(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Strangest Auction Experience

RBnSC

RBnSC

Well-known Member
All of us enjoy a good auction and have seen strange things happen just wondered if you guys would share an experience. Here's one of ours.
Years ago We (Dad, Brother and Me) went to a good sized farm auction looking to buy a drag blade. The three of us got together and decided how much we wanted to spend and who was going to do the bidding. I was chosen and when it came time Dad and brother were standing behind Me. Well when the bidding started I got the auctioneers attention and was bidding with a wink. As the price was going up and getting close to our limit I had been noticing that the auctioneer was getting bids right behind Me. So I turned around and asked my brother if he saw who was bidding against us. Dad speaks up and says "it was Me, You weren't bidding and I didn't want to miss it". We got it but I have often wondered how much cheaper it could have been bought.
Ron
 
That is funny. Reminds me of the joke about a man bidding on a parrot. When he asked the auctioneer if the parrot could talk, the auctioneer replied "Who do you think you"ve been bidding against?"
 
When I was a used tractor and implement dealer yearssssssss ago I went to a gazillion auctions at Stilesville (Jim Vaughn & Son, Ted Everett with Roll Roberts, Dennis Polk, Art Comer and several others) and some of their favorite sayings about an old tractor when asked its condition.......

"It was bought new"

"It was running when it quit"

"An old farmer right down the road died and said to sell his tractor"

No matter what, when asked, the tractor was alwaysssssssss a "local one" that came from an old farmer right down the road (Even when it had rice tires yeah right lol). Then I had to buy them,,, drag them home and get the gennys to charge (They NEVER did),,fix and clean them up,,
try and make a profit, which sometimes I did and sometimes I didnt grrrrrrr HOWEVER, I shouldnt complain, because like in Godfather Two the old man told Michael to not complain because "This is the life you have chosen" i.e. IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY but the more years of experience and knowledge (what models have what problems and what tractors to avoid) the losses came far less often......Yeah it was when I was younger and I had a good time at it....Sometime in the dead of winter at below zero temps me n the "first wife" crawled up in my 1948 Ford F5 snub nose truck with leaks and hardly a heater and drove from Versailles Indiana to Sikeston Missouri to buy an old tractor etc haul it all the way home make a few bucks and thought we on top of the world, life was good.....

Those were pretty good times and I made a living at it but those days are over grrrrrrrr

Ol John T and all in Indiana
 
Went to a auction one time that had a woman auctionear She had been braging everything up telling us how good the stuff was, Well after 2 hrs. of her bs She was getting ready to sell this old beat up 1 to chevy dump tires bald, rusted out only thing any good was the dump bed but Thats what I came to try and buy, Well she starts her bs again bout how good it and the dang thing is JUNK! Well after bout 5 min. of this I yell out, Well are you going to sell it today? Went right over her head. She only says, Well yes that's why we'll here. Then she said this tr. runs real good too, Start her up Jim, Well Jim hit the key and that old chevy fired right up! Least I think it was the chevy couln't tell fer sure with all the blue smoke rolling out. lol. I went to my car and went home.
 
Whenever I go to an auction with my wife I need to watch both her and the auctioneer. Last time she spotted something she really wanted, we agreed to stop at $300. It got there so I stopped bidding, but she jumped right in and kept going until she won it at $375. I know better than to question it...
 
I go to auctions all the time and wonder why people do silly stuff like bid with a wink or something like they're ashamed or scared to be bidding when I'm bidding on something I get right up front and make sure the auctioneer sees me plus I can't see anyone else so someone can't say
"You saw I was bidding on so and so item" well I can say I had no idea who was bidding against me
but I know you can plainly see I was bidding on it.
 
I still wonder why people do that. If you want to bid say something or raise yer hand. I used to be a ring man for a auctioneer, I got kinda sick of that. If ya miss them bidding they get all mad and can't usualy tell if they are in or out. On the other hand we have a large local machinery dealer who uses a buyer. A very good buyer. This man can buy a piece, talk to a farmer and still know if he has the bid. For obvious resons he dosen't realy want everone to know who bought it and for how much. But then again if you ask 5 guys what the discbine bought the next day you will get 5 differt answers. End of rant. Big Sal
 
The wife subscribes to "County Woman" (or something similar) and occasionally I'll read the "My Most Embarrassing Moment" article. In this one, it tell of an auction that had an outhouse that was to be sold along with the rest of the items. Since the auctioneer was quite a ways away, a lady walked in to use it. The auctioneer moved and suddenly they were selling the outhouse and she was still in it. The auctioneer tried to open it, but since it was locked, he made a big fuss about it, and much to the crowd's delight, claimed this one was a "working model" and should be sold at a premium. The lady had to wait quite awhile until the crowd had moved down the line as other items were sold before she could come out.
I'm not sure why I remember the story other than I thought it was funny.
 
