It's Olleymania as bidders show precious little reserve SPECTATORS were spilling out the doors and some bidders had to wave paddles high above their heads to be seen by the auctioneer, as more than 500 people turned out for the final dispersal of Margaret Olley's distinctive bric-a-brac and domestic artworks at the National Art School in Sydney yesterday. Every bohemian in Sydney appeared to be accounted for in Sydney's eastern suburb of Darlinghurst, among them jeweller Jan Logan and Brett Whiteley's former wife Wendy Whiteley. The Australian's political commentator Peter van Onselen was also there. In an attempt to price items realistically, auctioneers Mossgreen listed hats, paintbrushes and collections of glassware and earthenware vases from $5 and $10. Paintings by Olley were priced from $10,000 for a self-portrait from 1970. Those prices and Olley's celebrity ensured the 320 lots attracted keen bidding that ricocheted around the room. Some items sold for 10 or 20 times above their reserve. A pair of paint-stained palettes sold for $1700 -- or $2074 including Mossgreen's 22 per cent premium. Two bidders vied for Olley's Interior with Green Fireplace, which sold for $83,000 including the premium. The pair then repeated their bidding war for a chair depicted in it, only to be knocked out of the race by a phone bidder who paid $4880 for the green painted bentwood piece. One of the most unexpected results was the sale of a green painted tray expected to fetch $5-$10. It went for $671. And a filthy cowrie-shell door fringe found a buyer at $90. A cluster of Olley's brushes and paints fetched $671. Auctioneer Paul Sumner kept the sale pace ticking along, averaging one item a minute. Even at that speed, nothing was passed in and Sumner was occasionally lost for words on account of the bidding ferocity. "A selection of glazed bowls, very good glaze on these bowls," he intoned and they fetched $268, almost triple their reserve. Olley's art dealer and co-executor of her estate Philip Bacon told the crowd she would have been thrilled with the turnout, which saw all items being sold for a total $625,844. The proceeds will go to the Margaret Olley Trust, which is charged with continuing the late artist's support for the arts.