Post by Collector's Connection on Apr 26, 2006 1:16:13 GMT -5
Going, going gone
By Sony Hocklander
News-Leader
Garage sales: Easy pickings.
Flea markets: Been there, bought that.
Want to add spice to second-hand shopping? Try an auction.
Even novices can learn to bid with the best of them. Get a head start with advice from auction professionals and afficionados.
Auctions are more event than sale, say avid fans. They're fun, festive and addictive.
"It's always friendly," says Carol Follis who attends an auction nearly every week with her husband Richard. They look for auctions listed in the newspaper or encounter them while out.
"When we see an auction sign, boy, it's awful hard to keep the car going straight," says Richard.
It's the thrill of the hunt, say the Follises. Sometimes they get bargains, but that's not the point.
"Usually I buy things, not because of the value, but because it's something I like," says Carol.
Almost anything can be auctioned: books, farm tools, household items, collectibles, furniture — even houses.
The trick, say experts like longtime auctioneer Billy Long, is to know what you're looking for. Then research general values.
"Anymore, most auction companies have a Web site and you can preview a lot of items," Long says.
He also suggests asking a savvy friend to help navigate your first time out. But it's not necessary, he says. Auctioneers and their assistants (sometimes called the ring man or woman) can help if you alert them you're a bidding novice.
"Every auctioneer wants the novice to have a very good experience," Long says. "They are the future of the auction business."
Nancy Stromboly played guide at one recent estate and goods auction conducted by Glen Yutzy of Glenworth Auction and Realty.
Expect car-lined streets and large crowds, she says. And familiar faces, once you start going to them regularly.
Auctions average between four and five hours long. Some last all day. You don't have to stay the entire time, though many do. That's why most auctions feature a catered food trailer and restroom facilities.
At the Glenworth auction, loaded tables are set up in the front yard with more goods organized in the backyard and basement. All — including the house and its furniture — is up for bid.
Arrive early, advises Stromboly as she heads for a trailer to register her name and get a bidding card with a number.
At this auction, bidding has begun, with a runner already bringing lists of sold items to the trailer.
There, each bidder's purchases are filed into a numbered slot. That way, explains Stromboly, buyers can pay for goods anytime they're ready to leave. Some auction companies take credit cards. Many limit payments to check or cash.
A crowd surrounds auctioneer Yutzy and his crew at one table, which holds a set of mixing bowls, tiny antique baby shoes and lots of glassware.
Wearing a head-set microphone and a cowboy hat, Yutzy hardly pauses in his tongue-tripping cadence as he starts the bidding on each item:
"We've got two and a half. Now five? Now Five? Will you give me three? Sold for two and a half."
Bids are raised in rounded increments as his assistants call out "yep," "yep," "yep." The "yeps" tell buyers and Yutzy when bids are raised.
He's never known anyone who was not able to figure out the bidding system, says Yutzy. But it takes careful listening and observation.
"They are a bit awkward at first, until (bidders) get used to our rattle and roll," he says.
You'll know when you have the high bid, and when you don't, assures Yutzy. Say you bid $30 and the auctioneer says, "Now I have $30, can I get 35?"
You have the high bid.
If the auctioneer says "Now I have $35," you are no longer the highest bidder and will lose the item unless you bid again.
"Just listen for increment advances," Yutzy says.
Still not sure if you have the highest bid?
"It's OK to ask," he says.
Bidding continues in the front yard as Jerry Barton paws through boxes of VHS movies in the backyard.
"I try to limit my collecting to old records, old movies and old books," says Barton, who has gone to auctions for about 15 years.
Barton, who arrived at 9:30 a.m., knows he'll be there for a while before bidding moves to the back or basement.
He doesn't mind.
"This is my therapy. Some guys go fishing. Some guys go hunting. Some play golf. I go to auctions," he says.
Leaving the backyard, he heads for the musty, treasure-filled basement where he discovers a cache of old records.
Nearby, Deborah Cooper, from near Branson, is busy opening boxes on a set of high storage shelves.
"I drove about an hour to get here. Addicts will do that," says Cooper, grinning as one old box finally reveals what she seeks: old flower sack quilt pieces and vintage fabric.
"I'm a collector," she says of her jackpot.
Within limits.
She won't pay more than something's worth, no matter how much she likes it. It's too easy to get carried away, says Cooper.
