AUCTION FUN

 When going picking for treasures our favorite thing to do is attend Estate Sales but sometimes we go to Auctions. Auctions can take all day while waiting for the item you wish to bid on so they're not my favorite. 

Before I attended my first auction I was a bit intimidated thinking it was all seriousness with people sitting there with dour expressions on their faces and just a light nod to the auctioneer if you wanted to bid on something. And heaven forbid if you mistakenly made a gesture without thinking and the auctioneer thought you were bidding! So it was a bit nerve wracking to think about at first!

But when an auction came up and we knew the auctioneer, the idea became less intimidating and so we went to our first auction! That was many years ago now and we've learned a few things: 1) Auctions are not all that formal and 2) They can be a lot of fun!

One such auction we went to had an auctioneer that was rather funny! Someone said he was a comedian but I don't know if they meant he was funny when being an auctioneer or if, indeed, he was a real live comedian! Hah! I never asked!

This auction was set up with higher priced items like furniture and other high end antiques in the main seating area. Our friend the auctioneer and owner was in this area. The other buildings were often housed with rustic, farmhouse, and other unique finds often being sold in groups of items. I usually opted for these areas as I liked to buy the farmhouse and rustic pieces. In this area the auctioneer walked around and people would crowd around him to bid on items. 

This is where I met the "comedian auctioneer". He was constantly cracking jokes about things and making everyone laugh. Being short, I tried to work my way up to the front so I could see what we were bidding on. Thankfully people were usually gracious enough to let the shorter people up front. ; )  At first I was shy about bidding. I would slowly hold my number up maybe once for each item. And then after not getting something I would sigh and say quietly, "Ohhh I wanted that." Being so close to the auctioneer he often heard my disappointment at not winning any bids. It was obvious to him I was a newbie. He turned to me and said, " You see... the object is to be the last person to bid and then you get what you want" He said it in such a funny way that I laughed and others laughed along! Then he said, "So I'm going to give you a chance to get something! Ready?" I nodded yes. He started with the bidding ( which is usually fast and barely understandable for me ) and after a few bids, he stopped,  looked at me and said, "Do you want to bid on this?" Haha! I actually was able to get something!

And then came the firkin! 

He held up a firkin and said, "We have here a bucket!" The auctioneers usually  offer a price for the first bid and often people would wait a bit and not bid on the first price because usually if there were no bids after the first price was asked for, the auctioneer would come down on the price. Someone then shouted out, "It's a sugar bucket!" The "comedian auctioneer" commented, "OK it's a sugar bucket!" I had known what this was and was surprised to learn that auctioneers don't always know everything about all the items up for bid! Anyhoo, he started emphasizing sugar as someone had told him what the bucket was for! To his surprise the bids for this sugar bucket kept going up and up! It finally sold for $450! You could see the surprise in his face with this high bid!! "Welll, OK, sugar bucket.. gone for $450!", he shouted! Next he held up a small chair and announced, " We have here a... sugar chair!" He looked around as if wondering if we were going to fall for that! With everybody laughing, he shrugged and said, "Well it worked for the bucket!"

Another time we were in the main room and I was sitting next to my daughter-in-law. Without realizing it we were bidding on the same item with only the two of us now bidding. The auctioneer, the friend of ours, stopped the bidding and asked, "Do you two know you are bidding against each other?" I stopped bidding and let my daughter-in-law get the last bid! ; )

Some friends of ours also come to these auctions and we often sit together and visit when not bidding. Apparently, without me realizing it,  I made some gestures that made them think I was bidding! And I won the bid! It was actually something I liked ( an antique stoneware butter jug with "butter" written on it in blue )When the auctioneer called out my name and told me I won, I asked, "How much did I pay for this?" It was $25! This was many years ago now and maybe a bit high at that point but I loved it so it was ok! Our friend, the auctioneer, would not have forced me to take it if I didn't want it as he has done for others but I actually like it! Now it is worth more than that but I'm not selling! I still have it! 

I could share many more fun stories and probably will in the future. But I found out that auctions are not as intimidating as I once thought. I buy some things to sell and some to keep!

If you'd like to check out some of our fun finds go to gwenandalmas.etsy.com.

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Sandy