent evidence.

01 / PRIMARY RECORD

Hammer result

Lot, accepted bidder, accepted amount, bid source and sale status form the core record to verify first.

02 / BUYER CHARGES

Premium and tax

Any charge derived from hammer price must be recalculated from the corrected result rather than manually patched.

03 / MONEY

Invoice and payment

Void, supersede or regenerate affected buyer documents through the supported workflow and preserve payment history.

04 / SELLER SIDE

Settlement and reports

Check consignor proceeds, commission calculations, sale totals, exports and management reports for the corrected amount.

COMMON CAUSES

Find how the amount became wrong before closing the incident.

The correction fixes today’s lot. The cause tells you whether the same error could already exist elsewhere in the sale.

Clerk misheard the call

Room noise, overlapping bids, rapid increments or a distant auctioneer can turn a correctly accepted bid into a wrongly typed amount.

Typing or digit error

A dropped digit, transposed number or extra zero can create a plausible-looking amount that is still materially wrong.

Bid increment confusion

The clerk may record the prior bid rather than the accepted bid, especially when the auctioneer advances quickly or restarts the cadence.

Floor / online timing mismatch

The visible online event and the auctioneer’s floor acknowledgement may be close enough that staff record the wrong amount or sequence.

Manual edit after the hammer

A post-hammer catalog or clerking edit can replace a correct amount if the operator is working on the wrong lot or field.

Import or synchronization error

When results move between systems, a stale value, mapping problem or later overwrite can make the final sale record differ from the live event history.

HOW FAR DID IT TRAVEL?

How far the wrong amount has travelled determines what must be reconciled.

A wrong hammer amount discovered seconds after the call may need one controlled edit. The same error found after payment, settlement or property release becomes an accounting, authority and audit problem as well. The targets below are operational priorities, not universal legal deadlines; published sale terms and applicable rules control.

Recovery scope and operational targets for a wrong hammer price at different transaction stages
State when found	Operational target	Immediate control	Correction scope	Release condition
Clerked; invoice not generated	Immediate — resolve before invoicing resumes.	Hold the lot result.	Verify accepted amount, confirm correction authority, amend the primary sale record and check premium/tax preview.	Lot, bidder, amount and source agree.
Invoice generated or emailed	Same business day where practical; before payment or release continues.	Stop payment and release.	Correct sale record first, then void or supersede the wrong invoice and issue one replacement.	Only the corrected invoice remains active.
Payment already applied	Immediate management/accounting review; do not wait for normal post-sale cleanup.	Preserve payment history; stop further processing.	Confirm authority, correct the sale record and invoice, then handle any balance or refund under normal payment controls.	Payment and receipt records match the corrected balance.
Seller settlement prepared or paid	Same business day management/accounting escalation.	Freeze affected settlement changes.	Reconcile proceeds, commission, tax, reports and any prior remittance with management/accounting oversight.	Buyer and seller sides agree with the corrected sale result.
Property already released	Immediate management escalation and documented review.	Preserve all documents, communications and transaction history.	Treat as a late financial/contract exception: establish the corrected amount, review the applicable sale terms and authority, contact the buyer in writing, and involve accounting or legal review where the change is material or disputed.	No further release step remains; close only after the financial and audit exception has a documented outcome.

Property already released — high-risk exception

Do not treat a released lot as another routine clerk edit. Preserve the original invoice, payment, release record and supporting evidence; confirm the corrected hammer and resulting balance; identify the Terms or Conditions provision and internal authority being relied on; then route buyer communication and any financial remedy through management. Do not automatically charge a payment method, withhold unrelated property, restrict a bidder account or start collection activity unless the auction house’s terms, internal authority and applicable law permit that action.

WHO DECIDES WHAT

One person can do several jobs, but one silent edit should not settle a disputed amount.

Small auction houses often have thin staffing. Separate the decisions even when the same people wear multiple hats.

CLERK

Preserve and describe

Identify the lot, save the original record, state exactly what appears wrong and gather the clerking history. Do not manufacture certainty from memory.

AUCTIONEER

Confirm the accepted call

Where the event can be established, confirm what bid was acknowledged and whether the matter is a clerical error or a disputed sale result.

MANAGER / ACCOUNTING

Authorize downstream correction

Control invoice replacement, payment adjustments, seller settlement and communication when the error has moved beyond clerking.

SECOND CHECK

Verify the final state

A second person compares the corrected lot, invoice, payment and settlement records against the evidence before the incident is closed.

Single-clerk sale?

If the clerk is also the cashier or manager, create a deliberate pause before the edit. Read the evidence, write the proposed original and corrected values, obtain the auctioneer’s confirmation where available, then make the change once.

