# Lot

> An object or group of objects offered for sale as a single unit under one lot number. A lot is described, estimated and sold as a whole, for a single hammer price.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/lot
- Language: English
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/lot.md

## Definition

An object or group of objects offered for sale as a single unit under one lot number. A lot is described, estimated and sold as a whole, for a single hammer price.

A lot can be a single painting, a coin, a letter or a box of stamps sold together. Grouping low-value items keeps a sale manageable; splitting a collection into many lots can raise the total. Each lot needs an internal reference that stays the same if it is unsold and re-offered later, separate from the [lot number](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/lot-number.md) it receives in each catalogue.

In Selloff, every lot has a permanent reference and can carry a barcode label, and its history across sales is kept.

## Related features

- [Lot descriptions](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-descriptions.md): Describe lots on a screen you configure, with texts, custom fields, categories and images, and generate repetitive headings and descriptions automatically.
- [Lot references & barcode labels](https://www.selloff.auction/features/lot-references-barcodes.md): Give every lot a unique reference in your chosen format, print barcode labels on Zebra printers from the browser and scan them at every step.

## Related terms

- [Lot number](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/lot-number.md): The number under which a lot appears in a given sale catalogue and is called by the auctioneer. It follows the catalogue order and changes from one sale to another, unlike the lot's permanent inventory reference.
- [Lot label and barcode](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/lot-label.md): A label attached to an object or its packaging showing its lot number, internal reference and a barcode, so that it can be identified and scanned at every stage from intake to shipping.
- [Estimate (low and high)](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/estimate.md): The auction house's opinion of the likely hammer price of a lot, usually published as a range from a low to a high estimate. It is a guide for bidders, not a guaranteed price.
- [Catalogue](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/catalogue.md): The publication that presents the lots of a sale in order, with lot numbers, descriptions, images, estimates and the conditions of sale. It exists in print, as a PDF and online, often on several platforms at once.