a little tonque in cheek!

Barrie Man A Throw Back To Another Era. Rob Sage, 56, currently living outside of Barrie Ont., surprised many people in the local area, by openly admitting, he still uses a flip top cell phone, with a $10 a month plan. Sage admits he has been using the antiquated technology for over 5 years now. He went on to explain how he can drive without using a cell phone, can shop without it, run a business without it constantly in his hand, can still keep in contact with family and friends. He also admitted he has never sent or received a text message, has never checked his email from a mobile device, in fact at times has gone 7 or 8 hours in a row without checking email. He still updates his facebook page from a desk top computer! Sage still prefers one on one conversation…face to face.  He can go through an entire meal in a restaurant without technological interruptions, and will often maintain a one on one conversation for hours on end. He does have a website that he admits is a very important part of his business, and he will spend many hours a month working on it.  However, he can also walk away from it, and still lead a full and productive life. Perhaps even more shockingly, Sage also admitted he has never played a video game. Never. And may never. Despite his technology handicap, Sage still believes he lives a full and productive lifestyle. He somehow sees and enjoys a world around him that is somewhat larger than a palm sized video screen. He still moves forward, despite also living backward in a by gone era… from almost 5 years ago.

…March is always a good month and this was no exception!

I am a little late in writing this, but it has been extremely busy since last weekends auction. Beginning of the week I was helping friends set up at the “One Of A Kind Show” in Toronto, and then several pickups, plus over 12 hours of paperwork, but it is all done now! First I would like to thank everyone who attended the March 23 auction, and once again a very large crowd! 235 registered bidders, and that make it one of the largest crowds we have had…second only to the auction in Feb! (243 bidders) January auction was over 200 bidders as well, so it has been a very good first three months of the year. There are some challenges when you have crowds that large, and I do appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.  We do our very best to keep the sales moving quickly and believe it or not, with some semblance of planning and order.  It may seem somewhat chaotic, but we really are following a plan! The crowds are always largest during the winter months, but they do taper off somewhat for the rest of the year.  We still have large, well attended auctions, but probably 20% fewer registered bidders for the rest of the auctions this year, so that gives everyone a little more breathing room. A big part of my business  involves dealing with people who are settling estates. I find it very interesting what some people put great value on, and then I have to unfortunately tell them their mothers prized possession really isn’t worth that much.  One such case I am dealing with, the late mother told her children about the value of these two very old, painted chairs.  The daughters told me they were  not allowed to even stand on them, because mother told them they were very old and valuable.  I had to break the news to them that indeed the chairs are very old, but as far as value…less than $5 each. The same with the jug and basin set (basin cracked), the child’s chair with the missing rung, assorted plates, the collector spoons and the silver plate casserole stand. However, when we went to the top floor I spotted a very nice hall tree, told them what I thought it might bring, and they looked at me in amazement.  One sister told me she was going to throw it out! So then we check out the basement for crocks, sealers, old wooden boxes…the stuff that brings decent money now, yet these were the items held in very low regard. There is a generation that placed a great deal of value on some types of antiques, but many of those items just do not bring the money they would have 30 years ago.  Of course if you own these types of items, but are not actively following the antique market, it can be quite disappointing when you find out what they are currently selling for. Many people will then assume there is no value to antiques anymore, and that is where I have to explain that we are getting record crowds to our auctions, and in some cases record prices for some items. The demand for antiques is still there, but the market is changing.  Remember, about 80% of the antique market is decor driven.  Some items are hot for decorating with, and then in a year or two, the demand changes.  There are not many young couples looking to fill their homes with Victorian parlour furniture, large spinning wheels, wash basin sets etc.  However, when you offer a good piece of advertising, art deco lighting, teak furniture, original artwork, cast iron and primitive items…it is a different story! I do not have an auction booked in April, because I could not get a hall booking, but I will be back May 11, and then every month until December.  That gives me a little time off, and I must admit I have been looking forward to it.  There are still pickups to do, photos to work on, and everything else that goes with putting together our auctions, but it also gives me some time to do some renovation work around the house.  I don’t do the renovations personally, but it gives me time to hire people, and watch them do the renovations! So to summarize, we have had a good first quarter of the year. Crowds large, prices of course up and down, but the good and unusual still selling very well. The quality of the items coming our way just keeps getting better and better. I have a few “adjustments” and issues I have to deal with concerning our business, but overall it looks like 2013 is going to be another great year! Rob

this year is getting off to a very good start!

