Wandering through the packed Alderfer Auction house on a Thursday, it’s gorgeous chaos, a three-ring circus of sales competing for attention on all sides. Four auctioneers at a time call sales — everything from decorative arts to ceramics, furniture, china and glass, not mention vintage clothing, ephemera and antique go-carts. The result is an incessant, glib patter of numbers, prices ranging from $2.50 to $30,000 at this weekly estate sale. “It’s really interesting to see the variety — it’s never the same. It really spoils one for shopping in the mall,” says Alderfer’s Barbara L’Amoreaux.

She has a point. Like Alderfer, many auction houses in our area have frequent sales with objects ranging from priceless to a pittance. Whether you’re looking to bring more original artwork into your home, furnish a room with classic antiques, purchase a fantastic set of silver or china, or just see what’s out there, there’s an event for you, and your budget.

Lee Young, vice president of Samuel T. Freeman & Co.’s English and Continental Furniture and Decorative Arts Department, says that, especially with eBay live auctions, Freeman’s is increasingly welcoming novice collectors along with seasoned dealers. His advice to prospective buyers: Don’t be timid, and don’t be afraid to ask. “Whatever your question is, we become your eyes in the gallery,” he says. “We’ve had questions like: is the chair comfortable for a 220-pound person?” As well, many auction houses now guarantee their condition reports as well — so you know what you’re getting. “In the past,” Young says, “people have maybe been a little intimidated by coming to an auction house, for fear that you’ll scratch your nose and find you’ve bought a Picasso for $10 million — or that you’ll buy a ‘dud’ to use a crude word. It’s not like that.”

So get ready to shop the auctions. We’ve listed some of the premier venues in the area where you can pick out some great pieces.

Period pieces. The granddaddy of Philadelphia-area auction houses and America’s oldest is Samuel T. Freeman & Co.

Young has seen plenty of demand for the Louis XV- and Louis XVI-style French furniture — that is, pieces created late in the 19th century, modeled after mid 18th-century styles. Such revival works, after falling out of favor for a number of years, are now seeing… well, a revival once again. Past auctions have included 19th-century pieces stamped by important makers like Francois Linke, as well as rare works from the Louis XVI period, like a set of six gilt-wood armchairs dating to around 1780.

As well, Young says even some early 20th-century pieces are drawing interest. “I think what’s happened again, when we went into the 21st century, is that people started to look back at works from around 1900 as antiques — so it lifted their value,” Young says.

Samuel T. Freeman & Co.; 1808 Chestnut St., Philadelphia; 215-563-9275; freemansauction.com

Early Americana. Situated in a renovated Main Line stone mansion, Pook & Pook has been operating for more than 20 years, bringing to auction fine and decorative arts and antiques ranging from the affordable to the priceless. According to appraiser and auctioneer James Pook, whose parents started this family business, “Auctions are not only a lot of fun, but a great place to buy. And when you see some of the newer things out there, they just don’t compare in terms of quality and aesthetics.”

Pook & Pook, Inc.; 463 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown; 610-269–4040; pookandpook.com

All about antiques. “In my first year, I sold anything from a herd of cattle to the best farm machines, farms and all the antiques that families had collected over generations,” says Sanford Alderfer, who has been calling auctions at his family-run auction house in Hatfield since 1959. However, more recent major catalog sales at Sanford Alderfer Auction Company have included fine jewelry, fine art, decorative arts, china, American and European period furniture and carpets, and ephemera.

Each of Alderfer’s recent auctions have included a major painting by George Sotter, whose works have grown exponentially in value in recent years. And recent sales of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century furniture include names like Chippendale and Flora Danica.

Sanford Alderfer Auction Company; 501 Fairgrounds Rd., Hatfield; 215-393-3000; alderferauction.com

Artistic endeavors. The Rago Arts and Auction Center in Lambertville, NJ, is known for auctions of great Arts and Crafts and Modern furniture and art pottery, but they’ve been shifting plenty of attention toward fine art.

For those of us without museum-caliber budgets, auctions also feature several options: smaller pieces and works on paper by important artists and new works by contemporary artists that could run just a few thousand dollars. “For an artist that really has a strong market, obviously an oil painting, one that’s a sizable piece, is going to be more expensive,” Hilferty says, “but if you can buy a smaller work by an artist, that’s really worthwhile.”

Rago Art and Auction Center; 333 N. Main St., Lambertville, NJ; 609-397-9374; ragoarts.com