The point is not bureaucracy. It is preventing one mistaken keystroke from being “fixed” by a second unrecorded keystroke.

AUTHORITY CHECK

Before changing a completed financial result, identify the rule that allows the auction house to act.

Do not assume that a proven clerking error automatically gives staff unlimited authority to increase an invoice, reverse a completed transaction or reopen bidding. Check the published Terms or Conditions of Sale, any sale-day announcements or amendments, platform rules that apply to the transaction and the auction house’s internal authorization path.

Where the correction is disputed, materially increases what the buyer owes, affects property that has already been released or changes a completed settlement, escalate before treating the corrected amount as final. Record the specific clause or section relied on in the correction record.

Authority before action

Evidence proves the amount. Terms determine what remedy is available.

TermsFind the clause covering bidding errors, disputed results, corrections, reopened bidding or reoffer/resale authority.

AnnouncementsCheck any auctioneer announcement or published amendment that changed the sale conditions for this event or lot.

AuthorityIdentify who may approve the remedy: auctioneer, manager, accounting lead or another designated decision-maker.

LimitsIf the transaction is disputed or already completed, determine whether management, accounting or legal review is required before further action.

Record the clause or section number. Do not invent a universal correction window: time limits and remedies vary by auction terms and jurisdiction.

RE-OPEN LOT PATH

Reopening bidding can resolve a live sale error—but only as an authorized sale-status decision.

Some auction Terms give the auctioneer discretion to reopen or continue bidding after an error or dispute. Use that option only when the applicable Terms permit it, the auctioneer or other authorized decision-maker selects it, and the room plus any remote bidding channels can be returned to one verified bidding state.

01
Preserve the first result before reopening
Save the original hammer entry, bidder, amount, timestamps, bid source and any invoice or platform result already created. Mark that result as under review rather than silently overwriting it.
02
Confirm the authority to reopen
Identify the Terms or Conditions clause, sale announcement or other governing authority that permits reopening, continuing or reoffering the lot, and record who approved that decision.
03
Establish the restart point
Determine the last undisputed bid, bidder/source and next valid increment from the preserved sequence. Do not choose a restart amount merely because it is close to the suspected hammer.
04
Synchronize every bidding channel
Make sure the clerk, auctioneer, floor staff and any active online or phone bidding path know that the earlier result is being reopened and agree on the same lot and restart state before bids resume.
05
Announce the correction clearly
Use neutral wording that identifies the lot and restart point without blaming a bidder or clerk. Example only: “Clerking correction on lot X. The previous result is under review. Bidding is reopening from $Y.” Adapt the wording to the auction house’s Terms and normal auctioneer practice.
06
Re-clerk the new result and reconcile the superseded one
Record the reopened bidding sequence and final result through the supported workflow. Preserve the earlier result as superseded, cancelled or otherwise resolved according to the system and sale terms, then reconcile invoice, payment, settlement and release records from the final authorized result.

Do not use Re-open Lot as a shortcut

If property has already been released, payment or settlement is materially complete, the bidding channels cannot be synchronized, or the Terms do not clearly support reopening, keep the transaction on hold for management review instead of recreating a live auction sequence after the fact.

FULL CORRECTION RUNBOOK

Resolve the hammer amount in a fixed order before editing the sale.

Do not skip from “that price looks wrong” to a changed invoice. Each step narrows the uncertainty and protects the audit trail.

01
Freeze the affected lot
Tell clerking, cashiering and pickup staff that the lot is under price review. Hold any step that would turn the questionable amount into a final invoice, payment, settlement or release.
02
Capture the original record
Save the recorded lot number, bidder number, hammer amount, bid source, timestamps and visible event history. Note whether an invoice, payment or seller settlement already exists.
03
Confirm this is not a buyer-identity error
Verify the accepted bidder independently. If buyer identity is wrong or uncertain, route the incident to the bidder-number or disputed-result workflow before changing price.
04
Write the proposed amount and its price basis without editing
Record the amount believed to have been accepted, who raised the discrepancy and whether the figure is a single-lot hammer, unit hammer, quantity-based amount or extended total. Keep it separate from the current system value until the evidence is reviewed.
05
Reconstruct the accepted bid
Compare the clerking event sequence, online bid history, room audio/video, auctioneer notes, spotter notes and other contemporaneous records. Match lot, bidder, amount and sequence—not just one timestamp.
06
Resolve clock and source differences
Before treating logs as contradictory, account for timezone, device clock offsets, platform delays and the difference between a bid being received and the auctioneer acknowledging it.
07
Choose the authorized outcome under the sale terms
Identify the governing Terms or Conditions clause and the person authorized to decide the remedy. The approved path may be a clerical correction, a properly authorized reopening/reoffer while the sale can still be synchronized, or a hold/escalation when the result or authority remains uncertain.
08
Execute one approved path and preserve the superseded state
For a clerical correction, use the platform’s supported correction, re-clerk or result-edit workflow and keep bidder identity unchanged unless a separate bidder error has been proven. If the authorized outcome is to reopen bidding, follow the Re-open Lot path and record the new bidding sequence rather than hand-editing toward a desired result. Add a correction note and preserve the earlier state where supported.
09
Reconcile every dependent record
Recalculate buyer premium, tax and invoice totals; verify payment and receipt status; check seller settlement, commissions, exports, reports and lot release state. Do not assume all downstream records update automatically.
10
Communicate and close the incident
Tell affected staff and buyers which document is valid, preserve superseded records, record the evidence and authorization, and note the root cause so the next sale can be adjusted.

