Robert won the 1995 state title for auctioneering in Paso Robles and has been watching the California market ever since his father shipped him and Rosie off to auctioneering school when he was 15. Haulers from California have gone back to the East Coast and the Midwest and have hauled out oak and walnut and mahogany to California for sixty or seventy years. That kind of builds up the California market. I know in New England, Victorian oak is not a big deal, but in California, oak became king. It's the high seller.
People go to the shops, and that's what they see.
The high-energy auction got under way at 10 a.m. as Bob Slawinski ran to the podium with arms raised like a prizefighter and supercharged synthesized music filled the packed gallery of about 250 bidders and onlookers. Several high-end items among the 486 lots sold substantially above their high estimates in the first couple hours, including an English rosewood burl desk set with strap hinges, ink bottles, and dome for holding letters. Even a few years ago someone would buy an antique piece and refinish it, but not today. It's a matter of an evolving market. There's more good feeling about the economy, and that rolls into the antiques business a little bit.