Went to an auction to buy a manure spreader was looking for an old cheap one that needed tinkering I had found a couple so was watching them sell. of courses was all selling for more than I thought they was worth so come down to the last one that someone had rebuilt most of it well I needed a spreader bad so I started bidding right away up front there was a lady bidding so all the GENTLEMEN quit common around here well I"m the younger generation taught that were all equal so if she wanted it she was gonna have to pay for it. Something didn"t seem quite right she was too eager to bid. I told my wife watch this I run her up high she was getting fidgety and slowing on her bids then she paused and thought then bid again so I dropped out she won it for $1000 well low and behold she bought her own spreader back. That type stuff really irritates me. She tracked me down and asked if I wanted the spreader normaly I woulda said no but like I said I needed one bad. I asked how much and ended up buying it from her for $800. Told her my thoughts on what she did found out she was going through a divorce and needed cash for lawyers. I said if u need a certain amount from an item put a reserve on it because normaly I woulda stuck you with it. She had no idea she could do that.
 
I used to buy and sell a bit too, and don't recall the last time I bought one that I didn't have to replace the seat.

Sometimes the locale can work in your favor. Lots of stuff went through a consignment auction in Woodburn, OR, about 50 miles south of Portland. Internationals were not popular there, but we had a good dealer in my home area, so I could usually make some money buying IH's at Woodburn and selling them up here. But never did find a JD that I could make a nickel on- they seem be popular everywhere.

Best auction line: "Its a shame to call it used."

Did buy an old lawnmower at a local junk auction right after we bought our first place. He sold everything AS IS- but after I got the mower for 20 bucks or so, auctioneer said "If it don't run to your satisfaction, you haven't bought it." The other bidders were upset, but auctioneer said "I do make exceptions to policy once in awhile- bid on some other stuff, who knows, it could happen again." But to the best of my knowledge, it never did. Don't know why he did with me- maybe I looked pitiful.
 
What does it bother you when someone bumps the bid on there idem, but I't OK to put a reserve on it? Whats the differance.
 
Wife and I were at a 4-H fair animal auction. We had registered, and had a buyer number, as she wanted to bid on a doe goat somewhere down the line. Were sitting watching current animals being sold when wife made eye contact with her girlfriend who was working at the auction table. Wife waved, darn near bought a buck goat we didn"t need/want & couldn"t afford. Fortunately, another buyer upped the bid, and we didn"t have to take him home. Moral of the story, don"t make any sudden movements in an auction situation, keep your hands in your pockets, and don"t make eye contact with the auctioneer!
 
Was at an auction yesterday. Saw what looked to be a father son team that would cup their chins with the index finger along their respective noses and curl that finger to bid. Watched them both bidding on the same item. Paid 60 more than they had to if they had bid more openly. Buch of people saw it and were just laughing at em.

Yea if they gotta have a certain amount for an item they need to set a reserve on it. Auction yesterday, consignment will not let you do that but you can bid on your own stuff. Auctioneer will announce that the owner is bidding and tells everyone that the owner will have to pay the comission.

Rick
 
The difference is that someone bidding on their own item is trying to raise their reserve price based on the bidding instead of committing to one ahead of time. I'm not saying it's wrong, but if I suspect I'm bidding against the owner I usually drop out because I don't like playing that game.
 
I was on an auction once when two brothers were bidding against each other. The auctioneer caught it, stopped the bidding, and brought it to their attention.

One of the brothers said, "I thought that was what auctions were for".

I didn't see this, but I heard about it. A ringman was standing on a flatbed trailer holding a shotgun in the air while the auctioneer called bids. Someone threw a cherry bomb under the trailer. The ringman had to go change his pants, and it was some ten minutes before everyone was composed enough to start selling again.
 
