This past week I went to a country auction. I had not been to an auction in a long while for various reasons, but this one advertised plastic items so I went to the preview. The auction was not far away and in fact was in an area where I used take my parents to an auction 40 years ago.
I went to the auction preview and found a few items including a put together Sears Store that I felt I could use for the business so I decided to go back when the toys would be sold. I came back and watched the auctioneer sell linens and quilts. At 6:00 they started toys. One of the first items that they put up was four Marx six inch Universal Monsters with some incomplete models and couple of battleground pieces. I had set in my mind of not paying more than $60.00. The bidding starting and the next thing I know I was at $100.00 and stopped. Next up was a Marx Battlegound playset which was just parts of a Marx Civil War and Battleground set. I had in my mind a price of $70.00. I went to $130.00 and quit. The person who bought the Marx monsters also bought this lot. The next item was a Marx All State playset box which had Sears store on the side there was nothing else worthwhile in the box. We went to $35.00 before I quit, letting the same person get the lot.
I realized what was going on, this person was use to getting most of the toys at this auction. I knew I would have to up my game. In the words of my old friend Bugs Bunny “Acourse you know this means war.” The person suddenly found me bidding up the lots he was bidding on. I would push him up before dropping on him. I could see he was annoyed as much as I was.
The auction moved along until we came to the item which I had come back for a put together Sears Store. This was the first time I had seen the store outside of a magazine. The person found out I was not going to let him have it and I pushed him to a point that he gave in. I next pushed him on some more lots and got a lot that had been listed as Plasticville but has the Marx Civil War mansion and parts of Sears Store. After getting that lot I quit having enjoyed that had made toy person pay at least $200.00 to $300.00 more than he figured on.
All in all it was an interesting experience. I got to understand about the problem of people are having buying at auctions. People are bidding on items and are using incorrect yardsticks for prices or bidding on items they don’t know the value. Earlier at the auction I had bid on a Barclay skater lot with a sleigh. It went to $100.00 which in my book was retail. Another lot I had bid on had some Lincoln Logs, a couple of Ideal knights, MPC ring hands and a couple of dinosaurs. I figure $10.00 for the lot and pushed toy person up to $35.00. I realized that auctions will need a different strategy in bidding verus other sources for items.
One other thing I gain from this is a new project. I feel toy person needs to realize that he is not going have a free rein at this auction in the future as I will be back.