Learning from History, Part I

Auctions have grown intensely popular since the advent of online giant, EBay began it's business in 1995.  It is harder to find someone who hasn't participated in an auction than to find one who has--either online or live.

Before the 17th Century, finding an auction was extremely rare as people preferred to haggle or purchase items based on a set market price.  But they did exist if one knew where to seek them out. According to Christie's auction house, they began auctioning in December of 1766.

Sadly, some of the earliest auctions both in the United States of America and throughout time over the globe, have been the auction of other human beings to human "owners."  In 500 BC Herodotus records that women were auctioned to be wives. It seems like in an establishment as important as marriage, this would really be taking a chance since you would have no idea whether the winning wife was going to be a "good" match.

The Roman Empire was big on auctions.  Soldiers would get spoils of war through auction. Other humans became slaves through auction after their country was overrun by Romans.  And debtors were expected to pay back their debts through the auctioning off of their property.  When the Roman Empire fell, auctions fell into disfavor until the 17th Century.  Asia has apparently never jumped on the auction band wagon as auctions are extremely rare there.


Auctioning has a long and sometimes colorful history and this is just the littlest snack of a tidbit about its history.   In an institution or activity of this antiquity, it certainly gives one a moment to pause and ask, WHY do we love auctions so much?  Why do you like to go to auctions?  What satisfaction is gained?

We'll explore more next time about the roots of auctioning. Until then, you can always stop by our current auctions to throw your hat in the ring and catch the rising excitement in the spirit of the auction.

(c) SZing, Nifty Groovy Auctions.  Photographs courtesy of Pixabay, public domain images.

Auction Etiquette

Alright, I admit that Aucton Etiquette might be a bit of an overblown idea for the average live or online auction. Certainly at an auction such as those held by Christie's or Sotheby's, they do in fact have their own proper behavior and expectations.

For the first time auction goer, it can be a bit confusing and intimidating. As an auctioneer, I would never want to miss out on an audience member because the process seemed too difficult or induced fear rather than excitement and perhaps even giddiness.

So you have decided to attend an auction. YAY for you.  It's gonna be fun.

Before you go, there are a couple things you may want to do and/or check on:
1.  Does the auction accept cash only for payments or do they accept credit cards as well, and if so, which ones.  Arm yourself properly and remember you must pay the hammer price, the sales tax and the buyer's premium on each item you win.
2.  Set a limit as to what disposable amount of income you have to spend and if you're going with someone, make sure they know your limit and vice versa.  As much as I'd love to sell you that fantastic armour from the 17th century, I also don't want you to have to try to live in it when you can't make your home payment.
3.  Try to find out if the auction house you're going to has comfortable chairs.  If they have metal folding chairs (many do) you may want to bring along a seat cushion.

Okay, basics are covered. Just FYI in case you are wondering, most live auctions, unless it is for a large auction house like Sotheby's, a high end auction or a benefit auction, do not have a dress code other than clothes and shoes are required.  Benefit auctions may be black tie affairs so check on that.

You arrive at the auction.

1.  Register at the registration desk.  You may need your driver's license or legal proof of identity.  You will be asked to fill out the registration form, or if the auction house is up to speed, it may just swipe your driver's license (if yours has magnetic information stripes on it).  When you finish registering, the registrar will provide you with a large number.  Sometimes it is on a paddle, but these days, mostly they are large printed numbers on a piece of cardstock.  That number is your bidder number.  It has been attached by the registrar to your name and account.

2.  If the auction has not begun, you will see that there are tables full of goods around.  There may also be a printed catalog (ask the registrar).  You can preview the items.  In many auction houses, they allow people to look at the items but ask them not to touch.  Previews may have been opened a day or two before the actual auction. If you want to see an item more closely, usually an auction staff member can assist you--for example if you want to find out if an electrical item works, the auction staff member can plug it in for you if it isn't already.  It is bad form to dig around in the boxes and although perhaps not illegal, certainly can get you banned from an auction house to move items from one box to another.  The auctioneer and their staff have taken plenty of time to sort and catalog the items up for auction--just because you'd rather have that sweet little ceramic doll AND the china in the next box, does not give you the right to move one into the other lot.   Just bid on both and see if you win.

