Today many people turn to eBay and other on-line auction sites to sell off their unwanted property to cover debts, to follow new trends or because they want to down-size/de-clutter.
In December 1792 the Prince Regent held an auction, at Tattersalls, of all his horses and carriages (how on earth did he get around having sold everything?). It seems probable that he was trying to raise funds to meet his financial commitments. We know how successful this proved to be because in 1795 he was forced to marry his cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick.