National Republican., 1883-09-10
GOING, GOING, GONE
Interesting Bits Of Information Picked Up
from an AuCtoneer
The Character Of Goods Sold and the
People Who Buy Them.
Instances Of Sharp Practice by Some Of the Would
Bo Fashionable People
How the Boarding House Keepers Get
Their Fall Furniture.

"The lady in tho crushed strawberry
bonnet takes the stove. for SO what will the
lady have next ?" then, seeing reporter Of
THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN near by the
auctioneer winked and climbing toward the
latter over the dusty billows Of sea of
second hand carpets shook hands and added:
"Yes, this is busy day with us, and our
business will tako boom from now until
aftor the new year sets in" Then, to n red
faced man, "Yos sir, that babys crib will be
sold next" Tho manger for somebody's
child having been knocked down
ut fair price and another glib
tongued salesman having appeared, the first
auctioneer sat down on n dusty mohair sofa,
which could doubtless have unfolded many an
interesting tale, and talked with the reporter
while smoking cigar.
you will find" he said, looking around Mt
the varied collection Of furniture and other
things about him." that every auction firm ia
our branch of tho business is very active now.
This Is the time of the year when the season
changes from gay summer to melancholy
fall and extends to wild and joyful winter
time. Always at this season second hand
furniture is 10 be had. 1t means business for
tho auctioneer harvest for the second
hand dealer, and an ora for great bargains
with willy boarding house keepers, who mako
their pennies go further at an auction sale
than their dollars will generally at n regular
Dealers Not that our sales do not realize
fair profits for the owners of tho goods, but
the fact that the articles arc purchased at
auction seems to make them appear cheaper
to some buyers, whether they really are or
not. Now there is an instance over by that
long table," pointing to u very much bat
tered up wardrobe. 81 received that from
lady who had purchased new one
/
almost half the cost of tho new
one. The purchaser, a second hand dealer,
will fix it up aud sell IL for about $1s, and no
doubt it will figure again at another auction
sale some day. oh no, the furniture does
not always come here to be sold because the
owners are hard up. That occurs frequently,
and could tell you many tale Of suffering
and misery that brought such sales about, but
most of the stuff we are now handling comes
from wealthy parties who are cleaning out
their houses to refurnsh for the fall and win
ter season, or large boarding house keepers pre-
pairing for the incoming congressional session
and the generally largo influx of visitors dur
ing that period. This happens once year.
Sometimes the goods are sold at private sale
and again rs. 1t stands in the house, but the
best prices come from public sales. We have
of course regular run of customers among
boarding house keepers and second hand
dealers, who can generally estimate the value
u u
certain figure and no moro, and we have to
depend on transient customers for higher
prices. The latter class are often young
people just married who contemplate house
keeping, or perhaps others who seek to fur
nish their own houses or rooms at moderate
cost. Then there are the antique furniture
and relic hunters, who will pay almost any
price for an article they greatly desire, and {
lot more who attend our performances every
sales day"
you sell household goods to close estates
too supposeW
ooh, yes, frequently. There's lot of stuf
from the estate of the late Senior Barca, owe
there" pointing to some handsome library
and parlor furniture.
"Those all brought good prices. They wer,
purchased by the dealer from whom origi-
nally purchased, who will roupholster and sci
them over again at good profit"
Where did those old school house desks
and benches come from 2"
"Oh, from a seminary for young ladies VI
town. The school has become a swell insti
tuition lately and has been furnished in blue
and white Eastlake. These poor old things
now plobians and castaways will perhaps
find their way in the course of time to somC
country school house AS bad as they look
they could tell many ,girlish secrets out o.
school if they could talk"
You were speaking of sales forced by do.
mestic misery, WHAT
80 was but / haven't time to partcu
larize. Here's n story that is more painfully
spoken than | can express" Rising as he
said this, the auctioneer approached lot Of
elegant furniture and household goods, in
cluding dining room ware, and all that OF
the richest quality. The latter was spread
out on long table, on one end of which were
about 100 empty bottles labeled cold cabinet
whisky" Raising one by the neck the auc-
tioneer concluded sadly:
"If this fellow had tongue he could tel
you why these things were sold to-day
Another auctioneer gave the reporter an
interesting history Of the dealings with
people who circulate in society; how somt
either sold or pawned their paintings plato
and pianos to keep up with the social process
sion, and even borrowed money on furnitur,
as 1t stood in their houses
But its still funner," he added, "to know
what tricks some of these people resort to il
their efforts to do each other in business
transaction. case in point is that Of q lad,
residing i'll the west end, who has iigureC
largely in society both here and abroad Sh,
rented her Washington house and furnished
it magnihcently. Recently the hous
was sold to another wealthy lady wh
desired to move into it by tho frs
of September. Indeed it was almost abso
lutely necessary for her to do 50, but tho oc
cupant whose lease did not expire unit
the first of January next, refused to vacat
until then unless the now owner purchase,
her furniture standing in the house at wha
it originally cost. Why said the lady VIII
wanted to move in, you have used that fur
niture for three years, and IL is not worth IL
full value now IL makes no difference
was the reply, ifyou don't take it at my price
] stay here until January Well, tho lonI
and short of IL was the price demanded wa
paid, and the new owner moved in.'
Some interesting stories were told by othe
auctioneers of the classes of people who at
tend auction sales Some attend for tn
fun of the thing, and others to study charaG
ter, while many of the leading society peo
pie attend to pick up bargains in bric
brac and articles Of virtu. In ante-belluu
days" an auctioneer said Mrs Jefferson
Davis, the wife of the then secretary of war
attended auctions regularly. | remembe
one day had to SO ont into the country to sci
out wealthy establishment. Tho FIRST person
saw on arriving thore was Mrs, Davis why
madame / said, what are you doing heret
Oh was the reply, came for amusement
] always enjoy an auction sale more than
do an opera