This one is not funny but true.Years ago they had huge auctions here where they had done some big job somewhere in the world and Charleston being a port they would ship the equipment here and auction it off. Naturally it would draw an international crowd. At the end of the day and the last piece of equip. was a pull behind vibratory roller. It apparently had not run in years motor open and stuck. Any way the crowd had thinned out and there were three guys together from south of the border interested in it. Well the bidding started and one of the three bid and nobody else was and the stick beater pretended to get other bids ran the price up to $3000. Well me and my brother were watching it all go down and the stick beater smiles and winks at the Auctioneer as they walk away. My brother walked up to the stick guy and tells him "I saw what you did" and the guy says "what". MY brother says "You heard me and if you ever pull something like that on Me I'll(cause you great bodily Harm)and I mean it". He looked at My brother and My brother says again "I'm serious". The Guy just walked away. It concerned Me cause the guy was about 4in. taller and had about 50lbs. on him.
Ron
 
I bid with a distinct nod of the head, once I get the auctioneers attention. Then if I quit, I shake my head no. Then they move on, and don't have to wonder what I'm thinking, or waste time on me.
When I was bidding on a backhoe(which I bought) a young woman jumped in at "10". The auctioneer stopped and explained to her it was $10,000! Boy, was she shaken!
 
My dad was at a livestock auction At the St Johns stockyard. He already bought a few calves but wasn't intending to bid on the current one in the ring. He got it because he twiddled his pen and the auctioneer took it as a bid. He was upset over it, the calf was blind. Turned out he was a great calf that grew up fast and heavy and gained some sight as he aged.
 
Everybodys differant I guess, but I still don't get it. It's a consignment sale, not an estate sale. If an idem is worth 1000.00 the seller is going to protect it one way or the other. Differnt parts of the country are differant also. Around here, thumb of michigan thats the common practice.
 
Back many years ago, I went to an auction where the old boy had been saving his burlap feed bags. They generally went for 3 or 4 cents apiece in stacks of 100. Some ditz from the city joined in the bidding because she was getting a real bargain- Here were some 3 1/2 stacks of burlap feed bags and these dumb farmers were not bidding on them. She bid them up to 9 1/2 cents! When asked how many she wanted, she said, "All of them, of course. But how do I pay the 1/2 penny?" Guess she was in for a real surprise when her cheap buy turned into some $30 for over 300 feed bags she really had no use for.
 
They had a F-700 Ford with a car carrier on the back. When we started getting close to the truck. Rumor started going through the croud that the truck was going to be bid in to $5000.
When the bidding started, the Auctioneer started at $1000, nobody bid, Auctioneer kept trying, after a few minutes of trying. I thought I would get things moving by bidding. They had two auctioneers going that day. The owner of the truck was with the other auction. He left his wife with the truck and told her to bid it in to $5000. She had never been to an auction before. She thought she was to start bidding when the auctioneer started asking for $5000. Welp! I didn't want the truck in the first place. So anyway, this guy ask's me if I had bid it in. Nope,I'm the new owner He said, you wanna sell it? I said,yep. We went to the office, took the truck off my number and had it put on his number. He paid me $50.00 And I was happy to unload the thing. Plus, made 50 bucks in the process.
 
RBnSC,
That is really funny.

When I am bidding, I make sure they know it... stick my hand up and holler, "Yeah". When I'm done, I say, "No" and then turn away or walk away.
 
I saw a guy bid off a 25000 dollar tractor thinking it was 2500 at polks auction.
 
Raising the reserve? How do you know he's not lowering what he would have put on it as a reserve? I'm starting a thread on this, and will tell you a true story. Will be interesting to see the discussion.
 
The auctioneer who handled our sale, and I use the term "handled" loosely, had about a half dozen people buying our stuff for them. Found a bunch of it lined up at a consignment sale the next spring.
 
Was at an auction a couple year ago and was bidding on a box of Farmall carbs. Now this auction was doing choice (trailer full of boxes, bid your highest bid and you get to pick which and how many boxes you want). Well, the bidding starts and I started in. I then look at who I am bidding against and this guy in the crowd goes ahead and picks the box off the trailer. Him and his son start going through it. The guy was who I was bidding against. He then starts staring me down. I guess he thought he would use some superhero power to stop me from bidding. He seemed pretty ------ when I outbid him a couple times. I ended up and won the bid and took the box. He should have only been mad at himself for not bidding more instead of trying to stare a whole through me.
 
Local vet sent his Dad to real estate auction to bid on a farm. Told him to go to $ 1,080,000. Dad misunderstood and was next to last bidder at $1,800,000
Some days you get lucky.
 
The local estate auctioneer called $2 bucks because I always started at that bid on anything if no one wanted to start bidding. Bought a lot of stuff for $2 at one sale my friend came in late brought the whole family with him. They didn't get a number so they used mine. Later when we leaving the auctioneer who new me from many other auctions told me " there were so many people using your number that almost used it myself.
Any the kids got a real good lesson in how to buy at an auction.
Walt
PS
Mike I sold cows at Woodburn and get there a couple times a year just to look or maybe buy something I don't need.
 