EVIDENCE ORDER

Prove the accepted amount from records that do not all depend on the same keystroke.

A clerk screen is useful, but it may be the source of the error. A room recording can capture the auctioneer’s call, but may not clearly identify a floor paddle. An online log can show a remote bid sequence, but not necessarily the exact moment of the auctioneer’s acknowledgement.

Use two or more independent sources where possible and document what each source actually proves.

Evidence map

Separate “what was typed” from “what was accepted.”

Clerk logShows entered amount, event order and edits.record

Online logShows remote bid amounts, accounts and platform sequence.source

Room audioMay establish auctioneer call and acknowledgement cadence.call

NotesAuctioneer or spotter notes can corroborate floor amount and bidder position.witness

No single source automatically wins. Use the combination that reliably establishes the accepted bidder, amount and sequence for this lot.

1 / EVENT HISTORY

Original bid and clerking sequence

Save the history before edits. Look for the previous bid, accepted bid, next event, source and any manual changes.

2 / ROOM RECORD

Audio or video

Use the auctioneer’s call, visible paddle, spotter acknowledgement and cadence to corroborate the amount and bidder.

3 / INDEPENDENT STAFF

Separate contemporaneous accounts

Ask the auctioneer, clerk and spotter what they observed before discussing a shared reconstruction.

4 / BUYER RECORD

Bidder-side evidence

Use bidder portal history, absentee instructions or other buyer-facing records as corroboration, not as a substitute for the primary sale evidence.

DECISION TABLE

Choose the recovery path from what the records actually prove.

A clerical correction is appropriate only when the sale result can be established. If the result itself is disputed, the operational job is to preserve evidence and escalate—not to pick the most convenient number.

Decision paths for wrong hammer price incidents
Condition	Status	Preferred operational action	Do not
Buyer proven; accepted amount independently established	Correctable price-entry error	Preserve original state, authorize one primary-record correction, then reconcile all dependent records.	Patch only the invoice.
Buyer proven; clerk value differs from room recording	Evidence conflict to resolve	Check full sequence, clock offsets and corroborating records before authorizing the corrected amount.	Assume the newest or loudest source is automatically correct.
Buyer proven; online log and floor recollection differ	Floor / online sequence issue	Hold the lot and reconstruct which bid the auctioneer acknowledged under the sale workflow.	Choose the value that produces the easier invoice.
Buyer uncertain as well as amount	Not a simple hammer-price correction	Preserve evidence and escalate bidder identity and sale status together.	Correct price while leaving an unproven buyer in place.
No reliable evidence establishes the accepted amount	Unresolved sale result	Keep downstream processing on hold and follow the auctioneer/management dispute process.	Reconstruct the amount from expected value, estimate or memory alone.
Error or dispute is caught while bidding can still be safely resumed and the sale terms permit reopening	Authorized sale-status remedy	Preserve the first result, verify the last undisputed bid and restart point, synchronize all active bidding channels, make a clear auctioneer announcement and re-clerk the reopened sequence.	Reopen from a guessed amount or silently erase the first result.
Error found after invoice was sent	Downstream document affected	Correct primary sale record, supersede the wrong invoice and issue one clearly identified replacement.	Leave two active invoice versions.
Error found after payment or settlement	Financial exception	Preserve payment/settlement history and correct under management/accounting controls with a complete audit trail.	Make an undocumented back-office balance change.
Property already released	Late financial / contract exception	Preserve the full transaction record, confirm the corrected balance and governing Terms, escalate immediately to management and communicate with the buyer in writing under the approved remedy.	Automatically charge, restrict, withhold unrelated property or start collection action without authority.