3. Most people try to preview items and find a seat before the auction begins. At some live auctions, people arrive very early to get a good seat.  This means that a) the auctioneer is very entertaining and/or b) there is really good stuff to be had.  If there are no seats, many auction houses allow standing room up until they have maxed out their occupancy.  It is not as comfortable nor as easy to see the auction block, but if there is really good stuff on auction, people do stand.

4.  If you previewed the items and/or got a catalog and have a pretty good idea of what you want to bid on, you only have to pay attention to what the auctioneer is having the ring team bring up to the block for description and VannaWhiting.  Some auctioneers go in order of the numbered catalog.  If there is no printed catalog, you just have to watch more closely.  Some auctioneers do not go in numbered order as they number the lots as they auction (this makes it far more challenging for staff and visitors alike however.)

5.  When you see the item you want, lift your bidder number up--wave it, hold it over your head, etc. until the auctioneer and/or the ring team acknowledge you--since auctions usually move relatively quickly, the acknowledgement may be fast--if you continue to hold your card up, they will most likely assume you are continuing to bid--and as noted, if the auction is moving swiftly, you must pay attention to where the bid is at so that you don't end up bidding more than you had intended on an item.  If you "accidentally" bid on an item that is acknowledged by the auctioneer and you end up winning it, you are, by law, required to pay for that item.

6.  Yay, let's say you won a bid. Good for you.  You can either a) immediately run over to the cashier and pay for that single item or b) if you are bidding on additional items, wait and pay for all of your items at the same time. At some auction houses, as you win, the ticket is sent over to the cashier but the ring team brings your item to pile up under your chair or at your feet (if they are small items).  At other auction houses, you get none of your items until you have checked out at the cashier.

That's it, in a nutshell.  There are certainly many styles and types of live auctions.  You may want to find more than one to try out and see which ones you really like--normally the inventory is constantly changing from auction to auction.

Some other notes:
1.  You may want to be careful what gestures and body movements you make.  There are some auction houses that do pay attention to certain gestures and may consider your gesture a bid--this is especially true for high dollar/high end auctions where bidders do not want other bidders to know they are bidding--car auctions, jewelry auctions, real estate auctions for example.  If you plan to bid without raising your card, you may want to talk with one of the ring team members to let them know what your signal is so they can watch for the bids.  In general merchandise/estate and other types of live auctions, secret signals are not something you normally have to worry about as the auctioneer and ring team rely on being able to see the bid cards--so if your nose itches, go ahead and scratch it--still, you don't want to make wild or flailing type of movements as these could be considered a bid.

2.  Always pay for what you win.  Remember that in addition to the winning price, you must also pay sales tax as well as the buyer's premium.  The registrar has gotten your contact information including your driver's license number and address.  It is illegal to bid on items and then not pay for them.  As soon as you pay, the auction staff will bring your items to you.  If you have purchased large items and need to make arrangements to pick them up with a larger vehicle and bring people to help you, normally you can make these arrangements with the cashier.  Smaller items are expected to be taken by the end of the auction.  Never assume that the auction staff is going to lift, carry or load your items for you. Most do not.  The staff is too busy working the auction.

3.  DO NOT get together with friends to try to manipulate bidding. Manipulating bids can be considered a form of shilling and is also illegal.  Even if the auction house does not pursue legal channels if they suspect you are shilling, they may certainly ban you from future auctions. Be aware that most auction houses have various forms of camera surveillance throughout their auction center--some may be hidden.  That means your face and actions are recorded.

4.  Have fun.  Live auctions often are very entertaining--either for the items being sold, the style of the auctioneer, or just as something fun to do.  While they are entertaining, try not to just go to watch but go to also bid.  Auction houses cannot stay open without bidders and being able to move their merchandise to new owners.  Sometimes there is a refreshments stand and most all auctions have restrooms of some sort.

**Car auctions and real estate auctions may not be open to the public and may require a deposit down just to be able to bid (returnable if you are not the high bidder).  Be sure to find out the proper etiquette for these types of auctions.