A few years ago I bought a full size bed and dresser with mirror for a little over $22,000. Took about a year but was able to sell it for a little profit.
 
Was at an auction where there was an old rusty stock water tank. Bottom was pretty well all rusted away.

Auctioneer said "Who will give me two bucks for this just for the tin?" No one bid. The auctioneer pulled out his wallet, threw two $1 bills into the tank, said "Now who will give me two bucks for it?"

Some guy said "Yeah". Auctioneer said "Sold". Guy who bid walked up and picked out the two dollars and walked away as the crowd chuckled. Probably was all staged ahead of time, but hard to say.
 
Had a farm in WI a few years ago with No.2 son running it. He owned most of the machinery. The machinery being sold was in the same field as the old one ton truck with a dump box on it. The Auctioneer was told everything right down to the truck sells but not the truck I hadn"t cleaned out the cab it didn"t have a battery and the tires were shot. By the time he got down to the truck the hood was up doors open and quite a crowd around it, He asked if I was sure about selling it so I told him go ahead but make sure they know anything not fastened to the truck doesn"t go with it. He asked if it would run and I told him it would with a battery in it. So he sold it for $150. Couple days later the buyer showed up with a battery and gas started it up and drove it home. I had already replaced it with 1 1/2ton International for the price of four tires for the old Chevy. Bought a total of 3 international trucks that year at auctions.
 
On the back of the bid ticket, it states, to make a bid ,hold the number up in the air so it can be seen. I did that once. The auctioneer was standing beside two pallets and I was on the other side without anyone between us. I had my number held out in front of me, and he did not see it until after he said "SOLD". My next bid was a very loud "Yes". He knew why to.

I don't like when people will not start a bid until it is down to $5 and then they sell it for $100. That makes for a very long day.
I have bought items for an openning bid, and had I let it go down to a lesser amount, I am sure I would have had to pay more than I got it for.
SDE
 
Retired, family near here buys very expensive funiture. They have an auction every few years when they are buying new stuff. Bedroomset this year went over 18K. Guy I know was there and walked away when it got that high.


Another couple of funnies at auction......at a store closeing auction in Ky I made a joke bid on a box with 4 containers of oat meal and 3 boxes of salt. Told the auctioneer I'd give him a quarter......I hate oatmeal.....on the way to use the rest room. I come back and my wife is laughing.....and standing by the box.

First real time my wife bid on anything the auctioneer had to tell her not to bid again......she already had the high bid.

Rick
 
An old friend asked me to take him to the big Yearling sale at Keeneland this fall.

Told him:

Sit down, keep your eyes down, don't make eye contact with the bid spotters, and for god sake don't move your hands above your lap.

After watching about 25 horses sell in about 25 minutes for more than $100,000 a piece. He said lets get the heck out of here I'm scared I might accidently bid.
 
Seen an auctioneer here do that to a guy once and he really didn't try to hide it. Estate sale of a real popular local IH mechanic, had some real neet old red iron. Had one "wheatland," not sure of the number but not something you see much in west Ky. Young guy, maybe 20 years old, no one I knew had ever seen him before, I thought maybe he was a grandson or something. He was there two hours before the start of the sale and never left the side of that tractor, he had crawled all over it a dozen times. He had the bid at $10,000 and the auctioneer kept take'n bids from behind the kid up to $16,000. There was no one back there, the tobacco barn quit bid'n when the kid started look'n worried.

Dave
 
My wife was trying to sell antiques. We went to a farm yard sale.Up was a very old bedroom dresser looked like junk to me. Auctioneer could not get a bid. Will anyone give 20.000 my wife took it.
Back home i'm looking at it thinking what the heck am I going to do with this junk.
Under one drawer a yellower envelope taped to the bottom, full of manny,manny $$.
Some poor old gradma saving for a rainy day, made me sad....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

rockyridgefarm
Wonder if wifey will be impressed
2
Replies
24
Views
891
730virgil
7
R
About live/online auctions?
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
johnofnewhaven
J
L
AUCTION QUESTION
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
johnofnewhaven
J
Tony in SD
Machinery Delivery Memory
2
Replies
37
Views
918
K Effective
K
crsutton81
Got 'er done
Replies
15
Views
2K
crsutton81
crsutton81
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top