The result is a jumble of unintelligible noises and a lot of puzzled bidders. An auctioneer usually calls two numbers in tandem. The first number is the money he's bid for the item. The second number is the money he's asking for the bid to be raised to. So let's look at what our bidder heard.
Auctioneers use little rhyming devices and shortcuts to keep their chants simple but interesting.
If the auctioneer receives the bid he's asking for, he will immediately ask for a higher bid. We're never satisfied. This continues until the bidding stops, and the auctioneer sells the item to the highest bidder. There are three reasons. First, auctioneers have a lot to sell in a limited amount of time.