Click here to see the auction details (more…)

Country Antique Auction! Saturday Feb 23 10:00 am Preview at 9:00 am Pottageville Community Centre. Once Again I Am Pleased To Be Working In Association With David Beasley Auctions.  Each February, David And I Work Together To Bring You This Offering. (more…)

First Sale Of 2013! Saturday Jan 19 10:00 am Pottageville Community Centre Antique Furniture,  Glass, China, Original Artwork, Primitives Etc. SALE IS ALL SET UP AND THIS IS ANOTHER GREAT OFFERING…A VERY FULL HALL INDEED!!!! WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO BRING A BOX OR TWO TO PACK YOUR ITEMS AS WE DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF CARDBOARD BOXES AVAILABLE… THIS IS ONE OF OUR LARGEST OFFERINGS TO DATE! (more…)

Click here to see the auction details! (more…)

there is a side to them that you may not think much about.

An auction sale can be, and in my opinion, should be a fun, exciting event.  I try to make it fun and interesting, and I really enjoy what I do. However, there is another aspect to auctions, and being an auctioneer, that most people really don’t give much thought to. Acquiring the goods for auction.  Where does it all come from?  Who did it belong to?  Is there a story behind it? As auctioneers, we often have to deal with people at a difficult time in their lives.  Death. Divorce. Downsizing. Moving to a retirement or nursing home. Sometimes people are forced to sell for financial reasons as well.  I have dealt with all of it. I dealt with one woman who flew here from British Columbia for her mother`s funeral.  We were in the apartment packing up items the day after the funeral. She had no choice because she had to settle the affairs and go back home.  I can imagine how difficult it must have been for her to have to do that so quickly after her mother`s  passing. I have dealt with many elderly people who are giving up a lifetime of possessions in order to move into a  retirement home.  I vividly remember one elderly lady watching us through the living room window as we loaded the truck.  Tears were streaming down her face. I have heard many bitter stories about ex-wifes and ex-husbands. I have taken items out of homes that were not fit to live in.  I witnessed first hand one particularly sad story, that would rival any `hoarding`story you see on reality TV. I used to get phone calls from one couple who claimed they were always `redecorating“ and didn`t need the items any more, or just wanted a change.  I watched them move from a 5000 square foot home, to a small rented house, and then finally divorce.  I suspected all the way along that it was financial problems that were forcing them to sell and then ultimately divorce. A good friend of mine told me this story.  He was working at an auction holding up items and some old aprons came up for sale.  He jokingly tied the aprons on, and got a good laugh from the crowd.  A young woman in the front row looked directly at him,, and told him those were her grandmothers aprons.  He felt terrible. I am not meaning to put a down side on the auction business for you.  I am just pointing out that as auctioneers we have to be sensitive to the people we are dealing with.   It can be a very tough time for some people. However, on the up side, many people are selling under good circumstances.  They are happily turning items they no longer want or use into cash.  I have many good consignors who pick items specifically for the auctions, and in most cases it can be very profitable for them.  Or dealers who just want to reduce inventory.  I have even had consignors happily tell me they can`t believe what that old piece of junk sold for! So yes there is a story behind almost everything we sell.   It all belonged to someone at sometime. I hope that the majority of times, the circumstances under which someone is selling, is as happy as the circumstances under which someone else is buying! Rob

what a day!

What a great way to start off the new year! We had one of our largest auctions ever in Pottageville!  220 registered bidders and we sold 761 lots! Selling in two rings for part of the day, but even with that, the sale lasted 8 hours. We had another very good offering and I was anticipating a big crowd .Very high traffic to this website, in fact we had the most visits in one day ever, on the day before this auction.  I watch the website traffic and hopefully this gives me an indication of what size crowd to expect. I told my sister to prepare for a very busy food booth, and sure enough, they had their best day ever as well! Prices overall were strong from beginning to almost the end.  Primitives selling well, overall fair to strong prices on the furniture, and the unusual items still continue to sell well. There were a lot of new faces at the auction, and this is always very encouraging.  Although I sometimes wonder what it must be like for someone coming to one of these auctions for the first time.  Wall to wall people, two rings selling at once for part of the sale, hectic and at times noisy….I hope it is not too overwhelming for the first timers!  If you were there for the first time and did find it a little overwhelming…don’t worry, they are not always like that! It takes a lot of work to set up and carry out an auction this size.  Most of my staff put in a ten or eleven hour setup day, and about the same auction day.  By the time we clean up the hall and leave, its almost 8:00 o’clock, and that can make for a long day. That’s why I like to take the time to thank everyone involved.  They do their jobs very well in order to make it all run smoothly.  What may seem chaotic at times, is actually a pretty well run effort.  We sell  non-stop for 8 hours straight without any down time or delays.  My wonderful staff keep it all on track for me, and for that I am grateful! So I am going to keep this entry on the short side.  Even though it is just the day after the auction as I write this, I have to start doing the paperwork for this auction, and then start getting the Feb 18 auction ready. Although I may just spend  a fair bit of tonight watching TV and relaxing…and then start the paperwork Monday! For A Video Presentation Of This Auction Click Here Rob

a few “tweaks” here and there.