A big thank you to everyone who turned out for our Feb 23 auction… a record crowd!  It was the largest crowd we have ever had at one of our  antique consignment auctions.  This was a split sale between David Beasley and myself, and will likely become an annual event for us.  Feb is a good time of year to put on an extra special auction. It was wall to wall people, and for the first hour and a half we ran in two rings, and finally sold the last items at 6:00.  A large enthusiastic crowd, and even though there are challenges to doing a sale with a very large crowd, it all went off pretty smoothly. We had some good quality, unique pieces, and the bidding was strong on most of those items.  It has become very clear that there is still strong money on good pieces.  Primitives, tin toys, good artwork, good furniture…it still is selling well. As an auctioneer my goal is to show people we can get a fair price for those items, and then of course more will come our way.  So far, so good! Technology is playing such a big part in the auction business right now.  I have this website of course, and the Facebook page, email list, and several on-line sites I use to promote the auctions, and they are all valuable tools in bringing new buyers out to the sales. Once people are at the auction, technology comes into play as well.  We had a rare, 1920’s tin toy, and ours was missing several parts, but was still a very good piece. I was telling a few people before the auction, that complete versions of this toy, had sold from $2500 to $5000.  A young guy beside me took out his iphone, does some quick research, and there is a picture of the complete model listed on ebay with a “buy it now price” of $2999.00  I have seen people emailing photos of pieces at our auctions to friends, and if the friend likes it, they try and bid on it.  I know people who research artwork that was not advertised, and they can get results right at the auction.  The technology is changing the auction business and it is a change for the good. However, there is one part of the changing business that I am not ready to embrace right now, and that is advance on-line bidding.  Every auction I get emails from people expecting to leave advance bids.  I usually do not know who the person is, if they have every been to our auctions, etc.  We do not accept credit cards, so I have no way of ensuring that I will be paid if I do bid on their behalf. Then I would have to transport the items back to my house, contact the bidder, set up a time and place to meet etc.  I had someone last auction who wanted to leave an advance bid on the largest piece of furniture we had in the sale! That didn’t happen. My other concern with advance bidding, involves the people who actually do come out to the sale.  Some have driven one or two hours to get there. They have the expense of gas, food, plus the time they spend at the auction.  Is it fair for them to go to that effort, perhaps wait two or three or more hours at an auction for the piece they want, and then lose out to someone who placed an advance bid on-line? I don’t think so. I do occasionally take an advance bid from regular customers who have shown up for the preview, but cannot stay for the auction. I do not do it often, but there are times I will do it, because they have made the effort to come to the auction hall, inspect the merchandise and then make a decision. The point is, I want people to attend the auction.  I want them to have the experience of an “old fashioned country auction”.  The crowds, the noise, the energy, the anticipation, the social aspect…these are the important ingredients in an auction.  That is something I don’t want to change.  If you want to bid on-line there is always e-bay, but for now I am going to stick with the traditional auction method. So now it is time to get back to work.  I have consignors to pay, appointments to setup, and much work to do for our March 23 sale. Have fun on the auction trail! Rob

it really is the best policy.

I just came back from looking at some very nice furniture and sterling silver, and I won’t be getting any of it for my auctions….and I am fine with that. There are times when the auctions are not the route to go for some sellers. I was looking at a very good dining suite that was appraised at $10,000 several years ago, and then reappraised at $5000 just a couple of years ago, and my appraisal of it now, was much less than that .  Likely not even half. They are a very nice elderly couple, and I told them up front I would not be comfortable trying to sell it for them.  I simply do not believe they would be happy with the results. They also had a collection of sterling silver, and they have another option of selling it. They will probably realize more money than I can get for them, and I can’t stand there and honestly tell them they would be better off dealing with me. After we all agreed the auction would not likely work for them, they told me about their dealings with another auction company about 15 years ago.  They were not pleased with the selling price, and then to make matters worse, they did not understand all the additional fees.  (fees that I don’t charge). They just did not understand what they were getting into. So 15 years later they are still telling that story, and including the auctioneer’s name, and I have to wonder how many people they have told that story to over the last 15 years? I make a point of being very upfront with people who are thinking of selling, and I have to get a feel for the seller.  If it is not right for them, there are usually red flags I pick up on during the course of the conversation.  That’s when I have to be honest, and sometimes I am telling them something they don’t want to hear, but in nearly all cases, they do thank me for my honesty. I leave them a business card, and walk away on good terms. I am picking up a very nice load of items this week from one consignor, and I already told them, they were not likely to get what they paid for their items. They bought some very nice pieces, but through their own admission, they purchased most of it through retail outlets in the last few years.  They went on a buying binge, filled their home with these very nice items, but now they are drastically downsizing and want them to go.  They are selling an expensive piece of real estate, and they want to “declutter” the house for staging purposes. These are motivated sellers with realistic expectations, and chances are they are going to be pleased with the results.  My kind of consignor. Last night I got a phone call from a consignor in the January auction, and she could not believe what her items sold for….total sales about three times higher than she expected!  I must admit some her items sold very well…I was even surprised with a few pieces.  However, she had the right pieces in the right sale, and it worked well for her. The auction method can be a very good way of selling your antiques and collectables, but it all depends on the seller’s expectations.  It doesn’t work for everyone, even though I wish it would.  We have had 100’s of satisfied consignors over the years, and then of course we have had disappointed consignors.  There are times when I scratch my head and wonder why some items just don’t bring the money. The point is, I feel obligated to make sure people understand the auction process, the up side and the down side.  I will suggest a conservative selling price, but I strongly stress there is no guarantee, and they must be willing to take a chance. That’s what an auction is all about.