DOWNSTREAM RECONCILIATION

A corrected hammer price is not finished until every dependent record agrees.

Some auction systems propagate a corrected amount automatically; others require a separate invoice refresh, tax calculation, payment adjustment or settlement update. Do not assume either behavior.

After the primary sale result is corrected, work outward in one direction and verify the final values before the lot is released or the incident is closed.

Reconciliation chain

One corrected hammer amount must reach every dependent record.

Sale resultLot + buyer + accepted hammersource

ChargesPremium + tax + applicable feesrecalc

BuyerInvoice + payment + receipt + portalverify

SellerSettlement + commission + reportsverify

ReleasePickup / shipping authorizationfinal

BUYER PREMIUM

Recalculate, do not hand-edit around it

Confirm the premium is based on the corrected hammer amount and that any threshold or rate behavior is still correct.

TAX

Refresh the taxable basis

Verify tax after the price correction and after any invoice regeneration. Do not assume the old tax value will update automatically.

PAYMENT

Keep the transaction history

If money already moved, preserve the original charge or payment record and document any additional balance, refund or reversal through the normal payment process.

SETTLEMENT

Check the seller side

Confirm consignor proceeds, commission and sale totals reflect the corrected result before settlement is finalized.

COMMUNICATION

State what is being corrected without turning a clerical review into an accusation.

Keep the message factual: what is on hold, what record was found to be inconsistent, what has been verified and which document is now valid.

TO THE BUYER

Explain the record review

Say that the hammer amount recorded for the lot is being checked or has been corrected. Identify the valid invoice version and any payment action needed.

TO THE CASHIER

Block the superseded amount

Make sure staff cannot collect against an obsolete invoice or quote the old balance after the primary record has changed.

TO PICKUP / SHIPPING

Release only from the current record

Do not release the lot from a printout or screen that predates the correction. Confirm the current invoice and release status first.

TO THE SELLER SIDE

Flag any changed settlement

If the correction changes consignor proceeds or commission, identify the affected lot and keep the earlier settlement version in the audit trail.

PREVENTION

Catch unusual hammer amounts before they become accounting corrections.

Most prevention is procedural rather than technological. Make the accepted amount easy to hear, easy to confirm and hard to finalize without a quick plausibility check.

The goal is not to slow the auctioneer. It is to create small checkpoints around the moments where a fast verbal event becomes a permanent financial record.

Pre-sale control path

Call → confirm → record → review

HearClerk follows the auctioneer’s cadence and asks for a repeat when the accepted amount is genuinely unclear.

SeeKeep lot number, current bid and bidder source visible where the clerk can compare them without changing screens.

FlagMark unusual jumps, round-number anomalies or floor/online conflicts for review before invoices are finalized.

CheckRun a short post-sale exception review of high-value or disputed lots before payment and settlement.

01
Define who may correct a hammer result
Set a clear role for authorizing a price correction and a separate role for making or checking the edit.
02
Train for ambiguous calls
Give the clerk a neutral repeat or confirmation procedure when the auctioneer’s amount cannot be heard clearly.
03
Keep clocks and recordings usable
Document timezone and known clock offsets so bid logs, clerking events and room recordings can be reconciled after an incident.
04
Review exceptions before final invoicing
Check unusually large jumps, manual edits, reopened lots, floor/online conflicts and lots specifically flagged by the auctioneer or clerk.
05
Preserve edit history
Use software permissions and audit logs that make it possible to see who changed a hammer price, when and from what prior value.
06
Test the full correction path
Before auction day, confirm how a corrected result flows into premium, tax, invoices, payment, seller settlement and release records.

CORRECTION RECORD

Keep a compact record of the original amount, the proven amount and every downstream change.

The record should allow someone who was not in the room to understand what was wrong, what evidence established the accepted price and which records were replaced.

Printable hammer price correction record

Copy this form into the sale file or download the plain-text version for the clerk or accounting station.

HAMMER PRICE CORRECTION RECORD

SALE / RING: ______________________________________________
DATE / TIME FOUND: _________________________________________
LOT NUMBER: ________________________________________________
BIDDER NUMBER / BUYER: _____________________________________
BID SOURCE: ________________________________________________

TERMS / CONDITIONS AUTHORITY:
RULE / CLAUSE / SECTION NO.: ________________________________
AUTHORITY SUMMARY: __________________________________________
SALE-DAY ANNOUNCEMENT / AMENDMENT (IF ANY): _________________

ORIGINAL RECORDED HAMMER: __________________________________
PROPOSED CORRECT HAMMER: ___________________________________

