I occasionally see art for sale at small auctions, antique shops and collectives, but am reluctant to buy. You show good judgment by hesitating.
Forgers are at least as much of a problem at small auctions as they are at the major sales.
They also tend to make about as much progress at fooling people as forgery detectives do at foiling their efforts. Even though fakes represent only a small percentage of all available art, unless you know exactly what you're doing or a seller provides incontrovertible proof of authenticity, you can be taken advantage of. To complicate matters these days, you also need proof that any art you're interested in buying hasn't been stolen. Once again, the great majority of art is in the possession of its rightful owners, but under certain circumstances, if you get caught with stolen art, you are financially responsible for it's return and not the party who sold it to you. Laws and statutes vary from state to state and country to country.