The New York herald., 1878-12-02
ANSWER.
AUcTIoNEERs' ORDERS.

To THE EDITOR THE HERALD:-
Your correspondent, Manhattan" makes what he
calls exposure OF the manner in which GER
tain book auctions conducted. and complains
that having given auctioneer an order to purchase
q certain '1ot' at a given price the opportunity was
not afforded to him by the auctioneer to obtain the
"lot" at less sum.
As an auctioneer who prasticed for twenty years.
and at present unconnected with the business may
pretend to knowledge of the rules which should
with equity govern this question and yet do with
perfect impartiality.
auctioneer is to SELL and not to buy, and when he
the rostrum he stands there the accepted and
recognized agent OF the vender bound oy conra:t.
certain commission agreed to be paid, the said suc
toneer will obtain the best price for the prop
erty submitted to public auction under all and every
circumstance of the It stands to reason. there
FORE that If the auctoneer enters into secret under
standing with any buyer knock down the property
for less sum than has been avowedly offered it
must be fraudulent act against the vender. This
rnIe applies to all lots" without regard to value
let it be three-dollar book ve-thousand-dollar
picture.
Let us put case:-suppose Manhattan had .
which he estimates at 5000, and, wishing to sell it.
he instructs strawberry Hill Robins" to sell it by
auction. Being unable to attend the sale. with less
reliable auctioneer he would put reserve OF. say
81 500 the picture but having perfect confidence
in the suctioneer, he II put no reserve on my
picture; leave it to to do your best and get mo
the best price you can.
the day Of view the work of the great master 10
noticed by Mr. Gerard Douw who estimates the pic
ture at its worth. and his time in attending
the sale requests the auctoneer to purchase the pic
for him, stating he win give as much as $4,000
for it.
On the sale day, az fortune would have it, not
person is present who can appreciate Rembrandt.
The 'compsny' have left homes. the walls OF which
arc covered with pictures painted apparently, with
the aniline dyes of modern commerce. Poor Rem
brandt would never be tolerated in such company.
and when the Rembrandt is put up the auctioneer
has uphill work. However, $1,000 is reached and
nothing higher seems possible The auctioneer has
Mr. Gerard Douws order to bid $1,000. What Is he
TO do why. clearly, TO run the price up 10 this
amount and so sell it. He stands there the agent Of
the vender under contract to do his best and get
the highest price, and has nothing to do with tho
vendeo except to extort from him the highest price
he is willing to pay.
No man two masters; and 1t would be
well respectable auctioneers to decline taking
ders to purchase, puts them in false light;
the other hand purchasers should attend sales them
selves employ independent men to bid for them,
and from the experience Of Manhattan" it will
clearly pay them to do so.
In conclusion l would add that far from the
practice OF the auctioneer Manhattan complains Of
being IAN exposure" apprehend it shows he was
honorable man, and il about to sell property OF
mine by auction that would be the man / should
employ If knew his name. J. M.