In a voyeuristic way, people flock to an auction just to see what its well-known vendor possessed. It is no surprise then that buyers, especially interior designers, are interested in the artefacts from the estate of the late Basil Collins, which will go on sale at Adams on Wednesday.

Collins, who in his younger years was regarded as one of Dublin's leading interior designers, was renowned for his eclectic taste. His avant garde style is reflected in the pieces included in this sale, particularly his ability to merge period and modern styles.

The pieces reflect his colourful persona with many of them . . . such as his 17thcentury oil of the poisoned Sophonisba framed in an exquisite fruitwood inlaid frame . . . highlighting his passion for great historical themes that make a statement on a wall. The poisoning of Sophonisba was a popular theme amongst Baroque painters.

Collins was a man who wouldn't have just any old postbox for his home but rather a George IV octagonal carved oak postbox with a flower-head finial on top.

The body of the box is brassbound and raised on a plinth base fitted with a single frieze drawer . . . it has an estimate of 1,000 to 1,500 at this sale.

With such an array of eclectic taste, you can just imagine the kind of bizarre but interesting home he had. Since he operated his interior design practice from his house, it was no surprise to find oriental and African carved timber and ceramic deities mixing with fine 20th-century porcelain . . . these items are now for sale.

His taste was born not just of his interior design training but from his previous profession as dress designer when for the smart young women of his day. Many of his portraits included in this sale are paeans to dressmaking detail: the dress in the French School portrait of lady in blue shows exquisite decorative detail in the neck and sleeves; a portrait of John Claudius Beresford, Lord Mayor of Dublin, shows him in resplendent ermine furtrimmed cloak and lacetrimmed shirt.

Collins himself was apparently a smart, dapper boulevardier, who was seen at first nights at The Solomon Gallery and dined regularly at The Unicorn. He mixed with such socialites of his day as Terry Keane and architects Sam Stephenson and Michael Scott.

More of his possessions are expected to filter into later sales . . . Adam's forthcoming sale of contemporary and modern art will include Collins' collection of modern paintings, prints and sculpture.

The highlight of the sale, however, is not from the Collins' collection, but from a private vendor whose George IV white marble chimney piece is expected to sell for somewhere between 85,000 and 100,000.

What also makes this sale interesting is not just that it harks back to the smart set of the '60s and '70s, but the fact that it will open to so many buyers.

This sale represents the first time that Adam's are introducing live internet bidding . . . they are the first auction house in Ireland to do so.

Working with online auctioneer specialists, Live Auctioneers, in association with eBay Live Auctions, Adam's is offering clients the opportunity to view and bid online in real time for any lot being sold in the sale room.

Adam's catalogues, complete with lot descriptions, images and estimates, can be previewed online on their own website at www. adams. ie, which will provide a link to liveauctioneers. com, and to eBay. com, where you can register for the service and vice versa. The bidding can be tracked online on the sale day, with registered bidders able to either leave an online absentee bid or wait to bid instantaneously against the saleroom as the auction is in progress.

It certainly beats going out in the rain and sleet when you can sit by the fire and do it all online, assuming that your server provider won't let you down. Unlike telephone bidding, you are virtually in the salesroom watching how the bids progress.

Adam's are excited about this first opportunity for their buyers to buy online. Potential bidders anywhere in the world can use this service, says Eamon O'Connor, associate director at Adam's.

"Busy lifestyles, travel restrictions and different time zones limit some of our clients from bidding in person, so viewing and bidding online is a convenient, safe and secure option to keep a live track of the lots as they sell on the day."

He believes that the new service will bring thousands more customers to the auction house.