I just wanted to share an email I received today.  I will give you some background first. It was brought to my attention that anyone using an iphone or tablet could not scroll down the photo gallery on my website.  All they could see were the first four photos. I would like to redesign my photo gallery, but in the meantime I posted a link to my photo gallery hosted on another website.  All the photos are on one page, so they can be viewed with an iphone or tablet.  This is a temporary measure, but still effective. For those using a table top or lap tap computer the old photo gallery still offers the largest photos. So here was the very nice email.   “Many thanks for the Tablet compatible picture set. Very clear and user friendly. Your prompt response to new technological changes continues to reinforce that you sincerely are appreciative of the needs of your customers. It is no wonder that your auctions have the reputation within the province as some of the most honest on the market today.”   I do try to make this website as informative and useful as possible, and it is certainly nice to hear the efforts are appreciated! I will keep striving to make this website, and of course the actual auctions, as good as I possibly can. What fun would it be if I didn’t? Rob

it seems like I was saying that just 6 months ago!

So another year passes and of course a time to reflect. Firstly, I would like to thank you all for  another record year!  Not a huge increase in sales over 2010, but an increase never the less.  Also a record year for the numbers attending our sales, and of course a record year for the traffic to this website. We sold 8169 lots this year, and that gives me a pretty good idea of what is “hot” and what is “not”.  Keep in mind that most antique items fit into the “decorative” category. Trends in decorating change, and the antique market is not immune to that.  Naturally prices fluctuate depending on demand.  Many older collectors are now downsizing, and there is an abundance of some items coming onto the market.  That of course will affect the selling price if suddenly there is an over abundance of a certain type of item. Many younger buyers are renting or living in smaller homes than their parents did, and they may not have the need for larger pieces of furniture.  Compact, practical items may be what they are looking for.  Back in the 1980’s and 90’s many people were trying to fill very large homes.  The demand for big pieces was strong…think of the people trying to fill large foyers in their homes.  Now many of those people are downsizing, so that again will affect value and demand. Unusual, quality items, still will sell well.  If it is an “upgrade” item, there is still strong demand. This year I noticed an increase in the attendance at our auctions, and also an increase in the number of new faces.  That is very important in this business, and I work very hard to make sure  I am constantly reaching new people. I want people to enjoy their time at our auctions.  We try and keep them fast paced and entertaining.  An auction should be an interesting event, and something people look forward to attending.  If you can spend a day or night at an auction, have fun and get some great deals, than I consider that a win-win situation! Looking ahead to the new year, I am working on a few changes.  Of course I am trying to eliminate the low demand items and work on upgrading the quality of the auctions.  When I look at the average price per lot, we have seen a 40% increase over the last 5 years.  Of course that doesn’t mean a  $100 item now sells for $140.  What it indicates is, the quality of the items and therefore the average selling price is increasing.  That is the direction I want to go in, and I am doing whatever I can to make that happen. Every year I say I want to make the sales smaller, so for the record I will say that again.  However, don’t hold me to it!  My staff just roll their eyes and mutter when I say I am going to try and do that.  Maybe this year I will surprise them! One of the positive comments I often get is regarding the photos I post on-line.  I spend a lot of time on the photos, and probably much more time than most auctioneers would.  However,  they have become one of the trademarks of my business, and I am not planning to change that.  I present our auctions in a very visual way, rather than a very detailed text oriented way.  That’s why I have photos of past auctions results, video presentations etc.  I want people to be able to watch the sale develop on-line through the photos.  You can keep checking this website right up to a few days before the sale, and will almost always see additional photos. So in summary, I am anticipating an interesting year in 2012.  I have a gut feeling there is going to be some big changes in the local auction business.  I can’t totally express why I think there are going to be some big changes, but it is just a feeling I have.  Let’s wait and see. However, on our part I will continue to work hard to bring you the best auctions I can.  I will try and make them entertaining and interesting, and something you look forward to attending! Have a great new year! Rob IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THIS OR ANY OTHER ARTICLE, FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT rob@robsageauctions.com  ALWAYS NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU!