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The 1st Time You ever bid ?

olgentdc

olgentdc

Well-known Member
Location
Harrison County , Elizabeth Ind 47117
How Old were You when You 1st started bidding at auctions? .There used to be a Saturday auction/ flea market at Scottsburg Ind. At least 2 Auctioneers running constant ,and a flee market too ..Dad still had his 1965 Ford pikup. So i was probably 13 when i HAD TO BID . Dad instructed My brother and I to Buy locust fence posts for No MORE than a dollar each . Count the posts if They are going by the pile or Bid a nickle each time you bid if they are going by the count,.. We Need at Least 65 posts ! .While Dad watched the cattle sell at the Livestock barn ring. my big brother judged he Could take His girlfriend to get a soft drink before the auctioneer got to the posts section. He Misjudged , and I fretted Alone while the 1st pile went for 40 bux for maybe 35 posts, The next pile went for about the same .I Tried to Bid on that pile and was ignored,So , I hollered out to the auctioneer when he knoked it off to someone , "HEY IM'BIDDING HERE Gosh-Damit",Those exact words ,.LOL . it got a chuckle from a couple fellas . the auctioneer Apologized But Said the posts are sOLD. some cigar chewing guy said ," damit Junior ,You Ought to sell them posts by count anyways!",Auctioneer says "Ok Then ,The last stack sells by the post Folks." So i stood right between the stack and the auctioneer , The cigar Guy started bidding and i jumped in at the next nickle, it went that way back and forth and i won at 80 cents , I will never forget That proud feeling when i gave my Dads bid Number , and The Clerk Asked Me Where I lived . ..The cigar chewing guy , bought me hamburger later that afternoon slapped Me on The shoulders and told his pals , and laughing ..I helped This Boy Get him some fence posts so he could build him a fence!It would be a few more years before i Started going to Louisville with Dad to Buy Feeder Pigs. Dad taught me alot about watching the crowd and your opposing bidder ,. That science is lost in the internet auction ,
 
I guess I was a late bloomer at 20 before I made my first bid. A local Ford dealership was being auctioned off with lots of good old Ford vehicle parts. My first attempt was on a stack of Ford shop manuals and I didn't even own a 1966 Ford! But I got them for a few dollars (worth much more now) and that was the start. I came home with the old IH pickup box filled to the max with all sorts of treasures. What a great day that was. Still enjoying and using some of the Ford parts I got at that sale. Still got the IH truck too!
 
I was in 6th grade when dad had me bid on a ford car while he bid on a tractor at another sale. We never got either item.
 
!953, at 14 yrs. old. It was Dads estate sale, I bought back my 6 yr old Morgan gelding, after Dad was killed in a truck wreck. Venable and Evans were the aucutioners, out of Pittsfield Ill. Evans went around thru the crowd and asked the bidders to let me buy the horse back. I only had $40.00 saved, and shot the whole roll, on one bid. I learned years later that it was a rigged auction!
 
I was 12. Bought some stuff for a quarter that included a rocking chair. Sold the chair for 50 cents and have been hooked since.
 
six.at my grandparents farm sale.bought some double open end wrenchs.still have them.58 years ago,in a box of things im takeing with me.
 
I bought job lots off of the wagon loads of stuff at auctions from a early age, maybe ten or so. Bought my first tractor at a auction when I was 20. After the sale , the old farmer came to me and asked if I would need time to pay for it.He new I had just started out milking my own cows a few months before. He told me he didn't need the money all at once, and if it would help me , I could pay over the next year. I thanked him , and took him up on hie offer, it sure was a help, and a good tractor too.
 
Sale I wish I would have bid at was when I was about 17, broke, but Borrowed Dad's pickup and went to the annual Grange consignment sale. Really wasn't anything on the sale bill I wanted or needed. Right next to the Grange hall was a 1969 Boss 302 Mustang, about a year or so old, around 45,000-50,000 hard Kid driven miles, story somebody was telling was the kid got too many tickets and Dad was selling the car. Brought $1400 but I could barely afford lunch at the lunch stand.
 
I was about 10. Neighbor had an auction and I went by my self because I could ride a bike there. Bought a two man Diston chainsaw with a 2 cylinder Merc engine for $9. Rode the bike home, walked back and drug the saw home 2 foot at a time. Month later I had the fastest go cart around.
 
I don't even remember. Not over 10 or 12 at the oldest. Probably nearer 10 because I bought a nice Oliver 77 when I was 14. I used to go to Archbold with Dad all the time and I had a permanent number at a young age. They'd give you a permanent pin that pinned to your shirt or hat. My number was 2500. Dad's was 2045. I've still got that pin around here somewhere.

Anyway,I used to buy small stuff out of the miscellaneous row. I've got a distant cousin that's my age. We've always been good friends,went to school together. I remember we were probably in about the 5th or 6th grade when there was an auction right next door to their place. He bought a box of junk off the wagon for 50 cents. He made a pretty big deal of it because it was the first thing he'd ever bought at an auction. He was proud as a peacock of that stuff.

That happened back before you even got a number at a local auction,you just gave them your name. Joe Helman was the auctioneer and Kendall Haynes was clerk. Mark gave Kendall his name. Joe lowered his voice and asked Kendall "Who is that?". Kendall said "It's Dick's boy". Joe said "Oh,alright". Guess he thought it might be some kid who was gonna skin him out of fifty cents. LOL
 
First auction I went to was a police auto pound auction. I was probably in my early 30's.

I bid on one car, severely wrecked, but was gambling it had a good engine.

Didn't win, didn't even come close! I never saw so much scrap metal go for such outrageous money! People were paying twice what they could have bought better cars at the car lots!

Same experience at a couple of bankruptcy sales. Industrial equipment, machinery, boxed lots of misc tools... Same thing, bidding wars jacking the price above new prices! Obviously unknowing company representatives, spending company money, playing the high roller, egos at war to win at any cost!

Other than Ebay bidding, I have never fared well at any auction.
 
My folks took me and my brother to watch the Assateague island horse sale one year. We were maybe 11 and 12. They went back to the car for lunch and we bid on and bought a pony. Unhappy parents. But we drove a couple hours home ,got the truck, and went back and got it. I think Dad was secretly proud of us. Few years later that horse moved from Maryland to Alabama with us.
 
First big ticket item, was a Lehman skid loader at the age of 19.

Was a dealer inventory reduction sale. He had just taken on the Lehman line and put a new skid loader in the sale.

I figured they were around $4500 new. At 3700 I started looking trying to see who was bidding against me. They took a 3800 bid and I saw no one bid in the direction they were looking so I did not bid the 3900. Figured the auctioneer was bidding me up. I think he was stuck with it and called quite a while and no one else bid. Auctioneer came back to me and asked 3850. I decided to bid once more and as soon as I bid he said sold.

My first lesson in auctioneers running up the bid.
 
(quoted from post at 22:13:08 03/06/18) How Old were You when You 1st started bidding at auctions? .There used to be a Saturday auction/ flea market at Scottsburg Ind. At least 2 Auctioneers running constant ,and a flee market too ..Dad still had his 1965 Ford pikup. So i was probably 13 when i HAD TO BID . Dad instructed My brother and I to Buy locust fence posts for No MORE than a dollar each . Count the posts if They are going by the pile or Bid a nickle each time you bid if they are going by the count,.. We Need at Least 65 posts ! .While Dad watched the cattle sell at the Livestock barn ring. my big brother judged he Could take His girlfriend to get a soft drink before the auctioneer got to the posts section. He Misjudged , and I fretted Alone while the 1st pile went for 40 bux for maybe 35 posts, The next pile went for about the same .I Tried to Bid on that pile and was ignored,So , I hollered out to the auctioneer when he knoked it off to someone , "HEY IM'BIDDING HERE Gosh-Damit",Those exact words ,.LOL . it got a chuckle from a couple fellas . the auctioneer Apologized But Said the posts are sOLD. some cigar chewing guy said ," damit Junior ,You Ought to sell them posts by count anyways!",Auctioneer says "Ok Then ,The last stack sells by the post Folks." So i stood right between the stack and the auctioneer , The cigar Guy started bidding and i jumped in at the next nickle, it went that way back and forth and i won at 80 cents , I will never forget That proud feeling when i gave my Dads bid Number , and The Clerk Asked Me Where I lived . ..The cigar chewing guy , bought me hamburger later that afternoon slapped Me on The shoulders and told his pals , and laughing ..I helped This Boy Get him some fence posts so he could build him a fence!It would be a few more years before i Started going to Louisville with Dad to Buy Feeder Pigs. Dad taught me alot about watching the crowd and your opposing bidder ,. That science is lost in the internet auction ,
Click to expand...

That was a good story.

I was 19 in 1999 and went to a farm sellout auction. There was a 720 diesel that was WELL worn - bald tires, bad sheet metal, but it ran nice. I bid 1750 on a lark, and almost got it. Auctioneer was half a second from saying "SOLD!" when someone bid 1800. They wanted 1850 from me in the worst way, but I had come to my senses. Dunno if I made the right or wrong decision.

Regarding internet auctions. There's still a science to it, it's just a different kind of science. I like that you can pop on your phone and bid when the item comes up, instead of waiting around hours, thinking of all the things you can be doing at home, only to not buy the item you drove two hours to buy. I understand the advantage of being able to put your hands on the item before bidding, but you can buy junk live as easy as online.
 
I honestly have no idea ? I also don't go to a lot of auctions either as a lot of stuff goes to high at them.
I'm betting I was older than most of you more than likely when I was able to drive there by myself. When younger someone older was going there and I tagged along and they did the bidding on what they wanted.
 
Never bought anything but I do remember going to the "Sale Barn" in Texarkana back in the 60's one time. They brought out a little shetland pony, one of those with long hair going every direction and hard to handle. It had a saddle and halter and lead rope that went with it. It brought $10 for everything, and the owner was glad it was gone and the new owner wondered what he got with a $10 saddle. I was 500 miles from home at the time and sure was glad I didn't bid on anything. That was the cheapest auction I ever attended.
 
I'm not an auction fly at all but I must say, this is a great post with a ton of neat stories by YT guys.
 
About 8 years old. I bid 25 cents on a 1 cubic foot cardboard box from the wagon of assorted stuff. Small coffee pot, 4 worn whetstones, a worn angled blade butchers knife, an EverReady flashlight (batteries stuck inside You know what I mean) a small cobbler's hammer I still have, and 3 empty oil cans (Used one of them yesterday on the snow blower auger) Jim
 
I was about 12 when I started bidding for my dad on small stuff at sales. We went to enough sales that the local auctioneers knew who I was so there was never any problems. By the time I turned 14 I was buying weight and hyd. cylinders to sell then started buying sickle bar mowers, rakes, older haybines ect as I got more money. By the time I was 20 I was buying alot for both myself and dad. I remember the first check I ever wrote for over $10,000. It was at Tri-green auction in London OH. I bought a Deere 730, Allis D14,Deere 3300 diesel combine and a Massey 300 combine along with an IH 710 reset plow. That was big time in the early 90's. Tom
 
I was 16 when a family friend introduced me to Reeds Auction. It was run by a family of Arkies. Every Saturday they had an auction starting with miscellaneous in the morning, chickens and livestock in the afternoon. The first thing I saw sold was an old flywheel engine, the rod cap was off and Babbitt was shot. It sold for $1.75. I wanted one in the worst way. I was hooked, I went every week, never saw another one. They would sell boxes of contents. Start at $5, come down to $2.50 right away. If the bidding didn't start at 50 cents they would start putting boxes together. I don't remember the first thing I bought but it was mostly farm related stuff. I would holler "yeah" to get the bid and just nod after that. I still have an old gas pump I bought for $2.50 which was big money at that sale. I bought my first tractor at a different auction that same year. A Cletrac AG for $350. I did find an engine at a junk store for $35, I still have it, it used to run.
 
Years ago shortly after we were married my wife and I attended a sale in town to look at some household items. The auctioneer is a life-long local resident and is well-liked due to his entertaining demeanor when doing sales. My wife was interested in a bag of clothespins and I told her to go ahead and bid. She was pretty nervous and the auctioneer (who had known her for years) could sense this. After my wife won with a top bid of $5 the auctioneer said without missing a beat in his cadence "Sold, $5 per clothespin. Susan, how many do you want?" My wife got real pale real quick. After a second or two of making her think the auctioneer laughed and went on to the next item.
 
I was 12 years old the first time I waved my arm at an auction.

They sold everything at that site from livestock to feed to miscellaneous, even the unclaimed stuff the police recovered.

They did not use bid cards, as soon as the auctioneer said sold the clerk would collect the money from you.

I was after a bicycle but I could not afford what they were selling for.
The police would usually bring in a few dozen bicycles for each sale along with a large number of loose wheels usually roped together in a pile.

Nobody ever bid much on the wheels as the average person did not have use for more than 1 or 2 at a time.

Not surprisingly the first time I tried to bid I was not taken seriously, I tried again this time waving with a 5 dollar bill in my hand and I became the proud owner of 15 10 speed bicycle wheels.

Back in the 70's 10 speeds were still quite popular and by running an ad in the local paper I had no problem selling 3-4 wheels a week at $15 for rears and $10 for fronts.

With seed money in my pocket and an auctioneer that would acknowledge my bids, this turned into a very lucrative business. I had a rack in my parents garage that any given time had 15-20 reconditioned bicycles and a mountain of wheels and parts that were selling steadily.

This venture then led to motorcycles and outboard motors followed by a ton of boats and snowmobiles then on to cars, trucks, tractors and whatever else looked interesting and profitable.

Still cant pass up going to an auction be it online or in person.
 
I was 22. Held up my hand, and drove home a 1950 JD Model "R" with loader, and a 10' Krause Disk.

Bob....
 
I couldn't have been much over 6 or 7. Paid $19.23 for a worthless Shetland pony. Took everything I had in my Piggy bank. Stinkin pony would put a hoof print on each cheek of my backside everytime I got off to open a gate. Had to ride the dumb little thing home about 8 miles after I bought him since Dad wasn't real keen on a pony. I think I have owned some sort of Equine every since.
 
When I was about 5 I went with my dad to an auction for a neighbor who had passed away. I think Dad was helping set up. Anyway, they were selling a pair of porcelain swans, about 4 inches tall, and I thought my mom would like them. So I bought them for a dollar. I assume my dad paid for them- I don't know - but they gave them to me and I proudly brought them home to my mom. Those swans were on display in the front room window sill the rest of Mom's life.
 
I can not only tell you that I was 14, but also that the day was May 6, 1989. It was at my grandparents' estate sale. Dad was helping out on the wagons but wanted a few of the things, so he gave me the number and had me "proxy" bid for him.

My grandfather was legendary for buying "dollar boxes" at auctions and most every standing building at the farm was stacked full of his purchases. Most of them we just put back out on the wagons for the auction, exactly as he bought them.
 
The first auction I attended with my dad and uncle was a rainy day in November of 1971. We came home cold, wet and empty handed as I recall but I enjoyed it. Been to a lot in the ensuing 46 years and I guess its a good thing I don't own a trailer or my place would be filled with all the things I wanted to buy but couldn't haul.
This farm estate auction in the spring of 2014 was a great one. Lots of old treasures to bid on. Some still back in the bushes. Sunshine and mud everywhere. People staggering through mud and trucks spinning their tires. Good times in Sask.
Sask. Farm Auction
 
I was 8 when I first "bid" at an auction. My grandfather died, my dad was the executor of the estate and the decision was made to sell the dairy herd. He had been at the farm for several day (we lived 45 miles away and I hadn't seen him for a while) getting ready for the sale. Mom, my little sister and I drove to the sale barn in Fowler, Co. and sat with the bidders. Dad was in the center of the ring with the auctioneer. As soon as I saw him look at us, I waved. Apparently it was "taken" as a bid, and I saw Dad lean over to the auctioneer and say something. He then pointed to mom, wagged his finger and Mom told me to set on my hands until it was over!!
 
It was probably my first, not quite sure, but after we bought our acreage we decided to buy some sheep. Went to the local sale barn and they herded in half a dozen ewe lambs. I bid once or twice but my head could not run the numbers fast enough so I would quit bidding because I was not sure how much I was spending. Getting toward the end and my wife told me I needed to buy the next bunch. I bid to start and my wife would elbow me in the side and say "BID" each time the ringman would look our way. We got them bought and had sheep for the next 20 years. I would probably have went home empty handed were it not for wifey. gobble
 
I'm 75 years old now, I can't remember my first auction. Can't remember my last auction, but I'll be going to one in a couple of weeks to see if I can steal an Oliver 1550 for my 1/2 acre of ground. My son lives in Wisconsin and I took a truckload of stuff out to him last year. Had to hit a couple of auctions while I was there and was able to bring back a load of "deals".I enjoy sorting thru the boxes of Misc. when I get them home, it's like a treasure hunt. My best buy was a 9" South Bend Lathe with almost every attachment ever built for it for $300. That was the same lathe that was in the school shop when I went to school. The also sold a big Delta table saw from the school at that auction. The lathe is down in my son's shop now, we are in the process of putting a new bench under it. My grandson has bought to bigger lathes at auctions. My son bought a milling machine last summer. Went to an auction in Wi with my son and grandson and the grandson bought $90 worth of stuffed fish. When he figured out he had no use for them he took them to another auction and got his money back.
 
50 years ago, at 12 (dad held the auction slip, but was with money earned with livestock sales)
John Deere BW 1943, THEN drove it home with dad following in the car, 11 miles to home
.....$300! A little rusty, ran good and used it and sold for 2500, 10 years later
 
The first time I ever "bid" at an auction was in 1975. I was an ignorant kid and the farmer I worked for said, "Take this blank check and go to (local tractor auction) and see if they have a 200 gallon chemical tank to mount on the 4430." So I strutted off and returned with an aluminum barrel (he wanted plastic) that turned out to be 150 gallons and the auctioneer, seeing a sucker, had carried me up to $185 to get it. Needless to say, I was sent to no more auctions by that farmer.
 
I was seven or eight. My dad gave me eight dollars to bid. I had never seen that much money before. I bought a single speed CCM balloon tire bike that weighed a ton. It was at the home of one of the original developers of the valley. I thought I did very well because there was change left to give back.
Dave
 
Age 10, I bought a Registered Hereford cow at a dispersal auction, to start my own herd. I've been going to auctions ever since. I love that challenge of bidding. But, I still get buyers remorse...for the stuff I bought, and the stuff I didn't buy.

Funniest thing I ever saw at an auction was at a feeder calf sale (at least 60 years ago). They cranked up the sale and one guy bought the first 3 lots through the ring. Suddenly they stopped the sale. The guy had not understood the process. He was bidding thinking that the price was for the whole animal...but the price was per 100 wt. Wasn't $35 per calf, it was $35 per 100/wt. ( they ran the 3 lots thru again). He was pretty embarrassed and left immediately. I'll bet his neighbors gave him a ribbing...for years and years.

Learned then to listen to the auctioneers explanation ...per item, whole lot...etc. And if it is confusing, I'll stop the auctioneer to get it straight.
 
