Back On The Block With The Busiest Auction Season Upon Us, Bidders Are Out For Their Money’s Worth

Antiques, collectibles and kitsch lined the walls of the Red Lion Inn’s ballroom last weekend, and the air crackled with anticipation.

With an auction just minutes away, dozens of people meandered through the merchandise, each keenly aware that every bookcase, porcelain doll, Bev Doolittle print and kilim rug was about to change hands. The only uncertainty was how much each item would fetch.

As a middle-aged woman explored the recesses of a turn-of-the-century phonograph, a 30-ish man nearby described a pair of upholstered chairs to someone on the other end of his cellular phone.

Across the room, strangers struck up conversations. (“Anytime my wife bids on something,” one said, “please bid higher. That will save me lots of money.”)

Most in attendance - dealers, private collectors and other regulars - knew what lay ahead: In the next six hours, some bidders would leave the room bragging about their latest bargain, while others would regret paying too much for something they didn’t even want until auctioneer Jeff Owens began extolling its merits - a chair’s elaborately carved legs, a clock’s delicate chimes, a ceramic planter’s dubious pedigree (“It may have come from the Davenport Hotel,” Owens speculated, “although it won’t say that on your receipt”).

Auction activity slows during summer months. But autumn brings bidders back. In the next several weeks, everything from metal lathes and motorcycle leathers to fine wines and Christmas ornaments will go on the block. And best of all, there’s no minimum bid.

“Auctions are a good place for sellers to get a fair price for something,” says Randy Wells, owner of Mr. Auction in Post Falls. “Enough people know what something’s worth that they’ll bid the price up to its actual (wholesale) value.

“For instance, when a customer couldn’t sell a Singer Featherweight sewing machine at a yard sale for $15, she brought it here and we got $325 for it,” Wells says.

“We walk a fine line, because we want to get enough to keep consigners happy. But we also want enough bargains to keep bidders coming back for good deals.”

It’s those bids at either end of the spectrum that are the stuff of legends.

Wells’ manager, Leanne Nichols, recalls paying $30 for $500 worth of collector glassware at a Montana auction simply because the people running the sale didn’t bother to take the items out of their storage box.

And Wells gets almost as much enjoyment telling how he paid $75 for a table worth “about $7.50” because what looked like oak from his seat turned out to be painted metal.

“What usually happens,” explains Mitch Silver of Silver Collector Car Auctions, “is that there’s a handful of incredible steals, which is why a lot of buyers are there. And a few people pay too much for something - that’s what motivates sellers to put items in the auction.

“But the majority of transactions take place at fair market value,” Silver says, “and whether you’re the buyer or the seller, there’s nothing to argue about.”

Veteran bidders say the competition at area auctions has grown more intense during the past decade. “Almost everything that’s 20 years old is collectible,” observed a retiree as he waited for Jeff Owens to begin the Red Lion auction, “and someone has probably written a book about it.”

Sunday’s auction started promptly at noon, and by 12:15 Owens’ patter was humming on cruise control.

When bidding on a silver coffee service stalled, he winced, “Oh, you’re hurting my feelings.”

Moments later, he tried to coax a $1,000 offer from a reluctant bidder by pointing out, “You’ll always remember what you paid for it.”

When another item failed to generate enthusiasm, Owens announced sarcastically, “Folks, we’re not renting this stuff - we’re selling it!”

Regulars knew the lines by heart, but that didn’t stop them from chuckling. After all, bidding is only part of the reason they attend auctions. These are social events, where old friends renew acquaintances and collectors swap tales about acquisitions.

Joking with the audience keeps spectators interested, Owens says, and also distracts bidders “so they don’t realize how much money they’re spending.”

Good auctioneers use an assortment of techniques to get the highest price for consigners (from which they take their 25 to 30 percent commission). They cajole … they beg … they deride a bid as one-tenth the item’s true value.

But the best fireworks - and counterbids - fly when auctioneers successfully light a fuse under two stubborn bidders.

“At a certain point,” explains Silver, “the value of an item becomes less an issue than who is going to be the winner, and auctioneers really feed on that.

“I’ll say, ‘Sir, you owned it. It was yours. He just took it away from you. Get it back!’ “

“It’s about being the last person with your hand in the air. It feels good,” says Silver, who figures he’s personally bought close to 1,000 automobiles at auction.

But alas, audience attention quickly shifts to the next item, and you - the momentary “winner” - are left pondering how you could have bid so much for something you need so little.

“It’s called buyer’s remorse,” Silver says, “and it can be real serious. I even get it at benefit auctions.”

The best defense, auctioneers agree, is to determine an item’s value, decide how much you’re willing to pay and stick to it.

“When the bidding goes over your limit,” Silver says, “you’ve got to be able to say it just wasn’t meant to be, and go on to the next item.”

By 6 p.m. Sunday, the Red Lion crowd of 400 had dwindled. But in one afternoon, Owens had worked his well-choreographed way through $60,000 worth of merchandise and seemed pleased with the results.

A straw poll of three audience members suggested prices had been “high,” “low” and “about average.” And as far as Owens was concerned, they were all correct.

“It’s real important to me that people walk away from my auctions with a good feeling,” he says. “My job is to get the best price I can for the merchandise. Some items will go high, some will go low. But in the end it all evens out, and it’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos