I understand, but in many auction rooms, you can send a maximum bidding value to the organisation, and the highest submitted overscores all lower,
During auction, one commissaire represents the highest bid against the room ... If someone in the room bids over you, you loose, otherwise you win against the public.
Is Drouot not allowing this ?? (unless they can't keep secrecy on biddings !!!?) (= is the wolrd so corrupted today that nobody can keep a secret anymore?...
). I could do this in Brussels in the years 1970's already by sending my highest bid on a (then paper) form...
(I could see you are putting flats on sales Eric ...)