PRICE BASIS:
[ ] Single-lot hammer
[ ] Unit hammer / Times-the-Money
[ ] Extended total
[ ] Grouped-lot or other configured basis
QUANTITY (IF APPLICABLE): ___________________________________

ORIGINAL STATE PRESERVED AS:
[ ] Screenshot / export
[ ] Clerking history
[ ] Invoice copy
[ ] Payment record
[ ] Other: _________________________________________________

EVIDENCE REVIEWED:
[ ] Clerking event history
[ ] Online bid log
[ ] Room audio / video
[ ] Auctioneer notes
[ ] Spotter / ringman notes
[ ] Absentee / phone bid record
[ ] Separate staff recollections
[ ] Other: _________________________________________________

WHY THE CORRECTED AMOUNT IS SUPPORTED:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

AUTHORIZED OUTCOME:
[ ] Correct hammer price in primary sale record
[ ] Re-open / continue / reoffer lot under applicable terms
    VERIFIED RESTART BID: ___________________________________
    RESTART BIDDER / SOURCE: ________________________________
[ ] Hold / escalate — result or authority not established
[ ] Other: _________________________________________________

PROPERTY ALREADY RELEASED?  [ ] No  [ ] Yes
IF YES, RELEASE DATE / TIME: _________________________________

AUTHORIZED BY: _____________________________________________
SOFTWARE CHANGE MADE BY: ___________________________________
DATE / TIME CHANGED: ________________________________________

DOWNSTREAM RECORDS CHECKED:
[ ] Buyer premium
[ ] Tax
[ ] Invoice
[ ] Payment / receipt
[ ] Seller settlement
[ ] Sale reports / exports
[ ] Pickup / shipping release

BUYER NOTIFIED BY / TIME: ___________________________________
SELLER-SIDE REVIEW BY / TIME: _______________________________

ROOT CAUSE:
___________________________________________________________
PREVENTION ACTION:
___________________________________________________________

NOTES:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Download correction record ↓Return to first 60 seconds ↑

OPERATING QUESTIONS

Common questions after a wrong hammer price is recorded.

These answers focus on operational correction and record integrity. Sale terms, platform behavior and applicable rules remain controlling.

Q1
What should staff do first?
Hold downstream processing for the affected lot, preserve the original clerking state, confirm the buyer and gather evidence of the accepted amount before editing anything.
Q2
Can the clerk simply edit the price?
Only after the accepted amount is established and the correction is authorized. Capture the original state, use the supported correction path and verify all dependent records afterward.
Q3
What if the bidder is correct but the price is wrong?
Keep bidder identity unchanged. For quantity or Times-the-Money lots, first confirm whether the stored figure is a unit hammer or an extended total. Then correct the proven hammer amount in the primary sale record and reconcile premium, tax, invoice, payment, settlement and release status.
Q4
What if both bidder and price are uncertain?
Do not treat it as a routine price-entry error. Hold the lot, preserve all evidence and escalate the sale-status decision to the auctioneer or manager.
Q5
What if the invoice was already sent?
Correct the primary sale record first, then void or supersede the incorrect invoice and issue one clear replacement. Verify the buyer-facing portal and any payment request before release.
Q6
What if the buyer has already paid?
Keep the payment history intact and stop further processing while the corrected balance is established. Handle any additional balance, refund or reversal under normal payment controls with a clear audit trail.
Q7
Should the original wrong amount be deleted?
No. Preserve evidence of the earlier state and use correction notes, audit history, void or superseded documents where supported so the change can be reconstructed later.
Q8
How can wrong hammer-price entries be prevented?
Use clear call-confirmation habits, visible lot and bid state, synchronized clocks, edit history, exception review before final invoicing and a tested correction workflow.
Q9
Can the auctioneer reopen the lot after a hammer-price error?
Sometimes, but only when the applicable Terms or Conditions allow reopening or continuing bidding and an authorized auctioneer or manager chooses that remedy. Preserve the first result, establish the last undisputed bid and restart point, synchronize every active bidding channel, announce the correction clearly and re-clerk the reopened sequence.
Q10
What if the property has already been released?
Treat it as a late financial or contract exception rather than a routine clerk edit. Preserve the transaction record, confirm the corrected amount and governing Terms, escalate immediately to management, communicate with the buyer in writing and use accounting or legal review where the issue is material or disputed. Do not assume unrelated property, payment methods or bidder access can be restricted without authority.

FIELD RULE

Do not correct a hammer price until you can explain why the replacement amount is right.

Hold the affected lot, preserve the original entry, prove the accepted bid, make one authorized correction in the primary sale record and then reconcile every buyer, payment, seller and release record that depended on the wrong amount.

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