My own auction out in Wi. Had a 1950 Oliver with a GM diesel. auctioneer sold it to a mennonite. and a few minutes later two of his kids got on it and left for home. They had that thing really howling and every one watched as they went down the road and then it died. Oliver owners knew just what had happened. My son went down to the tractor, pushed the emergency shutoff button that shut off the air to the engine back in told them not to touch it again,started it up and sent them on their way.
Same auction, I had a 1972 Chevy truck that was parked in the same field as the auction stuff. I told the auctioneer the truck doesn't sell. I hadn't cleaned the usual accumulation out of it yet. Well it was down on the end of a row and people were looking it all over and when he got close to it the auctioneer asked, your sure you don;t want to sell that. I said OK but tell them anything that is not part of the truck doesn't go with it. He asked does it run? I said sure but no battery in it. He explained to every one the facts about it The frame was rusted through on one side, It did have a homemade dump on it that worked. Brought $175, guy brought a battery a couple days later, and drove it away.
 
Yep...our giant annual farm equipment consignment auction is this coming Saturday. I told my wife "don't make any plans for Saturday night, I'm going to the auction all day and I'll real tired and sound asleep by 7PM".
 
I went to many auctions with my dad when I was growing up, but I didn't start bidding at auctions until I was about 20 years old. Been to many auctions since then, got some bargains and not bargains. Been looking at the on line auctions, mostly the government ones. I do have a permanent bidder number with a local auction company. Years ago, I went to an auction north of town and bought a Case rubber tired end wheel grain drill for 5 bucks. It was in pretty good shape. Took it to a consignment auction in Colorado and it sold for $385.00. Made a pretty good profit there.
 
That's how I was with the fall consignment sale last year. I'd been filling silo for about ten days,was all done and I was ready for a break. I told the wife I was going to the sale and I wasn't coming home until it was all over.
 
One auction in my home town and was in my early twenties, I bought a tile spade. The auctioneer that has known me and my family said, Take a good look at that spade, if you die and get buried in Clarkson it will be with that spade!! Auction got real quiet and everybody watched to see who bought it. And a quote from a movie "still got the shovel".
 
We had a family implement bussiness back many years ago. My dad would drop me off at auctions when i was 10 years old. He gave me a list of what to pay.The auctioneers all knew me and got a kick out of selling a 10000 dollar tractor to a kid in the crowd.
 
I should be dragging stuff I don't need and don't use to the sale, instead of dragging stuff I don't need and won't use home from the sale....but I just can't resist a bargain!!!
 
There was a sale at sale town one Thanksgiving. As most auctions go there is a fare amount of people just talking. After they had sold off one of the wagons me, my young son of 4 and a cousin climbed on the wagon so we could see over the crowd. Well me and my cousin was talking not paying attention to what was being sold. I could here people laughing, then i here the auctioneer say sold and call out my number. The old auctioneer said don't worry dad it won't hurt you. Everyone got a big kick out of my 4 year old biding. People told me he was throwing up his hand, nodding his head and I didn't even know it. Ol ya what did he buy? Metal runner snow sleigh. Lo i made him drag it to the truck after all he bought it.
 

I've been to so many farm sales over the years, I don't even remember the first time. Most everything on my place is going to be very confusing when I have my sale - because everything already has bidder numbers written in grease pencil already! ha

A lot of times auctions are a big waste of time - unless you know some folks to socialize with.

I waited all day a while back on a JD combine header to sell. Figured I'd get it cheap for parts, since the throat had been crudely cut up with a torch - and then some plates bubble-gum welded around on it.

I ran it to 5 times what I figured it would bring - and then was flabbergasted when the auctioneer hollered out as he said "sold!" - "and HE doesn't even have a JD combine!!"

Apparently the buyer thought the "customizations" would fit an IH combine... First time I ever got outbid on a chopped up piece of junk just for parts!




Howard
 
You got that right. My wifes uncle used to go to every auction within 200 miles and buy anything that went cheap. Has acres and acres of junk. Lives alone in his old farm house and just a path leading from front of house to back. Stuff piled to the ceiling throughout entire house. Every shed, every building full to the ceiling and falling out the doors. Been hauling stuff home for 60 yrs. It's a disease.
 
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