There was a time when antique lovers looking to redecorate on the cheap could visit the 26th Street flea markets and take home a treasure: an old farm table, say, or an Art Deco lamp. But increasingly, what passes as antique – or just plain unique – is anything with a coat of paint unevenly applied.

Fortunately, auction houses have been picking up the slack. It’s a surprising turn of events: auction houses have long appealed to dealers, decorators, and collectors – not amateurs. But the “House” and “Home” furniture sales held each month at Christie’s, Doyle New York, and Tepper Galleries do just that. “These sales are geared toward the individuals, not serious collectors,” said Karen Cangelosi, head of the “Doyle at Home” sales and appraiser of furniture and decorative arts. This means that the paintings, dining room tables, sofas, mirrors, lamps, and fine china on offer have intrinsic decorative value, and may in fact be antique, but are usually without historical importance. As such, the prices are on par with – or better than – those found at home furnishing standbys such as Crate & Barrel. The average lot at Doyle sells for about $800, Christie’s leads with $2,000, and Tepper trails with $500.

Heather Johnson, director of Christie’s House Sales, also looks for decorative rather than historical or specific period pieces. “We’ll take a reproduction, or a piece made up of different parts if it’s attractive and in good condition,” she said, though excellent antiques are always included at Christie’s sales. That’s why Federico Carrera, a Manhattan dealer specializing in 17th- to 18th-century neoclassical antiques, attends almost every House Sale: “There are always good lots coming up at Christie’s, perhaps not the most collectible, but very attractive and of good quality,” he said. Christie’s upcoming House Sale, which will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday, will sell an impressive amount of affordable Americana (you might even find that antique farm table), including dozens of painted benches (lot 937, among others, estimated $300-$800), corner cabinets (lot 872, among others, estimated $800-$2,500), and sculptures of birds and ducks (lots 702 to 715, among others, estimated $300-$5,000). Many Folk Art enthusiasts will be in attendance.

Tepper Galleries offers a somewhat less curatorial approach, holding general “fine and decorative art” estate auctions weekly. “We get it, catalog it, put it out, people bid, and they take it,” said Max Draven, an owner of Tepper, which has been auctioning estate property in New York City since 1937. “Some auctions sell better things – we sell more!” More Regency-style dining tables, Chippendale-style chairs, and Chinese-style vase lamps that is, and that’s not counting all manner of reproductions. You’d be hard-pressed to find anything streamlined, or made with Formica, steel, plastic, or any other modern or contemporary material.

Just one round of auctions will reveal a striking similarity between even the most precious vase and the common bench: most of the furniture and decorative objects are of a pre-World War II aesthetic, with a healthy dose of chinoiserie thrown into the mix. “A lot of brown furniture,” as one Christies’s employee put it, making these venues the perfect place to look for interesting pieces – a gilded Louis XVI armchair, a marble bust, jade carvings, hurricane lamps, a crystal chandelier or sconce – that will modify a contemporary, boxy interior.

From time to time a few lots of contemporary articles show up, such as at Doyle’s upcoming sale on March 2, where an Eames chair, Philippe Starck telephone tables, and a few Dakota Jackson pieces will be available. At Christie’s on Tuesday, many antique trade signs – including carvings of pants and jackets from the exterior of a tailor’s shop that would pass anyone’s Pop Art test (lot 959, estimated $1,000) – will be auctioned, along with an impressive suite of antique faux bamboo dining chairs (lot 731, estimated $15,000).

You won’t see those prices or quality at Tepper (though a painting by American Impressionist Thomas Dewing did sell for $500,000), but the gallery sells no-reserve (minimum price) and items have sold for as little as $5 – a fact that can be easily discerned by the production values of the catalog, an essential component of every auction. Tepper’s “catalog” is nothing more than a typed list of lots, without illustrations, making the pre-auction viewing on their premises – always the day before the auction, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at their 110 East 25th Street offices – essential to attend. Expect to wander into a huge, neatly arranged, high-end garage sale. Christie’s, however, unlike Tepper and Doyle, prints and sells a lavishly colored, fully illustrated catalog, making the pre-auction viewing desirable but not necessary. Both Christie’s and Doyle put their catalogs online at least one month prior to the sale and hold viewings on the days leading up to the auctions, which makes it difficult to conceal great finds from the scrutiny of the masses – and the experts.

But it’s the average apartment dweller with a good eye – not the experts – who typically win the lots they bid on. The experts, like Mr. Carrera, can only go so high; they have resell prices and markups to consider.

The best way to acclimate yourself – auctions can be intimidating for first-timers – is by visiting the Web sites and marking down the lots that grab your attention, and then, before the day arrives, walking through the viewings. Sales and catalogs are posted months in advance.

All of the houses require registration the day of the auction, so be sure to arrive early and with ID and credit card in hand. At Doyle and Tepper the process is relatively simple – they need your contact information so that you can be identified and liable for your bids. If you plan on bidding high – usually that means over $10,000 – they occasionally require a bank’s pre-certification, so it’s best to call the auction house ahead to make financial arrangements. Once you’ve registered, you’ll be handed a paddle and pointed to the auction room. At Christie’s, the registration process is more or less the same, but if it’s your first visit it doesn’t hurt to go through the paperwork and credit checks a few days in advance. (Based on this personal information, Christie’s will determine your appropriate bid range.) When the auctioneer commences, PowerPoint slides will be projected, and the bidding will begin lot by lot. After the auction you can arrange your onsite pickup or, in the case of expensive or heavy objects, delivery or storage. And remember: If you made a dreadful mistake, you can always consign your lot at another auction. Likewise, if you decide your new Louis VXI armchair has more style than the contents of your home combined, then why not consign the whole lot and visit the auction houses for replacements?

“The House Sale” February 1 & 2 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. at Christie’s, 20 Rockefeller Plaza; viewing January 28 & 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., January 30 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and January 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 212-636-2000, www.christies.com.

“Fine and Decorative Arts” estate auction February 5 at 10 a.m. at Tepper Galleries, 110 E. 25th St.; preview February 4 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 212-677-5300,www.teppergalleries.com.

“Doyle at Home: Fine Furniture, Decorations, and Paintings, including 20th Century Art and Design,” March 2 at 10 a.m. at Doyle New York, 175 E. 87th St.; exhibition February 26 to March 1; 212-427-4141, ext. 248,www.doylenewyork.com.