Bargain Seating

I go to the auction to entertain myself.  It's a small town auction house usually selling off the wares of old estates and the goods range from really cool old stuff to cheap knick knacks, coins, and Dear God: the endless tool lots from old workshops.  If anyone wants a great wrench set for $3, this is the place to be.  But it's more the camaraderie that gathers us in an old air hanger on Saturday nights.  The smell of fresh popped corn wafting through the bid calls as we all wait for the auctioneer's expected price to trickle down to where the bidding actually begins.  One can never judge how an auction will go.  What brings top dollar one week falls flat the next.  The thrill is in the hunt and we have all gathered for the kill.

Sometimes what I have purchased isn't at all what I had planned to buy. Exploring the preview, I marveled at a Victorian chair that reminded me of my great grandmother.  Surprisingly solid for it's age but in need of a new seat cover-  easy peasey.  But in the auction world, furniture doesn't always go cheap and with the clean straw stuffing exposed, this baby was the real deal.  Original and intact. 

 

 By time the chair hit the auction block I had already been outbid on the items I really wanted.  Now it was time to play.  I love watching what people buy and auctioneers are comedians skilled at keeping an audience through the sale.  The auctioneer started the bid call at $100 noting the chair's curvy lines. 

 The crowd averted their eyes, checked their watches and continued doodling on their bid cards as the bid call lowered to $50- Very reasonable considering her tufts were firm.

 Small splinter conversations were on the rise as the disinterest plummeted the bid call down to $20. 

Raised eyebrows and disbelief, I locked eyes with the auctioneer.  Seriously?? $20 for this chair and no bids? She just needed a few cosmetic fixes!

 Then he did the unthinkable! He called out an all time low of $10 on a piece of furniture.  Maybe he knew I wouldn't be able to resist!  Maybe he knew I was losing faith after so many failed bids already this evening!  Or most likely, he knew I would take pity on a chair too beautiful to go without a bid.  I flew my card in the air before he even finished the word ten!  Certain I would be outbid I weighed how high I was willing to go to fight for the chair. After all, I was now emotionally invested.  The auctioneer's calls for $12.50 buzzed from his microphone like a swarm of flies ready to spoil my bid.  But nothing... my fellow bidders were still doodling, still chatting, still checking watches when the gavel came down in my favor!

This chair and I were meant for each other!  I am pretty sure I saw her smiling when I picked her up and hoisted her into the Element. Her delicately carved hands curling in a tight grip, her exposed stuffing gently tucked in place, as if she knew I had fresh fabric waiting for her.  As if she knew we were meant to be.  As if she knew she was finally going home.

LOVE  &  AUCTION FINDS!!

 

Insta-Awesome At Auction

It's been many years since I've been to a good country auction!  Recently I stumbled across a local ad for an auction company just up the road in Bacliff, Texas.  Hubby was out of town, Baby Girl was off with her friends, and the dogs were fast asleep.  It was a Saturday night and I had money to burn!  Perusing the online flyer, I saw many a fine item I knew had a place in my home- so off I went.  Prepared to splurge, I soon found myself in bargain heaven and scoring insta-collections at scrumptiously low prices!

 

 Upon entering the gallery, I assessed the crowd, sizing up my competition.  I can spot dealers and resale stockers and rule them out as competition because they predominantly swoop in on glassware and furniture.  I am on the lookout for other artsy-fartsy types such as myself with the telltale swag bag full of projects to keep idle hands busy.  Spying out other people who want rusty cast offs and layers of useless knickknacks, I see no others.  I am alone on the pond of possibility.  All the fish are mine for the taking!

I was prepared to pay $50 for the camera box lot- a heaping mound of Kodak gems including manuals, lenses, and vintage video cameras.  I scored at $15!  The bottles were a steal at $3 for all! The only real battle I had was over the skeleton keys.  Resalers know they are a quick flip- I just had to go high enough to force other bidders out of their profit margin.  Still a bargain at $10.

This sweet Argoflex camera is by far my fave purchase!  Not only was it the target of my attendance- but it became the battle of wills, the defining moment between me and the auctioneer. The worst possible scenario for an auctioneer is to have awesome merchandise but only one bidder interested.  By time this camera came up for bid it was well known I was the lone vintage hunter in his audience.   He knew it would be undersold but had to control just how low it would go.  I knew I could score- but I had to get as low as possible before he pulled the item. We sized each other up as the Argus made its way to the block.  He started high- calling out for $30, scanning the audience, staring into my eyes with a burning intent of, "You will not walk away with this one too!"  It was a serious threat masked in that toothy grin of his.  I stared back with a challenge of, "You can go lower...."  Finally dwindling down in numbers, scraping the bottom at $10, I knew I had to pounce as  the auctioneer was verging on the pull. 

 

 This was the last camera offered for the night.  The remaining cameras, antique typewriters, and bubble glass frames would have to wait until next Saturday's auction. A good auctioneer knows to give away just a sweet taste to leave bidders hungering for more.  I was a little disappointed but knowing that the life of the auction is bidding drama, I will be thankful for this week's bargains and return next week to bid again.

 

LOVE  &  INSTA-COLLECTIONS!