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4 Pamela Lang

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Auction appeal features an element of surprise

CAUTION: AUCTIONS can
be addictive.

As you enter the cavernous hall,
your heart begins to beat a touch
faster. You survey the surroundings
and promise yourself not to get
carried away. The room is lit by
stark fluorescents, and the air is
faintly musty. Rows of aluminum
chairs fuce the merchandise - a
medicy of old household items,
boxes full of books, gilded mirrors,
Persian rugs, antique silver, and
plain old junk.

Your hands hold a ‘paddle’ or a
piece of cardboard with a number
you were given when you regis-
tered at the entrance, and possibly
a ‘catalogue’ of several xeroxed
pages with three or four hundred
numbered items. The selection is
usually eclectic: Hand-carved
Native Indian Mask, Art Deco
Chandelier, Carved Wooden Flute
Holders, Cast Iron Casserole, Early
Georgian Tea Caddy with Matching
Stand, Cut Crystal Decanter, and
much other paraphernalia,

With a sense of anticipation and
excitement you join the crowd. It is
certainly not the atmosphere that
has drawn you, but unless you are
an auction enthusiast already, it is
hard to define the attraction,

For some it is the challenge to
outfit a new household on a shoe-
string budget, or to make student
quarters look homey, or to find a
touch of affordable luxury. It can
certainly be done provided you
have the time and patience.

For others, auctions are busi-
ness, and it can be a lucrative busi-

Sy wines Ania hs Wi
DESIGN OF THE TIMES
ness for those with a thorough
understanding of supply and
demand. Many modest auction pur-
chases move from a corner in the
starkly lit hall to a smart boutique
and undergo a transformation.
Dusted off and highlighted by halo-
gen, they look like - and often sell
for - a fortune.

For many auction regulars, the
attraction lies in the sheer challenge
of finding un instant heirloom or a
rare treasure and getting it for a
steal. We have all heard the legends
that begin: “he bought it at an auc-
tion for peanuts and thea discov-
ered it was an original ....
Rembrandt, or Chippendale, or
Picasso.” Auctions tend to awaken
the gambler instinct: they can be
addictive.

And what should you expect or

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know before going to your first auc-
tion? Expect to have an entertaining
evening; expect to be caught up in
the action as time, bidding and
transactions zoom by in a Mash:
expect some frustration when your
favorite chair goes for ien dollars
before you are able to lift a finger
or raise your paddle.

But don’t expect to lind a tiger
muple bachelor’s chest in mint con-
dition, or any other specific item.
One of the attractions, after all, is
the element of surprise and delight
in finding the unexpected: of going
home with a true bargain.

Your best bet, acvording to Terry
Pope at North Shore Auctions, is to
come to the preview that is always
held before the auction. Reserve
enough time to inspect the items
that will be auctioned off. Make a
note of the treasures you like, turn
them over and check them out.
Flaws are not always announced
during the bidding. Then determine
how much each item is worth to
you. Keep in mind that ten percent
commission and both taxes will be
added.

When the item is ‘on the block’.
raise your paddie when the auction-
eer has arrived at the base price ora
sum you are comfortable with. It
should be well below the amount

See Bidding page 18

Eta aed

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NEWS photo Terry Peters

PART OF an auction’s appeal is the variety of items available like
these olated silver pieces dating back to the turn of the contury.

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