"I don't go a dollar over what I decide I'm going to pay before the auction," she says. "You have to stay focused."
By Sony Hocklander
News-Leader
Garage sales: Easy pickings.
Flea markets: Been there, bought that.
Want to add spice to second-hand shopping? Try an auction.
Even novices can learn to bid with the best of them. Get a head start with advice from auction professionals and afficionados.
Auctions are more event than sale, say avid fans. They're fun, festive and addictive.
"It's always friendly," says Carol Follis who attends an auction nearly every week with her husband Richard. They look for auctions listed in the newspaper or encounter them while out.
"When we see an auction sign, boy, it's awful hard to keep the car going straight," says Richard.
It's the thrill of the hunt, say the Follises. Sometimes they get bargains, but that's not the point.
"Usually I buy things, not because of the value, but because it's something I like," says Carol.
Almost anything can be auctioned: books, farm tools, household items, collectibles, furniture — even houses.
The trick, say experts like longtime auctioneer Billy Long, is to know what you're looking for. Then research general values.
"Anymore, most auction companies have a Web site and you can preview a lot of items," Long says.
He also suggests asking a savvy friend to help navigate your first time out. But it's not necessary, he says. Auctioneers and their assistants (sometimes called the ring man or woman) can help if you alert them you're a bidding novice.
"Every auctioneer wants the novice to have a very good experience," Long says. "They are the future of the auction business."
Nancy Stromboly played guide at one recent estate and goods auction conducted by Glen Yutzy of Glenworth Auction and Realty.
Expect car-lined streets and large crowds, she says. And familiar faces, once you start going to them regularly.
Auctions average between four and five hours long. Some last all day. You don't have to stay the entire time, though many do. That's why most auctions feature a catered food trailer and restroom facilities.
At the Glenworth auction, loaded tables are set up in the front yard with more goods organized in the backyard and basement. All — including the house and its furniture — is up for bid.
Arrive early, advises Stromboly as she heads for a trailer to register her name and get a bidding card with a number.
At this auction, bidding has begun, with a runner already bringing lists of sold items to the trailer.
There, each bidder's purchases are filed into a numbered slot. That way, explains Stromboly, buyers can pay for goods anytime they're ready to leave. Some auction companies take credit cards. Many limit payments to check or cash.
A crowd surrounds auctioneer Yutzy and his crew at one table, which holds a set of mixing bowls, tiny antique baby shoes and lots of glassware.
Wearing a head-set microphone and a cowboy hat, Yutzy hardly pauses in his tongue-tripping cadence as he starts the bidding on each item:
"We've got two and a half. Now five? Now Five? Will you give me three? Sold for two and a half."
Bids are raised in rounded increments as his assistants call out "yep," "yep," "yep." The "yeps" tell buyers and Yutzy when bids are raised.
He's never known anyone who was not able to figure out the bidding system, says Yutzy. But it takes careful listening and observation.
"They are a bit awkward at first, until (bidders) get used to our rattle and roll," he says.
You'll know when you have the high bid, and when you don't, assures Yutzy. Say you bid $30 and the auctioneer says, "Now I have $30, can I get 35?"
You have the high bid.
If the auctioneer says "Now I have $35," you are no longer the highest bidder and will lose the item unless you bid again.
"Just listen for increment advances," Yutzy says.
Still not sure if you have the highest bid?
"It's OK to ask," he says.
Bidding continues in the front yard as Jerry Barton paws through boxes of VHS movies in the backyard.
"I try to limit my collecting to old records, old movies and old books," says Barton, who has gone to auctions for about 15 years.
Barton, who arrived at 9:30 a.m., knows he'll be there for a while before bidding moves to the back or basement.
He doesn't mind.
"This is my therapy. Some guys go fishing. Some guys go hunting. Some play golf. I go to auctions," he says.
Leaving the backyard, he heads for the musty, treasure-filled basement where he discovers a cache of old records.
Nearby, Deborah Cooper, from near Branson, is busy opening boxes on a set of high storage shelves.
"I drove about an hour to get here. Addicts will do that," says Cooper, grinning as one old box finally reveals what she seeks: old flower sack quilt pieces and vintage fabric.
"I'm a collector," she says of her jackpot.
Within limits.
She won't pay more than something's worth, no matter how much she likes it. It's too easy to get carried away, says Cooper.
"I don't go a dollar over what I decide I'm going to pay before the auction," she says. "You have to stay focused."