(c) 2017 SZing, Nifty Groovy Auctions. All Rights Reserved.  Photographs courtesy Pixabay public domain images.

Top 7 Reasons to Attend an Auction

After taking an informal poll of 100 people, the results are on as to what is the driving force behind the phenomenon of attending live auctions! We admit that our study may be somewhat skewed, perhaps statistically incorrect, and even scientifically  biased, but the answers were interesting nevertheless.

#7  Live Auctions are Better than Staying Home Alone on a Weekend Night

We think this one is perhaps self-explanatory, unless you are a person who prefers to be alone a lot or are a hermit.  Also, unless you bid and win, for most live auctions, there is no fee to attend, which ties right into #6.

#6  Free Attendance

Unless you bid and win (and what fun is going to an auction if you never bid on anything?!) attending a live auction in most scenarios, is an activity that is free to attend. There are exceptions, such as for real estate auctions and some private auctions where your attendance may be contingent upon providing an upfront deposit in case you do actually win the high dollar items.  Who doesn't love free?

#5  I Might Win Something at a Really Great Price

In order to win you have to bid.  There are auctions for just about every type of material item you might wish to purchase somewhere in the world. If you have been shopping for something specific, you might find that the auction bid price is far lower than the price you can purchase the item for in a retail shop--because auctioneers have consignors and also access to wholesale purchases, they can pass the savings on to their auction audience!

#4  I Might Win Something I Didn't Know I Wanted

As noted above, just about every material item you can think of is for auction somewhere.  If you don't attend the auction, you wouldn't even know what sorts of goodies you are missing out on.  If you don't bid, you can't win.  I especially love going to auction and finding the exact perfect orange wing back chair I've been unconsciously seeking or that delightful mid-century sun-in-glory mirror.  And I didn't even know I wanted that mid-century sun-in-glory mirror for my home!

#3  It is Entertaining

Not only is it sometimes like a three-ring circus at an auction, sometimes there actually are three rings to the auction.  As merchandise is moved out of the auction ring and new merchandise brought in, the audience is picking up their winnings, taking care of checking out and all the while the auctioneer continues to chant and bidders to bid.  It is the perfect venue for people watching as you can see a plethora of unique individuals at any live auction.  One of my favorite past times when I attend an auction and am watching the crowd is to "story tell."  I pick a person out and I create a story for who they are, why they are there today and what they are looking for--what their top bid is going to be.  It is never dull.  It can get intense when two or more bidders are determined to win an item. The competition can become somewhat like the tension I imagine occurred in a Colosseum at a Roman Gladiator battle. Though it, thankfully, rarely erupts in bloodshed, the winning bidder is usually quite proud of their purchasing power.

#2  It is EnChanting

While I am not an auctioneer that does a fast or elaborate chant (I prefer for my audience to understand what I'm saying and know where I am in the bidding), there are many auctioneers whose main interest for their audience isn't the merchandise they are hawking but the hawking itself.  There are actually championships held for auctioneers to compete in chanting--the more rapid, the more unusual, the more entertaining and enchanting. When I was in auction school, one of our teachers, who was definitely old-school auction, was focused mostly on teaching us to chant--badabingbadabong, ittybittybumperbuggies, it'sachanceyacannamiss.  He would string words together into the most interesting babble that was just fun to listen to and watch his hand actions as people bid even though they had no idea what price they were bidding.  In school, it was definitely helpful to learn tongue twisters.  There are even software games for auctioneers to practice and improve their chant!

#1  It is Fun and I Get Great Stuff

Some people attend their local live auctions religiously because the merchandise at most auction houses changes every single auction.  It's fun to be in the hub bub of the process of the auction and fun to be in a group of people who are competing in a friendly and fun way.  It's fun to see the oddities that sometimes come up for auction, fun to see what people will actually pay for that three eyed moose head, and fun to bid and see if you win. It is especially fun if you do win!  I once won a box of 100 packages of cookies for the high bid of $7.  My church was grateful for the donation. There are bragging rights.  "I won ten jars of mayonnaise for 50 cents each," all the way to "I am now the proud owner of an original Pablo Picasso piece of artwork."

