Bidders who aspired to own a piece of Ritz-Carlton history were angry and disappointed that many of the objects they fancied were sold before they arrived at a much-touted auction yesterday.
More than 300 bidders arrived at 10am for the auction in a third-floor ballroom.
They were packed in like sardines only to discover that about 2,000 of the 8,000 pieces originally displayed - many of which had been earmarked as preferred pieces by bidders who had already inspected them - had been sold.
Angry bidder Lois Lee said she was upset that her favourite pieces had been presold.
'This system is terrible,' she said. 'I'm very disappointed. I marked all the items that I wanted [last week], mostly the cabinets. I'm here for them, but when I arrived, they were all sold.'
She said bidders had been misled by a system in which pieces for preview were sold before the auction.