2016 Off To A Strong Start!

I must admit, I haven’t been updating my “News & Views” blog as often as I should, but this year has been incredibly busy! I have been working very hard just to keep up with the new furniture auctions, and the antique auctions, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. However, I am not complaining…just making excuses! So now I am taking a few minutes between doing a video, and procrastinating on getting the paperwork done, from yesterdays antique auction. We had another very good antique auction on Sunday March 13. Big crowd, very aggressive bidding, lots of fun with the audience, and in general a good auction. Prices were strong in most categories, and the prices on the primitives and country items were especially strong. Wooden boxes, signs, toys, military, cast iron etc, all very strong and getting stronger! Furniture prices were fair, and this time we had a nice collection of Asian china, pottery and brass, and overall they did very well. The consignor on the Asian items was very pleased, and that’s the bottom line for me. I average 25-30 consignors per auction, and not everyone wins, but the vast majority seem to be pleased. Over half of my consignors put items into almost every auction, and some consignors have been with me for 15 years or more. After every auction, I do a breakdown of where people come from. We do not draw many people from the local area around Pottageville, in fact we are really not a “local” auction. People come from all over the province. I spoke to one couple who drove over 3 hours to get to the auction! They left the house just after 5:00 am. It was the first time to the auction, and they did a lot of buying! I assume they are dealers, and they obviously made it worth the trip, plus they really enjoyed the sale. Based on the registration, people came from over 60 different towns and cities. Our largest draw is from south and east of Pottageville, but we have customers from far northern Ontario and many from the west of us. It always surprises, and pleases me, to see how far people will drive for our auctions! The past antique auction was a long sale…I sold for 8 hours straight! I drank two cups of coffee and one bottle of water during that time,, and if you ask me how I can go that long, non stop…I can’t really tell you… I get pumped up, and I just keep going! When the crowd is good and the bidding is strong, the adrenalin kicks in! It’s now 24 hours later, and I am feeling the effects, but it is well worth it. Of course I had to get up early this morning and pick up a load of furniture for the next auction, and that could account for a little of the lethargy at the time of this writing. So, I will wrap this up by saying 2016 has gotten off to a very good start. Antique auctions, new furniture auctions, they are both keeping me very busy, and I am not going to complain about that!

You can check out a video of the Sunday March 13 auction!