If you have never been to an auction and are worried you might bid when you don't want to and end up with that three eyed moose head, stay tuned.  Next week I'll be covering the basics of what to do at an auction.

If you do go to auctions regularly or do online auction bidding, I'd love to hear from you about what it is you are bidding on, what motivates you to attend and what you love (or hate) about auctions.

(c) 2017 SZing, Nifty Groovy Auctions. All Rights Reserved.  Photographs Nifty Groovy Auctions and courtesy of Pixabay public domain images.

Emerging Art Auctions and Consignments

Does art sell at auction? 

There is a resounding YES! to that question. Even artwork that is kitschy sells at auction, sometimes just because it is kitschy.

Nifty Groovy Auctions is currently accepting consignments for online and live auctions from emerging artists.  Please refer to our


Can an auction goer get quality artwork at an auction without having to attend a Christie's or Sotheby's auction? again, YES! There are many auction houses that sell artworks of all types.


Nifty Groovy Auctions sells artworks at auction both online as well as live and at benefit auctions. Many of the artworks we sell are original pieces of modern art from emerging artists. What is an emerging artist? There are several definitions of this but the one we operate from is that an emerging artist is one who is in the early stage of their career, someone who's caught the eye of an art critic and/or gallery, but hasn't yet established a solid reputation as an artist amongst art critics, art buyers, and art galleries. An emerging artist might be selling their own art online in a variety of venues such as Etsy, and/or they might have their art shown in small, local galleries or community art centers as opposed to large name, large city gallery representation.

Even if tough times, when people are tightening their belts and budgets and cutting back on extravegances, modern art and emerging art does still sell.

Art Auction Excitement

I am a an artist, as well as an auctioneer.  I have a number of favorite artists, mostly modern.  Some of them are Andy Warhol for Pop Art, Henri Matisse for his collage cut art, Pablo Picasso for his cubist art, Frida Kahlo for her expression paintings, and more.

What is so striking to me as an artist is that artwork generally does not become high dollar auction items until the artist has died.  Perhaps because this would mean that no additional artworks would be made, the art that exists would be all that is available and therefore supply and demand kicks up the price.

Some auction houses, well known for their high dollar auctions, specifically focus on this type of auction--Christie's and Sotheby's for example.  Though I have never been to one of these auctions, viewing them online makes me believe there is an incredible surge of excitement at these auctions as the prices increase.

The Chant

One of the first things people ask upon finding out that I am an auctioneer is to hear my chant. 

It goes something like this after giving a basic description of an item:  Wouldagive 90, 90, 90 now 100, 100, couldabid 110, 110, I'm lookin for 120, 120, but it goes relatively quickly.  At the beginning and at different times within the chant, the increments can go down (if there aren't any bids) or up at a different increment level if the item is hot and bids coming in swiftly.  There are many "filler" words that can be placed in between the numbers, as well as various tongue twisters and other chatter. 

Bid Calls or The Chant is the method the auctioneer uses to let the audience know where the pricing is at for a given item as well as to entertain and make the process of auctioning as interesting as possible.

The real purpose of the auction and the chant itself is for the auctioneer to get the best possible price for their client.

Some auctioneers spend a lot of time developing different chants and there are actually chant competitions. Some auctioneers have a chant that is so fast that the current amount level is virtually unintelligible but experienced auction goers are able to distinguish where the auction pricing is at and able to understand the cues given by the auctioneer.  

Just a little History of Auctions

Auctions have a long and sometimes not so pretty history.  Auctioneers sell what buyers want.

As far back as 500 B.C. women were auctioned off to be wives in Greece. Romans were known to go to auctions for estates and plunder of war.

American auctions began as early as the 1600s with crops, tools, livestock, and slaves. During the Civil War, Colonels were authorized to auction off goods from the enemy and the title of Colonel has remained a part of the auction terminology. Licensed auctioneers take the title Colonel.

The Great Depression made many auction left many people needing to have their property liquidated just to make ends meet and liquidate the assets of failing businesses.